Forum on aquatic invasive species at Lake Tahoe

What are homeowners in the Tahoe Keys doing to fight aquatic invasive species (AIS)? How successful was the pilot research project to reduce the Asian clam population in Emerald Bay, and what does it mean for future control projects? What does the latest research say about whether quagga mussels could survive in Lake Tahoe?

Experts will discuss these issues and more at the fifth annual Aquatic Invasive Species Public Forum, Thursday, May 21, at the Lake Tahoe Golf Course, 2500 Emerald Bay Road in South Lake Tahoe. The forum is from 5 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. and offers a chance for the public to learn about AIS prevention and control programs at Lake Tahoe.

The forum is sponsored each year by the Lake Tahoe Aquatic Invasive Species Program, a coalition of 40 government agencies and nonprofit groups that have partnered together to prevent the introduction and the spread of AIS at Lake Tahoe. Forum topics and presenters include:

· An update on AIS accomplishments and upcoming projects at Lake Tahoe by Nicole Cartwright, AIS Program Coordinator at the Tahoe Resource Conservation District

· AIS control plans for Lake Tahoe, by Dr. Marion Wittmann, Conservation Biologist at University of Nevada, Reno

· Native mussels in the Truckee River, by Sarah Muskopf, Aquatic Biologist at the U.S. Forest Service

· The Emerald Bay Asian Clam Pilot Research Project, by Dennis Zabaglo, Aquatic Resources Manager at the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency

· The Lake Tahoe Quagga Mussel Survivability Study, by Sudeep Chandra, Associate Professor at University of Nevada, Reno

· The Tahoe Keys Integrated Weed Management Plan, by Rick Lind, President, Sierra Ecosystem Associates

· Eyes on the Lake and citizen AIS monitoring efforts, Savannah Rudroff, Natural Resources Associate, League to Save Lake Tahoe

The free public forum begins at 5 p.m. with a networking session with light snacks and no-host bar. It will end with a question and answer session and a chance for people to meet and speak with individual presenters. For more information about the forum, contact Nicole Cartwright at 530-543-1501 extension 111 or ncartwright@tahoercd.org.