The University of California, Davis has received a $2.6 million grant from the David and Lucile Packard Foundation for a new research and education center dedicated to addressing environmental problems in the Lake Tahoe basin.

The Lake Tahoe Center for Environmental Research will support multidisciplinary research on the basin ecosystem, enable greater collaboration among scientists, increase educational opportunities, and provide information and awareness programs for the public.

"If we are going to reverse the deterioration of this unique natural resource, researchers must help policymakers and resource managers make the best science-based decisions," said UC Davis scientist Charles Goldman, who has studied the Tahoe ecosystem for four decades. "The new research laboratory and its educational programs will give us the facilities to strengthen the essential connection between scientific knowledge and public policy."

Goldman, the director of the UC Davis-based Tahoe Research Group, has monitored water quality and clarity and other issues at the lake since 1959. Last month, the group announced that Tahoe had lost another two feet of clarity in 2000, bringing the average clarity depth measurement to 67.3 feet — a 35-foot decline since 1968. Nutrients and fine sediment particles entering the lake are responsible for the growth of algae and the deteriorating water quality.

The grant from the foundation caps a $13 million campaign to establish a research center at the lake, said campaign director Susan Collins. The center is expected to comprise nearly 15,000 square feet of laboratories, conference rooms, and offices. UC Davis currently uses a former fish hatchery near Tahoe City for on-site research and storage. As part of the project, the historic building will be renovated and serve as the laboratory's public education center, Collins said.