STATELINE, Nev. – Families, colleagues, friends, and classmates gathered at the Lam Watah Trailhead in Stateline, Nevada over the weekend to get their hands dirty revitalizing the native ecosystems at Rabe Meadow and Burke Creek. The group of 90 volunteers were joined by staff from Keep Tahoe Blue and the Nevada Tahoe Conservation District (NTCD) to work on a range of restoration projects, from invasive weed pulling to building beaver dam analogs. The day’s projects were part of Keep Tahoe Blue’s 28th annual Tahoe Forest Stewardship Day, as well as the Great Sierra River Cleanup and Latino Conservation Week.

Kanyon Penn, a student with South Tahoe High School, took part with a group of classmates. He was energized by the large group of volunteers in his first experience with Keep Tahoe Blue. “It was great seeing everyone’s faces and seeing the big crowd of people hyped up and ready to do some work out here. Not enough people around my age are coming out. I hope more will,” said Penn.

Richard Kinnett is Penn’s teacher in South Tahoe High’s Tahoe Science, Forestry & Natural Resources class. For him, Tahoe Forest Stewardship Days are excellent work-based learning opportunities for his students, many of whom don’t experience the outdoors in Tahoe, even though it’s their home. “A lot of my students don’t get out of their neighborhoods. One of my students said to me today, ‘I didn’t even know this existed here,'” said Kinnett. “It was great to open their eyes to what Tahoe has to offer and create the next generation of stewards for our environment.”

“Meadows, marshes, streams, and wetlands are Lake Tahoe’s natural filtration system — so long as they’re healthy,” said Courtney Thomson, engagement manager and event lead for Keep Tahoe Blue. “They slow down flowing water, causing clarity-degrading particles to settle out before they reach the Lake, which keeps Tahoe’s waters clear and pure.”

After grabbing breakfast generously provided by event sponsor Tahoe Beach Club, volunteers broke out into teams to stabilize stream banks to prevent erosion, disperse native seeds and mulch on a patch of bare ground, pick up trash, plant wetland seedlings in marshy areas, and build beaver dam analogs. These structures mimic the ecosystem engineering of beavers, which slow and spread flowing water across the landscape to revitalize the meadow ecosystem. Building beaver dam analogs also invites more of the animals back into the area.

“We’re always excited when we get to partner with Keep Tahoe Blue and their volunteers on our restoration projects. Their love for Lake Tahoe truly shows through in their hard work, and Saturday at Rabe Meadow was no exception,” noted NTCD Hydrologist and Staff Engineer Patrick Johnson.

In under three hours, the participants made impressive progress:

• 500 invasive plants pulled, totaling approximately 1,200 gallons
• 1,000 wetland seedlings planted
• 100 linear feet of streambank restored, and 10 willow wattles installed
• 3,000 square feet of ground seeded and mulched
• 3 beaver dam analogs installed

Volunteering accelerates agency-led restoration work, which can get hamstrung by lack of funding or logistical challenges in using private contractors. Last Saturday, the 90 volunteers provided 225 hours of work to push forward the Burke Creek/Rabe Meadow Riparian Restoration Project led by NTCD and the USDA Forest Service Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit.

After their hard work, participants were treated to lunch from Maria’s Mexican Restaurant and raffle prizes from business partners in the community.