Celebrate Earth Day on the South Shore

By: League to Save Lake Tahoe

There are many ways to celebrate Earth Day in Tahoe – but first the weather! Spring in Tahoe can’t quite decide what it wants to be. Are we skiing today or paddling? Should I wear a T-shirt or a parka? That’s the beauty of this splendid season – you can have it all. No matter what outdoor pursuit fills your spring days, you’re guaranteed a front row seat to Tahoe’s natural grandeur. 

That makes this time of year perfect for celebrating the wonders of nature during Earth Day, Earth Week, and (yeah, why not) Earth Month! Before your trip to Tahoe, exercise those environmental muscles because you’ll have plenty of opportunity to flex this Earth-Month-April with events and activities to Keep Tahoe Blue. 

But first, just a sprinkle of history.

Photo: New York Times

In 1969, a disastrous oil spill off the coast of Santa Barbara, California inspired a movement to protect the natural environment. The first Earth Day was held just 15 months later. It mobilized 20 million Americans and led to the creation of national environmental agencies and laws. Today, Earth Day is celebrated across 190 nations and has sparked thousands of environmental causes.

Can you imagine what Tahoe would look like with almost a million full-time residents instead of 60,000?
Photo: League to Save Lake Tahoe

Lake Tahoe got a head start on environmental preservation. Thirteen years before the first Earth Day, a group of concerned Tahoe-lovers came together to fight a plan that would have changed the lake forever. It called for encircling the lake with a high-speed freeway, building a bridge over Emerald Bay, and filling the basin with casinos, subdivisions, and a year-round population to rival San Francisco’s. Can you imagine how differently Tahoe could look today? Thankfully, that proposal was defeated, marking the first victory for the League to Save Lake Tahoe – a.k.a. Keep Tahoe Blue.

Today, the League invites everyone to protect while they play at Tahoe, so this special place is just as beautiful for your family’s next visit and for generations to come. There’s no better time to get involved than Earth Month. Attend events like South Lake Tahoe Earth Day Cleanup or the South Lake Tahoe Earth Day Festival and make a difference! While you’re in Tahoe this Earth Month April, stop, drink in the views, and do at least one thing to Keep Tahoe Blue. It will make your trip that much sweeter. 

Help Us Remain Pristine

Lake Tahoe is an ancient marvel filled with 37 trillion gallons of 99.9% pure, sapphire blue water that we are fortunate to recreate in and around. Please respect its pristine nature and that of the surrounding forests and mountains by packing out all you pack in. If no trash container is handy or is filled, take your trash with you and find another appropriate receptacle. 

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