UC Davis Tahoe Environmental Research Center

UC Davis Tahoe Environmental Research Center (TERC) is a team of interdisciplinary scientists and education specialists based on the North Shore of Lake Tahoe in Incline Village and Tahoe City.   TERC is dedicated to understanding and monitoring the changes occuring in Lake Tahoe and educating youth and the broader community about those changes to foster responsible action and stewardship. 

Our primary facility in Incline Village, NV, is home to our research offices, laboratories, and public-facing Tahoe Science Center. The UC Davis Tahoe Science Center is open year-round and offers tours by reservation. Our smaller Eriksson Education Center in Tahoe City, CA, and a 3-acre demonstration garden are open only during the summer season. We also offer education and outreach programs geared towards the general public, K-12 students, teachers, volunteer docents, and other special events.

The work of our research scientists is summarized annually in our State of the Lake Report, which can be found on our website at https://tahoe.ucdavis.edu/stateofthelake. TERC has been taking measurements to monitor the health of Lake Tahoe for more than 60 years. The resulting dataset documents changes occurring in the lake, from important factors like clarity and algae growth, and provides the context that local governments, federal and state land managers, and residents need to make daily decisions necessary to protect the lake.