Lake Tahoe trail to be renamed after Dianne Feinstein. What’s her connection to the area?

A portion of a trail winding through around Lake Tahoe’s stunning shores will be renamed in honor of its most well-known steward.

The Tahoe City Public Utility District voted June 21 to unanimously approve renaming the West Shore Trial in honor of the late Sen. Dianne Feinstein, said Jess Weaver, a spokeswoman for the Tahoe Fund in a news release on Wednesday.

California’s longest serving state senator died last year at the age of 90. Her cause of death was not disclosed.

About 11 miles, the West Shore Trail was one of Feinstein’s beloved spots. She frequented restaurants on the West Shore and in Tahoe City and enjoyed long walks with her husband around the area, wrote Devin Middlebrook, the government affairs manager for the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency, in a letter to the utility board.

Feinstein secured more than half a billion dollars to stave off environmental harm to Lake Tahoe through wielding her political acumen to bring attention to the revered waters. That media spotlight later helped to pass legislation protecting the area.

The San Francisco Democrat spearheaded the 1997 Lake Tahoe Presidential Summit, now an annual event, and persuaded then-President Bill Clinton and Vice President Al Gore to attend. She funneled federal funding through the Lake Tahoe Restoration Act in 2000, which helped Tahoe’s Environmental Improvement Program.

“When we launched our fundraising campaign to build the path ten years ago, Senator Feinstein and her husband were among the first to contribute,” Amy Berry, Tahoe Fund CEO, said in a statement. “They understood what a difference this path would make for all those who recreate on Tahoe’s West Shore. Now, we hope that her memory will continue to inspire others to give back to this incredibly special place.”

The sign will be installed by next year, Weaver said. Plaques commemorating Feinstein’s legacy will also dot the trail.