TheTahoeWeekly.com
GET outside
Email news to editor@tahoethisweek.com
SUBMIT YOUR EVENTS FOR FREE
the outdoors | recreation | events | mountain life
Visit TheTahoeWeekly.com to add your Event for our print & online calendars.
TA H O E ’ S T R A S H P R O B L E M :
Click on Events; then the blue Add Event button.
Be the Solution
Matt Palmer | Squaw Alpine
S TO RY BY P R I YA H UT N E R
Squaw opens summer operations Squaw Valley Alpine Meadows’ summer season is open for mountain exploration, outdoor adventure programming and family-friendly activities. The Aerial Tram will be open daily through Labor Day weekend, followed by weekend service from Sept. 11 to 26. Tickets include complimentary access to High Camp activities including The North Face Guided Hikes, geocaching, disc golf and High Camp Roller Rink for skating.
Courtesy TART
Guided e-mountain bike tours provide a new way to explore the upper mountain. High Camp pool and hot tub will remain closed for the season. Visit TheTahoeWeekly.com for a roundup of summer events returning this year. | squawalpine.com
Park and ride lots to open TART will be operating park and ride lots on weekends from July 3 to Sept. 6 offering free 30-minute service between Northstar’s Castle Peak lots and the North Lake Tahoe Event Center in Kings Beach. The second lot will provide service between the TTUSD parking lot in Truckee and the Tahoe City Transit Center. | tahoetruckeetransit.com 8
T
rash, trash, trash. It’s everywhere. On a walk in the woods, a bike ride on the trail, a day at the beach, it doesn’t matter where I go, garbage abounds. Empty beer cans, food wrappers, plastic bags, dog poops bags, dirty diapers, cigarette butts are all there to pick up. And it seems no amount of signage about picking up trash appears to be working. Tahoe’s high-trafficked areas are getting trashed. Apparently, the old adage, it takes a village, applies because it will take all of us to keep Tahoe trash free and our environment pristine. Countless organizations are working tirelessly to keep Tahoe clean, keep Tahoe blue and mitigate the issues of litter, illegal dumping, microplastics and the many environmental challenges that the region faces. With 15 million visitors annually to the Tahoe region, the impact on the environment is great. While many people understand that it is
Beach clean up with League to Save Lake Tahoe | Courtesy Erica Mertens
How many photos do we see of Dumpsters that are overflowing or littered with garbage at the base of the receptacle after a busy weekend? imperative to pick up garbage, not everyone is on board. Social media continues to illuminate the trash issues we face in Tahoe. How many photos do we see of Dumpsters that are overflowing or littered with garbage at the base of the receptacle after a busy weekend? Whether it’s because it’s full or because people are unwilling to pack it out —we have a problem. Erica Mertens is the Recycling Programs manager for Town of Truckee. She oversees Truckee’s recycling efforts and spearheads Keep Truckee Green and Truckee Litter Corps. She’s knee deep in the garbage issue. The town has implemented several programs to address the trash issue and engage the public to participate and volunteer. Truckee Litter Corps volunteers meet on the first Saturday of the month to pick up trash. Downtown Truckee Merchants Association also hosts a monthly Wednesday clean-up in the summer. Numerous businesses participate in the Grab a Bag program. Participating businesses hand out garbage bags and gloves to people who would like to pick up garbage. Return the bag of trash to the shop for a token of appreciation at participating businesses. “Businesses have a sign in their window. This is a fun way people can give back with an incentive and small token of appreciation. Cornerstone Bakery gives out a free cookie, while other businesses offer discounts and other incentives. We want
to the pandemic. We want to help change the narrative and have open conversations,” says Mertens. She explains that another new change for the summer will be compacting trash cans strategically placed along Donner Lake to alleviate garbage overflows.
WHY DOES IT MATTER? Studies show litter begets litter and trash is harmful to the ecosystem. It causes increased bacteria, leaches chemicals into the watershed and the ground, increases microplastic in the water, clogs storm drains and pollutes the environment — all while endangering and killing wildlife. The most extensive litter in the region are cigarette butts, disposable plastics and food wrappers that never biodegrade. Grab a bag, pick up trash and be part of the solution. Volunteer to help keep Tahoe clean.
HOW CAN YOU HELP? VOLUNTEER. Wildlife rummaged through trash that was put out unsecured in Tahoe Donner. | Courtesy Truckee Tahoe Litter Group
to instill a culture of taking care of our natural environment,” says Mertens. Town of Truckee is one of many partners working with the Take Care Tahoe organization that is implementing the Trailhead Ambassadors program throughout the region. The trained ambassadors will be posted at different high-traffic trailheads to educate and inspire people to be good stewards of the environment. This past June, 900 people volunteered to pick up garbage during the annual Truckee Day, which was on June 5. “People are aware of the tension that exists and was exacerbated last year due
Take Care Tahoe is a collective group of more than 50 organizations working to help nurture a culture of sustainability. The organization helps connect people with resources, information, education and volunteer opportunities. There are numerous beach cleanups, lake cleanups and trail cleanups throughout the summer. In addition, there are opportunities to help scientists study microplastics and other issues affecting Lake Tahoe. The League to Save Lake Tahoe, also known as Keep Tahoe Blue, has numerous opportunities for volunteers. Be a Tahoe Blue Gooder and pick up trash; join or start a Tahoe Blue Crew and adopt an area to keep clean. Take action to remove litter from the Lake Tahoe community
