Tahoe Blue Beach Program Launches in Lake Tahoe
Published by Chris Joseph of Keep Tahoe Blue | June 19, 2025
Image: BEBOT performing beach cleaning at Meeks Bay Resort in September 2024. Image by Katy Jo Caringer
LAKE TAHOE, Nev./Cal., June 19, 2025 – Building on last summer’s success in reducing litter at Lake Tahoe beaches following busy holidays, Keep Tahoe Blue is expanding its Tahoe Blue Beach program around the Lake in 2025. Kings Beach, the Tahoe Beach Club, Camp Richardson Resort, and Meeks Bay Resort join Zephyr Cove Resort in raising the bar for environmentally friendly beach management in Tahoe. These Tahoe Blue Beaches are taking steps to make responsible, Lake-friendly recreation the easy and obvious choice for everyone who comes to the beach.
“Through the Tahoe Blue Beach program, our guests last summer enjoyed a clean, pristine beach and they did their part to keep it that way,” said Kevin Schiesz, Tahoe District Manager for Aramark Destinations, the concessionaire for Zephyr Cove Resort. “That’s the beauty of this program. Our staff worked together with Keep Tahoe Blue and the Forest Service to create an experience where taking care of the beach — while you enjoy it — just feels natural.”
Tahoe’s beaches welcome hundreds of thousands of visitors each summer—but all that love can take a toll on the shoreline’s health and beauty. The Tahoe Blue Beach program is the first of its kind, uniting land managers, businesses, nonprofits, and the community to protect both the environment and the lakeside experience. Partly funded by the North Tahoe Community Alliance through the TOT-TBID Dollars at Work program, the launch brings together land managers, nonprofits, and local businesses to protect Tahoe’s clarity and shoreline beauty.
As part of the program, participating concessionaires will deploy BEBOT—Tahoe’s electric beach-cleaning robot—operated by ECO-CLEAN Solutions in partnership with Keep Tahoe Blue. Each site will also conduct at least two mechanical cleanings per year to remove buried litter above and below the sand.
The Tahoe Blue Beach program offers a flexible, data-driven model for better beach management through the ‘Three E’s’ framework.
– Education comes first. Clear, engaging signage and proactive outreach help beachgoers understand how to recreate responsibly before stepping on the sand.
– Engineering upgrades follow. That means managed parking, restrooms, trash and recycling stations, and natural access points designed to reduce erosion and blend with Tahoe’s landscape.
– Enforcement is the final step. When expectations are clear, enforcement helps protect fragile ecosystems and wildlife, preventing the misuse of shared lands.
There are two tiers of involvement in the program. Members have implemented Engineering, Education, and Enforcement elements and are striving to do more. Participants are piloting a select combination of the Three E’s that are best suited for their sites.
Last summer, Zephyr Cove Resort and Shoals saw a 97% reduction in litter left over from the Fourth of July after implementing changes as part of the Tahoe Blue Beach program. Now, the site’s concessionaire Aramark Destinations is making additional investments in environmental stewardship by installing bike racks, cigarette disposal canisters, and dog waste stations, and have switched to entirely reusable or compostable cups, plates, utensils, and other food service ware. Zephyr is located on US Forest Service Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit land and is a Tahoe Blue Beach Member.
Image: BEBOT performing a full beach cleanup on Zephyr Cove in September 2024. Image by Katy Jo Caringer
Tahoe Beach Club, located in Stateline, Nevada, has made shoreline stewardship its focus and also joins the Tahoe Blue Beach program as the very first private beach Member. The Club has formed its own Tahoe Blue Crew, a volunteer team that regularly cleans the beach and surrounding area. Only reusable food and drink ware is available in guest rooms, common areas, and dining spaces, and stewardship messaging appears on signage and in all communications with residents and guests. The Tahoe Beach Club also receives regular beach cleanings by the BEBOT, a sand-sifting robot owned and operated by ECO-CLEAN Solutions.
Image: BEBOT performed a full beach cleaning at Tahoe Beach Club in May 2025. Photo by Katy Jo Caringer
Kings Beach State Recreation Area became a Participant in the program in 2025 through generous grant funding from the North Tahoe Community Alliance’s TOT-TBID Dollars at Work program, which reinvests funds generated in North Lake Tahoe to support community vitality, environmental stewardship, and economic health. Visitors can expect to see additional servicing for dumpsters and portable toilets, signage for the Fourth of July weekend, along with added bear-proof trash receptacles, cigarette canisters, dog waste stations, under-sand cleaning by the BEBOT, and more throughout the summer. California State Parks, who manages the beach, along with the North Tahoe Public Utility District, local businesses, and residents are key partners in the success of the program.
Image: BEBOT performed a full beach clean up at Kings Beach in June 2025. Image by Katy Jo Caringer
Meeks Bay Resort, operated by the Washoe Tribe of Nevada and California, joins the program as a Participant this summer. The beach has already added trash receptacles, improved restroom servicing, hosted training sessions for Keep Tahoe Blue’s citizen science programs, and made a CD3 watercraft cleaning station available for guests to Clean, Drain, and Dry their water gear to prevent the spread of aquatic invasive species. The resort will also increase staffing during the busy Fourth of July holiday weekend, add new wayfinding signage, and other efforts.
Image: BEBOT performed a beach clean up at Meeks Bay Resort. Summer 2024. Photo by Katy Jo Caringer
Like Meeks Bay Resort, Camp Richardson Resort is also on public land managed by the US Forest Service Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit and became a Tahoe Blue Beach program Participant this year. The resort’s concessionaire, ExplorUS, is tackling litter with a BEBOT beach cleaning, by activating a dedicated Tahoe Blue Crew to conduct trash cleanups, undertaking plastic reduction initiatives, and will continue Camp Richardson Resort’s long-time participation in Keep Tahoe Blue’s annual July 5th Cleanup. Educational, stewardship, and wayfinding signage to promote responsible beach behavior is also being installed on the site.
Image: BEBOT performed a beach-cleaning at Camp Richardson on June 18th, 2025. Photo by Katy Jo Caringer
Every beach is different, so Blue Beaches share what works with other sites to collectively raise the bar for beach management.
Even with these efforts, keeping Tahoe’s beaches clean also rests on beachgoers doing their part.
“We like to say: ‘Your pristine Tahoe beach awaits. Now it’s up to you to keep it that way’,” said Marilee Movius, Keep Tahoe Blue’s Sustainable Recreation Manager. “The best way to show your love for Lake Tahoe is to leave it better than you found it. That starts with doing the little things, like picking up after ourselves and others.”
With just a few small actions, you can do your part to Keep Tahoe Blue.
– Keep the beach clean. Dispose of all trash — even if it’s not yours — in a trash can or dumpster.
– Choose reusables. Reduce waste and prevent single-use plastic trash from getting into the Lake.
– Food scraps are dangerous for wildlife. Make sure it all goes in the trash.
– Clean, Drain, and Dry every piece of gear you plan to put in the water. It’s crucial to stop the spread of aquatic invasive species, like golden mussels.
– Avoid the traffic. Carpool, ride your bike, or take other alternative transportation.
– Pack a Tahoe beach bag with a reusable water bottle and utensils, a trash bag for waste, and — if your destination allows furry friends — pet waste bags and a leash. These items will make it easy to leave no trace.
– Share these tips with friends and family.
The Tahoe Blue Beach program is aligned with and taking action to implement the Lake Tahoe Destination Stewardship Plan — a collaboration of over 20 regional organizations. The award-winning plan, developed with the participation of over 3,000 residents, visitors, and businesses, establishes a shared vision for the region’s outdoor recreation and tourism and encourages everyone to help take care of Tahoe’s cherished communities and environment.
Visit stewardshiptahoe.org to read the plan. Learn more about Keep Tahoe Blue’s Tahoe Blue Beach program at keeptahoeblue.org/blue-beach.