INCLINE VILLAGE, Nev. — The Water Education Foundation’s “Sierra Headwaters Tour” concluded on Friday, July 26, wrapping up multiple days of educational seminars about Tahoe Basin water issues. 

The tour visited Eldorado National Forest, the UC Davis Tahoe Environmental Research Center, and Lake Tahoe (among other locations) to highlight the work each does in the California watershed. The Bureau of Reclamation and the California Department of Water Resources are both major sponsors of the multi-day event.

“We do public water education, not just for professionals. We want everyone’s opinion to be as informed as possible,” says Nick Gray, the organization’s Programs Director. “Part of that is emphasizing that the water story doesn’t start at the reservoirs.”

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The tour tied wildfire and forest health to water issues in California. The event’s description highlighted that California’s “water supply is largely dependent on the health of our Sierra forests, which are suffering from ecosystem degradation, drought, wildfires and widespread tree mortality.” 

One stop on the tour was the UC Davis Tahoe Environmental Research Center — or TERC, for short. The center does a variety of scientific research projects on the lake. 

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Heather Segale, the Education and Outreach Director at TERC, noted that the collaboration often brings a “great group of people” to the center, offering them an opportunity to highlight their work.

“We do our own tours here, but these groups bring in a great group of people. It’s a really fun opportunity for us,” Segale says.

While the full multi-day tour experience is a big time commitment with a multiple thousand dollar price tag, both the Water Education Foundation and TERC emphasize that they have many resources, including shorter and less pricey tours, available. 

“The Water Education Foundation’s tours are a way to explore these regions and issues first hand,” says Gray, “but we have a lot of resources available for people who don’t have the time for a multi-day tour.”

Among these resources is a free publication covering water issues in California and the West, maps that highlight water issues, and a series of laypersons guides to different components of the Western water story. If you’re interested in the Water Education Foundation’s other tours and promotional materials, you can read more about them at their website. 

Like Gray, Segale emphasizes that TERC has more available to the public than just the intensive “Headwaters Tour”. 

“We do tours Tuesday through Saturday at 11, 12:30 and 2 pm,” says Segale. “We really welcome people to come check us out!”

If you’d like to find a time to tour the the UC Davis Tahoe Environmental Research Center, you can do so here at the center’s website. They also offer virtual tours available on YouTube.  

Anna Kristina Moseidjord is a freelancer for the Tahoe Daily Tribune and Sierra Sun.