The Tahoe Science Consortium has been promoting science in support of preservation, restoration and protection of Lake Tahoe since its creation in 2005. The Tahoe Science Conference, held in 2008, 2010, 2012 and 2015, shares the results of ongoing scientific research in the Lake Tahoe Basin, and encourages open communication between presenters and attendees through workshops, presentations and discussion sessions.

This year's theme is "Tahoe Science in a Changing Climate." The conference will be held in the Joe Crowley Student Union at the University of Nevada, Reno, Sept. 21-23.

The work of the Tahoe Science Consortium has been made possible with funding from the Southern Nevada Public Lands Management Act (SNPLMA). SNPLMA funding will expire in early 2016, and the 2015 Tahoe Science Conference will likely be the last. This final conference will highlight what has been learned over the past decade as well as goals for the future of scientific research in the Tahoe Basin.

On Sept. 21, a plenary panel will feature Lake Tahoe Basin scientists and managers discussing the impact that science has had within their specific agencies. The conference will include presentations and discussions with researchers and managers from Tahoe, the Sierra Nevada and the Western United States. Keynote speaker, Dr. Elizabeth Austin, a forensic meteorologist in Incline Village, will speak about the challenges of specialty weather forecasting in the area.

"The 2015 Tahoe Science Conference is an opportunity for scientists to share timely and important results from research studies to preserve and protect Lake Tahoe with other scientists, environmental managers and planners, and members of the public," Maureen McCarthy, Executive Director of the Tahoe Science Consortium and Academy for the Environment at the University, said. "This reservoir of knowledge should inform management and protection of Lake Tahoe's natural environment for many years to come."

The Tahoe Science Conference brings scientists, public officials, environmental managers and the general public together to create dialog around the protection of Lake Tahoe's ecosystem in changing environmental and social climates. Discussion sessions will cover issues such as air quality, historical climate trends, extreme climate events and natural disasters, forest ecology and the role of fire, adapting to less snow in the Tahoe Basin, aquatic ecosystem science and goals for future research.

Registration is $20 for students and $100 otherwise. To register or for more information please visit tahoescience.org.