UC Davis Tahoe City Field Station Open House June 15

Join UC Davis Tahoe Environmental Research Center for an Open House at the Tahoe City Field Station (Historic Hatchery) at 2400 Lake Forest Road from 10 a.m. – 2 p.m. on Saturday, June 15. Visitors can tour the historic building, talk to TERC scientists about their work, and learn something new about Lake Tahoe. Local garden clubs will be on hand to give plant selection and gardening advice, and Red Truck of Truckee will sell food and beverages.

The UC Davis Tahoe City Field Station has evolved from its origins as a state fish hatchery to its current function as a field station for UC Davis researchers at Lake Tahoe. The Field Station houses the Eriksson Education Center, native plant demonstration garden, a small laboratory facility, and the equipment necessary for researchers to boat on, dive in, and scientifically examine Lake Tahoe.

Between Memorial Day and Labor Day, the Eriksson Education Center offers visitors an opportunity to explore the facility at their own pace with self-guided tours between the hours of 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily. Volunteer docents are available on Saturdays from 10 a.m. – 2 p.m. for guided tours and hands-on science activities. Participate in national citizen monitoring efforts such as World Water Quality Monitoring, Bird Monitoring, and the USA National Phenology Network project. Visitors will conduct basic monitoring of the local water bodies, identify migrating bird species, and observe life stages of plants in an effort to monitor the influence of climate.

Eriksson Education Center also hosts the Green Thumb Gardening Series, a series of weekly lectures on sustainable gardening in the Tahoe Basin. This year’s topics include edible gardens, pest management, composting and efficient irrigation. Green Thumb lectures are held every Tuesday at 5:30 p.m. beginning June 25.

The living laboratory and demonstration garden of native plants surrounding the Field Station provide visitors an opportunity to learn about truly “green” gardening. If you are interested in gardening, volunteer to help develop the native demonstration garden on May 13, June 7, June 14, July 8, August 16, or September 9.

For more information about the Open House, Green Thumb Gardening Series or volunteer opportunities, please contact Kelsey Poole at 775-881-7560 ext. 7402 or klpoole@ucdavis.edu, or visit http://terc.ucdavis.edu/calendar/.