Kings Beach to receive litter reducing help this summer
KINGS BEACH, Calif. – It’s still winter, but that hasn’t stopped some basin organizations from preparing summer plans for Kings Beach that may create noticeable changes once warmer temperatures hit the sand.
Increased dumpsters, trash cans and toilets are a few of the changes beachgoers can expect to see as the League to Save Lake Tahoe implements its Blue Beach program. The organization seeks to reduce litter on the beach through the program amid its over-arching goal of keeping Tahoe blue.
Recent years have shown a slight increase in litter weight at the beach after the league’s annual Keep Tahoe Red, White, & Blue July 5 cleanup. Since 2020, the weight each year has increased slightly, approaching 200 pounds and eventually exceeding it in 2023. In 2024, the amount nearly doubled, jumping to around 400 pounds.
The League is finding solutions that will alleviate this uptick and its potential impacts by working with land managers, businesses, and concessions at the beach and using three E’s as guidelines, education, enforcement, and engineering.
There are plans to satisfy the first E with increased and improved educational signs pointing to facilities and sharing tips on the Tahoe way of protecting the beach. The on location education will get complimented with coordinated messaging about responsible recreation from Destination Stewardship Plan partners in an effort to influence behaviors.
Increased staffing will usher more hands on deck for trash and bathroom services during busy summer holidays, filling in the second E for enforcement.
The engineering aspect will manifest with the increased dumpsters, trashcans and toilets to manage waste. That’s in addition to infrastructure that directs foot-traffic during high-use periods.
“The goal is to apply the Tahoe Blue Beach model on every inch of the shoreline – to make the right choice the easy choice for beachgoers to enjoy Tahoe responsibly,” the league says.
The implementation of this Blue Beach program has shown promising results at other lake-wide locations, including at well known Fourth of July litter hot spot, the Zephyr Shoals. That’s where volunteers removed over 6,000 pounds of trash in 2023. To put that in perspective, that was more than the sum of trash collected across all July 5 cleanup sites in any single year prior.
The following year, Zephyr Shoals came under active management with the USDA Forest Service and Aramark, and the site became a pilot location for the Tahoe Blue Beaches program. This resulted in a 97% reduction in litter gathered compared to the staggering numbers of the prior year.
“When it’s successful, people will understand that recreation can have impacts,” the league says, “and it’s on all of us to leave Tahoe better than we found it.”
The project is funded by a grant using Tourism Business Improvement District (TBID) funds from the North Tahoe Community Alliance. These TBID funds are collected through purchases at activity providers, restaurants, and retailers, in which both day visitors and overnight visitors contribute to North Lake Tahoe’s vitality.
The league hopes the recently funded Kings Beach Blue Beach program inspires visitors to become invested stakeholders of the lake and show it by using alternative transportation to the beach, picking up after themselves and others, all while having an awesome time.
“The best way to show your love for Lake Tahoe is to leave it better than you found it,” Laura Patten, natural resource director for the league says. “By doing the little things like picking up after ourselves and others, we can all set a good example for how to protect this special place, so it’s just as beautiful for all the summers to come.”
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