Palisades Tahoe USA, Alpine Meadows, Homewood Mountain Resort, Boreal, and Sugar Bowl all received an "A" while other Tahoe resorts were given "B's" and "C's" on a report card released Monday by the Ski Area Citizen's Coalition.

The Coalition, which began its grading reports in 2000, reviews ski resorts across the country against a set of standards in four categories and awards an overall score or "grade" based on their performance. The four categories, which were introduced this year, include Habitat Protection, Protecting Watersheds, Addressing Global Climate Change, and Environmental Practices and Policies.

Palisades Tahoe USA received an "A" ranking for the third year in a row, with the top overall score nationwide of 89.7%. Palisades Tahoe received a score of 100% in the category of Habitat Protection, under which there are four areas of focus: Maintaining Ski Terrain Within the Existing Footprint, Preserving Undisturbed Lands from Development, Protecting or Maintaining Endangered Species, and Preserving Environmentally Sensitive Areas.

Lake Tahoe Area Resort's Grades

Palisades Tahoe USA: A
Alpine Meadows: A
Homewood Mountain Resort: A
Boreal: A
Sugar Bowl: A
Kirkwood: B
Sierra-at-Tahoe: B
Mt. Rose/Ski Tahoe: B
Northstar-at-Tahoe: C
Heavenly Mountain Resort: C

Donner Ski Ranch was noted on the associated "Little Ski Areas that Rock" report. No ranking was given for Diamond Peak.

The Coalition's rankings are intended to give "all outdoor and mountain recreational users, a way to assess the environmental performance and policies of their favorite ski areas and resorts." Each resort's report card, available online at skiareacitizens.com, gives viewers an opportunity to review complete details and send an email to the resort to comment on their score.

Some resort officials have questioned the methodology used by the Coalition to develop its grades each year.