Kings Beach on Lake Tahoe’s North Shore usually sees large crowds on warm, summer afternoons. But on a Monday morning in June, it was already busy with a dozen volunteers — and a beach-cleaning robot called BEBOT.
The robot rolled across the sand, removing tiny pieces of plastic buried below the surface as it goes. This beach cleanup was part of an expanding effort to reduce litter before the season’s biggest crowds arrive.
“Essentially, we're cleaning under the sand early season, over the sand with these volunteers, and what we're really hoping to gain is an understanding of how we can not only clean the beach, but also change behavior as well,” said Laura Patten, Natural Resource Director at the League to Save Lake Tahoe.
Kings Beach is one of several locations around the lake selected for the Tahoe Blue Beach program, the League’s initiative to promote more sustainable beach management. It was able to join with support from the North Tahoe Community Alliance, which funds community and environmental projects through local tourism dollars.
According to Patten, visitors to the beach will notice more frequent trash pickups, cleaner restrooms, new bear-proof bins and cigarette disposal units, and educational signage.
Meeks Bay Resort, Camp Richardson Resort, Tahoe Beach Club, and Zephyr Cove Resort are also participating this year.
At Zephyr Cove, for example, last summer’s program led to a 97% drop in litter over the Fourth of July weekend. Staff there have since added bike racks, compostable food service items, and even dog waste stations.
Patten explained that volunteers and partnerships are key to keeping Tahoe’s beaches clean, but that visitors can help, too, by bringing a reusable water bottle and utensils, and using trash and recycling bins.
She also recommended cleaning, draining, and drying any gear before putting it in the water to prevent the spread of aquatic invasive species.
