"The urbanization of the Tahoe basin has resulted in a complex array of environmental, social and political problems. Some of the conflicts have already been resolved, while others will doubtless continue into the next century. Reviewing the various problems while maintaining a focus on the lake itself may provide useful guidance in other similar situations, both foreign and domestic, where planners, in the face of increasing population pressures, hope to maintain environmental quality during the inevitable urbanization of areas adjacent to sensitive freshwater or marine ecosystems."
	-Dr. Charles R. Goldman
	The UC Davis Tahoe Research Group
	A Multidisciplinary approach Traditionally, UC Davis research at Lake Tahoe has been directed toward the basic scientific understanding of ecological processes in high mountain aquatic environments. However, during the last decade the focus has expanded to include watershed and lake management. If the lake is to regain its environmental health, further study that includes predictive modeling and consistent monitoring combined with close working relationships with public agencies, homeowners and the business community must be conducted in order to develop public policy that balances human and environmental needs. A multidisciplinary approach that encompasses a much larger scope than was previously addressed is now being undertaken.
	In concert with public and private partners within the basin and at UC Davis, the TRG has presented a comprehensive outline for future research at Tahoe that has broad applicability to the entire Sierra Nevada. Major topics included are: Air Quality Forestry Soil MicrobiologyÐBiogeochemistry Surface Hydrology Groundwater Sediment and Nutrient Transport Stream Ecology Wetlands Limnology Fisheries Paleolimnology Ecosystem Restoration Watershed Management Geographic Information Systems (GIS) Monitoring and Data Management Social and Economic Factors Regulatory Organization Public Participation and Education Policy and Development Planning The new center will enable the TRG and collaborating researchers to piece together a complete picture of the dynamics of the lake's science, socio-economics, regulatory environment and policy climate. Only then will the TRG and their affiliate, the LTIMP, be able to provide the hard scientific data needed to develop the strategies that will prevent future environmental degradation to the lake and its watershed. Public outreach and education Each year, members of the TRG regularly give talks on their research results and presentations on water quality protection to hundreds of people from schools, service clubs and elder hostels at Tahoe. As there are no facilities for public outreach and education programs in place, the TRG is currently limited to hosting large groups at outside meeting halls or on boat field trips. Only a few visitors are introduced to the scientific environment within the existing laboratory. The new research center will be a living laboratory that will provide the setting for learning about the lake, its science and related regional environmental challenges. UC Davis' vital mission of public education will be greatly enhanced through a science center complex that will include indoor displays, videos and marked interpretive trails. The trails will allow wetland walking tours and opportunities for visitors to view hands-on experiments. Faculty members will give public seminars and organize programs for public educational and interest groups, and a community-based seminar series will be initiated. The new research center will provide the space and the proper laboratory facilities for vital projects that either cannot currently be completed to their fullest extent or have not been attempted because of inadequacies at the fish hatchery. These projects include: Ecosystem restoration involving a large multidisciplinary team that includes ecologists, engineers, botanists, landscape architects, wildlife and fishery experts, and other scientists. Large indoor labs and developed outdoor areas where vegetation growth studies can be conducted. Studies in limnology, paleolimnology, and sediment analysis. The construction of predictive models of water quality. Computer access to data on housing numbers, population, characteristics of the urban environment and natural features of the landscape, typically managed with a computer program called a Geographic Information System that permits the user to store, integrate, analyze and display data that has been referenced to a location on the earth's surface. Algae growth experiments, zooplankton ecology tests and fish investigations done under scientifically controlled conditions. Experiments involving analytical chemistry, trace metal assays, nutrient bioassays, microscopy and isotopes. Global Implications The range of studies that will be possible at the new research center will provide a deeper understanding of the ecology and future of not only Lake Tahoe, but of other lakes, such as Crater Lake, Flathead Lake, and the Great Lakes. In fact, studies done at Lake Tahoe are now being replicated in places like Russia's Lake Baikal, the world's oldest and deepest lake, which contains the single largest source of unfrozen fresh water. Joint studies at both lakes through the Tahoe-Baikal Institute are furthering research and helping to determine future environmental stresses and recommended policy directions on the global level. At the new Lake Tahoe Center for Environmental Research, the research conducted will continue to be the model for the study of fragile ecosystems under severe developmental pressure.

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