Lori Fisher on the Burlington waterfront. VermontBiz file photo.
Vermont Business Magazine The Lake Champlain Committee of Vermont, New York, and Quebec has announced that Lori Fisher, its esteemed Executive Director, will retire on December 31 after more than 30 years of dedicated service to the organization and the Lake Champlain Basin.
Under Fisher’s leadership, the Lake Champlain Committee has made significant strides in protecting and restoring the health of Lake Champlain. Her passion for the lake and her unwavering commitment to environmental stewardship have been key to advancing LCC’s mission.
Fisher was instrumental in developing a nationally innovative approach for community involvement in the clean-up of Lake Champlain’s Pine Street Barge Canal Superfund site in Burlington VT and successfully advocating for PCB removal in Cumberland Bay, NY.
She guided LCC to co-develop numeric water quality standards for phosphorus and lobbied for their adoption as part of an international agreement; establish the Lake Champlain Paddlers’ Trail which provides a safe, recreational corridor for human-powered craft; publish the first and only natural history guide to Lake Champlain; and create a groundbreaking cyanobacteria monitoring effort and grow it into one of North America’s most comprehensive programs of community science volunteers.
Well known in the Vermont State House, Fisher has supported legislative work on all key pieces of lake-protection legislation in the last 30 years. Her expertise and advocacy are highly respected.
Former Senator Patrick Leahy sated “Lori Fisher has worked and advocated for the protection of Lake Champlain tirelessly for more than 30 years. Lori was a great help to me when I wrote the original Lake Champlain Special Designation Act in the early 1990's and has been a lynchpin to the successful implementation of the act ever since. Lori built the Lake Champlain Committee into the most effective advocacy organization working to protect Lake Champlain and her legacy will be a cleaner lake for future generations in Vermont and New York."
“Lori has been an invaluable asset to our organization and the entire Lake Champlain community,” said LCC Board Chair Gary Kjelleren. “Her expertise, commitment, and collaborative spirit have left an enduring legacy. We are incredibly grateful for her contributions and wish her all the best in her retirement.”
“I am deeply honored to have had this wonderful job and to work on lake protection with such a steadfast Board and dedicated community of staff, members, volunteers and partners,” stated LCC Executive Director Lori Fisher. “Lake Champlain is a constant source of wonder, beauty, and sustenance in my life, and I feel very grateful for the privilege of serving as LCC Executive Director. I look forward to continuing to play a role in LCC’s mission after my retirement but in a different way and to trading time in meetings for more time on the water.” As part of her goodbye to this phase of her lake work, Fisher plans to take a swim at as many public beaches as possible before her December 31, 2024 departure.
Interested parties can find the position details at lakechamplaincommittee.org or by contacting Etienne Morris at [email protected]. The job description and additional information can be found at https://www.lakechamplaincommittee.org/get-involved/jobs.
About the Lake Champlain Committee
The Lake Champlain Committee (LCC) is dedicated to protecting Lake Champlain’s environmental integrity and recreational resources for this and future generations through science-based advocacy, education, and collaborative action.
Source: August 20, 2024 (Burlington, Vermont) –The Lake Champlain Committee
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