Join TERC scientists for a fun, interactive on-the-mountain tour at Alpine in partnership with the US Forest Service. Do you love to ski/snowboard and science? This is a unique opportunity for you!  Learn about the research and education of the UC Davis Tahoe Environmental Research Center (TERC), the environmental history of Alpine, and the role of the US Forest Service and public lands at Palisades Tahoe. 

This program starts at 1:00pm on Fridays beginning February 21 to March 28. Tours will last approximately 1.5 hour. In the event that on-the-mountain tours are cancelled for inclement weather or unsafe snow conditions, the presentations will be alternatively available at 1:15pm inside the Alpine lodge.

All tours are free, but participants must be riding/skiing at an intermediate level and comfortable on all blue terrain. Tours are limited to the first 15 participants, please sign-up in person at the TERC outreach table on Fridays for the day-of tour. Look for the light blue tablecloth to find the TERC outreach table, it will be set up inside the Alpine lodge during colder, snowy days or outside on the Alpine deck near the base-to-base gondola. Tours will begin out on the deck, look for the UC Davis EVENT flag.  

Featured Scientists:

February 21 - Citizen Science for a Changing Tahoe
From the amount of algae washing up on the shores to the water clarity, Lake Tahoe is changing. Education and Outreach Director Heather Segale discusses ways TERC is working to increase stewardship action in the Tahoe Basin and ways for YOU to get involved.
 

February 28 - Bees in Winter Survival Mode 
Where do the bees go in winter? Are they hibernating? Dr. Rachel Vannette from the UC Davis Department of Entomology and Nemotology discusses how bees overwinter.
 

March 7 - Snowy Trees are Cool
Gain a new appreciation for snow and its impact on successful reforestation in a changing climate with TERC Staff researcher Aaron Vanderpool.
 

March 14 - Microplastics Extraction
The work of a chemist often goes unseen due to closed, sterile lab environment. Steven Sesma shares the painstaking work of removing and individually counting plastic particles found in Lake Tahoe. 
 

March 21 -  Navigating the Waters of Tahoe
Being on a boat most days in Tahoe may sound nice, but it's not all sunshine and rainbows. TERC's boat captain, Mike Cane discusses the ups and downs of limnology and what we are finding during regular monitoring.
 

March 28 - AUVs from Tahoe to Antarctica
We collected over a million data points across Tahoe during 
the Caldor fire in hazardous conditions. We measured ocean temperatures below the ice shelves of the Antarctic. Dr. Alex Forrest and Graduate Student Kenny Larrieu explain how.