Over the past 30 years, thousands of volunteers have shown up for the Truckee River Watershed Council’s (TRWC) annual Truckee River Day. I have been among them, volunteering since I could toddle back and forth with a willow branch in hand.
The Truckee River is where I spent countless summer days navigating rapids in inner tubes and playing instruments on its banks. But the river itself is a single part of the much larger network of creeks, lakes, forests, and meadows that make up our watershed.
Everything that makes our home in the Tahoe/Truckee area special can be traced back to our watershed –– from fresh tracks on powder days to the wildflowers alongside our favorite trails. Even the water we drink and air we breathe depend on a healthy watershed.
However, human development and industrial demands have been impacting our watershed since the 1800s. To accommodate cattle grazing and make room for highways, railroads, buildings, and other infrastructure, creeks were straightened, meadows degraded, and essential habitat lost. And despite improvements to environmental regulation and industry standards, the damage of past development can still be observed today.
Without our help, the Truckee River watershed will continue to degrade and its systems will fail to function. That’s where TRWC and its mighty volunteers come in.
Truckee River Day allows our community to come together in an effort to protect and restore the watershed. No matter participants’ age, background, or level of experience, this event welcomes everyone with open arms.
As a result, the legacy of Truckee River Day volunteers runs deep. Some have been coming since its inaugural year in 1996. Others first volunteered side-by-side with their children and, decades later, now attend with their grandchildren. Some return regularly to past project sites to observe changes and reflect on their own, individual role within our landscape.
Many have allowed their experiences as a volunteer at Truckee River Day to shape their lives and livelihoods moving forward. I fall into that category.
Some of my most vivid childhood memories took place at Truckee River Day. As a toddler, I remember helping my mother plant willows as we worked to stabilize creek banks. Years later, I showed up to volunteer with my Girl Scout troop, proudly donning my green vest to release juvenile Lahontan cutthroat trout into the river by the bucketful.
Truckee River Day has undoubtedly shaped both my love of the natural world and my commitment to protecting it, and I’m hardly the only one.
Jeff Glazner volunteered with his preschool-aged children, Ryan and Jessica, in the early years of Truckee River Day. Today, Jessica is completing her PhD in marine biology, and Ryan is approaching four years in Cal Fire’s forestry department. Both return as Truckee River Day volunteers whenever possible, and Jeff still hasn’t missed a year since 1997.
Sam Zabell also grew up volunteering at Truckee River Day with his parents, eventually securing an internship with TRWC. This foundation of environmental work shaped his professional trajectory, first with the Yosemite Rivers Alliance and now with Sierra Foothill Conservancy.
Our shared experiences with Truckee River Day reflect an event bigger than the sum of its parts. By convening our community around the watershed, TRWC transforms a single volunteer event into a lifelong connection to our landscape. Both as a launchpad for the future generations of environmental stewards and an opportunity for volunteers to give back, Truckee River Day continues to heal our watershed and create a more resilient community for years to come.
Learn more about the 31st annual Truckee River Day on Oct. 18 or sign up to volunteer at truckeeriverwc.org.
~ Addison Wingate was born and raised in Truckee, where she grew up skiing, hiking, horseback riding, and enjoying the mountains she calls home. After six years in Southern California and a summer spent hiking the Pacific Crest Trail, she resettled in Truckee, where she works as the lead storyteller at the Truckee River Watershed Council.
