The Pelican — Swan Lake Fall 2026 Cleanup Recap
Updated: Sep 30
By Marisa Ernst
On September 26, 33 volunteers, including our budding naturalist Elliott, came out to Swan Lake for the 2026 Fall Cleanup. The cleanup was held as part of KTMB’s regional Truckee River Cleanup event. As Conservation Chair, I acted as site manager, together with Washoe County Ranger Celia Walker.
For many volunteers, this was their very first visit to Swan Lake and the Nature Study Area. Several of these “newbies” commented on how peaceful and beautiful the area is. They confirmed they plan on making return visits to this North Valleys nature oasis.
To my very delight, about a third of the volunteers were members of our NNBA family, traveling from as far as Gardnerville, Carson City, and Incline Village!
We also received a surprise visit from Bob Goodman, who learned about the cleanup in the NNBA email. He was so happy to see so many people working to improve the Nature Study Area. Bob reported that during the very first Swan Lake cleanup, several dumpsters were needed to dispose of all the trash that people had dumped in and around Swan Lake.
Today, the situation definitely looks rosier, despite the one or other moron who mistakes Swan Lake for a garbage can. “Our” Ranger Celia regularly patrols the Nature Study Area and removes garbage throughout the year. Our cleanup crew thus was able to focus on removing invasive plants growing along the trail, particularly thistles and whitetop. Others “opened up” the tunnel created by the indomitable willows that grow close to the boardwalk. All in all, the removed green waste filled half of a big WM dumpster!
A small group of volunteers also tackled the area where Lear Blvd. dead-ends at the Lemmon Valley Drive drain. Last Spring, that area was a disgusting dump. This time around, the area looked much less trashy. Could cleaning up an area prevent large-scale illegal dumping? Well, time will tell! What our four volunteer trash pickers found, however, were several discarded “vapes” — these contain lithium batteries and electronics and belong neither in the environment nor in the regular trash.
We will have another cleanup in Spring ‘27, and I hope there will be just as much enthusiasm for that event as this time around!
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