Enjoying nature around Lake Tahoe comes with a responsibility

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - With throngs of people heading to Lake Tahoe over the holidays, not only did they travel during a regional and state stay-at-home order, they also failed to remove their broken sleds and other trash when they left. What was left behind has drawn numerous complaints left on social media and with local authorities.

The reason many come to Lake Tahoe at any time of year is to enjoy the beauty, the blue skies, the crystal blue lake and untouched trails and mountains. With a growing number of visitors, the trash these visitors leave behind is spoiling Mother Nature's wonders they were first drawn too.

Numerous broken sleds were left behind in the illegal sledding area (private property off of a no-parking zone) near the Lake Tahoe Airport, at Sawmill Pond, and on the Nevada side where there were no travel restrictions, at the unofficial spot at the top of Spooner Summit. There is no staff to clean up, no maid service and it is a challenge to get those who leave the trash on board with a simple concept...pack it in, pack it out.

Unfortunately, this behavior is not new, and it isn't always the visitor's fault.

Tahoe Justice Court Judge Richard Glasson runs on the Lam WaTah trail at Stateline a few times a week and has noticed a large number of dog waste bags left on the trail. On Saturday, January 2, he took a trash can and wheelbarrow and picked up an estimated 80 pounds of dog waste. This is the second time he has volunteered to clean up the trail but wants people to clean up after their pooches. On Saturday he spoke with some dog owners out in the area and handed out waste bags.

“Dog waste is the most pernicious problem in our forests and on our trails," said Judge Glasson. "It poisons our water supply. Dog walkers are not ignorant, they are just arrogant, with the attitude of 'if nobody saw me not pick it up, it didn’t happen'."

“Dog waste much more of a problem with the locals," Judge Glasson added. "Many visitors come from communities that have ordinances requiring owners to pick up after their dogs. Douglas County doesn’t have that law and the locals take advantage of it.”

He also sends out defendants who appear in his court at least weekly to help pick up after people as part of their community service "because dogs can’t pick up after themselves." Judge Glasson also tries to get out himself a couple of times a month.

There won't always be dedicated volunteers or a defendant needing community service around to pick up trash so it's up to all who venture out to help take care of the problem.

Lisa Herron of the USFS-Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit said she tells everyone to take a garbage bag out with them when they hit the beach, the trail, the snow play areas. The key is to fill it up and bring it bag to place inside a trash container or take it with them if the container is full or locked.

"We encourage everyone to pack out everything they use, including trash," said Herron. "Never leave outside of bins. This is a huge problem."

Wildlife can be adversely affected by trash left outside a trash container. It isn't their normal diet, and in the case of some bears, a plentiful supply of trash and food keeps them from hibernation.

The words for 2021 - Be a part of the solution.