Trees vandalized at popular South Lake Tahoe lakefront park

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - Nine pine trees have been vandalized at Regan Beach in South Lake Tahoe in what appears to be an attempt to cut them down. Each tree has a wide swath of chopping action across it with boring holes at the base.

The City of South Lake Tahoe Parks Department was notified of the damage on Saturday, November 9 and a police report was generated. Staff is calling the destruction "a wanton act of vandalism and abuse of public trust."

The Jeffrey Pines are estimated to be about 20-years-old.

"It is pretty pathetic for someone to do this," said City Manager Frank Rush. "Someone was acting selfishly on City property."

Rush said their first plan is to see if the trees can be saved and secondly going after the person responsible. Local tree expert Ken Curtzwiler has been at the beach to see what steps could be taken. He said they could be cleaned, scraped and have a spray applied to see if they could survive.

He and his business, Skibumfamily Inc, are offering a $1,000 reward to identify the person(s) who wanted the trees illegally downed on a stretch of beach that is a source of pride in the neighborhood, and for the community.

Rush said he commends Curtizwiler for making the offer.

South Lake Tahoe Police Department is working on the case and some leads have already come in. Those with information are asked to please call them at 530.54642.6100 and ask for a detective.

The beah was originally called the “Lakeshore Beach Park” and was renamed the “Thomas F. Regan Memorial Beach” on April 18, 1967. It has been the subject of recent community meetings to plan the future design of the beach, grass, parking and possible facilities. It is a popular lakefront beach enjoyed by locals and visitors alike and is located on Lakeview Avenue.