South Lake Tahoe, CA – Warmer spring weather can expose trash left behind after winter snow melts, and leave South Lake Tahoe scattered with litter. This debris is an eyesore, and can harm not only wildlife, but also Lake Tahoe’s clarity. For these reasons, the League to Save Lake Tahoe hosted the 5th annual South Lake Tahoe Earth Day Cleanup on Monday, April 22nd. Over 60 volunteers removed 770 pounds of litter and over 6,000 cigarette butts in a span of three hours.
“We continued to be amazed at the amount of trash found in and around Lake Tahoe,” said Marilee Movius, the League’s community engagement manager. “Cleanups like these are critical to ensuring our lake remains a beautiful place for us all to enjoy. We thank all of our partners and volunteers that joined together to be part of the solution.”
This year’s cleanup was made possible because of the engagement of League volunteers and partner organizations including Azul Latin Kitchen, Base Camp Pizza Co., California Burger Co., Heavenly Lake Tahoe, Marriott Grand Residence, Marriott Timber Lodge, Patagonia at Heavenly, Social House, South Tahoe Refuse, and Ten Crows BBQ.
League volunteers, staff and partner organizations cleaned areas in and around Heavenly Village from 9 am to noon on Earth Day. Trash was then collected, sorted and weighed at the end of the event.
“Cleanups are only part of the solution. Ultimately if we want to protect our lake, then we need to reduce the amount of trash being put into our environment,” said Jesse Patterson, the League chief strategy officer. “For that reason, we ask that everyone pack out their trash or dispose of it properly.”
###
The League to Save Lake Tahoe, also known by the slogan “Keep Tahoe Blue,” is Tahoe’s oldest and largest nonprofit environmental advocacy organization. The League is dedicated to community engagement and education, and collaborating to find solutions to Tahoe’s environmental challenges. The League’s main campaigns include combating pollution, promoting restoration, tackling invasive species and protecting Tahoe’s shoreline.