This report summarizes the first year of an effort to develop a more complete understanding of the physical, chemical, and biological characteristics that drive the ecological processes of Waldo Lake. Modern limnology recognizes the importance of watershed processes as well as in- lake processes in lake ecosystem functioning. Therefore, the approach included consideration of watershed hydrology and forcing functions that determine hydrodynamics of the system as well physical and chemical factors that may be important in regulating primary production in the lake. Data collected since 1998 was summarized and bathymetry of the basin was mapped using state-of-the-art digital depth sounding and GPS technology. A hypothesis that UV light may play an important role in regulating phytoplankton efficiency was examined in an effort to move toward more hypothesis-driven investigations to elucidate the factors controlling productivity. A Quality Assurance/Quality Control Plan was developed to guide data collection for long-term monitoring of the lake. Lastly, initial steps were made in the development of a model of lake hydrodynamics and primary production to aid in integration of the physical, chemical, and biological data that has been collected on the lake.