The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) prohibits discrimination in all its programs and activities on the basis of race, color, national origin, gender, religion, age, disability, political beliefs, sexual orientation and marital or family status. (Not all prohibited bases apply to all programs.) Persons with disabilities who require alternative means for communication of program information (Braille, large print, audiotape, etc.) This watershed assessment of the Lake Tahoe basin in northern California and Nevada is the first attempt to collate, synthesize, and interpret available scientific information with a comprehensive view toward management and policy outcomes. The seven-chapter report presents new and existing information in subject areas pertinent to policy development and land and resource management in the basin, including environmental history, air quality, watershed dynamics and water quality, biological integrity, and socioeconomic conditions. Key findings report the extent of recent climatic changes, historic accounts of past environmental disturbances, state of our understanding of why the Lake's clarity is declining, significant role that air quality plays in the decline, and an initial nutrient budget for nitrogen and phosphorous that are believed to fuel algae growth. In addition, important new work related to old-growth forests, the risk of wildfire and the conservation of biological diversity in the basin have helped to broaden our perspective of the interrelated nature of the environmental challenge facing the basin. A detailed analysis of institutional arrangements and capacities in the Lake Tahoe basin is presented in the context of environmental decision-making.

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We analyzed co-occurring Clean Water Act Section 303(d)-listed (state-assessed as impaired) waters and National Forest properties in an effort to estimate the implications of the 303(d) list for US Forest Service (USFS) impaired waters management and assist restoration planning on public lands. The assessment summarized 303(d) waters on or near National Forest lands by water body type and general source of impairment. We found that 3,066 section 303(d) waters occur within or near National Forest lands. Data were aggregated and assessed at the individual state as well as national levels. We summarized findings in a number of different ways with implications for seeking efficient, regional or national-scale planning and assistance to guide or complement local-scale TMDL efforts in forested lands. We noted patterns reflecting variability among states' leading impairments, regional clustering by impairment type, and overall national frequency by pollutant source or impairment type. For example, we found that over 60% of 303(d)-listed waters on or near USFS lands were clustered in just four states, and several top impairment types (temperature, sediment, habitat modification, mercury, and metals) were concentrated within one or a few states rather than widely distributed among all National Forests. The findings of this assessment can help efforts to focus public lands forestry sector-related water quality planning and assistance at regional and state scales based on the frequency, types and distribution of impairment patterns revealed.