For Teachers
TERC offers a variety of educational programs including field trips, lectures, workshops, and curriculum:
- Field Trips to the UC Davis Thomas J. Long Foundation Education Center (Incline Village, NV)
- Field Trips to the UC Davis Eriksson Education Center (Tahoe City Field Station "Historic Hatchery", Tahoe City, CA)
- Trout in the Classroom (for Truckee and Lake Tahoe Basin schools only)
- Project WET Workshops for educators
Field Trip Planning
The UC Davis Tahoe Environmental Research Center education team provides a unique opportunity for students to learn about Lake Tahoe, the surrounding watershed, local environmental issues, and the research underway to protect this special place. We host regular field trip programs during the school year on Tuesdays and Thursdays at the Thomas J. Long Foundation Education Center, located within the Tahoe Center for Environmental Sciences (TCES) building on the campus of Sierra Nevada College in Incline Village, Nevada. During the spring and fall, we also host occasional field trips to the Eriksson Education Center located inside the Tahoe City Field Station just east of Tahoe City, California.
Field Trip Request
Complete the Online Field Trip Request Form to reserve your field trip dates for this school year and review the Student Tours Visitation Policy for field trip details.
Thematic Field Trip Programs at the Thomas J. Long Foundation Education Center (Incline Village, NV)
The UC Davis Tahoe Environmental Research Center Education Team has created specialized thematic programs aligned with grade level specific science curriculum. All programs include presentations of the Tahoe Environmental Research Center research vessel and laboratory exhibits in the Thomas J. Long Foundation Education Center as well as a viewing of "Lake Tahoe in Depth" 3-D movie (15 minute) in the Otellini 3-D Visualization Lab.
- Ecology: Students become biologists and ecologists as they discover and explore Lake Tahoe’s food web, energy transfer and dynamics, ecological niches, biological demands and how it is all connected. Hands-on activities include Lake Tahoe Food Web, Oh Deer! game, and Macroinvertebrate Monitoring (weather dependent) or Benthic Bugs Bioassessment.
- Water on Earth: Students explore watersheds, the water cycle, water as a limited resource, and Lake Tahoe water quality. Hands-on activities include Blue Planet/Drop in a Bucket and The Incredible Journey, or Incline Creek Stream Monitoring (weather dependent).
- Geology/Plate Tectonics: Students will learn about the geological processes that formed Lake Tahoe and how tectonic activity is still at work in the Tahoe Basin and around the world. Activities include viewing the 3-D Earthquake Viewer, Quakes at the Lake, and Rock Around Tahoe.
- Shaping Earth's Surface: Students explore the forces behind the formation of landforms with an emphasis on erosion. Hands-on activities include 3D Earthquake Viewer, Topography, and Landforms.
- The Tahoe System: This program provides an overview of the Tahoe Basin with a focus on systems thinking. Students will explore the different features of Lake Tahoe that make it so special and will learn about threats to the lake. Hands-on activities include Tahoe Food Web, Watershed Model and Build Lake Tahoe, Incline Creek Stream Monitoring (weather dependent) and Macroinvertebrate Monitoring (weather dependent).
- High School Field Trips: Any of the above thematic programs are appropriate for high school aged student groups with a focus on in depth discussion of more advanced concepts and/or lab tour.
Erikkson Education Center at the UC Davis Tahoe City Field Station (Tahoe City, CA)
Tour the Historic State Fish Hatchery, Native Demonstration Garden, and wetland restoration site at the UC Davis Tahoe City Field Station. Field trips and visits to this site are appropriate for various grade levels and can be scheduled spring through fall with the following programs:
- Environmental Detectives (Middle School - Grade 8): Investigate human impact on both terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems while assessing watershed health with the "Mystery of the Dying Fish" based on GEMS Environmental Detectives.
- Fish and Wetlands (Elementary School - Grade 3): Discover the importance of wetland habitat in an aquatic ecosystem, learn the impact that terrestrial and aquatic invasive species have on native species. Hands-on activities include Capture, Store, and Release, Native Species Scavenger Hunt, and Wetland Monitoring.
Additional Details
Please read the Student Tours Visitation Policy sheet for additional tour information. Once you have chosen the thematic field trip and activities you are interested in, please fill complete the Online Field Trip Request Form to reserve your field trip dates for this school year. Alternatively, email all necessary information (contact information, school, grade, group size, dates requested, and activities requested) to tercinfo@ucdavis.edu or fax to 775-832-1673 and someone will be in touch with you.
Pre- and Post-Field Trip Activities are available for you and your students to utilize before or after your visit. Directions to the Tahoe Center for Environmental Sciences building and a Site Map of the UC Davis Thomas J. Long Foundation Education Center (first floor of TCES) are available.
We will contact you to confirm the date and time of your tour. Please note that your tour has not been booked unless you receive confirmation.
We look forward to hosting your group!
Sincerely,
Heather Segale
Education and Outreach Director
UC Davis Tahoe Environmental Research Center
(775) 881-7562
hmsegale@ucdavis.edu