Now that the year is well underway, let's all hope that a legion of locals will rise up and speak firmly on the important, livability issues ahead for this loose-fitting, regional community. Otherwise, non-locals will determine the destiny of "our" 200 square miles here at 6,000 feet. That would not be a good thing.

Free Lunch?
What's it take to be a genuine local? The price of admission is actually higher than you might think. It is not simply a matter of anointing oneself with the title and announcing, "I'm in the club." And regardless of the folklore, just hanging around for years or becoming a character or owning property does not automatically bestow membership. Earnest interest in the Tahoe-Truckee community backed up with an investment of self is the prime requirement. There are no free lunches.

Psychologists tell us that a person's depth of commitment to any group or cause (or area) is proportional to the difficulty of gaining entrance. Translated, this means that the more trouble it is to join something--organization or cause--the more strongly the member identifies with the something once she or he is in. In simplest terms, if we pay $250 for a membership, we will be more dedicated and possessive than if we only pay $10. Or, in non-monetary terms, if we have to study and/or sweat to become bona fide insiders (like nurses, Olympic athletes, fighter pilots, for example), we are more likely to root, cheer, and pour energy into "our" organization or cause than if it is easy to cross the membership threshold. So to the extent that it is easy to be a Tahoe-Truckee person, it doesn't signify much. The fact is, it isn't easy, as the rain and flooding so far in this winter season attest.

As a practical matter, the climb to becoming a genuine local runs uphill through some tough terrain. There seem to be two major routes to the summit. One is a time-consuming, winding road with a three-percent slope. It can be done in a high gear, even with two-wheel drive. Many, but certainly not all, long-term mountain people are real locals by virtue of their life investment in the community while on the winding, climbing road. There are many reasons they qualify.

How Long Have You Been Here?
People who have "been here" are the best source of history on the variegated past of the region--from Donner to Truckee to Incline, Kings Beach, Tahoe City, and Emerald Bay. Such people can provide the information roots vital to the health and character of this community, and many do so by participating, one way or another. They give we who follow on the road points of reference. To know a sharing, old timer is to touch the past of this place. "How long have you been here?" is probably the most asked question when people meet each other for the first time. This is how we calibrate our acquaintances. Relative newcomers respect old timers who had the wisdom to stay in these mountains--not a simple place to live. We are happy to crown some of them genuine locals; in a sense they are our ancestors. The ones who gave of themselves in the community over the years have bequeathed to us what we have here now.

The second route to being a genuine local is shorter and steeper, a bumpy road with a seven-percent grade. Low gear is definitely required, and perseverance. Basically this route is more strenuous; it is definitely not for dilettantes. But it is really the only one available to seekers who are starting their journey at 6,000' near mid life.

New Timers
Aspirants who choose this road must find ways to identify with these mountains, valleys, and meadows--what this area has been and, most importantly, will become. Fortunately, often such "new timers" have the fervor of fresh converts. They care about Tahoe-Truckee in tangible ways meant to extend and enhance the rural, natural nature of living here. Some are doing what they can to insure that our geographic inheritance does not slip through our collective fingers.

The percentage of property owners who claim this area as their official "residence" is increasing yearly. Whether the flood of such new residents will make meaningful contributions over and above their mandatory tax payments remains to be seen. But these people are absolutely vital to determining what this region is like at the end of the next decade. States don't have locals. Cities don't have locals. Only towns and villages have them...sometimes.

Players, Not Spectators
In summary, there is a price of admission to be an authentic local. In addition to many old timers, some who have paid up include those who go to planning meetings, help out with hospices, clean up the river annually, and volunteer in the countless nonprofits that enhance life here. People who run quality businesses and make government tick are also in the club. All such people are threads in the fabric of mountain living by the Big Blue Lake and alongside its river. They are players, not spectators, people who pick up chunks of responsibility in the community and carry them around. Locals. Is the price of admission worth the trouble? The ones I know think so.