Lake Tahoe is one of the dreamiest places in the United States. In the middle of mountains and away from society, a few days in a small cabin there is the stuff of dreams for most. The lake destination in California is known for the bright blue water and the beautiful sights. But, Lake Tahoe trash has built up to a dangerous point. It is not as serene and removed from society anymore, unfortunately.
There is so much trash in Lake Tahoe that the natural beauty, biodiversity, and ecosystem of the place are being hindered. In an inspirational move, an organization named “Clean Up the Lake” has taken up the job of clearing all that trash. Furthermore, they managed to gather 200 pounds worth of trash from Lake Tahoe in just one day.
Colin West is the one who created this environmental organization. He is also a filmmaker and a professional scuba driver. Even he was left shocked by the amount of trash the group found in Lake Tahoe.
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Image credits: Clean Up The Lake
He later gave an interview with AP News. There he said that the amount of trash that was found completely blew him away. As the group began researching and getting further and further below the surface, they kept finding more and more rubbish. He added that they are still educating themselves about how to be less wasteful. However, it is unfortunate, that the human species still waste so much and that majority of the trash is still there in Lake Tahoe.
The Problem Of Lake Tahoe Trash Is Getting Worse
In the previous six months, the organization had brought together a courageous scuba diver team. They have been removing unimaginably huge amounts of Lake Tahoe trash. The natural attraction is visited by nearly 20 million people from across the globe every year.
The Guardian also covered the efforts in one of their reports. In it, on 14th May, the scuba team had swum up carrying nearly 200 pounds worth of different kinds of Lake Tahoe trash. It included fishing devices, the bumpers and tires of cars, cans, beer bottles, cement-filled buckets, and many more. Colin’s organization is spearheading a project that aims to clear Lake Tahoe’s shoreline which runs for approximately 72 miles.
SFGate reports that an even greater number of visitors than previous years had come to Lake Tahoe in the winter of 2021. Families visited the place to sled and ski. This inevitably resulted in bottles, wrappers, broken sleds, etc. being carelessly left behind by the people. In Lake Tahoe, an alarming detection was made – an enormous amount of microplastics. The left-behind Lake Tahoe trash is no doubt the cause of this.
Read: Microplastics Raising Concerns After Capturing Every Part Of The Planet
The Lake Tahoe trash attracts underwater creatures, birds, and bears alike. They eat the trash out of curiosity and often fall sick. The exact impact of the Lake Tahoe trash is unclear but a significant amount of damage is expected to take place.
Because of the extremely high rate of visitation of Lake Tahoe and the risks that come with outdoor activities, several people have lost their lives in the destination. Lake Tahoe’s lowest points have very low temperatures. So experts think that the depths may have several hundred dead bodies.
Can You Help In Keeping The Lake Clean?
Of course, you can! We are the ones who caused the Lake Tahoe trash in the first place, so it falls on us to keep it clean. To actively participate in the effort you can volunteer for Colin’s organization or programs such as “Keep the Lake Blue”, and “Clean Tahoe Program”. If you are a local of Northern California then it’s the best way to do something good for the beloved beach.
Read: Boyan Slat Dives Into River-Cleaning Drive, Earnestly Attempting To Make A Change
However, if you are an internationals admirer or environmental activist, you can choose to donate to conservation organizations in the locality. This includes the “Tahoe Environmental Research Center”, “Lake Tahoe Waterman Association”, and “Tahoe Fund”. They try to keep nature and wildlife pristine and unaffected by the litter and havoc caused by humans.
