LAKE TAHOE

Clean Up the Lake (CUTL) announced the release of its Aquatic Invasive Species (AIS) Video Identification Toolkit, a high-resolution, field-ready resource designed to help divers, shoreline users, and water professionals accurately identify invasive species in Lake Tahoe and freshwater systems worldwide.

Thanks to the support of the Martis Fund, Martis Camp Foundation, and three separate funds held at the Tahoe Community Foundation, the organization developed this toolkit for users both underwater and above the surface. This new resource supports early detection and prevention by making species identification more accessible to a wide audience; from scientific divers and agency staff to educators, environmental volunteers, and the general public.

Find the toolkit at cleanupthelake.org/ais 

Filmed in 6K to 8K resolution, the toolkit combines studio-controlled macro cinematography with real-world underwater footage captured by CUTL’s scientific dive team. This approach allows viewers to:

• See fine morphological detail up close, including subtle features used for identification, captured both in studio settings on land and in macro footage filmed as deep as 50 feet in Lake Tahoe.
• Understand how species appear and move in their natural environment, where divers and survey teams are often the first line of detection.
• Experience a level of clarity and perspective that helps users recognize not just shape, but texture, movement, and context.
• Have academically sourced and verified species information curated by an environmental scientist on both habitat and morphological ID characteristics to support these visuals.

By bridging cinematic production with scientific application, the toolkit enhances existing efforts and provides an additional layer of clarity for those working to protect freshwater ecosystems.

~ Clean Up the Lake press release