Written by Sarah Harry, Sierra Nevada AmeriCorps Partnership (SNAP) member at the UC Davis Tahoe Environmental Research Center (TERC), May 2024
We have been preparing for a couple of big outreach events including the Science Expo, Grow Your Own Festival, and the UC Davis Summer Sessions at Tahoe. Outreach events are important to share what we do at the UC Davis Tahoe Environmental Research Center in terms of educating the public about Lake Tahoe and the environmental issues we face here. Just starting a conversation at these events about why Lake Tahoe is so important and what we can do to preserve it is a good first step toward making people more aware of the critical environmental issues here and it could lead to a conversation about potential solutions.
The theme at the Science Expo this year was physical science, so I was in charge of preparing 12 different forces and motion activities for kids in 3rd-5th grade. The goal of the Science Expo is to foster the curiosity of the kids who come to the expo and show them how fun it is to learn and explore physical science. We also had the local high school help run the activities which was a good opportunity for them to learn how impactful teaching can be.
The Grow Your Own Festival gives community members the opportunity to learn about what plants can grow in an alpine environment like Lake Tahoe and how they can grow them at home. As part of the Grow Your Own Festival, I was sharing information about citizen science. Citizen science programs are a good way to spread public awareness about local environmental issues that affect the community of Lake Tahoe. UC Davis Tahoe Environmental Research Center has a citizen science program where community members can report various data about algae, water quality, litter, mountain rain or snow, invasive species, or ashfall that they see around Lake Tahoe. Scientists will look over the data that is reported in these surveys to monitor Lake Tahoe and look into new issues that may have been reported through these surveys. Scientists cannot be everywhere to monitor and protect Lake Tahoe, so it is critical for community members to report what they see and be empowered to also help protect Lake Tahoe.
Every year the UC Davis Tahoe Environmental Research Center hosts a Summer Session where community members can learn more in-depth about Lake Tahoe and become docent volunteers at the science center. This year we have many guest speakers that will present on a wide range of topics but all under the theme of discussing the amazing Lake Tahoe. These annual summer sessions give people the opportunity to learn more in-depth about where they live in hopes they will share it with others and inspire people to help preserve Lake Tahoe’s pristine beauty.
Funding for SNAP is supported by Tahoe Truckee Community Foundation’s Nature Fund and Martis Fund – a collaborative project of Martis Camp landowners, DMB/Highlands Group (the developers of Martis Camp), Mountain Area Preservation Foundation (MAP), and Sierra Watch. Sierra Nevada Alliance is a proud grantee of AmeriCorps and California Volunteers, Office of the Governor.
