News
ENLARGE
SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. — Hundreds turned out to revel in the Monday holiday at Lake Ta hoe's Ski Beach, just west of Bald win Beach on the South Shore.
Tents, shade structures and beach towels lined the narrow sandy strip. Boats pulled up and tossed in their anchors. Music was playing up and down the beach. And most of the estimated 1,500 revelers were smiling.
But as the sun set and the people rolled away on their bikes, boats or in their cars, a trail of garbage and debris was left in their wake. Piles of beer cans and bottles dotted the beach. Wet clothes, food containers, broken camp chairs and miscellaneous trash was scattered throughout the area. Paper and plastic bags hung in the water.
The Forest Service had officers there, but the site has few garbage cans and a single public bathroom. This year's problems with garbage, public urination and underage drinking have the Forest Service eyeing changes for next year.
“We're going to be looking at the situation there and discussing what we can do differently next year,” said spokeswoman Cheva Heck. “It was not an acceptable situation.”
Forest Service rangers handed out garbage bags and some partygoers cleaned up their own mess as well as that of others. California Land Management began removing the remaining garbage Tuesday.
Unlike Nevada, Pope and Bald win Beaches, where day-use fees rise to $20 over the Fourth of July holiday, Ski Beach does not have a fee that helps balance out the cost of cleanup. Most users were accessing Ski Beach by boat and bicycle, which don't have associated fees, or using the Baldwin Beach parking lot, Heck said. But because beachgoers were staying on the beach for long periods of time and there was little turnover in the parking lot, fees totals remained low, she said.
“Those are not the people that are paying to address the impact of their use,” Heck said.
The impact on Ski Beach was disproportionately large compared to other beaches around the lake where simple things like trash cans helped lessen the effects of the holiday hordes. An alcohol ban was also instituted at Nevada Beach and Zephyr Cove.
“Part of the trash was connected with heavy alcohol use,” Heck said. “There's sort of a built-in system at other places to deal with trash.”
California Land Management, which manages Baldwin Beach and attached Ski Beach, did not return calls inquiring about the amount of trash removed and potential changes for the area next year, but the Forest Service will be discussing possibilities, Heck said.
“I think the discussion on Ski Beach will be a larger discussion with forest leadership about what we can do differently next year,” she said.
Tents, shade structures and beach towels lined the narrow sandy strip. Boats pulled up and tossed in their anchors. Music was playing up and down the beach. And most of the estimated 1,500 revelers were smiling.
But as the sun set and the people rolled away on their bikes, boats or in their cars, a trail of garbage and debris was left in their wake. Piles of beer cans and bottles dotted the beach. Wet clothes, food containers, broken camp chairs and miscellaneous trash was scattered throughout the area. Paper and plastic bags hung in the water.
The Forest Service had officers there, but the site has few garbage cans and a single public bathroom. This year's problems with garbage, public urination and underage drinking have the Forest Service eyeing changes for next year.
“We're going to be looking at the situation there and discussing what we can do differently next year,” said spokeswoman Cheva Heck. “It was not an acceptable situation.”
Forest Service rangers handed out garbage bags and some partygoers cleaned up their own mess as well as that of others. California Land Management began removing the remaining garbage Tuesday.
Unlike Nevada, Pope and Bald win Beaches, where day-use fees rise to $20 over the Fourth of July holiday, Ski Beach does not have a fee that helps balance out the cost of cleanup. Most users were accessing Ski Beach by boat and bicycle, which don't have associated fees, or using the Baldwin Beach parking lot, Heck said. But because beachgoers were staying on the beach for long periods of time and there was little turnover in the parking lot, fees totals remained low, she said.
“Those are not the people that are paying to address the impact of their use,” Heck said.
The impact on Ski Beach was disproportionately large compared to other beaches around the lake where simple things like trash cans helped lessen the effects of the holiday hordes. An alcohol ban was also instituted at Nevada Beach and Zephyr Cove.
“Part of the trash was connected with heavy alcohol use,” Heck said. “There's sort of a built-in system at other places to deal with trash.”
California Land Management, which manages Baldwin Beach and attached Ski Beach, did not return calls inquiring about the amount of trash removed and potential changes for the area next year, but the Forest Service will be discussing possibilities, Heck said.
“I think the discussion on Ski Beach will be a larger discussion with forest leadership about what we can do differently next year,” she said.
