Lake Tahoe Basin

Invasive/Native Species of the Lake Tahoe Basin  

Invasive Species Lake Tahoe  

Tahoe Basin Area Soil Survey (Updated May 2020) This was my first experience using the resource 'Web Soil Survey' provided through the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS). The site has 95% of the nation's most updated soil data, with anticipating having 100% in the near future. Currently, NRCS has information about every county in the United States. The site has the ability to develop custom reports addressing specific questions or concerns within a specific property (<100,000 acres), also known as the "Area of Interest/AOI". As a beginning user of WSS, the 45-minute  tutorial  explained everything I would need to know to find my area of interest on the map. The Tahoe Basin has 328,118 acres within Placer county and 126,326.7 acres/38.5% of it was made up of its' watershed. I found WSS to be informative and quite helpful in being able to visualize all of the soil, sand, and gravel of the Tahoe Basin. NRCS is an extremely important resource that ha...

                                                                                                                             Source: Kat Kerlin, UC Davis. August 2012. Since 2019, the changing climate affected by global warming has been a huge concern in the Lake Tahoe Basin. The report shows recent years' patterns in much more sporadic snowfall, along with the frequency of rain in the winter months. The following 2019 Climate Change Vulnerability Assessment was the first of Lake Tahoe.  Information of Climate 'Vulnerability Assessment'   Climate change within the basin will have effects on lake clarity, nat...

Tahoe Basin MyMaps   This assignment was my first time using Google's MyMaps feature. I found it to be quite easy to navigate and it was much more simple than I expected creating an online map to be.  'Technology for Teachers and Students' had a great Youtube tutorial video (thanks Jim!).  Although I decided not to include layers (due to wanting to keep my map a bit more simple and easier to read), I think that it's a great way for one to differentiate different categories of data for future map creation. One thing with MyMaps is that you will not be able to label specific points. I wanted to name just labels to the five mountain ranges on my map but because all my points were created within the same layer, it was an all or none type of deal.  

Information on general ecology.  

Biodiversity (n.) is defined by the diversity amongst species within a certain environment. Species can range from plants to animals and are measured by species richness. Biodiversity is highly variable when considering the species and plants of areas at the local, regional, national, and international scales.  In areas with high biodiversity, the region will have a great number of species indigenous to its area. Species can thrive on their own without human interaction.  Locally, one may consider plants, animals, and insects close in their proximity. Regionally, one may consider the function of biodiversity and it's affects in the area. Ecosystems may be supplied oxygen, clean air/water, the pollination of plants, and other ecosystem services.  Nationally, one may consider the regulating aspects of how biodiversity is affected. For example, looking at California in particular - which has the nation's leading almond farms, has had issues with maintaining crop numbers due ...