As visitors arrive at Tahoe to cool off, locals take to streets asking they pick up after themselves

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. — Lake Tahoe is the vacation destination for millions of people annually, but recent behaviors by some visitors have several residents on edge. Trash is being left behind on beaches, trails and picnic areas, overflowing trash containers, which are shown up daily on social media pages, along with packed stores and clogged roads.

With international travel at a standstill, many are keeping their vacation plans during the pandemic to locations near their homes, and Lake Tahoe is one of those spots.

The problem of trash left behind and too many tourists in an area is not unique to Lake Tahoe. The scenario can be found in almost any forest, recreation area or beach. From Florida to California, communities have been dealing with the problem for a long time, but this year it appears to be worse than others since summer came after people had been following "Stay at Home" orders to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

Frustated local residents took to picketing incoming visitors at roundabouts around Lake Tahoe on Friday afternoon, a major day for entering the Tahoe Basin, and had planned to be out again Sunday morning as they exit. The rallies were in Truckee, Kings Beach, Tahoe City and Incline Village. Most demonstrators were seen wearing masks.

The group in Meyers started off slowly but got to a count of about 80 within the first hour. Truckee had a few demonstrators but numbers from the other locations are unknown.

"They were my words that started the fire, but others organized it," said 20-year South Shore local Josh Lease. He had expressed his concern about the number of tourists, the amount of trash they've left behind, and the graffiti left on rocks around the lake.

"I don't want to see things shut down," said Lease. "I want to see things open."

While Lease hadn't planned on the rallies being an anti-tourist event, some came for just that reason at the rally in Meyers though the focused anti-litter message was seen on the most signs carried by those at the rally.

Some residents posed the questions to those driving by, if my kid can't go to school, why can you travel here? Signs were urging safety since the numbers of COVID-19 cases in South Lake Tahoe and Meyers far exceed all other communities in El Dorado County.

Resident Tasha Thomas carried a simply stated sign, "Please Don't Litter." She said its all about being respectful and cleaning up after oneself.

One resident, Bob Harms, said he didn't like the negative vibe the anti-tourist signs created but is all for the philosophy of packing out what you've packed in. He can be seen around the South Shore on his bike equipped with a bucket on almost a daily basis picking up trash along the roadways and trails.

Lease said people at Mammoth and Kern River reached out to him as they are experiencing the same signs of disrespect in their areas and might follow his lead.

Lease, a former USFS employee, said he recognizes the Lake Tahoe economy relies on tourism and the rally wasn't to turn people away. As many of the signs said, Lease said it was about education and responsibility.
"If we are in a pandemic right now and it’s like this, what’s going to happen when they open the gates and everybody starts flooding up here?" Lease said.

The California Highway Patrol and El Dorado County Sheriff's Office were in the area of the roundabout Friday to ensure participants were being safe on a heavy-traffic day.

According to the Leave No Trace organization, 9 out of 10 people in the outdoors are uninformed about their impacts and have created many ways to help change that.

Their seven principles Plan Ahead and Prepare, Travel and Camp on Durable Surfaces, Dispose of Waste Properly, Leave What You Find, Minimize Campfire Impacts (though not allowed at this time, Respect Wildlife, and Be Considerate of Other Visitors are all easy to follow. The Leave No Trace team stopped in South Lake Tahoe in 2017 to educate youth and to help spread the word.

For information on how to be a responsible recreationist there are several resources and activities people can utilize, including Leave No Trace go here and the impact of trash from The Outbound, here.

— Go to SouthTahoeNow.com for updates to this and other stories.