I will take care of the wonders of Lake Tahoe, and will help to preserve this national treasure by being a champion for the region and leaving places better than I found them.
“Take nothing but memories, leave nothing but footprints.” — Chief Seattle
#TahoePledge
An enormous part of Lake Tahoe’s appeal is its extraordinarily pristine beauty.
Beckoning visitors from around the world, the Tahoe National Forest encompasses the crowning jewel of the Sierra’s expansive, glistening aquamarine waters. Sky-scraping peaks carpeted with conifers tower over America’s largest alpine lake that boasts unparalleled depth visibility.
While captivating in its beauty, Lake Tahoe cannot protect itself. It takes the stewardship of countless, lake-loving individuals to preserve this exquisite natural wonder for this and all future generations.
Whether you call South Lake Tahoe home, or are reveling in its splendor on vacation, take the Tahoe Pledge:
“I will take care of the wonders of Lake Tahoe, and will help to preserve this national treasure by being a champion for the region and leaving places better than I found them.”
As Chief Seattle stated, “Take nothing but memories, leave nothing but footprints.”
How?
Take Care Tahoe offers some guiding principles:
- If it’s your dog, then it’s your doody. Tahoe is a dog’s paradise with endless trails and cool freshwater, but their waste is creating big problems with water clarity.
- Your butt’s stinking up the beach: The beach is not an ashtray. Please collect your cigarette butts.
- Batten down the trashes! Run a tight ship. Keep yar trash aboard.
- Trash day is a bear’s buffet. Bears will eat your garbage. Lock it down with bear-proof bins.
- Like to relax by a campfire after a long day? Sure – we all do! But a runaway wildfire could potentially destroy your home and destroy communities. Give it a big wet one before you go.
- What’s on your bottom? Invasive plants arrive on your watercraft. Clean, Drain and Dry before launching.
- There’s a better hiding spot for your garbage. The trashcan.
- Drink Tahoe Tap. The world’s best water is right at your fingertips. Go ahead, turn it on!
- Blaze a trail of kindness. All trails in Tahoe are nice trails. When you see other bikers, hikers, dogs and horses, smile!
- Everything drains into the Lake! Keep excess nutrients and pollutants that reduce water clarity out of the lake.
- Over the river not through the woods! Use the river responsibly.
Participate in Volunteer Efforts
A multitude of guided volunteer options are available to focus your benevolence on Tahoe.
Pinpoint your purpose; organizations like Clean Up the Lake, the League to Save Lake Tahoe, the Tahoe Fund and the Sugar Pine Foundation are just a few that you can get involved with while making your Tahoe getaway a source of volunteerism pride.
With a mission to lessen pollution and plastics in Tahoe, Clean Up the Lake is spearheading a 72-mile clean up. After filling out a simple application, volunteer divers can delve into the depths of Tahoe and hunt for trash while surface support assists. Monetary and goods donations are welcomed gleefully also. Check out their efforts here.
You’ve likely heard the frequently used phrase, Keep Tahoe Blue.
Lake Tahoe is not just a location – it’s a lifestyle. Endurance equals great rewards here, and stewardship preserves Lake Tahoe for all to enjoy.
Through the League to Save Lake Tahoe, lake-lovers can become a #TahoeBlueGooder on the Tahoe Blue Crew and volunteer for projects such as reforestation, preventing invasive species from taking over the forests, beach clean-ups, trail restoration, stabilizing stream banks and more. Restoration sites are selected based on environmental need, while also ensuring that earlier restoration efforts take hold.
You can also relax while still contributing to the lake’s health. The Tahoe Fund is a nonprofit organization that provides private funding for environmental projects around the lake basin. Their focus is on lake clarity, forest health, stewardship, plus sustainable recreation and transportation. Support their work by becoming a Friend of Tahoe or a member of their Stewardship Circle.
Another environmental hero of Lake Tahoe is the Sugar Pine Foundation. A multitude of the world’s largest pine tree, the sugar pine, call Tahoe home, but were dying off due to a non-native fungus called white pine blister rust. In 2004, U.S. Forest Service technician
John Pickett identified the issue in the surrounding forest while working in Tahoe, and understood the environmental travesty that could occur should with the white pines’ demise.
Pickett founded the Sugar Pine Foundation to protect Tahoe’s water quality, wildlife, economy, and the area itself for recreationalists and nature-lovers.
While in South Lake Tahoe, become a member of the foundation, donate to the cause, or help protect the pines by harvesting seeds, planting seedlings and collecting cones. They even have a handy calendar of volunteer events available to coordinate your trip around.
Do more than just visit South Lake Tahoe; do your part to help keep its impeccable beauty around for centuries.
