25th annual Snapshot Day will connect the community to its watershed
LAKE TAHOE, Nev./Cal., May 7, 2025 — On the morning of Saturday, May 10, volunteers will fan out across the Truckee River watershed to collect and test water samples from creeks, streams, smaller lakes, and Lake Tahoe itself to take a “snapshot” of water quality at a single moment in time for this important source of drinking water and outdoor recreation.
Keep Tahoe Blue is coordinating volunteer teams to sample sites along Lake Tahoe’s South Shore, from Meeks Bay to Zephyr Cove, and up to the headwaters of the Upper Truckee River.
Volunteers of all ages and skill levels are invited to become citizen scientists for the day, get outside, and experience beautiful and rarely visited sites. When you join, you will sample and test the water for things like dissolved oxygen, pH, nutrients, and more. Volunteers can sign up and be placed on a team, create a team of their own with family and friends, or be a team leader. Team leaders will receive training prior to the event on how to most accurately collect the data needed to guide their citizen scientists to success!
WHEN
Saturday, May 10
– 9:00 am – noon: Event
– Noon – 1:00 pm: Lunch, raffle, and celebration
WHO
Volunteers of all ages are welcome. No prior experience is required. You can sign up as an individual, family, or group.
For those interested in leading a team, we ask that you attend a separate training session to review procedures for accurate data collection. This Team Leader Training takes place on Wednesday, May 7, 5:00 – 7:00 pm at the Lake Tahoe Community College Board Room.
WHERE
Meet at the Lake Tahoe Community College Gym | 1 College Drive, South Lake Tahoe, CA 96150. From there, teams will travel to sample at various sites around Lake Tahoe’s South Shore.
HOW TO PARTICIPATE
Register to be a general volunteer at keeptahoeblue.org/ssd-2025.
Register to be a volunteer team leader at: keeptahoeblue.org/ssd-leader.
WHAT
This year’s event marks 25 years of Snapshot Day, making it the longest-running citizen science event of its kind!
Since 2001, Snapshot Day partners have sampled sites from Meyers to Tahoe’s North Shore, continuing on to Truckee and through Reno, ending at Pyramid Lake. By collecting water quality data from the same sites each year, Keep Tahoe Blue and event partners can track changes in the health of Lake Tahoe and the Truckee River watershed. Snapshot Day also provides a unique opportunity for the community to connect with the environment in their own backyards through hands-on, scientific fieldwork.
Learn more about Snapshot Day and see a map of last year’s results at keeptahoeblue.org/ssd.
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Media Contact: Chris Joseph
The League to Save Lake Tahoe is the donor-funded, science-based organization of environmental experts and Tahoe-lovers behind Keep Tahoe Blue. We have led the protection and restoration of the Lake Tahoe Basin since 1957 and remain the one organization who brings everyone together for the same goal — to protect Tahoe for future generations. Learn more, donate, and get involved at keeptahoeblue.org.
