Sign up for July 25 Tahoe Forest Stewardship Day- Summer

A few spots are left in the this summer's Tahoe Forest Stewardship Day on Saturday, July 25 from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Join the League to Save Lake Tahoe for a small, RSVP only and physically distanced restoration event. The deadline to sign up is coming quickly - 4:00 p.m. on Friday, July 24.

By pitching in, you are improving ecosystem health and the wildlife habitats that surround Lake Tahoe. Healthy forests and meadows act as natural pollution filters to Keep Tahoe Blue.

Volunteers of all ages and skill levels are invited to this fun, hands-on restoration day.

Sign up for a project: When you complete your RSVP waiver, you will choose your project. Below are the descriptions. Volunteers do not need previous experience to participate in the projects.

Easy to Medium level project: Invasive weed removal and litter pickup (12 people)

Project: Volunteers will be removing invasive plants from the meadow that crowd out natives. Plants include Rumix weeds, White Clover, Stinging Nettle, Meadow Salsify, and Common Mullein.
Tools: Loppers, hand pruners and shovels to remove the plants and trash bags to collect them.

Medium level project: Willow staking and fascines (10 people) - PROJECT IS NOW FULL

Project: The project is to harvest, process and install willow stakes to stabilize the streambanks of the Upper Truckee River. Willow stakes and willow fascines will be installed along approximately 200 feet of river in two locations to provide long-term stabilization of the stream banks. The project will include harvesting willow poles, processing willows into stakes, building fascines, transporting stakes and fascines, and staking or securing fascines.
Tools: loppers and hand shears for harvesting and preparing the willow stakes, twine for assembling the fascines, buckets for transporting the willow stakes, rebar and mallets for planting the willow stakes, and watering cans to wet the staked willows.

Hard level project: Past cattle grazing fence removal (10 people)

Project: Volunteers will remove old fence posts that are still up from the cattle grazing days. Help protect Tahoe's wildlife by carrying out T-posts (about eight pounds each).
Tools: T-post poppers and shovels to remove the T-posts as well as rock slings and wheelbarrows to carry the T-posts.

Hardest level project: Biomass removal (11 people)
Project: Volunteers will be removing small Lodgepole Pines to help retain the meadow along the river and Lodgepole Pines cut into rounds. Lodgepole pines, while native to the area, are encroaching upon the meadow, trying to convert it to a forest. This is happening because human activity has reduced flooding along the river and suppressed fire – both natural processes that would keep pines out of a wet meadow.

Tools: Loppers for cutting seedlings, handsaws for cutting saplings, hard hats and glasses for safety when tall trees are felled and wheelbarrows to help remove cut trees from the meadow.

What to bring: sturdy boots, long pants and long sleeves, sunglasses, work gloves (if you have them), a face mask for the event, a full reusable water bottle and a helmet if you are working on the biomass removal project.

League to Save Lake Tahoe provides: safety materials, sanitation materials, clean gloves, training, sanitized equipment, wrapped snacks, TFSD swag and an online raffle for volunteers.

Partners:Tahoe Resource Conservation District and Whole Foods.

For more information and to RSVP head to keeptahoeblue.org/events.