New digital billboard up to help combat trash in Lake Tahoe

LAKE TAHOE, Calif./Nev. – The "Take Care Bear" spent the recent holiday weekend helping spread the message of keeping Lake Tahoe sled hills clear of trash and sled debris.

While hundred of visitors snapped selfies with the bear, others mingled with him as he reminded all to throw away their broken sleds, rather than leaving them littered on the snow.

To coincide with the bear visits, a new billboard went up in Folsom, California with the same message.

In the ongoing quest to encourage responsible recreation, the Take Care Tahoe program is making an aggressive push to educate visitors and locals about the importance of picking up trash and taking care of Lake Tahoe’s environment. The Tahoe Regional Planning Agency, the Tahoe Fund, and the Lake Tahoe Visitors Authority are funding the new billboard with the #NoSledLeftBehind message. Tahoe Fund has been instrumental in funding the www.takecaretahoe.org campaign.

“When we see discarded sled pieces and cigarette butts littering the snow and trails, it tells us that we need to do a better job educating the public on how to enjoy Tahoe responsibly,” said Joanne S. Marchetta, executive director of the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency. “We want the millions of visitors who come to Tahoe to become part of the solution to protect this special place.”

Earlier this month the Nevada Division of Transportation (NDOT) picked up nearly 2,000 pounds of trash of broken sleds and debris at Spooner Summit, a gateway entrance to Lake Tahoe and very popular sledding hill seven-days-a-week. This cleanup followed a post-New Year’s haul of 2,000 pounds of trash in the sledding areas including diapers and broken sleds.

Trash is just one of the issues that the collaborative Take Care Tahoe group addresses to encourage stewardship and responsible recreation while visiting and traveling to Lake Tahoe. The group uses humorous messages like, “No Sled Left Behind” to combat trashed sledding sites and “Be #1 at picking up #2” to remind people to pick up dog waste.

The new billboard will complement the messaging on a similar digital billboard on I-80 Eastbound in Colfax, California. The digital billboards will be active throughout the winter season, regularly cycling through the campaign’s humorous but informative messages.

The concept for the Take Care Tahoe campaign was developed by a collective group of more than 30 organizations that love Lake Tahoe and want to see more people connect with the beautiful natural environment. Via the Take Care Tahoe website, visitors and residents can find out more about Earth Day festivals, beach cleanups, nature walks and more. There are also signs throughout the Lake Tahoe Basin with friendly reminders about how to be good stewards. The campaign was developed by the creative team of Nate Laver and Meg Seigal and is directed by BRONTOSAURUS! Los Angeles.

Learn more about Take Care Tahoe online at takecaretahoe.org or via Instagram @takecaretahoe.