When we want an educational evening, while in Tahoe, oftentimes we turn to U.C. Davis' Tahoe Environmental Research Center (TERC) for its Science Speaks Lecture Series... but only after dinner first.
Our meal was on the picturesque deck of Za's Lakefront Bar & Grill in Tahoe City. Steve's choice was a hit: the Maple Glazed Butternut Squash Pizza with mozzarella, goat cheese, green onion, roasted red bell peppers, sun-dried cherries, toasted cayenne pecans, and pumpkin seeds. I'm drooling just typing this.A pause on Fanny Bridge is a must. Lake Tahoe's exact elevation is controlled by this dam. It all depends on how much water flows in from the mountains and how much is let out into the Truckee River.The lake's abundance was very evident.Our final destination was Granlibakken to hear Brant Allen talk about Tahoe’s clarity along with zooplankton and its plummeted numbers.So it turns out that Mr. Allen, UC Davis TERC Field Station manager, boat captain, lead research diver, and long time researcher at Lake Tahoe, had a different program planned and we were intrigued.Brant Allen had been conducting and assisting with ecological research at Lake Tahoe for the past 35 years. He focused on introduced and invasive species and their impacts on the aquatic ecosystem. Most of his time was spent aboard one of the TERC research vessels, otherwise he was found diving in the lake to monitor water quality, collect samples, or assist visiting researchers with their specific needs. I write in past tense because this night was Mr. Allen's retirement adieu.He shared his stories with a room full of family, colleagues, and those of us who were just on a date night looking to learn something. Everyone was very interested in Mr. Allen's decades of incredible lake service.He shared his early years. His first project with UC Davis was working on a Tahoe fish ecology project. His job was to assess the aquatic food web and predator prey interactions - who is eating whom. He found that the easiest way to get samples was to offer to clean the fish caught from guide boats. This probably sounded like a win for the fishermen, however the cleaning had to be done scientifically, almost like an autopsy, weighing stomachs, documenting it all. It was very time consuming for all involved, especially for Brant. He ended up cleaning over a thousand fish. Wow.Interesting, to me, was his study of the Lunar Effect and how the winter full moon changes the eating pattern of Mysis Shrimp, Kokanee Salmon, and Lake Trout. It only happens for a few days a month and only in winter. So dang interesting.A great deal that was discussed was very science(y) which isn't really me but I enjoyed hearing his passion for Lake Tahoe and all that he did to help it repair (i.e. no more two-stroke boat engines). He also shared all he is going to miss which humorously included "playing with big fish".And while I didn't get to learn about the tiny aquatic organisms that are important to the lake’s food web and help regulate algae concentrations, I did learn about a man whose life's work was one that has aided our beloved lake and others around the world. That, to me, is a pretty awesome Thursday Date Night.
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