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Trash Talk

Jack Barnwell
jbarnwell@tahoedailytribune.com
Wife-and-husband team Pam and Paul Klempner tackle the El Dorado Beach cleanup sponsored by the League to Save Lake Tahoe on Sunday. The event drew 20 people for a two-hour cleanup period.
Jack Barnwell / Tahoe Daily Tribune |

Volunteers scurried along El Dorado Beach on Sunday, scavenging for trash and litter in the sand and in the rocks as part of an Earth Day cleanup activity sponsored by the League to Save Lake Tahoe.

About 20 volunteers participated in the event, according to Marilee Movius, the League’s community engagement leader, including employees from Carson City’s Bella Salon and Spa.

By the end of the cleanup, 170 pounds had been collected and cataloged, most of it single-use plastic materials like bottle caps and plastic bottles. Everything from broken beer bottles to a chunk of car tire and a bicycle lock made its way to the check-in point for cataloguing and eventual disposal.



South Lake Tahoe native Angela Gorden, one of the volunteers, called it a shame that it was necessary to conduct cleanups on the beach.

“I wish we didn’t have to do it, but I’m happy to contribute,” Gorden said as she gathered up an old piece of rope. “This is my home and I’m willing to help maintain it.”



Movius said most cleanups provide the community an opportunity to pitch in. The largest one, conducted the day after the Fourth of July, yields the most amount of trash collected.

Movius added with a lower lake level this year and more beach area to cover, there’s more chance of people finding material that’s been submerged for months or years.

“With the receding of the water, it exposes a lot more trash,” Movius said.

She added that the community’s help was appreciated and that the league loved providing similar opportunities.

“The League is happy to provide people with the opportunity to be good stewards of the environment,” she said. “It helps protect the shoreline and Lake Tahoe.”


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