On Saturday, September 26, Keep Tahoe Blue and the Tahoe Resource Conservation District will welcome volunteers of all ages and skill levels to participate in fun, hands-on projects to help restore Johnson Meadow in South Lake Tahoe to a healthier, more resilient ecosystem that protects Lake Tahoe’s famous water clarity.
Guided by restoration professionals, volunteers will stabilize the banks of the Upper Truckee River and restore vital meadow habitat. Tools, training, and lunch will be provided. No experience is required to participate. The volunteer event is part of a larger, multi-year restoration effort at Johnson Meadow.
When they are healthy, Tahoe’s forests, meadows, marshes, wetlands, and streams act as natural filters, removing polluting particles from flowing water before they reach the Lake itself. These filters also improve Tahoe’s climate resilience, so the Lake can better withstand extreme weather, fire, drought, and other impacts of a changing climate. To better understand how the process works, read this blog.
How to Participate:
- Register in advance to save time: keeptahoeblue.org/restoration-2026
When:
- 9 am-1 pm | Saturday, September 26
Where:
- Project Location: Johnson Meadow, South Lake Tahoe
- Meeting Location: South end of Winnemucca Ave., South Lake Tahoe, CA 96150
- Participants are encouraged to travel Car-Free and Care-Free to the event on a Tahoe Transportation District bus and Lake Link shuttle, in a carpool, or by bike. There is limited parking on Winnemucca Ave. Please avoid parking directly in front of private homes. There is additional free parking in the Barton Hospital parking garage.
Who:
- All are welcome. No prior experience is required.
Why:
- Many of Tahoe’s natural pollution filters — its meadows, wetlands, streams, and marshes — were damaged by unchecked development in the 20th century, along with forests that were clear-cut in the 19th century. Ecosystem restoration projects, including events like Tahoe Forest Stewardship Day, are key to bringing back the Lake’s natural filtration system, building natural resilience, creating a healthy and safe fire regime, and ridding the environment of harmful invasive species. Learn more atkeeptahoeblue.org/tfsd.
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Keep Tahoe Blue is the donor-funded, science-based organization of environmental experts and Tahoe-lovers who have led the protection and restoration of the Lake Tahoe Basin since 1957. We use science to design innovative solutions, advocate with federal and state partners on behalf of the Lake, and engage thousands of volunteers as citizen scientists and stewards of Tahoe. Visit keeptahoeblue.org to donate and learn how to help conserve Tahoe for all — for generations to come.
