TOURS IN THE FIELD Thursday, September 22


Advance registration is required for all Thursday tours. Attendance on each tour is strictly limited, so registering early is important. Departure times vary (see below), but all Thursday tours will return to the Doubletree Hotel about 5:00 p.m. Planning was still under way at the time of printing, so please visit www.sej.org for more details. For those looking for some exercise, tours 1, 4 and 8 are your best options. Other tours involve moderate exercise. Tours 5 and 9 are best suited for wheelchair accessibility.


1. Fire and Water: Lake Tahoe’s Ecological Splendor and Stressors (5:00 a.m. departure, $40 fee, lunch included)


Lake Tahoe is the second deepest lake in the U.S., and one of the most beautiful. It is also threatened by stressors such as drought, climate change, development, wildfire and invasive species, which we will explore on this trip. The tour will include two tracks: land and water. We will ride a research boat with scientists from UC Da- vis and the University of Nevada, Reno, who have been monitoring the lake for many years. We will also take a hike with wildlife ecologists and wildfire experts, who will share with us their research on watershed restoration, wildlife ecology and more. You will be dazzled by the lake and its surrounding Sierra, and you will walk away with sources and story ideas that will resonate in other regions as well. Total drive time – 5 hours.


2. Feeding the World: Big Ag, Big Impacts (6:00 a.m. departure, $40 fee, lunch included)


It’s been called the breadbasket of the world, and for good reason. Farmers in California’s enormous Central Valley grow more than 250 crop varieties, generating tens of billions of dollars in revenue each year. But while many people have no idea where their food comes from, so, too, are they unaware of the environmental con- sequences of “Big Ag”: the conversion of historic wildlife habitat, the depletion of streams and groundwater and the spraying of pesticides on the edge of urban communities. In fact, despite being surrounded by some of the world’s most fertile farmland, thousands of Valley residents live in “food deserts” without easy access to fresh fruits and vegetables. From the rice fields of the lower Sacramento Valley to the sweeping almond orchards of the San Joaquin, we’ll explore the successes and failures of agriculture and the implications for California and the U.S. Total drive time – 3 hours.


3. Bodega Bay: Boats, Buoys and Bivalves (6:15 a.m. departure, $40 fee, lunch included)


The California Coast and Pacific Ocean are a great starting point for understanding the environmental challenges and solutions offered on the other 71 percent of the planet that’s blue. Bodega Bay is famous as the site where Alfred Hitchcock filmed “The


26TH ANNUAL CONFERENCE


Birds” (years before avian flu emerged). This tour will include visits to the Bodega Bay Coast Guard Station, fishing docks and UC Davis Bodega Marine Laboratory, with options to ride on Coast Guard Surfboats and/or a buoy tender and the lab’s research vessel (or hike a natural headland). You’ll learn about scientists working with a local oyster company on ocean acidification, local fishermen’s efforts to reverse overfishing, and new research on oil spill response, sea level rise, marine noise pollution and other cutting-edge issues impacting the ocean, coasts and communities. And, we’ll likely have Hog Island oysters with lunch. Total drive time – 4.5 hours.


4. Mercury Pollution, Wildfire and Fault Line Impacts on Lake Berryessa (6:30 a.m. departure, $40 fee, lunch included)


When President Obama designated Lake Berryessa a national monument last year, it made headlines across the country. The biologically diverse region is full of active geysers, water snails, newts, mountain lions, bald eagles and leather oak. But, it’s also quietly recovering from environmental damage. Mercury mines from the 1950s left a trail of pollution. In fact, the lake’s grebes have the highest mercury levels in the state. And the Wragg fire scorched 8,000 acres last year, near the monument’s geologically active pull-apart basin. And then, there’s the drought. Following lunch and discussions, we’ll explore this beautiful and dynamic landscape on an afternoon hike. Total drive time – 3 hours.


5. Mines, Vines and Wines: Gold and Grapes in the Sierra Nevada (6:45 a.m. departure, $40 fee, lunch included)


Deep in the Sierra foothills, we visit Gold Country and the rem- nants of California’s historic mining era. At Malakoff Diggins, the state’s biggest hydraulic mine, powerful water jets carved away cliffs to extract gold. Waste from hundreds of operations filled rivers and San Francisco Bay, carrying mercury that can taint fish 150 years later. Nearby stands the restored ghost town of North Bloomfield. September is harvest time for the reemerging wine industry here. We’ll go to vineyards and slake our miners’ thirst at tastings flourishing in the higher elevation complementary to rich red and crisp white grapes. Foothills farming experts tell us how changing climate, water scarcity and dynamic geology affect viticulture. Total drive time – 3.5 hours.


6. Living with Fire: Wildfires and Forest Health (7:00 a.m. departure, $40 fee, lunch included)


Last year was the worst and costliest wildfire year on record. Na- tionwide, more than 11 million acres burned and firefighting costs skyrocketed to $2.1 billion. More than 2,000 homes in California alone were destroyed by wildfire. We’ll head to the Eldorado


Continued SEPT. 21-25, 2016 3


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