LAKE TAHOE, Calif. – Sierra Nevada Alliance, a region-wide nonprofit dedicated to uniting people and organizations to protect Sierra Nevada ecosystems and communities, is celebrating the successful completion of the Summer 2023 Lake Tahoe Ambassador Program. 

The Ambassador Program’s goal is to address the impacts of increasing tourism and promote sustainable recreation in the Tahoe Basin by employing local youth (high school through early college age) to act as stewards and guides promoting responsible behavior to locals and visitors alike. 

This year the program expanded its host site partners and placed student stewards at a total of 18 sites across the Tahoe Basin. They performed critical outreach to site goers and collected 1,138 surveys reporting on their interactions with locals and visitors alike. The types of interactions were classified as: delivering stewardship messages, concierge-type interactions, wayfinding assistance, and ordinance/enforcement. By the end of the summer the Ambassadors had put over 3,000 hours into protecting the Lake Tahoe Basin.

Through these interactions the Ambassadors made a powerful on-the-ground conservation impact by educating the public about proper waste disposal, trail guidelines, sustainable recreation practices, and more. This program also represents a beginning pathway to development of our region’s future conservation leaders. 

The Alliance would like to thank the Tahoe Fund, Nevada Division of State Lands-Nevada License Plate Grant, Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit (LTBMU), North Tahoe Community Alliance, Lake Tahoe Visitors Authority, and the North Lake Tahoe Resort Association for helping fund this program. In addition, we are grateful to our supporting partners at Tahoe Environmental Research Center and Great Basin Institute.