Volunteer Docents Needed for Environmental Education at Tahoe

Do you love Lake Tahoe and have an interest in learning more about the lake? Do you enjoy science, learning new information, and sharing your knowledge?

Residents who would like to help people learn about the region's environmental assets and challenges are needed to serve as volunteer docents at the Thomas J. Long Foundation Education Center and the UC Davis Eriksson Education Center. Located in Incline Village and Tahoe City respectively, the two UC Davis education centers are well positioned along the North Shore of Lake Tahoe.

"Each year, we have thousands of children and adults touring our education centers, and we need informed, enthusiastic docents to help them get the most out of their visits," said education director Heather Segale, UC Davis Tahoe Environmental Research Center (TERC).

Visitors to the centers include school groups from the greater Lake Tahoe-Truckee region as well as local residents and visitors to the basin.

The training courses and a copy of the UC Davis Docent Training Manual will provide new docents all the information they will need to discuss the scientific research at Lake Tahoe, local environmental issues, and natural history of the region. No prior experience is necessary, and all are welcome.

The first two docent training classes will be held on June 19 (2 – 5 p.m.) and June 21 (2 – 5 p.m.), at the Tahoe Center for Environmental Sciences, on the Sierra Nevada College campus in Incline Village, Nev. The third training will take place on June 23, starting with a boat ride aboard the UC Davis Research Vessel John LeConte and finishing at the UC Davis Tahoe City Field Station. Space aboard the boat is limited and will be available on a first-come basis. Attendance at all three training sessions is strongly recommended.

Presenters include UC Davis TERC director Geoff Schladow, renowned limnologist Dr. Charles Goldman, boat captain Brant Allen, geologist Tom Bullard (DRI), ecologist Christine Ngai (UNR), David Antonucci, and more. Snacks and a social happy hour will be provided.

To RSVP for these training dates, please contact Andrea Wilkins, AmeriCorps member at (775) 881-7560, ext. 7474 or e-mail alwilkins@ucdavis.edu.

About the UC Davis Tahoe Environmental Research Center

The UC Davis Tahoe Environmental Research Center presents monthly lectures on science topics and organizes various educational programs including the Youth Science Institute, Science Expo, and Children’s Environmental Science Day. The Tahoe Environmental Research Center is dedicated to research, education and public outreach on lakes and their surrounding watersheds and airsheds. Lake ecosystems include the physical, biogeochemical and human environments, and the interactions among them. The center is committed to providing objective scientific information for restoration and sustainable use of the Lake Tahoe Basin.

Other Upcoming Events
May 31, 2012: Bear Awareness Lecture
May 22-24, 2012: Tahoe Science Conference – Environmental Restoration in a Changing Climate
June 2, 2012: Tahoe City Field Station (Historic Hatchery) Open House
June 2-3, 2012: Wild Tahoe Weekend, South Lake Tahoe (International Migratory Bird Day and Native Species Day)
June 14, 2012: Tahoe’s Avian Summer Visitors with Kirk Hardie, Tahoe Institute for Natural Science
June 16, 2012: Birdwatching with Kirk Hardie, Tahoe Institute for Natural Science at the Tahoe City Field Station
June 19, 21 and 23: Docent Training
July 11: Climate Reality Project with Dr. Peter Joseph
July 26: Sugar-associated Health Risk Factors, with Dr. Kimber Stanhope, UC Davis Department of Nutrition
August 11, 2012: Annual Children’s Environmental Science Day
Visit http://terc.ucdavis.edu/calendar/ for additional information.

— Writer Heather Segale of the UC Davis Tahoe Environmental Research Center can be reached at (775) 881-7562, or hmsegale@ucdavis.edu