The Tahoe City Field Station recently received a
major historical renovation.
The Great Room will become a workspace for researchers.
The laboratory will provide researchers a place to prepare and filter samples taken from the lake and West Shore streams.
Tahoe City Field Station
The Tahoe City Field Station, also known as the Historic Fish Hatchery, was recently renovated by Geney/Gassiot, Inc. (local Truckee contractors).
The UC Davis Tahoe City Field Station building will be used for preparation and staging of field experiments, equipment construction, and boat activities, and contains offices, a conference area, wet lab, scuba locker, workshop, storage and lobby for public education. The laboratory will be used by staff researchers to filter water samples collected from the lake and West Shore streams. Water samples need to be filtered within 24 hours of collection (standard operating procedures) for quality control. This facility will allow our staff to complete this task without driving to the main Incline Village lab.
Cultured ecology experiments will be conducted outdoors in the newly constructed test plot system. The test plot system (pictures attached) will provide field testing for alternative erosion control and water quality treatment options to compare fine sediment and nutrient removal efficiencies. Field testing will compare vegetation types, infiltration, flow regimes, soil types, and soil amendments. One experiment uses “floating islands” of plants where the plant roots hang down into the water and urban stormwater is piped into the system. Testing on the inflow and outflow allows for comparison. The plants can take up nutrients such as nitrogen and phosphorus and sticky biofilms on the plant roots actually trap the fine sediments that are one of the main culprits in the loss of clarity. By comparing different plant types and conducting these experiments through the year, researchers can determine the most effective treatment options and make sure that they can continue working throughout the seasons.
A new boat house located on the southeast corner of the property replaced the run-down Fish and Game warden’s house. UC Davis recently received a National Science Foundation grant which allowed us to purchase a high speed boat made by the Munson Boat Company. The new boat is 28 feet long, 8 feet 6 inches wide, can go 40 miles per hour with twin outboard engines and contains a winch that can reach to the bottom of the lake (a pulley system that the Secchi disk is attached to). The boat will be used on Lake Tahoe as well as taken to other lakes for research projects. While the larger R/V John LeConte will continue to operate as the primary research vessel, this new boat can travel to South Lake Tahoe in as little as 20 minutes, allowing for faster access to the research buoys and other locations around the lake.
The research vessel was recently christened the “R/V Bob Richards” at the Hatchery Dedication event on August 13. It was named after Bob Richards, UC Davis’ retired boat captain, after 37 years of dedicated service. Bob worked for UC Davis from 1968 to 2005 (please confirm with Bob) and provided the eyes that documented the decline in lake clarity after countless Secchi disk measurements taken every 10 days. Bob was totally taken by surprise when the name of the boat was publicly announced at the dedication ceremony.
UC Davis is currently working with an exhibit design firm to finalize the interpretive plan and exhibits for the Eriksson Education Center (located inside hatchery building). This area will be open to the public and will include information about the history of the field station and current UC Davis research projects. The Eriksson Education Center is named in memory of Paul & Helen Eriksson and is expected to open next summer.
For more information about this project, contact Heather Segale at (775) 881-7562.
Directions to Tahoe City Field Lab
Renovation of the Tahoe City Field Station
UC Davis completed the $2.1 million renovation of the Tahoe City Field Station thanks to the generosity of the many private donors that contributed to the Campaign for Tahoe.
This renovation project was sensitive to the values and features of this historic building and included the following facility improvements:
- Earthquake retrofitting and structural improvements
- Demolition of existing walls/rooms inside building
- New roof
- New windows
- Replace cedar plank siding
- New field preparation lab
- New scuba locker
- New office and conference space
- Workroom for field work preparation
We have other plans for the site as well. Heather Segale, education and outreach coordinator, envisions “restoration of the surrounding 3-acre degraded wetland and stream environment zone and interpretive features and outreach programs that utilize this historic site to educate the public and public agency staff about the hydrology and importance of wetlands, riparian areas and best management practices.”
To fund these future projects, we have received funding from two California ballot initiatives approved by the voters – Proposition 40 and Proposition 50. The future project will include the following components:
Wetland/SEZ Restoration
3 acres of degraded wetlands adjacent to the Fish Hatchery will be restored to provide habitat for several special status species, treat urban storm water, and be utilized for research and public outreach.
BMP Demonstrations
Different types of surface flow treatment BMPs and alternative pervious pavement types will be tested and demonstrated. Interpretive signage will be included.
Test Plot System for Field Testing
TERC staff will provide field testing for alternative erosion control and water quality treatment options to compare fine sediment and nutrient removal efficiencies. Field testing will compare vegetation types, infiltration, flow regimes, soil types, soil amendments, etc.
Interpretive Education Nature Center
An elevated walkway around the restored building will provide access for the public to learn about wetlands. Signage, models, demonstrations, seasonal educational brochures, wetlands outreach training, and an annual wetlands celebration event will become programmatic components of the nature center.
Demonstration Garden
A demonstration garden area will provide interpretive signage regarding various native Lake Tahoe plants in both upland and wetland areas.
GARDENING KNOWLEDGE NEEDED: For Demonstration Garden at Tahoe City Historic Fish Hatchery Building UC Davis has plenty of hard-working, able bodies to help with the heavy lifting, digging, planting, etc., but really needs some "master" gardeners (no degrees required) with gardening knowledge and a desire to help us create a beautiful, public demonstration garden on a small portion of the Tahoe City Historic Fish Hatchery grounds. We are looking for community volunteers to help design and plan this community garden. Please contact Heather Segale, 775-881-7562 or hmsegale@ucdavis.edu if you are interested.