Leave Only Footprints

earth day watershed education

By Sarah Vidra, Public Works Program Coordinator

The IVGID Conservation Program (Waste Not) co-hosted a creek science event with the Nevada Department of Wildlife (NDOW) to celebrate Earth Day 2022. Students from the Lake Tahoe School made their way to Third Creek to start the place-based learning opportunity, which included an in-depth look at the fish weir (i.e. trap) installed just above the bridge between Incline and Ski Beach. Fish health is an indicator of stream health, and the thriving presence of rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) in Third Creek demonstrates good water quality.

NDOW Fisheries Biologist Samuel Sedillo and Supervising Fisheries Biologist Travis Hawks showed students the process of tagging fish for future study, and shared the history of the Third Creek field study. According to biologists, recreational fishing benefits the fish population by fostering stewardship of the ecosystem, through the educational opportunity provided by the permitting process. Pictured are students observing rainbow trout collected from Third Creek for spawn and release. The eggs are then brought to hatcheries. The survival rate of rainbow trout in the wild is 2% vs. 90% when raised in the hatchery and then released back into Lake Tahoe. Waste Not staff member Joe Hill walked the students through a watershed activity that included the water cycle, mapping, and citizen science data collection. IVGID’s source water, Lake Tahoe, was the highlight of the lesson, with students drawing the water cycle from precipitation of snowfall at Diamond Peak, snowmelt moving as surface water runoff to Third and Incline Creeks, and the water cycle completing with evaporation from Lake Tahoe.

Lake Tahoe School 7th graders shared their own observations of Incline Creek, with presentations on water quality parameters taken during the winter of 2021-2022. Graphs prepared by students included water temperature, pH, dissolved oxygen, and electric conductivity. The students’ observations aligned with seasonal trends observed throughout the IVGID monitoring program.

In typical Earth Week fashion, the wind picked up in preparation to drop predictable late-season snow. The cold wind and flopping fish made it a fantastic and notable day for the students and presenters. Waste Not looks forward to more watershed education opportunities with the community and our conservation partners.

BE PREPARED FOR Wildfire Season

Public Safety Outage Management (PSOM) is a key measure of defense against wildfires. During a PSOM event, power is shut off for safety in extreme and elevated fire risk areas when certain environmental conditions are met to help prevent wildfires.

 Be prepared for a PSOM event:

Update your contact information at nvenergy.com/myaccount.  If you or permanent members of your household are dependent on electrically operated medical equipment 24/7, we encourage you to enroll in our Green Cross program.  Know your PSOM Zone.  Identify backup charging methods for phones, including a cell phone charger that can be used in the car.  Have a personal safety plan in place for every member of your household including pets and livestock.  Know how to manually open your garage door.  Build or restock your emergency kit with flashlights, fresh batteries, first-aid supplies, food and bottled water per the guidelines found at ready.gov.  Sign up for emergency alerts from your county so that you can be informed of other wildfire safety-related updates.