Divers are planning to unfurl five acres of rubber mats on the bottom of Lake Tahoe, beginning Monday. The goal is to kill Asian clams, an invasive species that competes with native animals for food and can cause algae blooms that cloud the lake's water. The clams live under the lake bed; the rubber will suffocate them.  
UC Davis professor Geoff Schladow says they're focusing the clam control efforts on Emerald Bay, a popular spot at the south end of Tahoe.  "The idea was, let's treat Emerald Bay, because it is so special, and also we could learn something, because it's a satellite population," he said.
    
The clams cover about 100 acres around the lake, so Schladow says after the work on this isolated area, scientists may be able to reuse the rubber mats again in other places.