Mammoth Lakes Commits to Clean Up the Lake

September 29, 2023

Last year, scuba divers pulled over 6,522 pieces of trash out of June Lake. This 3,400 pound haul included 3,071 bait jars and over 1,100 aluminum beer and soda cans. So, who recovered all this trash?

Mammoth Lakes Tourism (MLT) is proud to announce their newest long-term partnership with Clean Up The Lake (CUTL), committing to cleaning up our region’s lakes. Every dollar raised over the next four years (up to $100,000) will be matched by MLT to support ongoing stewardship.

Who is Clean Up the Lake?

CUTL is best known for their 72-mile SCUBA cleanup of Lake Tahoe, a yearlong effort to scour all 72 miles of Lake Tahoe’s shoreline. From May 2021 to May 2022, the dive team collected 24,797 pieces of litter from the lake, bringing the total weight removed to 25,281 pounds. Now, CUTL is bringing their expertise and manpower to the Eastern Sierra.

Pilot research dives in four of the lakes in the Mammoth Lakes Basin including Lake George, Twin Lakes, Lake Mary and Lake Mamie over the past year resulted in a greater understanding of the environmental issues present – and remediation necessary – to ensure the health and future protection of the area’s namesake treasures.

After three years of dives and cleanups in Sierra Nevada Lakes, finding everything from boats to illegal moorings, Clean Up The Lake has come to a very unsettling conclusion: there is a widespread litter problem that has been ignored for decades in freshwater lakes all across the Sierra Nevada – and very likely, the world.

Keeping Mammoth Lakes Clean and Unreal

Starting September 18, 2023, volunteers from CUTL initiated a full-scale cleanup and aquatic invasive species survey of Lake George’s 2-mile circumference working with volunteer scuba divers, free divers and kayakers to remove fishing debris, plastic pollution and understand other threats to the environment.

“I couldn’t be more excited to be working in the Mammoth Lakes Basin this fall,” said CUTL Founder & Executive Director Colin West. “There is a widespread litter problem that has been ignored for decades in freshwater lakes all across the Sierra, and action is necessary to ensure the future protection of the region’s most valuable resource.”

Over the next four years, CUTL will also be working alongside MLT to engage with visitors and the local community to increase education and further volunteer efforts towards remediating the issues at hand. Removal of submerged litter, documenting any and all aquatic invasive species threatening the lakes, working to protect animal species both above and below the surface, and prevention of future pollution are key goals of our partnership.

Next up, for the Summer of 2024, Lake Mary will get the cleanup treatment. Expect to see divers and cleanup support teams in and around Lake Mary from July 8 through July 19.

Get Involved

Want to show your support? Donations can be made via GoFundMe.

To learn more about Clean Up The Lake and for more information about volunteer opportunities, visit www.cleanupthelake.org.

Author

Lauren MacLeod

Lauren MacLeod, RD (she/her) is the Communications Coordinator for Mammoth Lakes Tourism. She's also a sports dietitian specializing in food, nutrition, and travel writing for outdoor and wellness brands.