May 2024
Issue No. 52
Basin News Grants and Research Events and Activities
Lake Champlain Basin Program Spring is in full swing throughout the Lake Champlain Basin, and so is the LCBP. Our team has been hard at work finalizing the 2024 State of the Lake and Ecosystem Indicators Report, a publication we release every three years that contains the most up-to-date data on the present state of Lake Champlain. In the three years since our last report, we have both celebrated improving trends and acknowledged ongoing challenges to our waterways.
The report explores the effects of a changing climate on our region in greater depth than before. We discuss the flooding of July 2023, which demonstrated that climate change can no longer be regarded as a future threat. Yet even amid the impacts unfolding now, we experience hope and resolve in the concerted efforts to build resilience in our waterways and communities.
Speaking of such efforts, our team and partners are busy preparing for a summer of field work, diving into seasonal water quality monitoring, training boat launch stewards, engaging the public at community events, and much more. We look forward to what the season will hold and encourage you to learn about some of our upcoming programs and opportunities to get involved in protecting your local waterways.
Eric Howe
NEIWPCC Program Director, Lake Champlain Basin Program &
Champlain Valley National Heritage Partnership
BASIN NEWS
Senator Patrick Leahy, Mrs. Marcelle Leahy, and Meriem Bouamrane of UNESCO visit LCBP Steering Committee Meeting
Senator and Mrs. Leahy met with the members of our Québec delegation, as well as Tom Berry of Great Lakes Fishery Commission. Photo: LCBP
In mid-April the LCBP convened in Burlington, Vermont with the members of the Lake Champlain Steering Committee, who travelled from throughout the Northeast and Québec to participate in a fruitful two days of dialogue and collaboration.
We were thrilled to be joined by several guests. Senator Patrick Leahy and Mrs. Marcelle Leahy, whose tireless support for Lake Champlain restoration spans decades, shared perspectives on the past and future of stewarding our amazing resource. Meriem Bouamrane, Chief of the Section on Man and the Biosphere Programme Research and Policy at UNESCO, discussed the rich opportunities for collaboration within and beyond the Champlain-Adirondack Biosphere.
Lake Champlain Steering Committee Awards $7.7 Million for Clean Water and Healthy Ecosystems Work
Awarded grants will engage communities to protect habitat and threatened species, like the spiny softshell turtle. Photo: Société Zoologique de Granby, Inc.
The LCBP recently bolstered efforts to improve water quality and ecosystem health in and around Lake Champlain with more than $7.7 million for new grant projects. Local watershed organizations, municipalities, and conservation districts in New York, Québec, and Vermont will implement more than 140 projects that educe runoff, restore habitat, and prevent the spread of harmful invasive species.
Read more about our recently awarded grants →
New binational assessment charts path to reduced pollution in the Rock River watershed
A watershed scientist collects cross-section data in the Rock River watershed. The comprehensive assessment identifies opportunities to reduce erosion, improve aquatic organism passage, and decrease phosphorus loading to the Missisquoi Bay. Photo: Fitzgerald Environmental Associates
A recent assessment of opportunities to reduce phosphorus inputs to a binational river is the first of its kind in the Lake Champlain Basin. Using consistent methods on both sides of the United States-Canada border, environmental consultants identified 15 high priority restoration projects along the Rock River in Vermont and Québec. This unique effort to harmonize scientific techniques and management solutions is charting a coordinated path to improved water health where restoration has historically been difficult.
Read more about the cross-border Rock River assessment →
LCBP Congratulates Laura Hollowell on Retirement; Staff Acknowledged for Career Milestones
Photo: LCBP
After 22 years of dedicated service, our Resource Room Coordinator Laura Hollowell is retiring. The entire team at LCBP sends our heartfelt congratulations to Laura.
Laura is known and appreciated for her warm presence and ability to ignite curiosity and wonder in people of all ages and backgrounds. A skillful naturalist, Laura possesses a wealth of knowledge about Lake Champlain's unique ecology and natural history. From working with schools and members of the public, to creating exhibits and crafting educational programming, her work has inspired awe, appreciation, and stewardship for Lake Champlain and its ecosystems.
Prior to joining our team, Laura worked as a naturalist and educator for Vermont State Parks, Green Mountain Audubon Center, and the California Nature Conservancy. After her retirement, Laura plans to work as a volunteer naturalist aboard the University of Vermont Marcelle Melosira Research Vessel. Thank you, Laura, and best wishes for a wonderful retirement!
Several program staff members were recognized for career milestones at the recent NEIWPCC All Staff meeting in Nashua, New Hampshire: Colleen Hickey for 30 years; Laura Hollowell, Stephanie Larkin, and Meg Modley Gilbertson for 20 years; and Lauren Jenness Kneen for five years. Congratulations all!
Learning by Listening: LCBP Staff Bring Soundscape Lessons to Burlington Students
Photos: LCBP
To teach students with diverse learning styles about the watershed, the LCBP has been bringing soundscape lessons to local classrooms and afterschool programs. Environmental soundscapes recorded by LCBP Education & Outreach Steward and musician Madeline Reilly were featured in the recent annual Waterways Stage Festival, an afternoon of student theater in Burlington, VT exploring concepts related to lake stewardship and restoration.
Read more about soundscape lessons →
For general inquiries about soundscape lessons, email [email protected]. To learn more about participating in Waterways Stage, contact Very Merry Theatre.
Champlain Hudson Power Express to Begin Installation on Lake Champlain
Construction equipment, including spools of cable, are making their way by barge from the Champlain Canal to Lake Champlain. Photo: John Garver / Union College
Champlain Hudson Power Express (CHPE) will begin installing cable underwater in Lake Champlain this summer. The high-voltage direct current (HVDC) buried cable will deliver energy from hydroelectric dams in Québec to the New York metropolitan area. All told, the cable will run about 339 miles underground and underwater from Lake Champlain at the U.S-Canada border to a Converter Station in Astoria, Queens, where the power will enter New York City's energy grid for local distribution. An environmental trust fund established by CHPE will provide $117 million over 35 years to support habitat enhancement and restoration programs in the Hudson River and Lake Champlain regions. A portion of this funding will support environmental improvement projects in Lake Champlain.
Learn more about the CHPE Trust Fund here →
Volunteer Opportunities
Photo: LCBP
- The Poultney Mettowee Natural Resources Conservation District, Champlain Valley Native Plant Restoration Nursery. Details >>
- The Lake George Association seeks volunteers for several programs, including AlgaeWatch, WAVE stream sampling, an AIS Monitoring Event, and Summer Invasives Hunt. Details >>
- Friends of Northern Lake Champlain, Bike for the Lake Ride, June 15. Details >>
- The Intervale Center seeks volunteers all season long to support the Intervale Conservation Nursery, Burlington Wildways programs, and more. Details >>
- Friends of the Missisquoi National Wildlife Refuge seeks volunteers to operate the front desk. Call Ken Sturm, Refuge Manager: 802-868-4781 ext. 3236. About Friends of the Missisquoi NWR >>
Take action for clean water at home, too. Raise the Blade on your mower to 3 inches and use phosphorus-free fertilizer. Learn more at Lawn to Lake. If you own property along a stream or river, sign up for a free, voluntary Stream Wise assessment.
Visit our volunteer web page to learn about ongoing opportunities and search for an organization near you >>
Watch our Diving In videos to see how communities are getting involved >>
Contest: Can You Guess This Place in the Basin?
Calling all outdoor recreationists, naturalists, researchers, residents, and visitors to the Lake Champlain Basin: time to flex your knowledge of place!
The LCBP is running an ongoing contest to celebrate the launch of our new blog Place in the Basin, as well as to highlight footage from a forthcoming digital publication Summit to Shoreline.
Here’s how to participate: click the link below and watch a short video clip featuring a place in the Lake Champlain Basin. Fill out the form to guess where the clip was taken. The deadline to submit your guess is June 7th at midnight, and we will announce the winner on June 14th. Award for contest winners TBA!
Watch the clip and enter your guess →
GRANTS AND RESEARCH
Grant Highlights
Credit, clockwise from top left: Lake St. Catherine Association, Appalachian Corridor, Fort Ticonderoga Association, Lake Champlain Sea Grant
Lake St. Catherine Association: Growing a Community of Stewards on Lake St. Catherine
In December 2023, Lake St. Catherine Association in collaboration with the Poultney Mettowee Natural Resources Conservation District (PMNRDC) concluded their fourth season of facilitating Lake Wise on Lake St. Catherine. A popular destination for residents and visitors alike, the lake’s heavily developed shoreline poses threats to water quality and habitat. With a specific focus on mitigating untreated stormwater runoff, last season’s project team targeted the development of shoreline buffer zones in high visibility areas. The goal was twofold: to provide maximum benefit for water quality and habitat while encouraging fellow residents to adopt similar lakeshore management practices.
Appalachian Corridor: Protecting 166 Acres of Woodlands and Wetlands at the Headwaters of the Pike River Watershed
In November 2023, Mount Pinnacle Land Trust (MPLT)—an affiliate member of Appalachian Corridor—acquired 166 acres of woodland, including 59 acres of wetlands, to be protected in perpetuity. The newly protected wetlands are upstream from the Pike River watershed, which drains into the Missisquoi Bay. The acquisition will preserve headwater connectivity and ensure that critical habitat for species at risk or of special concern remain intact.
Fort Ticonderoga Association: Maritime Trades Internship
During the summer of 2023, the Fort Ticonderoga Association hired a Maritime Trades Intern who developed skills in sail making, rigging, and boat building. Funding was provided through the Champlain Valley National Heritage Partnership (CVNHP) Internship Grant program. In addition to supporting the development of maritime skills, this internship provided an opportunity for deeper understanding and interpretation of Lake Champlain’s naval history.
Lake Champlain Sea Grant: Hosting the National Green Infrastructure Certification Program
This spring, the National Green Infrastructure Certification Program (NGICP) was hosted in our region for the first time. Lake Champlain Sea Grant facilitated the program, which provides workers with the technical knowledge and skills to install, maintain, and inspect Green Stormwater Infrastructure (GSI). GSI practices leverage the natural properties of native vegetation and soils to manage stormwater. As an added benefit, they increase the health and vibrancy of urban and other built environments.
Open Requests for Proposals
The LCBP, in coordination with NEIWPCC, is pleased to announce these new funding opportunities:
Land Acquisition and Conservation
These grants will support projects resulting in the acquisition of land or conservation easements that provide high value in furtherance of LCBP’s Clean Water, Healthy Ecosystems, Thriving Communities, or Informed and Involved Public Goals. Such projects include the acquisition of lands or conservation easements that protect or improve water quality and aquatic habitat, mitigate the adverse effects of climate change, or provide climate resiliency.
Up to $6,000,000 is available to support awarded projects. Each applicant may request a minimum of $100,000 up to a maximum of $2,000,000 for an individual proposal. Multiple proposals will be accepted from a single organization in response to this RFP.
Deadline: This deadline has been extended to Wednesday, July 17.
Visit our the LCBP website for details of these RFPs and to apply →
EVENTS AND ACTIVITIES
Upcoming Events
State of the Lake 2024 Release
June 5th 10:30 AM – 3:00 PM
Gordon Center House, Grand Isle, Vermont
Join the LCBP and partners to celebrate the release of the 2024 State of the Lake and Ecosystem Indicators Report. Learn about key findings included in the report, ongoing management efforts, and enjoy lunch provided by the Basin Program.
Watershed for Every Classroom
July 16–19, 2024 and and five additional days in 2024 and 2025
Various Locations
Last call: Explore the stories of the Lake Champlain Basin as told by its people and places. Learn how these stories offer a variety of ways to teach all subjects and engage students in learning in and about their community while building their sense of belonging to their home place.
The program is best suited for educators working with grades 4-9 but is applicable to all subject areas and grades.
OBVBM Annual General Meeting
June 12, 2024
LCBP Committee Meetings
- Lake Champlain Steering Committee, June 6, 2024
- Vermont Citizens' Advisory Committee Annual Retreat, June 13, 2024 (Register)
View the LCBP’s full meeting schedule →
Lake Champlain Basin Program
54 West Shore Road
Grand Isle, VT 05458
800-468-5227 (NY & VT)
or 802-372-3213