SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. – The League to Save Lake Tahoe — the donor-funded, science-based organization of environmental experts and Tahoe-lovers behind the movement to Keep Tahoe Blue — will commemorate the opening of its new headquarters with a community celebration on Friday, July 11.

The Keep Tahoe Blue Spurlock/Evers Environment & Education Center, located at 2877 Lake Tahoe Boulevard in South Lake Tahoe, will serve as the new home for the organization’s ongoing commitment to environmental stewardship, science, and community action. It will also act as an invitation for anyone to take part in the mission to protect and restore Lake Tahoe for all.

“By opening this new center, we are honoring our commitment to the Tahoe community and the 68-year history of our organization, while building a blueprint for a better future,” said Darcie Goodman Collins, CEO of the League to Save Lake Tahoe. “We are proud of all our accomplishments as an organization, but we know that Tahoe faces growing challenges from climate change, novel invasive species, wildfire, and political uncertainties. This education center is both the catalyst and the foundation of our new Five-Year Strategic Plan, in which we vow to meet those challenges head-on by thinking and acting Bigger than Tahoe. From this community hub, we can collectively work to find lasting solutions to protect the Lake’s beautiful blue waters for future generations.”

Reflecting the League’s legacy of pragmatic environmental successes, the state-of-the-art center will be a LEED-certified building with numerous sustainability features, including insulation made from recycled denim, a living roof that captures carbon and reduces the heat island effect, and materials made from recycled products, including salvaged wood from the 2021 Caldor Fire, and furniture that was upcycled from decommissioned office buildings.

In creating the new center, the League sought to redevelop an existing but outdated structure in the heart of South Lake Tahoe to the highest environmental standards, with a location near numerous amenities, including public transportation access points. A purpose-built gathering place for environmental engagement, the center will feature interactive exhibits that empower all visitors to help Keep Tahoe Blue. It will be open to the public and include a conference space, a store with sustainability-focused merchandise, a native plant educational garden, and an amphitheater that will host a speaker series, citizen science trainings and other public events.

“This building will be for the entire community to enjoy,” said Kristiana Almeida, the League’s Chief Operating Officer who also served as project manager. “We are incredibly grateful to the hundreds of donors who made this new center possible. We would not be here without their support. And, of course, we want to recognize the Spurlock and Evers families, whose continuing contributions to the League, including their volunteer service on our board, their philanthropic gifts, and unwavering vision for how we can collectively protect the Lake, have propelled the movement to Keep Tahoe Blue into the future.”

The grand opening celebration of the new center will take place from 4 p.m. – 6 p.m. on Friday, July 11. The event will feature staff-led tours of interactive exhibits, a series of short talks, information booths, food and beer trucks, live music, and other attractions.