NORTH LAKE TAHOE PARTNERS
Volunteer Partners:
Please note all projects are subject to change at anytime due to weather and the needs of our partners.
Clean Up the Lake (Blue Group)
Check them out here.
We are a 501(c)3 nonprofit who specializes in underwater litter removal from lakes through the use of SCUBA divers. As of November 2021, our team has removed over 31,000 lbs. of submerged litter from lakes in the Tahoe region.
Volunteer Projects:
An important aspect of the lake clean ups is the Litter Categorization stage where every single piece of litter removed is sorted. This peer reviewed method created by UNEP helps to identify material and use types of litter to better understand the types of litter present in these environments. The collection of this data assists in spreading awareness and education in the community as well as providing resources for waste mitigation strategies in the future.
About the Worksite:
Bathrooms and shelter located onsite. Project will take place at the UC Davis campus.
Important Items for your workday:
Full reusable water bottle
Long pants and lots of layers
Closed-toe shoes
Backpack for personal activities
Jacket/rain gear
Hat, sunscreen, and sunglasses
You will receive a volunteer t-shirt, snacks and lunch onsite
The League to Save Lake Tahoe | Keep Tahoe Blue (White Group)
Check them out here.
The League to Save Lake Tahoe is a solutions-oriented team of Tahoe advocates who use innovation, boots-on-the-ground action, and a unique, holistic approach to solve the environmental challenges threatening the Lake we love. Together with our community of residents and visitors, we Keep Tahoe Blue. The League's work centers around three main campaigns: Advance Restoration, Combat Pollution, and Tackle Invasive Species. We ACT to Keep Tahoe Blue.
Volunteer Projects:
Keep Tahoe Blue will be partnering with Tahoe Area Mountain Biking Association(TAMBA). Volunteers will work to blaze a new trail where this type of recreation is lacking. Work includes clearing brush, weeds, rocks and other debris. Work levels are moderate to strenuous. Volunteers will need to be able to hike into and out of the woods. Possible heavy lifting, but not required.
About the Worksite:
The worksite is brand new and located in the woods surrounding the lake. There are no official bathrooms or shelters onsite.
Important Items for your workday:
Full reusable water bottle
Long sleeve shirt
Long pants and lots of layers
Closed-toe shoes
Backpack for personal activities
Jacket/rain gear
Hat, sunscreen, and sunglasses
You will receive a volunteer t-shirt, snacks and lunch onsite
TAMBA requires an additional online waiver. Please be sure to fill this out as soon as possible.
North Tahoe Fire Protection District (Orange Group)
Check them out here.
The North Tahoe Fire Protection District provides fire protection, paramedic services, and prevention to 32 square miles along the north and west shore of Lake Tahoe.
Volunteer Projects:
Protecting community spaces and limiting the spread of wildfires is important for a destination like Lake Tahoe. Residents clean their yards to create defensible space and protect their homes, their community, and the environment around them by helping to prevent the spread of potential wildfires. Volunteers will work along side Firewise community members to remove organic materials and create defensible space for the community.
About the Worksite:
Volunteers will be in a community park. Work level is moderate with some walking. Bathrooms are available.
Important Items for your workday:
Full reusable water bottle
Long pants and lots of layers
Closed-toe shoes
Backpack for personal activities
Jacket/rain gear
Hat, sunscreen, and sunglasses
You will receive a volunteer t-shirt, snacks and lunch onsite
Slow Food Lake Tahoe (Pink Group)
Check them out here.
Slow Food Lake Tahoe is a small nonprofit located in the mountain town of Truckee, California. Here, they operate a food bank garden, and donate the produce to a local food pantry. They also operate a community garden to allow people within the community to take growing food into their own hands, learn from those around them, and experience high elevation gardening. Slow Food Lake Tahoe also partners with other organizations to run the Grow Your Own Series, a five-part class centered around what grows best in high elevations.
Volunteer Projects:
Volunteers will help build raised community garden beds for local community members with accessibility needs. Beds will be pre-cut and will require drilling and placement. Additional work may include general maintenance of existing beds (staining and placement of protective cloth) and helping to prep the garden for spring planting. Moderate to strenuous work. Ability to handle tools not required, are a plus. Carpentry skills also a plus. May require heavy lifting, but there is minimal walking.
About the Worksite:
The community garden is open to locals and is next door to the foodbank garden. Both gardens are maintained by volunteers and are an integral part to Slow Food’s mission. Bathrooms located onsite site. Small shade and rain shelters available.
Important Items for your workday:
Full reusable water bottle
Long pants and lots of layers
Closed-toe shoes
Backpack for personal activities
Jacket/rain gear
Hat, sunscreen, and sunglasses
You will receive a volunteer t-shirt, snacks and lunch onsite
Tahoe Area Mountain Biking Association (TAMBA) (White Group)
Check them out here.
The Tahoe Area Mountain Biking Association (TAMBA) is a volunteer-driven nonprofit organization that builds, maintains, and advocates for multi-use trails in Tahoe while providing education to all trail users and hosting fun community events. TAMBA works in partnership with land managers such as the U.S. Forest Service, Nevada State Parks, California State Parks, and the City of South Lake Tahoe. In addition, TAMBA helps maintain more than 100 miles of trail per year.
Volunteer Projects:
See The League to Save Lake Tahoe for more information.
Important Items for your workday:
Full reusable water bottle
Long pants and lots of layers
Closed-toe shoes
Backpack for personal activities
Jacket/rain gear
Hat, sunscreen, and sunglasses
You will receive a volunteer t-shirt, snacks and lunch onsite
TAMBA requires an additional online waiver. Please be sure to fill this out as soon as possible.
U.C. Davis | Tahoe Environmental Research Center (Purple Group)
Check them out here.
Dive into Lake Tahoe without getting wet! Explore the interactive exhibits, learn about the lake ecosystem, and why it is changing, and find out how you can keep Tahoe blue. When you visit the Tahoe Science Center, you learn the latest findings from the world-class UC Davis Tahoe Environmental Research Center (TERC), a global leader in research, education, and public outreach on Lakes.
TERC teamed up with Sierra Nevada College (SNC) and Incline Village General Improvement District (IVGID) to manage an onsite garden—now known as the North Tahoe Education Garden. The garden features best management practices, native plants and new signage supported through a Tourism Cares grant.
Volunteer Projects:
Volunteers on this team will be able to self-select work groups onsite.
Interpretive Sign Installation - reinstall garden signs donated by Tourism Cares in 2020, clean and organize shed and surrounding gardens. Mix of light and strenuous work.
Demonstration Garden - Garden maintenance work including weeding, planting, and cleaning up and using existing pine needles as natural mulch/packing the excess into bags and carrying them down to the river drop off area. Light to medium work, bending and light walking.
Raised Bed Maintenance - Replace and add irrigation lines and update plant beds. Light to moderate work. Includes bending and kneeling.
New raised Bed Installation - Dig out area, install new plant beds and begin spring planting. Light to moderate work that includes bending and digging.
About the Worksite:
The science center and garden is a place for local students and tourists to learn about the natural wonders of the and its surrounding ecosystems and how to be a good steward of the destination. Volunteers will be working outside but will have access to the TERC Building for bathrooms, lunch and plenty of fresh Tahoe tap water! The site is located in Incline Village and is a 30–40-minute drive from the host hotel with amazing views of the lake along the way!
Important Items for your workday:
Full reusable water bottle
Long pants and lots of layers
Closed-toe shoes
Backpack for personal activities
Jacket/rain gear
Hat, sunscreen, and sunglasses
You will receive a volunteer t-shirt, snacks and lunch onsite
Local + National Partners:
Be sure to check out our Meaningful Marketplace vendors below.
See these partners and more on our Meaningful Travel Map of North America.
Conscious Cutlery
Check them out here.
Conscious Cutlery was born after a concerned mother witnessed first hand the devastating effects of plastic pollution worldwide. Wanting to participate in the global fight on single-use plastic, Conscious Cutlery was founded in 2018 with a mission to help reduce single-use utensil and straw consumption. Today, founder Hillary Huff and her husband Dustin, run their small business from beautiful Lake Tahoe, where they live with their two children and the world's coolest rescue dog. When they are not skiing, hiking, or biking, in the beautiful Sierra Mountains, they can be found tending to their rooftop beehives or spending time in Mexico in their eco-friendly shipping container house Dustin and his friends built. Passionate about environmentalism, they donate a percentage of all proceeds to ocean cleanupand bee conservation.
*Meaningful Marketplace Vendor
Eagle Protect
Check them out here.
Eagle has been a certified B Corporation® since 2012 and is the world’s only disposable glove and clothing specialist to be B Corp™ certified. Thanks to their generous glove donation, Tourism Cares with North Lake Tahoe attendees will be prepared for their volunteer projects.
Marty Meeden
Marty Meeden is a local artist of Washoe/Paiute descent and has been doing beadwork since he was a teenager. Marty will be offering local crafts from himself and his family that include earrings, crocheted hats, knotted fleece blankets and brim beaded caps. Please bring cash with you to the opening reception if you wish to purchase their work.
*Meaningful Marketplace Vendor
Mountain Area Preservation (MAP)
Check them out here.
Mountain Area Preservation is a grassroots environmental advocacy non-profit, established in 1987 by local citizens who wanted to protect open space and advocate for responsible development in the Truckee-Tahoe area.
*Meaningful Marketplace Vendor
North Lake Tahoe Sustainability Pledge
Check them out here.
North Lake Tahoe’s natural wonders have drawn visitors from around the world for generations. From alpine blue waters to expansive mountain peaks, the Sierra landscape is truly awe-inspiring.
To protect and preserve our beloved environment, please commit to six travel pledges that will amplify environmental stewardship efforts. Rooted in preservation tactics, education and mindfulness, the pledge reminds visitors and locals alike to travel with awareness and observe the impact of your individual actions. Layered into each pledge are actionable steps to take, like participating in a beach clean-up with Tahoe Blue Crew’s, drinking Tahoe Tap from a reusable bottle, and to leave no trace no matter the adventure. Think locally by supporting small businesses and sign up for emergency alerts to stay connected with travel advisories and emergency updates.
Shane McConkey Foundation
Check them out here.
The Shane McConkey Foundation was founded in recognition of the worldwide community of skiers, adventurers and everyday people who share a passion for life. In Shane’s honor, we support epic causes that protect kids, wildlife and our planet.
The Shane McConkey Foundation has donated more than $600,000 since its inception in 2011. Each year, we donate to causes that benefit environmental education and directly impact the Tahoe Truckee community. We are proud to share that this Foundation has always been driven by 100 percent volunteer efforts so that every dollar we raise (after basic expenses) goes directly toward noteworthy causes.
TAHOEMADE
Check them out here.
TAHOEMADE is a local clothing company working with Tourism Cares to create our signature volunteer t-shirts as sustainably as possible.
Tahoe Food Hub
Check them out here.
At Tahoe Food Hub, we are building a food system that supports regenerative farming practices by increasing access to local food for North Lake Tahoe. By addressing local food access challenges at a systems level, we create a hub for local food. A local food system benefits diversified, family farms by providing fair market opportunities and our mountain community by increasing access to local food.
*Meaningful Marketplace Vendor.
Tahoe Gifting Co.
Check them out here.
We are a gifting company that sources most of our goods from local small businesses (about 70% female owned), reducing our footprint by shipping directly from the farm rather than sourcing from a local middle man because a gift basket without nuts, popcorn and jam aren't really gift baskets. Everything from our biodegradable stickers to our small compostable "plastic" snack bags to donating a portion of each sale to local nonprofits to shopping for office furniture at our local second hand stores, we are learning everyday how to run a business, while protecting our amazing environment.
*Meaningful Marketplace Vendor.
Tahoe Timber
Check them out here.
Tahoe Timber is an eco-friendly company dedicated to utilizing sustainable & renewable resources to craft quality wooden eyewear & accessories. Tahoe is our home, we are dedicated to helping preserve our forests through partnerships & product sales.
*Meaningful Marketplace Vendor.
Take Care Tahoe
Check them out here.
At a young age, we are taught to take care of the things we love. The same thing goes for the places we love. With just a little more effort, we can all help take care of this extraordinary natural treasure. The Take Care Campaign is a visitor-friendly initiative that encourages all of us to be better stewards of the places we visit. With interactive and fun visuals, the campaign is completely replicable for all destinations to adopt.
*Meaningful Marketplace Vendor.
Purchase a reusable Tahoe Tap water bottle for the volunteer day!
The Tahoe Fund
Check them out here.
The Tahoe Fund, a nonprofit organization incorporated in both California and Nevada, was created to enhance the extraordinary environment of the Lake Tahoe Basin by building broad support and funding for environmental improvement projects that will help restore lake clarity, improve outdoor recreation, and build a strong sense of stewardship.
*Meaningful Marketplace Vendor
The Washoe Tribe of Nevada and California
Check them out here.
*Meaningful Marketplace Vendor
Youth Speaks
Check them out here.
Founded in 1996 in San Francisco, Youth Speaks is a leading presenter of Spoken Word performance, education, and youth development programs.
Trailblazers of local and national youth poetry slams, festivals, and more, Youth Speaks offers a comprehensive slate of literary arts education programs and provides numerous opportunities for youth to be published and heard. Youth Speaks has worked with hundreds of thousands of youth and has helped create partner programs in 47 cities across the United States.