Volunteers Find "Mostly Clean" Lake Tahoe Beaches on Cleanup Day

As is now tradition, scores of volunteers organized by the League to Save Lake Tahoe (known as Keep Tahoe Blue), a non-profit organization dedicated to protecting the area's environmental health, visited beaches throughout Lake Tahoe to pick up after July 4th revelers.

These volunteers were much needed last year. While many of Lake Tahoe's beaches were left relatively undisturbed in 2023, Zephyr Shoals, which saw 6,318 pounds of trash, was desecrated.

In the aftermath, Dr. Darcie Goodman Collins, CEO of the League to Save Lake Tahoe, said the particularly tarnished beach "looked like a landfill,” and a video shared by Clean Up The Lake, one of the League's partners, which depicted piles of trash adjacent to Lake Tahoe's blue, shimmering surface, provoked public outrage.

This year's story was a bit different, though. While a record number of volunteers joined the League in clearing trash—774 in total—their work didn't take particularly long, as they found mostly pristine sand, trails, and streets.

In total, the volunteers picked up 1,866 pounds of trash, a small fraction of the 8,598 pounds they hauled last year.

The League attributes this dramatic reduction in leftover waste to the newly launched Tahoe Blue Beaches program.

The program is a partnership between the League and USDA Forest Service Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit. It focuses on three pillars: education, engineering, and enforcement.

One specific effort connected with the Tahoe Blue Beaches program was the management of Zephyr Shoals. "What happened at Zephyr Shoals was absolutely unacceptable," said Forest Supervisor Erick Walker from the USDA Forest Service in reference to 2023’s trash debacle. “You wouldn’t empty a trash-filled cooler on your living room floor; it’s just as unthinkable to do it on a Tahoe beach.”

Aramark Destinations, a concessionaire, was tapped to manage Zephyr Shoals in the hopes of avoiding another trash build-up. They installed additional waste receptacles, portable bathrooms, and temporary fencing. Outside alcohol was prohibited. Based on the small amount of trash at Zephyr Shoals after the 4th this year, the League considered the management approach a success.

“Today, we saw clear evidence that people went out of their way to protect Tahoe–that includes land managers, an amazing number of volunteers and partners, and the tens of thousands of people who spent their holiday on the beach,” said Marilee Movius, senior community engagement manager for the League to Save Lake Tahoe in July 5th press release.

"Thank you for helping to Keep Tahoe Blue. Now, let’s keep this going through the weekend and all summer," she added.

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