"Keep Tahoe Red, White, and Blue" - that's the community's goal on the day after the Fourth of July.
Keep Tahoe Blue organized the event at eight beaches around Lake Tahoe as an initiative to pick up trash and restore Tahoe's beaches after the holiday.
Together, more than 650 locals and visitors picked up almost 1,375 pounds of trash - 26% less than at last year's event.
Sustainable Recreation Manager Marilee Movius says it's thanks to the dozens of volunteers around the lake.
"Today at King's Beach, we have over 100 people," Movius says, "and that is not including all of the locations around the lake."
Keep Tahoe Blue has partnered with local agencies and businesses to make these cleanups possible.
California State Parks Officer Kaytlen Jackson says she's seeing a larger crowd for this year's event.
"I noticed a much longer line this morning," Jackson says, "so I think more folks are hearing about these cleanup events and wanting to help in any way that they can."
Among their business partners is Northstar California Resort. Food and Beverage Director Waide Wright says he's there not only to provide water and snacks, but also to help with the event itself.
"We work with Keep Tahoe Blue to fund them in some different spaces, give them some raffle prizes, some gifts, things like that," Wright says.
Wright also hosted the raffle, giving out prizes that included a free round of golf.
Most of the trash picked up around Lake Tahoe is single-use plastics. These don't break down naturally and can end up causing problems in the lake.
This is why organizers are encouraging visitors to do their part to keep Tahoe's beaches clear of litter.
"[We're] putting out more signage about clean, green, dry; pack it in, pack it out; all of those things we want folks to remember when they're visiting our beaches," Jackson says.
Movius says the best way to keep beaches clean is to not dirty them in the first place.
"When you're packing your Tahoe bag," Movius says, "remember to choose reusables to not develop waste in the first place. Pack in your trash, pack out your trash, even if it's not yours."
To learn more about Keep Tahoe Blue and how you can get involved, check out the Keep Tahoe Blue website.
