Welcome to the Lake Champlain region’s only bi-state citizens’ organization solely dedicated to protecting the health of the lake and accessibility to its waters.
The Lake Champlain Committee (LCC) has a 50-year history of science-based advocacy, education and collaborative action. We take a whole-lake approach to issues that affect this natural treasure, which boasts nearly 600 miles of shoreline in New York, Vermont and Quebec.
No matter how you choose to enjoy Lake Champlain, we invite you to explore this website to learn more about the lake's health, current ecologic challenges, and ways to access its resources, including the Lake Champlain Paddlers' Trail. As you explore, we hope you'll consider how you can personally make a positive impact on the quality of its water and ecosystem.
Latest Updates ~ click on the titles for the full article
LCC is 2013 Green Mountain Power-Meeri Zetterstrom Award Recipient
LCC is delighted to be the recipient of the 2013 Green Mountain Power-Meeri Zetterstrom award for environmental activism! Thanks to all our members for the support and involvement in the ongoing work for clean water. MORE
Bird Walks on Fridays in May at 8:00 AM
Join LCC each Friday in May at 8:00 AM at Oakledge Park in Burlington for a lakeside bird walk. LCC’s Staff Scientist will help participants identify birds by sight and sound. MORE
The Founding of LCC
Throughout the year, we will share a series of special feature articles in commemoration of the Lake Champlain Committee's 50-year anniversary. Here is the first one! What do zip codes, the smiley face symbol, the Beatles, James Bond movies, push button phones, and the Lake Champlain Committee have in common? MORE
Protecting Vermont’s Lake Shores
One of LCC’s top legislative priorities in Montpelier this year has been the passage of a lakeshore protection bill. Currently, any shoreline zoning is left to local communities but only 20% of towns have taken advantage of such opportunities, leaving many of the states waters vulnerable to wanton development. Such a bill was drafted in the House Committee on Fish Wildlife and Water Resources. MORE
Cumberland Bay De-listed
On March 27 Cumberland Bay was officially removed from the list of New York’s toxic Superfund sites. De-listing represents the culmination of work undertaken over a decade ago, spearheaded by LCC. The original listing came about because of an accumulation of PCB-laden sludge in the bay. The sludge was directly deposited prior to the 1973 construction of the wastewater treatment facility in Plattsburgh. MORE
Lake Look: A Response to Lake Flooding
How much effort should society spend in preparing for rare events? The answer surely depends on the scope of the event, its rarity, and damage or costs associated with preparations. So, with these criteria in mind let’s examine potential responses to the Lake Champlain flooding of 2011. MORE
Missisquoi Bay Basin Water Quality Management Plan Released
The Vermont Agency of Natural Resources has approved the Missisquoi Bay Basin water quality management plan. The Missisquoi watershed begins with mountain streams and gorges on the flanks of the Green Mountains and includes the pastoral meanderings of the Missisquoi River along the Canadian border. MORE
Nature Note: Amphibians in the night
On warm wet evenings from mid-March through April you can often find salamanders and woodland frogs creeping over the still cold ground. They travel from the woods where they hibernated to vernal pools and swamps where they will breed. In prime habitat multiple species of salamanders can be found: MORE
LCC Talks Water in Washington
Earlier this month, LCC Executive Director Lori Fisher teamed up on Capitol Hill with water advocates from across the country. In meetings with policy makers and legislative staff, she and water partners from Galveston Bay to Long Island Sound stressed the need for sustained national investment in our waterways. The gathering was part of the annual meeting the America's Great Waters Coalition. MORE
Wanted: Photos and Tales from the Trail
We're at work on the 2013 edition of the Trail guide and other Trail promotional materials. If you have pictures and stories from your 2012 water outings that you haven't shared yet, we'd love to see and hear them. MORE
April 1 - April Stools Day
Join LCC on April Stools Day! This is a springtime citizen effort to remove dog doo from our sidewalks and recreation paths. Pet poop contains bacteria and excess nutrients that are bad for our health and waterways. Dog doo left on hard surfaces washes into stormdrains any time the snow melts or it rains. From there it enters streams or the lake from which almost 200,000 people get their drinking water. MORE
April 3 - O'Briens AVEDA Institute Spa Night to Benefit LCC
Give some TLC to your body and the lake on Wednesday April 3 at O'Briens AVEDA Institute. A $20 donation at the door gets you four spa services with all the money going to LCC programs to protect water quality, safeguard natural habitats, promote access, and foster stewardship.
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