Our Core Volunteers

The beating heart of our Tahoe Blue-Gooder family are our core volunteers

We love the people who love the Lake

Since 2014, the League has used our Core Volunteer Program to recognize our most dedicated volunteers — those individuals who have given at least 15 hours over the course of one year volunteering with the League. Active Core Volunteers continue to work at two or more events each year after being welcomed into the program. Some have given more than 300 hours of their time and effort to protect Lake Tahoe!

For their dedication, Core Volunteers get our endless appreciation and special “We are the League” branded gear that’s not available to anyone else. You can join this elite club by joining one of the League’s citizen science programs, or by joining us for an event.

Collectively, our Core Volunteers have spent over 7,000 hours helping to Keep Tahoe Blue! We are proud to highlight our core volunteers and share their outstanding work.

Volunteers participating in a clean up event.

March 2025

Featured Core Volunteer: Elaine Welch

For more than a decade, Elaine Welch has been a driving force in protecting and preserving Lake Tahoe. Since she first started volunteering with the League in 2014, Elaine has dedicated 236 hours to hands-on conservation efforts, impacting Tahoe’s environment.

As a Tahoe Blue Crew Leader, Elaine has adopted Nevada Beach, Kahle Meadow, and Van Sickle State Park, ensuring these beloved outdoor spaces remain clean and beautiful for all to enjoy. Her passion extends beyond cleanups—she’s actively involved in the Tahoe Forest Stewardship Day, Snapshot Day, and Eyes on the Lake monitoring, helping track and report environmental changes.

Elaine’s commitment to keeping Tahoe Blue goes beyond the work itself. She values the friendships she’s built through volunteering and loves the diverse opportunities to engage with science, restoration, and community action. Her passion for swimming, boating, kayaking, and hiking fuels her dedication to ensuring Lake Tahoe remains pristine for generations.

Thank you, Elaine, for your unwavering dedication and love for Tahoe. Your legacy of stewardship makes a real difference!

February 2025

Featured Core Volunteer: Karen Cutter

Meet Karen Cutter, a dedicated Core Volunteer who has logged an impressive 282 hours protecting Lake Tahoe’s beauty. As a leader in the Tahoe Blue Crew – Littermates, Karen rallies her Meyers neighbors to tackle litter and safeguard Tahoe’s shores.

Her contributions don’t stop there. From helping at Tahoe Forest Stewardship Days and community cleanups to supporting the League’s office and Annual Benefit, Karen’s commitment shines through in every project.

Why does she dedicate her time? “I’ve been a volunteer for years because I love the lake,” Karen shares. When she’s not volunteering, you can find her cycling and hiking through the landscapes she works so hard to protect.

Thank you, Karen, for being an incredible steward of Tahoe. Volunteers like you drive our mission to Keep Tahoe Blue!

Active Core Volunteers

Volunteers who have given 300 hours or more
Loretta Friedel	Naomi Morgan	Deborah Olivieri	Philip Olivieri
Mary Ann Werley

Volunteers who have given 100 hours or more
Hari Bird	Suzanne (Susie) Crowley	Karen Cutter	Tara Dobyns
Mimi Graybill	Bob Harms	Lynn Hori	Linda Kenney
Guru Amrit Khalsa	OngKar Khalsa	Ron Kline	Charlene Mattos
Kevin McDermott	Kim Metting Van Rijn	Steve Robison	Joanne Rolfe
Leonard (Lenny) Smith	Elaine Welch

Volunteers who have given between 50-99 hours
Janet Baumann	Thomas Berndt	Cara Bourne	Valerie Castejon
Amy Christiaens	Leslie Edmonds	Pollyanne Ertis	Peter Fairley
Samia Foster	Matt Franzino	Mark Goldstein	Andrea Lundquist
Tiffany MacLaughlin	Jeanette Mori	Lila Peterson

Volunteers who have given up to 49 hours
Elizabeth Baker	Kole Brouwer	Shelly Brown	Julien Christiaens
Katie Craven	Samantha DeLaTorre	Adam Donaldson	Kathleen Donnelly
Ben Dosseff	Morgan Edwards	Scott Foster	Jason (Jay) Goldberg
Jenny Haas	Leann Joseph	Mark Kennedy	Julie Lytle
Maureen Montgomery	Andrew Pavlu	Mariel (MK) Penollar	Lynn Price
Lesley Robinson	Katie Sloan	Stephanie Snider	Regina Thackara
Isaiah Wood

Legacy Core Volunteers

Andersen, Jim	Arce, Dan	Atkinson, Sherrie	Beall, William (Bill)
Bedwell, Sierra	Bilek, Jason	Bradford, Kirsten	Brown, Barbara
Brown, David	Brown, Toby	Bunte, Amanda	Burnham, Tristan
Byler, Gregory	Campbell, Mike	Carrol, Phil	Carter, Jerry
Carter, Jill	Chavez, Gabriel	Cobel, Carson	Coronado, Veronica
Crutchfield, Kelci	Dahler, Russ	Daly, Kathryn	Dawn, Jennifer
Dawn-Bloch, Coral	Dawn-Bloch, Sequoia	Dayberry, John	Delehanty, Cheryl
Disney, Chris	Disney, Pat	Dittmar, Shaunte	Domingo, Yvonne
Eckert, Anton	Eckert, Christian	Eckert, Dave	Edmonds, Jeff
Eichenberg, Dylan	Ertis, Brandon	Escobar, Elisa	Fairley, Jeff
Fairley, Peter	Forbush, Todd	Garcia, Kerri	Garofalos, John
Goodman, Linda	Gray, Tommy	Hao, Sherry	Harter, Larissa
Haver, Serena	Hayes, Chad	Heaney, Krystle	Hill, Theodore
Hoke, Thomas	Jameson, Mark	Jameson, Sue	John, Deborah
Justice, Taylor	Keil, Elana	Keil, Jake	Keil, Kirk
Keil, Noah	Kerley, Allison	Kirschenman, Sophie	Klee, Debbie
Kojima, Emily	Kristi, Jouett	Kranz, Heather	Lara, Mark
Laurence, Chad	Lawrence, Lynn	Le, Khoi	Leskovic, Aimee
Mancillas, Mike	Maugeri, Tom	Maxwell, Charleen	McCrone, Ryan
Mendoza, Daniel (Dan)	Metcalfe, Travis	Metkovich, Casey	Moffet, Charles (Charlie)
Monteleone, Victoria	Morgan, Chris	Murray, Meredith	Nehls, Diana
Norton, Simon	Nunnally, Soloman	Oh, Seyung	Outlaw, Zakkary
Phillips, Jesse	Psilopoulos, Greg	Psilopoulos, Patty	Ramirez, Juliette
Rangel, Lannette	Rickabaugh, David	Riley, Katie	Rincon, Evelyn
Rodriguez, Vesper	Rollf, Ian	Ross, Jon	Ross, Sam
Rudroff, Savannah	Rury, Nickolas (Nick)	Schlim, Laura	Schutte, Denise
Schwartz, Heather	Seyung, Oh	Sirusaite, Genevieve	Smith, Grace
Sloan, Katie	Spencer, Dana	Stenzel, Lacy	Stevens, Donielle
Stutzman, Caroline	Sullivan, Sharon	Tom, Keith	Usinger, Carolyn
Valencia, Ronald	Vass, Hilary	Vass, Kayla	Villamar, Sabine
Walker, Brian	Walsh, Meghan	Walton, Kat	Weist, Kelsey
Wigart, Russel	Zeman, Kimberly (Kim)

Ready to get involved?

Contact us at events@keeptahoeblue.org, fill out our short registration form or check our events page frequently for the next opportunity.

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