Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) is pleased to announce that an eighth lake has achieved the Gold Lake Wise Award. Great Averill Lake in Averill joins Echo Lake, Seymour Lake, Lake Iroquois, Lake Raponda, Lake Morey, Halls Lake, and Little Averill Lake in reaching this accomplishment. The Gold Lake Wise Award is granted to lake associations when 15% of the shoreland properties have received an individual Lake Wise Award.
“Since 2017, eight lake communities across Vermont have achieved the Gold Lake Wise Award,” said DEC Commissioner Misty Sinsigalli. “Reaching this milestone takes a true community effort that deserves recognition and celebration. This year's Gold Lake Wise Award is a testament to the hard work and commitment of the Great Averill Lake community to preserving lake health.”
A Lake Wise Award is given to an individual lakeshore property owner who takes part in the voluntary Lake Wise Program to improve stormwater management and prevent erosion. To receive the award, the property must meet a series of criteria that indicate it is well managed, uses Shoreland Best Management Practices, and is maintained to care for the lake. Properties that don’t meet the criteria can receive technical assistance to make their properties more lake friendly. Through this program, lakeshore property owners help ensure their communities are more resilient to the harmful impacts of climate change.
The first step toward an award is to request a Lake Wise assessment - a free, voluntary site visit that looks at how a lakeshore property is being managed and how that management affects lake health.
“It has been wonderful to see the community around Great and Little Averill come together to make sure that their land management and development patterns are not having a negative impact on the lake,” said DEC Shoreland Restoration Ecologist, Alison Marchione. “The way we care for our lakeshores has a real impact on water quality and wildlife habitat. Every Lake Wise assessment is an opportunity to make choices that help protect these lakes for the future.”
Since 2022, Great Averill Lake has completed 24 Lake Wise assessments and earned 14 individual Lake Wise Awards. With only 90 parcels around the lake, those 14 awards meet the threshold for the Gold Lake Wise Award. Research suggests that 15% participation can begin to shift community behavior, making it an important early milestone in encouraging lake friendly practices over time.
“We are thrilled that Great Averill Lake has achieved the Gold Lake Wise Award, following Little Averill Lake's award last year,” said Bernie Gracy, President of the Averill Lakes Association (ALA). “This recognition makes the Averill Lakes Association the first organization in Vermont to steward two separate lakes to this prestigious gold standard. This milestone proves that when lakeshore owners embrace best management practices, we can collectively move the needle on water quality and habitat protection across our entire watershed. We are grateful for the partnership and guidance of the Vermont DEC and the Lake Wise program in helping make this possible.”
Learn more about how to take part in the Lake Wise Program.
The Department of Environmental Conservation is responsible for protecting Vermont's natural resources and safeguarding human health for the benefit of this and future generations. Visit dec.vermont.gov and follow the Department of Environmental Conservation on Facebook and Instagram.
Vermont Agency of Natural Resources Website.
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