Summer Environmental Exchange Projects - 2002

Tahoe Projects

• Hydrodynamic Impacts of Watercraft Use on Lake Tahoe (Glenn Miller - University of Nevada, Reno)

  The use of motorized watercraft continues to grow at Lake Tahoe, and represents a large, increasing and important recreational use of the lake. Impacts of motorized watercraft on the lake also increase with this increased use and have resulted in a variety of regulatory controls, including a ban on carbureted two-stroke engines and the creation of no-wake zones in near shore areas. Resuspension of bottom sediments by the action of watercraft propellers and jet streams has recently been suggested as a source of nutrients and debris that can ultimately affect the lake's clarity. TBI participants used watercraft engines to examine the size and type of sediment resuspension from different engines at different speeds as part of a long-term project to develop watercraft management guidelines for Lake Tahoe.

• Meeks Meadow Vegetation Monitoring (Denice Morphew - Washoe Tribe of Nevada and California)

  The Washoe Environmental Protection Department is in the process of establishing vegetation-monitoring plots and collecting baseline data at Meeks Meadow for long term monitoring. TBI participants researched vegetation monitoring strategies for the area, established monitoring and survey plots, conducted plant identification, and used a GPS unit for generating data, and developed a GIS map. They also received an introduction to Meeks Meadow and Washoe history. See here for the presentation.
  Click here to view the presentation.

• Bio-assessment of Metal-Fixing Microbial Communities in Acid Mine Drainage Environments (John Steude - Lahontan Water Quality Control Board)

  Waters in the vicinity of abandoned mines are often influenced by both acid mine drainage and natural contamination. Microbes have already been breaking down metallic sulfide minerals for billions of years. These processes produce abundant dissolved metals and very low pH water. The introduction of mines, and the associated increase in exposure of the microbes to more water and serves to greatly accelerate the rate of mineral processing by the microbes and the rate of contaminant loading to nearby waters. The presence of certain species of microbes can accelerate the rate of acid mine drainage production. A key to understanding the quality of specific waters and the influence of acid mine drainage is to understand the microbial communities living in the water. An assessment of living organisms can provide a living record of the effects on water quality.

  TBI participants utilized microbial sampling and identification methods, developed by the U.S. Geological Survey, developed improvements to these methods, and implemented this new approach on several selected water bodies which were influenced by acid mine drainage. The results of this project will be used for future microbial bio-assessments to establish a baseline for water quality at mine locations scheduled for remediation efforts.
  Click here to view the presentation.

• Land-use and Drainage Survey for Best Management Practices Implementation in the Sierra Tract of South Lake Tahoe (Dr. Alan Heyvaert - UC Davis Tahoe Research Group; Kim Carr - California Tahoe Conservancy)

  The California Tahoe Conservancy and the City of South Lake Tahoe have initiated a $12M erosion control project in the Sierra Tract and Highland Woods neighborhoods. This model project will take a more comprehensive and integrated planning approach, involving the community and experts from various fields. TBI participants collected and evaluated the land-use and drainage survey data needed for the preliminary project planning and design as well as for public outreach efforts.
  Click here to view the presentation.

• Cattle and Wild Horse Grazing and Its Impact on Watershed Ecosystems (Kate Lessey - TBI 2000; with Gary Cook - Earth Island Institute)

  Project participants gathered data and recorded observations on the impacts of wild horses, cattle and other grazing animals residing in riparian ecosystems in the Lake Tahoe/Great Basin area of Nevada. Activities included gathering and analyzing water samples at several key riparian sites and determine turbidity and overall water quality of water bodies located within various high-use areas; examining the condition of stream-side vegetation; and comparing water quality and other conditions between areas that are used primarily by wild horses and those areas used by domestic cattle. The project group visited areas that were studied by previous TBI participants, both to gauge the natural restoration of large burn areas, as well as to oversee the work of public wildlife managers (in particular, the BLM and US Forest Service) in these areas. Finally, participants learned about the role they can play as citizens or citizen activists, both in America and in Russia.
  Click here to view the presentation.

Baikal Projects

• Mapping of Sacred Sites on Olkhon Island (Irkutsk Institute of Geography)

  TBI participants did preparatory work for a GUS map of important sites on Olkhon Island. Participants worked with the local population to clarify the place names around their villages, visited these sites to evaluate their ecological state and made suggestions for how these sites may be used while still protecting the natural and cultural values of the area.

• Analysis of the Ecosystems of Southern Zabaikal

  Participants studied the salt-lake systems of the Zabaikal area of the Republic of Buryatia. Participants visited Lakes Sul'fatnoye, Chyornoye, Shuch'ye and Kiran in the Buryat Republic along with Russian experts in hydroecology, botany, and microbiology, in order to determine the amount of anthropogenic impact on the lakes.

• Monitoring of Photoplankton Species and Dendropark Restoration (Irkutsk State University and Limnological Museum of Listvyanka)

  This project was made up of two parts, one of which took place in Bol'sjiye Koty, and the other in Listvyanka. In Bol'shiye Koty, participants took part in an ongoing monitoring project that examines the amount and diversity of photoplankton species in the Bol'shiye Koty area of Baikal, as well as monitoring the effects of the ongoing mining of heavy metals in the area.

• Evaluation of the Ecosystems of the Baikal State Biospheric Nature Preserve

  The Baikal State Biospheric Nature Preserve is included in the Baikal World Heritage Site. In this project, participants worked with park rangers and scientists to evaluate anthropogenic impacts at the Preserve as well as to construct a trail along the Osinovka River within the preserve. Participants evaluated the effects of air pollution and other factors on the amount and diversity of rare plants in the preserve. Participants also had the opportunity to learn about the different ecosystems within the preserve and acquaint themselves with botanical methods.