LCC Lake Ripples - Spring 2012 E-news
The Season of Renewal!
Happy spring! As you embrace this season of renewal and rebirth we hope you’ll remember the lake and renew your Lake Champlain Committee membership. Please stay involved in the work for clean, accessible water. Renew at the $45 level or higher and we’ll send you our 2012 Lake Champlain Paddlers’ Trail Guidebook when it’s released in June. The lake is calling, please don’t delay.
World Water Day – March 22
Celebrate World Water Day with leaders and individuals around the globe on March 22. World Water Day has been recognized by the United Nations since 1993 as a time to focus attention on the importance of water, and advocacy for the sustainable management of freshwater resources. This year’s theme is Water and Food security. Learn why “the world is thirsty because we are hungry” and how signing up for a CSA – Community Supported Agriculture – can reduce your water footprint and support your local community. MORE on LCC's website.
The State of Our Drinking Water Systems
The Plattsburgh Press Republican recently reported that the spillway at the 90-year old Mead Dam, which supplies water for the city, does not meet state regulations and must be reconstructed. Like many places throughout the country, Plattsburgh faces an aging water supply system. In other cities the situation is even more ominous; the city of Chelan, Washington, for example, is still served by wooden pipes lashed together with metal. The American Society of Civil Engineers recently gave our nation’s drinking water infrastructure a grade of D-. MORE on LCC's website.
Underwater Powerline - An Altered Route and Environmental Remediation Fund
The proposal to install a 1,000-megawatt transmission line on the bottom of Lake Champlain to transport hydro and wind power from Canada to the New York City market continues to move forward. At the end of February the project proponent, Transmission Developers Inc. (TDI), said it had reached agreements with numerous state agencies, local governments and environmental groups on many aspects of the project. MORE on LCC's website.
VT Legislative Updates
Earlier this month we reported that in February, the Vermont House passed a three-year moratorium on the gas extraction procedure known as fracking. Now that the cross-over deadline has passed, Senate and House Committees will be spending more time on bills that were passed by the opposite side. The fracking bill is currently in the Senate Natural Resources Committee and testimony will begin on Thursday, March 22. LCC supports a fracking moratorium in the Champlain watershed. MORE on LCC's website.
Volunteer Spotlight: Dan Jacobs
Dan Jacobs has donated over 25 hours of his time with the Lake Champlain Committee (LCC) since August 2011, assisting with organization mailings and member communication pieces. Jacobs, a Burlington, Vermont resident, began volunteering to help Lake Champlain, as well as expand his area network. “Summer is when I appreciate the lake the most, sailing near Converse Bay, swimming at Juniper Island and biking along the Causeway,” says Jacobs. MORE on LCC's website.
April 4 - Pamper Yourself and Protect the Lake
Give some TLC to your body and the lake at O'Briens AVEDA Institute Spa Night. For a $20 donation you can choose up to four services from manicures and makeup to facials and massage. Get a pedicure, move on for a shampoo and blowdry, and end with a chair massage. All services are available except for haircuts and chemical treatments. Baked goods will also be for sale. All the money raised will go to LCC. Spa services begin at 3:00 PM and run until at least 7:00 PM -- later if there are clients. Let's keep the talented folks at O'Briens busy on April 4!
April 27 - Cat Walk for Water to Benefit LCC
Stylists and students from O'Briens AVEDA Institute and O'Briens' salons are teaming up to produce a fun night of hair and fashion to raise money for LCC! Students will create looks based on themes of Earth, Air, Fire and Water and dress each model from head to toe in recycled garments. Doors open at 7:00 PM and the show starts at 8:00 on Friday, April 27 at Club Venue in Colchester on Porter's Point Road. MORE on LCC's website.
The Return of the Eagle - March 2012 Lake Look
On a recent winter day my family was exploring some woodlands along the shore of a river near Lake Champlain. My daughter exclaimed about the huge birds in the trees on the opposite side. Three bald eagles sat regally staring out over the landscape. Bald eagles were once nearly unheard of in the skies of our region. Now, they are following in the path of osprey populations as their numbers steadily increase. MORE on LCC's website.
Natural History Note
The winter of 2010-11 will go down as the second warmest on record (behind only 2001-02) in the Champlain Valley. Meteorological winter includes the months of December, January, and February. Meteorologists report that low air pressure associated with the North Atlantic portion of the Arctic Oscillation kept the jet stream from pushing south and bottled up the Arctic air masses, letting warm southern air flood our region. MORE on LCC's website.
LCC Members Pitch in Post Flooding!
The historic flooding of 2011 sent unprecedented quantities of nutrients, sediments and debris into the lake and brought tragic losses to many communities. The events reinforced the need to adapt to climate change by ensuring that our infrastructure can handle the inevitability of more frequent and intense storms. Many thanks to LCC members who made a special donation (separate from annual membership) to LCC’s flood recovery work. MORE on LCC's website.
Moving? Changing Email Addresses?
If you’ve changed your address recently, please send us an email so we can update your files and ensure you receive news on lake issues and LCC’s work. Email is our primary form of communication with members. Mailing electronically saves time and resources and reinforces the stewardship ethic of our mission. We don’t give away or sell email addresses. To ensure you receive email from LCC, please add lcc@lakechamplaincommittee.org and the domain enews.lakechamplaincommittee.org to your safe/allowed list and address book. Thanks!
Lake Champlain Committee Board of Directors
Alan Booth (Plattsburgh, NY), Gary Kjelleren (South Hero, VT), Sandy Montgomery (Montreal, QC), Sharon Murray (Bolton, VT), Ann Ruzow Holland (Willsboro, NY), Jim Schweithelm (Burlington, VT), Mary Van Vleck (Charlotte, VT), Chuck Woessner (Grand Isle, VT).
Lake Champlain Advisory Council
Megan Epler Wood (Burlington, VT), Steven Kellogg (Essex, NY), Peter S. Paine, Jr. (Willsboro, NY), Mary Watzin (Burlington, VT).
Lake Champlain Committee Staff
Lori Fisher, Executive Director
Jessica Rossi, Office Manager
Mike Winslow, Staff Scientist
