Visual Resources for Tahoe Science

Photograph

Aerial photo of Incline Creek, taken May 14, 1965.
From the Lake Tahoe Area Council collection

Lake Tahoe is undoubtedly one of the most photographed natural features in the world. Historical photographs and films of the shoreline provide evidence that can help track environmental changes, documenting the effects of habitation and tourism. The Special Collections Department of the University Libraries preserves and provides organized online access to visual data spanning a 140-year time period to support scientific inquiry and policy discussions.

Photographs of Lake Tahoe in Special Collections have been digitized and described in the Images of Lake Tahoe collection. Aerial photos and photos that accompanied shoreline surveys are especially valuable for documenting changes in the lake over time. The Lake Tahoe Area Council collection includes photographs from the 1960s and 1970s accompanied scientific studies of erosion, pollution, and water quality, and a film of the entire shoreline in 1972.

Aerial Photographs