Dennis Machida -- head of Tahoe Conservancy
Michael Taylor, Chronicle Staff Writer
Thursday, March 10, 2005
Dennis T. Machida, the top executive of the California Tahoe Conservancy and one of the state's key
conservation advocates, died of an apparent heart attack last week in Montana while delivering a speech
on natural resources.
Mr. Machida, 58, was pronounced dead at a local hospital shortly after he collapsed Friday at the Chico
Hot Springs Resort, in the town of Pray about 40 miles north of Yellowstone National Park.
He was there to address a conference of the Consortium for Integrated Climate Research on Western
Mountains.
Mr. Machida was born and raised in Sacramento and graduated from the University of Redlands in San
Bernardino County. He was awarded a master's degree from Occidental College in Los Angeles and a
law degree from the UC Davis School of Law.
Mr. Machida joined the California Coastal Conservancy in 1977, where he later became assistant
executive officer and was exposed to the state's sprawling environmental network -- non-profits, state
agencies, small private groups, all seeking ways to preserve California's nature.
He stayed with the Coastal Conservancy until 1982, when he was hired by the state Resources Agency
as assistant secretary for legal affairs.
In early 1985, Mr. Machida became the first and only executive officer of the California Tahoe
Conservancy, formed in 1984 "for the purposes of protecting water quality, preserving wildlife habitat, and
providing public access and recreational opportunities at Lake Tahoe," said its board chairman, Larry
Sevison.
On Monday, Sevison said Mr. Machida's family has "lost a husband, father and son, and this conservancy
has lost a devoted leader. Throughout his 20 years as executive officer of the Tahoe Conservancy,
Dennis dedicated his life to public service and was a compassionate voice for the environment in
California."
Mike Chrisman, head of the state Resources Agency, which oversees the conservancies, credited Mr.
Machida's leadership as "crucial in the preservation and restoration of the Lake Tahoe Basin and
instrumental in the (recent) creation of the Sierra Nevada Conservancy. His energy, enthusiasm,
dedication, and the way in which he brought everything he touched to life will be greatly missed."
The Sierra Nevada Conservancy was created last fall to protect the entire Sierra Nevada, from the
Oregon border to near Bakersfield.
Sevison said that under Mr. Machida's leadership, the Tahoe Conservancy acquired more than 7,400
acres of land and engineered nearly 600 projects on the California side of the Lake Tahoe Basin, all to
help preserve the pristine mountain environment.
Environmental consultant Tom Martens, who knew Mr. Machida for the past 20 years, said his friend was
one of the most connected officials in the Sierra Nevada.
"You never made a move in Tahoe in relation to anything involving the environment politics of Tahoe
without calling Dennis," Martens said. "He was the person who knew the history and the politics and the
background of any issue."
Mr. Machida is survived by his wife, Kathie Wong, and son, Nathan, both of the family home in South
Lake Tahoe; his mother, Miyako Machida, of Sacramento; and two sisters, Sandy Fricker of Chico and
Connie Gon of Sacramento.
A memorial service for Mr. Machida will take place at 1 p.m. Saturday at Mayhew Community Baptist
Church, 3401 Routier Road, Sacramento. A public celebration of life will be held in the Lake Tahoe area
later this year. Notes to the family may be sent to the California Tahoe Conservancy, 2161 Lake Tahoe
Blvd., Suite 2, South Lake Tahoe, CA 96150.