The Take Care Team, a group of more than 30 organizations that love Lake Tahoe, has a mascot with a message. The Take Care Bear was out and about at the Spooner Sled Hill over the holiday weekend.
His message is a simple one - clean up after yourselves and your pets, and leave the area as you found it.
"The Take Care Bear is a great vehicle for that; it's a great ice breaker for people," said Skyler Monaghan, Program and Outreach Coordinator for The Tahoe Fund. "A lot more people that come here respect it than don't, so we are just trying to solve the issue of the rest of the people that come out here. A lot of people like to hear the message and a lot of people are asking us about it."
The sledding hill has had issues in the past: broken sleds, trash and pet waste left behind. That's why the Take Care Bear is here to keep an eye on things on these busy weekends. And the hope is, his message will resonate with visitors of all ages.
"A lot of times people are leaving their trash behind," Monaghan said. "A lot of the plastic sleds get broken and unfortunately they don't get put in the sled corral, even when that is up, that's a huge issue that's faced almost every day up here. The cleanups have been huge every time and the sled corral has helped to get that all in to one spot so the volunteers have an easier time."
The Take Care Team sponsors all kinds of events, cleanups and stewardship opportunities to help preserve the beauty of Lake Tahoe.
More information: https://takecaretahoe.org/mission/
