Craig Oehrli

Speaker

U.S. Forest Service

Craig Oehrli

began his career with the Forest Service as Fisheries Technician in 1992 and served as a Hydrologist for Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit for the last 15 years. He began managing meadow and riparian restoration projects in 2002. He continues to work on the Basin while assisting other watershed programs on the Inyo and Plumas National Forest. He has an M.S. from Humboldt State University in Geology; his research evaluated the influence of high mountain meadows on flood wave transmission characteristics. He has B.S. in Geology from Sacramento State University.

Lake Tahoe

Time

11:45 - 1:15

Track

Mountains & Desert

Prized for its stunningly clear water, Lake Tahoe is referred to by many as the jewel of the Sierra. It is recognized nationally and globally as a natural resource of significance and is designated as an Outstanding National Resource Water under the Clean Water Act. Past land uses combined with present day use impacts required the development of regulations for Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) in order to support actions to reduce excessive pollutant inputs to the lake.

The US Forest Service has collaborated successfully over the past 15 years with local, state, and federal partners to accomplish riparian restoration. These restoration projects have been implemented in wildland and urban environments to achieve multiple benefits, focusing on ecosystem function to improve water quality, wildlife habitat, as well as providing high quality recreation. The projects implemented in the Lake Tahoe Basin used a range of techniques and tools, which have been successful/resilient during both drought and flood events. The short term responses (over last 12 years) suggest the techniques employed in the Lake Tahoe Basin will be continue to be resilient under future climate, at least in the near term.

Organizer

Shana Gross

Ballroom B

Speakers