Volunteers joined state and federal officials to collect nearly 2,000 pounds of trash from a popular sledding area at Lake Tahoe last week in what has become an annual New Year’s cleanup.
The Tahoe Daily Tribune reports Take Care Tahoe gathered the debris from Spooner Summit Jan. 2 with the help of Nevada Department of Transportation, U.S. Forest Service and Nevada State Parks.
The sledding area at the junction of U.S. Highway 50 and Nevada State Route 28 on the lake’s east shore was so crowded this past weekend that many cars parked across the highway, along the eastbound side of 50.
Tahoe Fund CEO Amy Berry says the area is not under management during the winter so no dumpsters can be set up at the site.
Some of the 1,920 pounds of debris collected included broken sleds, lost snow clothes, dirty baby diapers and food wrappers and waste.
Nevada DOT spokeswoman Meg Ragonese says that in addition to damaging the environment, the debris has the potential to blow onto area highways where it can become a safety risk for passing motorists.
