Nevada Tahoe plate a winner

Friday, April 10, 1998 | 12:49 p.m.

"The registration folks say the response is quite amazing," says Kim Evans, spokeswoman for the state Department of Motor Vehicles and Public Safety.

Benefiting from the plate's popularity are environmental projects at Lake Tahoe. Each plate generates $25 for a Lake Tahoe fund administered by Nevada's Division of State Lands, and sales have so far contributed $28,925.

"The money is important," said Pam Drum of the bistate Tahoe Regional Planning Agency. "Every additional dollar we can raise for environmental projects at Lake Tahoe is important. It's also important that people are willing to wear on their sleeve, so to speak, support for environmental projects."

Many of the plates have been purchased by Las Vegas residents, who seem to regard them as a touch of prestige, state Sen. Mark James, R-Las Vegas, said at a recent legislative oversight hearing on Lake Tahoe.

There's no question that the design by Reno graphic artist Greg Willison has captured the imagination of the state's motorists, said the DMV's Evans.

The first two customers were residents of Clark County, who drove 450 miles to line up at the DMV office on the morning when the plates first went on sale.

One reason for the plate's appeal may be its status as Nevada's only scenic plate. Other special plates, such as those for veterans, university alumnae and hot-rod owners, are only designated by numerals or an insignia added to the state's regular plate.

In California, where drivers have a choice of three scenic plates, sales of that state's Tahoe plate have lagged behind Nevada on a per-capita basis.

After more than a year of sales, 9,200 motorists have purchased the Tahoe plate for California's 26 million registered vehicles.

But Californians have purchased 50,000 Yosemite plates, 13,000 plates with an image of a whale's tail, and 800,000 personalized plates, which all generate money for environmental causes.