Beach-goers sip their way around booze ban
Frank Machler, USFS law enforcement officer. tells a group their beer is not allowed at the beach. Photos/Kathryn Reed
By Kathryn Reed
ZEPHYR COVE – It was hard to know an alcohol ban was in place at Zephyr Cove beach on July 4.
“Why can’t I drink today and yesterday I could?” Neil Fenton asked. The Irishman, one of about a group of 25 on the South Shore beach, practically begged U.S. Forest Service employees to be able to keep his beer.
No such luck.
A beer can on the Fourth of July floats in Lake Tahoe.
The Forest Service, which owns this beach along with many others in the basin, for several years has been saying no to alcohol on July 4 to help prevent things from getting out of hand.
With about 10,000 people just at this beach – as well as the neighboring Dreyfus Estate, the Forest Service is on a quest to maintain control. One way is curbing alcohol consumption.
People were lining up at 6:30am Saturday to get onto Zephyr Cove beach. With the thunderstorm rolling through midmorning, it scattered some people and kept the temperatures cooler than usual. This may have played a role in keeping the alcohol-induced troubles to a minimum.
Vehicles and pedestrians fill the lanes of Highway 50.
While signs were posted – and were up the day before the Fourth – and the media had gotten the word out about the booze ban, some people said they weren’t aware of the rules and others deliberately tried to get around them.
Jonathan Cook-Fisher, a forest protection officer with the USFS, had warned a multigenerational group at 11:30am about the alcohol ban. Frank Machler, a law enforcement officer with the USFS, saw the same people more than three hours later with beer cans next to them that anyone could see. He waited to see the cooler being hauled away. The older man in the group – at least in his 60s – glared at Cook-Fisher and his partner for the day, Gerard Dean, when he saw them later.
USFS law enforcement officers patrol the beer garden at Zephyr Cove.
Cook-Fisher and Dean run into the Irishmen who’ve stopped in the forest to drink some more. Cans are scattered about. They are told to move on, but to first take their trash. They mumble and mosey on.
Beer cans on the beach prove the ban is being ignored. Some are empties on the beach, some float in the water. An abundance of trash litters the sand. No obvious trash cans are in sight.
Others try not to be so blatant with their alcohol consumption. On the party side a guy is drinking a cola colored beverage from a bottle that says it is water. An officer confiscates it, pours it out. It wasn’t just soda.
Frank Machler, center, talks with Neil Fenton, right, about getting rid of his booze, as USFS employees Gerard Dean and Jonathan Cook-Fisher standby.
Instead of traditional water bottles, people are getting more deceptive with their contraband. Shampoo and sunscreen bottles are being used to transport alcohol. The problem is the container isn’t always washed out well so the imbiber ends up vomiting.
Machler said he likes to get people to pour the alcohol out or take it back to the vehicle. Citations are not immediate. If things get out of hand, the resort can tell people to leave or sheriff’s deputies can take people to jail.
Machler also has no tolerance for marijuana use. It’s illegal on federal property no matter what the state laws say – even medical marijuana. A guy admits to using, but said it was hours before and not on federal land.
A man receives a citation for disorderly conduct and interfering with a law enforcement officer.
Cook-Fisher said that’s one of the things those patrolling the beaches have to do – make quick decisions in the moment. They weigh the seriousness of the infraction against possibly taking resources from where they might better be served. Is education more beneficial than a citation? Ruining someone’s fun at Tahoe is not their goal; instead it’s about making them and the others at the beach safe.
Another way to help maintain calm has been to increase the number of people who are working the Fourth holiday. On a normal summer weekend the Forest Service has 10 to 15 people in the field. (This doesn’t count fire personnel.) This weekend more than 40 additional USFS employees are in the basin working.
Cook-Fisher said the biggest change in the last five years is the collaboration between agencies.
“There’s a common understanding that resources are limited and we need to share,” Cook-Fisher told Lake Tahoe News.
At Zephyr Cove, in addition to Forest Service employees, Douglas County sheriff’s deputies were out, the resort hired Marines to work security, and Tahoe Douglas fire regulates how many people can be in the beer garden. Tahoe Douglas paramedics administer the serious medical aid. Before they can arrive the USFS Klamath firefighters who are in the region for added fire suppression relief render basic aid. One woman was about to get an ambulance ride in her bikini. She cut her elbow and thigh climbing a fence. Stitches were in her future.
Piles of garbage at Zephyr Cove beach on July 4.
Cook-Fisher ends up giving medical attention to a group of women, one of whom is clearly intoxicated. Her fingernail is nearly torn off and she is whimpering in pain.
“Our purpose today is not about writing citations. It’ public safety and protecting natural resources,” Cook-Fisher said.
At this South Shore beach a temporary fence is erected on the Fourth with the goal of keeping families on one side, the more raucous revelers on the other.
The only alcohol allowed is in the beer garden that Zephyr Cove Resort runs. It’s hopping in there, with music playing and people dancing. Several law enforcement officers monitor who comes and goes.
About 4pm the beer garden closes. The beach closes about an hour later for a short time. Many people were headed for a place where they could watch the fireworks, like Nevada Beach.
For authorities, it was just another day at the beach — Lake Tahoe style.
Does the increased parking fees pay for this enforcement ? This is just the continued “South Lake Tahoe Party Town” label that Nevada continues to promote.
It is disappointing to see the piles of trash on the beach and debris floating in the water.
they parked all the way out to Ledbeters house.
the mass exodus in the afternoon thunder shower was a total cluster.
call me and I will send you the video or look it up on Facebook @ Eyes of Tahoe.
$20.00 parking at the school and park not sure who got that money.
Would have been very easy to provide trash cans spaced along the beach.
make it convenient and people will use them !They are PAYING to park and use most all of the beaches around the lake which are also run by independent contractors.
HELLO !so independent businesses run the beach concessions and make the money but the USFS comes in and cites or warns people that they can’t have a cold beer on the beach ???
We’re they ( USFS ) at round hill pines ?? Nevada beach? Camp rich? And the other south shore beaches.
Zephyr has a reputation for being a loud and disorderly beach but mainly bc of the bar right on the beach.
Go figure.
Ban glass perhaps?
There is no respect for the rules or the lake
Oh Yes, the crime of alcohol consumption. The “gateway” drug. All those poor Winos, Top- shelf drinkers and Beer boozers. Law? What Law? What day is it? Independence Day!!! The alcoholics among us need to be allowed to get their fix- even in public when it is forbidden. The fact that USFS was telling people to take the **** back to their vehicles needs to be investigated ’cause they were basically saying “go guzzle out-of-sight (in the vehicle) and it’ll all be fine.” All those drunk revelers and who was breath testing the drivers leaving in vehicles?? Every LE entity could be rolling in the dough from the tickets and fines, but NO, they just look the other way with a defacto “we’ve got your back” to the alcohol dealers know as business people who wear white collars.
No garbage bins to dispose ,Who is in the wrong here?Take the booze back to the car ? Who is in the wrong here? no fines? Who is in the wrong here ?Makes sense to me ,NO RULES.NO LAWS ,WHAT A JOKE.
The South Shore and its businesses aren’t particularly discriminating in the type of clientele they attract thus a wide net is cast to get as many people as possible in to town with the rationale that the more people there are the more money businesses will make. The quantity over quality business model.
The July 4th holiday in SLT is fairly parallel to New Year’s Eve and after spending 8-plus hours catering to mostly disrespectful degenerates’ with a whole $20 to leave behind to bolster our economy, I have no intention of going out to the beaches and cleaning up those messes they made. Let the business owners who benefited from and made money off those people go out there and clean up.
Civilized people would follow the rules and they’d carry out their own trash if there weren’t trash cans readily available on the beach; classless jerks won’t walk 5-feet to a trash can and just leave their garbage where they drop it.
How’d they ever fit an ambulance in a bikini?
The good news is all the classless idiots are filing out of town back to their self entitled, yet pathetic lives.
I could have gotten an award for my sobriety at the beach last night – but it wasn’t long ago I would have been right in there with those party goers drinking on the 4th. It’s been a tradition for the 4th.
The number of 4th of July people has grown exponentially over the past 40 years watching the fireworks and problems with trash and safety with it. And I’m sorry to say – the younger crowd has regressed with their responsibility to remove their trash after their parties. Maybe it’s the “it’s all about me” generation that needs some discipline.
I was sitting next to some couples from Modesto last night and they quietly had a few drinks for the fireworks and cleaned up spotlessly when they left.
I see many Mom’s and Pop’s doing the same quietly sipping some wine in their lawn chairs out there.
There must be a way those of us who are responsible to still enjoy decades of tradition of having responsible fun and a few drinks at the beach for the fireworks.
I think Law Enforcement should recognize not all of us are drunks and slobs and leave us a few beaches where we can responsibly enjoy the fireworks.
I worked the 4th of july for 20 years as a forest service person. It was the worst day of the year and I couldnt wait for it to be over.
thank you to all the folks who have to work and deal with drunk jerks on this holiday. There are definately some good decent folks out there who clean up after themselves and manage to get through the day in the back ground. Unfortunatly its the a holes that we remember who ruin the day for most everyone.
thank you to law enforcement who help keep us all more safe.
Hey Kits… When are you coming back? Drive carefully. Buh-Bye!
Figures you would say that 4mer. We were out at 6am cleaning the beaches and all in all they were pretty clean. We only got about 2800 pounds of trash compared to the usual 4-5 thousand. I don’t benefit or make money off those people but I do live here and care about the community and place I call home and unlike some sit behind their computer and ***** we do something about it. I find it disappointing that you would say that after most of the posts you have done and written about trying to make a difference here. This was our 18th year doing this with my company. Thanks to Jeff Tillman and John D for giving me a key to STR so we could dump the trash on a Sunday. 4mer, please do not respond with a snipe towards me like in the past but respond with an action of doing something towards the betterment of our community. Thanks
Remember the new motto “Walk on the Wild Side after walking all over South Shore”
skibum: usmc did respond, and did not brag about it
4Mer,
Do you think Tahoe should only be available to the rich?
I will agree with you that the new GREEN generation seem to be the majority of the offenders.
PS
Thanks Ski Bum!!
Thanks Kenny.
Thanks for your help Kenny. It is appreciated.
What happened yesterday including traffic, trash, people alcohol is the same thing that has been happening for years and it’s the same thing happening across the country in many tourism destinations. When you put hundreds of thousands of people in a place you get what you get. The difference is there are many clean up efforts that are happening including the Ski Bum, the league to save Lake Tahoe, the LTVA etc. No big deal, no one to blame here. There are some follow up items including why there are no trash cans? I do have a problem that an American citizen sitting on a publicly paid for beach can’t sit and have a beer. It does seem well unamerican. The policy seems to penalize the many because of the few. It may be the forest service needs to review their policy and performance.
Slapshot, True on all counts
As Nature Bats Last said, some people have to work and deal with drunks on this holiday. I along with many others got to deal with them through most of the late evening and early morning hours, likely while many people had the opportunity to sleep after enjoying a nice holiday off of work.
Interesting the things that people assume. No-where did I say that Tahoe should be available to the rich only, and I extend my congratulations to all those people who were out there at 6:00 a.m. helping to make the community a better place. My group and I were at work doing our jobs until your group began theirs.
And Ken Curtzwiler, what can one say about a pony-tail sportin’ dude who for 18-years has gone out of his way in so many ways? While he may say it’s been only 18-years of taking out the trash I’d bet that his altruism extends way longer than that and is way broader than that. He really should publicly describe every single one of his civic contributions to the entire South Shore community so the rest of us will know who it is we should be emulating. But being the self-effacing person that he is he just hasn’t shared much of that on this website or at the City Council meetings.
Thank you Mr. Ken Curtzwiler. Thank you and God bless you and God bless America.
Yeah, went to Pope Beach on the 1st and saw a loaded diaper placed neatly in a parking spot 10 feet away from a trash can; Just do not get it.
The only thing that continues to resonate in my mind is from The Eagles & Don Henley with…
The Last Resort
“She came from Providence, the one in Rhode Island, Where the old world shadows hang heavy in the air, She packed her hopes and dreams like a refugee, Just as her father came across the sea.
She heard about a place, people were smilin’
They spoke about the red man’s way, how they loved the land, And they came from everywhere to the Great Divide, Seeking a place to stand or a place to hide.
Down in the crowded bars, out for a good time
Can’t wait to tell you all what it’s like up there, And they called it paradise, I don’t know why. Somebody laid the mountains low while the town got high.
Then the chilly winds blew down, across the desert, Through the canyons of the coast to the Malibu, Where the pretty people play, hungry for power, To light their neon way and give them things to do.
Some rich men came and raped the land, nobody caught ’em, Put up a bunch of ugly boxes and Jesus, people bought ’em. And they called it paradise, the place to be. They watched the hazy sun sinking in the sea.
You can leave it all behind and sail to Lahaina, Just like the missionaries did so many years ago. They even brought a neon sign ‘Jesus is coming.’ Brought the white man’s burden down, brought the white man’s reign.
Who will provide the grand design, what is yours and what is mine? ‘Cause there is no more new frontier, we have got to make it here. We satisfy our endless needs and justify our bloody deeds, In the name of destiny and in the name of God.
And you can see them there on Sunday morning
Stand up and sing about what it’s like up there. They called it paradise, I don’t know why.
You call some place paradise, kiss it goodbye…”
4mer. Back at ya and Thanks for serving. Truer words were never spoken in God Bless America.
Went to ED beach at 7am with my metal detector. Found bottle caps, beer cans, beer bottles, shoes, socks, flip flops, no pop tops, toy shovels and 3 tents with people and their dogs sleeping in them. My biggest find was the big dude passed out on the beach. Didn’t bring a big enough bucket to put him in. If he is still there, tell him again that the Party’s over.
Thanks to all who keep our shoreline and beaches clean from all the people who leave their trash behind.
I used to clean up Kiva beach in the 70’s on my on my own cuz that’s where I hung out back then. Before that I picked up the garbage at the beaches at Ski Run Beach and Marina in the early 60’s. Our motel was a stones throw away from the beach and boat ramp.
Once a garbageman, always a garbageman.
Take care, Old Long Skiis
Some think plastic bags are the bane of our existence. I think disposable diapers should be banned, if anything should be! Seen ’em left in grocery carts. people who are pigs will be pigs, regardless.
Thank goodness for people like Kenny who care enough to make a difference.
Someone who works the crowds suggested we divide up the beaches and have some that allow booze, and others that do not. That way it would concentrate the wild partiers in some locations and other people can have a beach to enjoy the 4th without all the wild partying.
I think it’s a great idea …. and it could be modified later on to accommodate everyone’s needs.
Toxic…not a bad idea. We could have separate parking too…though then we would have drunken fools screaming that they are being unfairly targeted by law enforcement.
Rock4- Even though I know it by heart, thanks for entering the entire lyrics to “The Last Resort”. Truer words were never sung. It gives me the chills every time.