The event, organized by Keep Tahoe Blue and the Nevada Tahoe Conservation District, marked the 28th annual Tahoe Forest Stewardship Day, a restoration event that brings together families, students, and conservation professionals to improve the health of the Tahoe Basin.
Participants spent the morning planting native seedlings, pulling invasive weeds, stabilizing creek banks, and even building beaver dam analogs—small, human-made structures that mimic natural dams.
“It was great seeing everyone’s faces and the big crowd of people hyped up and ready to do some work,” said Kanyon Penn, a student from South Tahoe High School who attended with classmates. “Not enough people around my age are coming out. I hope more will.”
His teacher, Richard Kinnett, said the event gave students a chance to connect with the outdoors.
“A lot of my students don’t get out of their neighborhoods,” he said. “One of them told me, ‘I didn’t even know this existed here.’ It was great to open their eyes and create the next generation of stewards for our environment.”
Wetlands and meadows like Rabe Meadow are critical to keeping Lake Tahoe’s famous clarity intact, said Courtney Thomson, event lead and engagement manager for Keep Tahoe Blue.
Thanks to the volunteers’ work, the team removed 500 invasive plants, planted 1,000 wetland seedlings, reseeded 3,000 square feet of ground, and built three beaver dam analogs to help revitalize the meadow’s natural water flow.
