Why go
The basin rewards looking beyond the open water. Jeffrey pine, lodgepole pine and fir form much of the forest, while streams and wet meadows support another set of plants and animals. At Taylor Creek, introduced salmon make ecological change visible; along the beaches, a rare native plant depends on a narrow strip of wet sand.
The full story
The forest around Tahoe is not a single uniform habitat. Mixed conifers give way to wet meadows, streamside vegetation, dry brush and exposed rock, particularly higher in the basin. Mountain alder grows beside streams, springs and seeps, tying the wooded slopes to the movement of water and nutrients. On the beaches, Lake Tahoe yellowcress grows in wet sand between the low- and high-water marks. This narrow shoreline habitat gives an otherwise small plant a particular significance: Tahoe’s beaches are its only known home. Taylor Creek offers a different lesson. Kokanee salmon, introduced in 1944, turn from silver-blue to red as they approach spawning. Their autumn run also provides food for animals including mink, bears and bald eagles. Beaver activity connects wildlife to water quality in another way. Studies at Taylor Creek and Ward Creek have linked beaver dams with wetland habitat and the retention of nutrients or sediment. The lake’s ecology extends upstream into these less conspicuous places.