TRUCKEE, Calif. — Clean Up The Lake hosted its first Donner Lake Litter Seminar this spring, bringing together environmental leaders, community members, and agency partners to address litter reduction and data-driven stewardship at Donner Lake. The event focused on infrastructure improvements, behavior change strategies, and sustainable funding solutions to preserve the lake’s natural beauty.

The seminar sparked meaningful collaboration and generated strategies to guide the next phase of litter prevention and stewardship at Donner Lake. Presenters from the Town of Truckee and the Truckee Donner Recreation and Park District shared valuable data insights and outlined current measures being taken to address litter around the lake. Clean Up The Lake’s Environmental Scientist, Eli Everest, shared litter removal statistics dating back to 2020, including the removal of more than 13,300 pounds of debris from Donner Lake. An estimated 2,500 additional pounds are projected to be removed during this year’s deep clean dive efforts.

The most common item found during Donner Lake cleanup efforts were aluminum cans, nearly 2,000 aluminum cans have been removed since 2020. The next most common item removed from Donner Lake was plastic, nearly 1,500 items, approximately 60% of all plastics removed, were either single-use food packaging or plastic fragments. Additionally, over 137 heavy lift items remain in the lake, with many located near public beaches at the southern end of Donner Lake.

Attendees recommended expanding cigarette butt and dog waste containers in hotspot areas to reduce localized litter. They also proposed adding a fishing line disposal unit at the boat launch to mitigate fishing waste. A pilot program was suggested to place waste bins at public piers, accompanied by signage and trash bag dispensers to support responsible disposal.

Participants celebrated current messaging, highlighting the success of a previous campaign led by two young locals who designed anti-littering-focused messaging to influence behavior change. Attendees brainstormed additional interactive signs and messaging, reminders in short-term rentals, and social media campaigns to promote litter-free habits.

It was proposed that litter data collection should be standardized across organizations through platforms such as Survey123 or Wild Note. The designation of “Data Champions” was recommended to lead local data collection efforts. Participants also advocated for policymakers to participate in litter-sorting events to help shape effective policy.

The group highlighted the importance of focusing on infrastructure grants that reduce the need for labor-intensive cleanups. Existing litter data can be used to support applications for new recycling infrastructure. Stakeholders who benefit directly from clean lake water should be actively engaged in these efforts.

Clean Up The Lake will continue its Donner Lake deep-dive cleaning efforts, outreach, and data reporting through Spring 2025, while in the near future looking into expanding its focus to include projects with an emphasis on mitigation strategies, infrastructure improvements, and the implementation of forward-thinking solutions.

“There’s been a ton of work done to clean Donner Lake, and visitors can help by keeping an extra eye on single-use plastics and beer or soda cans. Make sure trash gets packed out or finds its way into a garbage receptacle. It’s incredible to see that so much litter has already been removed from the lake, and it’s inspiring to see all the plans in motion to make Donner more pristine!” said Eli Everest, Consulting Environmental Scientist with CUTL.

Members of the public are encouraged to avoid single-use plastics and food packaging whenever possible. All trash should be packed out or placed in designated receptacles. The public is also invited to support local cleanup efforts and policy initiatives.

“Despite challenging weather conditions on the day of the seminar, there was still a great turnout. This directly speaks to the community’s commitment to preserving Donner Lake,” said Courtney Johnson, Programs Coordinator at Clean Up The Lake. “This seminar was just the beginning of powerful collaborations between data and policy. I’m excited to see how this dedicated group continues to work together to find sustainable solutions for the litter issue in Donner Lake. I can’t wait to see what we accomplish together!”