Just beneath the surface of Tahoe’s sandy shoreline, plastics and other litter are silently accumulating, threatening the Lake’s water quality, animals, and beauty. That’s why the League and ECO-CLEAN Solutions have partnered the past three summers to deploy a fleet of solar-powered, sand-sifting robots called BEBOTs. The results? We uncovered important trends in litter types and accumulation, and removed more than 38,000 pieces of trash—many of which could have ended up in the Lake. Your generosity makes it possible to turn innovation into cleaner beaches.

“It’s exciting to see innovative solutions like the BEBOT being deployed here in Tahoe, where microplastics are a growing threat to the health of the Lake,” said Deirdre Francks, the League’s data and science coordinator. “Data from the first three seasons of BEBOT cleanings show it’s an effective last line of defense, capturing litter before it can enter the water and cause harm to our local ecosystem.”

Deirdre helps convert powerful data like this into new policies that ban the most common litter items, preventing litter before it starts.

Now, you can explore the full story in this new interactive StoryMap.

From the problem of buried plastic to how BEBOT works and what it’s uncovered, it’s a visual deep dive into science and technology helping Keep Tahoe Blue. Protecting the Lake takes more than machines—it takes all of us. Join a cleanup or restoration event this Earth Month and see how your actions, alongside technology like BEBOT, make a real difference.