Editorial: What’s bugging Lake Tahoe?

Monday, Dec. 3, 2007 | 7:13 a.m.

Researchers are suggesting that factors contributing to Lake Tahoe's clarity problem might include ants - or rather, an increasing lack thereof.

UNR biologists are studying aerator ants, which create intricate networks of tunnels and nests in the surrounding forest that pull water from rain and snow into the ground before it can run into the lake, dragging water-clouding soil and sediment with it.

Dennis Murphy, a UNR biologist, recently told USA Today that these inch-long insects are highly sensitive to human activity - such as the widespread removal of fallen trees and underbrush from the forest floor to control the spread of wildfires. Research suggests that aerator ant populations plunge when such activity occurs.

And such activity has been increasing rapidly because the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency has made wildfire control through removal of forest debris its top priority.

Meanwhile, Lake Tahoe's clarity has been dropping. Visibility was at a depth of 100 feet 40 years ago, but is only about 68 feet today, regional planning agency officials said.

Murphy and his colleagues say that the connections among the ant population, the debris-clearing and lake clarity should be studied - a suggestion that has sparked criticism from some of the area's residents.

One resident, whose home of 31 years burned in a Lake Tahoe-area wildfire last summer, told USA Today that it is absurd to worry about ants when people's homes - and potentially their lives - are at stake.

Certainly, no one wants to see residents placed in peril. But good forest management must take into account all creatures, not just humans, in order to maintain the ecosystem's delicate balance. Over the past 10 years, various entities have spent about $1.1 billion on more than 250 projects to restore Lake Tahoe's clarity. It would be unwise to risk losing ground now for want of an ant. UNR should pursue this research.