Eyes on the Lake: Protect While You Play

The two main targets of the Eyes on the Lake program are curlyleaf pondweed and Eurasian watermilfoil, which are already established in several locations throughout the Lake, and are difficult and expensive to control. These weeds clog your equipment, degrade shoreline beauty, and impede views of the Lake’s bottom. These aquatic invasive weed species are damaging Lake Tahoe’s ecology and water quality.

Milfoil is a common aquarium plant that was first introduced to the Tahoe Keys decades ago. It has now spread to dozens of locations throughout Tahoe by hitching a ride on boats and paddle gear.

Help keep Tahoe blue by being a Tahoe Keeper and keeping an eye on the lake.

How to participate: It’s easy!

Download and use the free Citizen Science Tahoe web app and report where you’ve spotted the invasive plants so we can catch them before they spread.

Make a Bigger Impact: Get trained and start surveying

If you’d like to get more involved and help the League with regular surveying and reporting, organized surveys and even hand-pulling of aquatic weeds, you can join an official Eyes on the Lake training.

Your trained “eyes on the lake” will provide information to the Lake Tahoe Aquatic Invasive Species Program that can result in early detection of new infestations and more effective treatment. Eyes on the Lake is led by the League to Save Lake Tahoe, in partnership with the Tahoe Resource Conservation District and the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency, as well as other organizations that make up the Lake Tahoe Aquatic Invasive Species Program.

Use the TERC Citizen Science Tahoe app:

Help protect Lake Tahoe with Citizen Science

To make it easier to report invasive plants, paddlers can share observations at the beach or out on the water submitted through the Citizen Science Tahoe app. Each observation automatically records the user’s location and the date and time. Users can also add photos and their own comments.

About Citizen Science

With online platforms, Eyes on the Lake citizen scientists can help researchers at Lake Tahoe by taking a few minutes to enter what they see while paddling or at the beach—whether it’s invasive plants, an algal bloom, cloudy water, or litter on the beach. Science needs both sides of the story. So users are encouraged to report both the positive and negative things they see.

The Citizen Science Tahoe App is available for Apple and Android phones. Users do not need to utilize their cellular data and can wait to upload images when connected to Wi-Fi. This makes the app easy to use in even the most remote locations!