Mission
Teens 4 Tahoe is a group of teenagers who love Lake Tahoe and want to help improve its natural environment.
Through the Tahoe Fund, T4T is a vehicle used to create and provide a platform for teens to actively address climate change and help to bring awareness and solutions to the environmental issues impacting Tahoe.
By basing T4T’s work around the Tahoe area, we hope the community will be encouraged to collaborate through informative activities and events specific to the Basin.
Join Us!
Fill out the form below to get connected.
UPCOMING EVENTS
Volunteering with Teens 4 Tahoe is a great way to get outside with your friends, and earn those community service hours you need for school!
Check back soon for upcoming events!
PAST EVENTS
Teens 4 Tahoe Day at Camp Wamp
Teens for Tahoe organizer, Eliza Spaht, gathered a group of teens on July 2nd at Camp Wamp, a camp for physically disabled children, to clear out a section of their forest. We removed sticks, branches, and even trees to help fireproof the camp.
“Everyone had super positive attitudes, and we were so happy to help out!” said Eliza.
Camp Wamp, located near North Lake Tahoe in the High Sierras, is a place where kids with physical challenges have the week of their life in the great outdoors. Camp Wamp is proud to be a traditional camp for children with physical disabilities. The kids of Camp Wamp leave the experience having learned to face life with a new sense of self-reliance, ambition, optimism and adventure.
While the pandemic has meant that the campers aren’t able to be at camp for Summer 2021, we had the opportunity to help Camp Wamp prepare the land for the upcoming fire season and clear away flammable natural materials to prevent fire from spreading. As any Californian knows, the fire seasons can be devastating, so the manual work that we’ll be doing to clear away flammables will have a huge positive impact and will protect the camp for the future.
For more info about the camp, visit: https://www.campwamp.org
Tahoe Fund Instagram Takeover
During Earth Week, T4T did a special takeover on the Tahoe Fund Instagram. The takeover include an instagram live, posts on the page, and an Earth Week Video.
Check out our Earth Week video below!
Tahoe Backcountry Safety Awareness Week: Athlete Summit
As representatives of T4T, Caroline and Julia joined Alpenglow Expeditions to moderate the Tahoe Backcountry Safety Awareness Week Athlete Summit. They played a role in introducing the athletes and reading questions from the audience during the Q&A process.
During the Summit, the athletes recalled first-hand accounts from their personal experiences and things they’ve learned along the way!
Athletes Included: Amie Engerbretson, Connery Lundin, Michelle Parker, and Duncan Lee
Watch the Tahoe Backcountry Safety Awareness Week Athletes Summit below!
Wilder Than Wild: A Teens 4 Tahoe Virtual Screening
On October 4th, 2020, the Teens 4 Tahoe held our first live event with a free virtual screening of the film Wilder Than Wild: Fire, Forests, and the Future.
The night included a showing of the film followed by a Q&A session in which producer Kevin White answered questions from the audience.
Teen Leaders
Eliza Spaht
My name is Eliza Spaht and I started Teens for Tahoe in 2020 during one of the worst fire seasons California had seen, with the intention of raising awareness about environmental issues that impact Tahoe and the surrounding communities. I struggled seeing Tahoe face significant changes to climate (wildfires, less snow, drought) since I grew up spending so much time there. I had seen the impact my grandparents’ foundation Baton Rouge Green was able to make by replanting indigenous trees in Louisiana, and decided I wanted to make a difference in my own way by starting this club. Our goal is to move through the helplessness that teens can feel around climate change, and into action. We put on virtual and in person events (safely adhering to local guidelines!) to get teens involved in their communities and reduce the effects of climate change. Some fun facts are that I was born in London, I play tennis, soccer, and lacrosse, and I was in New Orleans as a kid during Hurricane Katrina.
Ashley Novotney
Hey! My name is Ashley Novotney and I am from San Jose. I am volunteer manager, content manager, and co-organizer for Teens 4 Tahoe! I have always been conscious of my surroundings and eager to make an impact in any way, then I found out about Teens 4 Tahoe. I wanted to be an active member and do as much as I can to better the Tahoe Environment and spread awareness! I have had a house in Tahoe ever since 2011 and never want to leave. Teens 4 Tahoe is such an amazing way to reach out to fellow teens and to build a community to better the environment! I hope to help grow teens 4 Tahoe and allow the Tahoe basin to thrive!! A fun fact about me is I love the outdoors and I golf and have 3 cats.
Kayleigh Docherty
Hi! My name is Kayleigh Docherty and I am from Marin County, CA. As a skier who has been a part of the Squaw Valley ski team for 10 years to now being a 4 year coach for the Mighty Mites, I am super excited to support the Teens for Tahoe program! At school I have taken several courses ranging from AP Environmental Science to Sustainable Agriculture, so I hope to continue to advocate for environmental change. A fun fact about me is that I love to explore the outdoors and just a couple years ago I sky dived in Fiji!
Halie Connery
Hey guys! My name is Hailey Connery and I am the secretary for Teens for Tahoe. Born in San Francisco and raised in Marin County, I have had the good fortune of spending a lot of time in Tahoe. Whether it is running an amazing Tahoe trail, paddleboarding on the lake, or skiing, Tahoe is very near and dear to me. A couple of fun facts about me are that I do Search and Rescue in Marin County and I share the same birthday as my mom 🙂 I am so excited to be a part of T4T to support the Tahoe environment we all love and enjoy!
Mera Schoonmaker
Hey! My name is Mera and I was born and raised in Tahoe City. I have grown up loving to explore our precious mountains and the place I call home. I joined Teens 4 Tahoe because we need advocacy in our generation to sustain the natural beauty of the basin. Two fun facts about me are that I am the 4th generation of my family born in Tahoe and I have a birthmark on my leg that looks identical to Tahoe, but Emerald Bay is on the wrong side!
Gianna White
Hi! My name is Gianna and I’m from San Jose. And when I’m not there, chances are I’m in
Tahoe. Whether it’s hiking, skiing, boating, anything, Tahoe holds a very special place in my
heart. As I am becoming more aware of global warming and all of the environmental struggles
that Tahoe is facing, I am doing my best to help in any way that I can. I am so excited and
grateful to be a part of this amazing organization and I can’t wait to see where it takes me!
Get Involved!
To join the Teens 4 Tahoe, email Eliza Spaht at elizaspaht@icloud.com.