On March 26th -27th Canoe Imports, of South Burlington, one of the early business supporters of the Lake Champlain Paddlers’ Trail will host a two day celebration of paddling in Vermont. The program includes a showing of whitewater, canoe and sea kayak movies, a river festival, and a white water race. In addition, members of the Lake Champlain Committee and other selected non-profits will receive a discount on items purchased at the Canoe Imports store on Friday from 10 AM – 6 PM. On Saturday, if you become a member of LCC, you will receive a 10% discount on boats and 20% discount on accessories from 10 AM – 2 PM. Come stop by our booth on Saturday and say hi! To find out more information, visit the Canoe Imports website. Read...
Scientists at the Vermont Center for Ecostudies are attempting to identify and protect vernal pools in the state. Vernal pools provide critical breeding habitat ... Read...
Watershed for Every Classroom" is a year-long professional development experience for educators in the Lake Champlain Basin (Vermont, New York and Quebec), brought to you by the Champlain Basin Education Initiative of which LCC is a member. It offers teachers inspiration, knowledge and skills to frame exciting place-based curriculum and teach lake science and stewardship. At the heart of this approach is the belief that students who are immersed in interdisciplinary study of their home community are more likely to engage in stewardship. Educator workshops will be held in July and October 2010 and February and May 2011.
The course fee is $400, payable during the course. Participating teachers will receive $100 for classroom resources and an opportunity to apply for a $200 mini-grant. Five optional graduate credits are available for an additional $1,000 from St. Michael's College. Check out the brochure flier for further details. Read...
As ice and snow melt they reveal a winter’s worth of detritus along our roadsides and walkways: dog droppings, sodden papers, and blown rubbish. Instead of just side stepping the mess, take a moment to clean-up some of the wayward waste before it gets washed away into our rivers and lakes with upcoming April showers. Bring a bag and some gloves along on your spring walks.Read...
There is an old saying: to be wise means to have good judgment; good judgment comes from experience; and experience comes from having bad judgment. Rapid changes in conditions that can occur on a large lake like Champlain enhance the many opportunities for bad judgment to generate stories and adventures.
“If you don’t watch out, the lake can turn and bite you”, relates Irving Mehady, an avid outdoorsman I met recently. He tells a tale of duck hunting at Rock Dunder near Shelburne Bay. He and a companion had taken out their flat-bottomed skiff and hunkered down on the east side of the Rock to await the birds. After an unproductive morning Irving decided to climb up over the rock to see if the ducks might be on the other side. His eyes bulged as he saw the line of black clouds working its way swiftly over the lake pushing heaving white capped waves in front. He hurried back to his companion and they quickly set off for the mainland. Skiffs aren’t designed to handle rough weather.The storm caught up with them and rocked the boat too and fro. It was only with great fortune that they managed to reach shore. Read...
Lake Champlain has been designated a national ‘Great Water’ through the America’s Great Waters Coalition. The Coalition was launched in December 2009 by the National Wildlife Federation and an Alliance of more than 30 national, regional, state and local organizations to protect, preserve and restore America’s Great Waters. Lake Champlain now joins Chesapeake Bay, the Everglades, the Great Lakes, the Gulf of Maine, Long Island Sound, the Mississippi River, and San Francisco Bay as a ‘Great Water’. To earn the designation, waterways had to be of a certain size and scale, have a comprehensive restoration plan in place or in development, and have organized stakeholder involvement.
“It’s clear that Lake Champlain meets the requirements and deserves to be included,” said Lori Fisher, LCC Executive Director who wrote the application to get Lake Champlain considered. “It is a nationally significant waterbody, with extensive community involvement in the restoration and protection efforts underway. We look forward to working with Coalition members across the country to increase funding and support for Lake Champlain and other precious waterways that sustain people, wildlife and the economy.”
Senator Leahy said, "It isn't news to Vermonters that Lake Champlain is 'great.' And this is more great news if it helps us to secure more resources and attention for the conservation and restoration of Lake Champlain.”
The Lake Champlain Committee will be working to do just that as a member of the Great Waters Coalition. “The goal of this effort is to make the restoration and conservation of our waterways a national priority,” said Fisher. Read...
My first car was a gray AMC Concord. Gray aptly described my mood when it made one of its frequent trips to the mechanic. On one of those occasions I was complaining to my father about how long it took to do the work. “Son,” he said, “you can have the work done well, done cheap, or done fast. Pick two.” No work is perfect; trade-offs need to be accepted.
Trade-offs exist with regard to water pollution too. The severity of different problems varies within Lake Champlain from lake segment to lake segment. Anglers are warned that eating too much fish can be bad for their health because of high mercury levels in the fish, and the mercury levels are likely to be highest in fish from the cold clear waters of the Main Lake. Algae blooms plague northern bays occasionally leading to beach closures. Invasive weeds infest the southern lake making boating and swimming difficult. Each part of the lake has issues that raise concern. However what people in one part of the lake perceive as a problem can actually minimize the other potential problems.
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New York and Vermont officials are looking for input today on the design for the new Lake Champlain Bridge. Six designs for a replacement bridge have been proposed and you can vote for your favorite through midnight tonight. The 80-year-old Lake Champlain Bridge, which spans the state line between Crown Point, New York and Chimney Point, Vermont, was closed in October after inspections revealed it was structurally unsafe. State officials have determined that rehabilitating the bridge is not feasible given the extensive deterioration, moving the bridge location would entail too lengthy an environmental review process, and replacing it with a permanent ferry would not meet the needs of the community.
LCC is participating in the bridge review process. We are advocating for a thorough, thoughtful plan for both bridge demolition and construction that minimizes and mitigates environmental impacts, includes bike and pedestrian corridors on the new bridge, and ensures the design fits with the surrounding lake and landscape.
Six designs were unveiled at meetings held in Ticonderoga on Saturday. You can check them out on-line, complete a survey providing feedback on the alternatives and submit ideas on how to commemorate the historic bridge, which was shut down in October. The survey will only be available until midnight Monday December 14. We like the “Network Tied Arch Bridge” designs as the basket handle arch best emulates the pleasing lines of the old bridge, it complements and fits within the setting, and is less expensive and easier to maintain than some of the other proposals.
The old bridge will be demolished using explosives in the next several weeks. A new bridge is anticipated to be open by the summer of 2011 at a cost of roughly $65 million. Read...
Numerous bass fishing tournaments are held around the lake each year. A fish kill from a recent Plattsburgh event rekindled concerns about the number of fishing tournaments on the lake and raised questions about the impact to the bass fishery. To help guide discussions on this issue, the Lake Champlain Fisheries Leadership Institute Seminar Series is hosting a presentation by Dr. Bruce Tufts of Queen’s University in Ontario. Dr. Tufts is a recognized expert on Bass biology and catch and release fishing. The program is free and open to the public and will be held at the Cardinal Lounge at PSUNY’s Angell College Center. The program is sponsored by Lake Champlain Sea Grant, Great Lakes Research Consortium, and the Lake Champlain Research Institute. For more information contact timothy.mihuc@ plattsburgh.edu at SUNY Plattsburgh’s Lake Champlain Research Institute or mark.malchoff@ plattsburgh.edu at Sea Grant. Read...
New York Governor David A. Paterson and Vermont Governor Jim Douglas have received a report from their states' respective transportation agencies which finds that it is not feasible to rehabilitate the Champlain Bridge. Engineers have declared that the 80-year-old span is too unstable to be renovated, and recommend demolishing the bridge for the safety of motorists and boaters. The Federal Highway Administration is expected to concur with the recommendation based on their preliminary review of the report. Transportation officials anticipate building a new bridge as close as possible to the current location. Read...
As you go about your food preparations for Thanksgiving and other upcoming holidays, consider supporting local farmers. If you live in the Champlain Valley, finding eggs, butter, cheese, cream and milk and even poultry produced nearby is fairly easy regardless of the season. However, local beets, potatoes, onions, garlic, carrots, pumpkins, squash, apples and other staples are often available even into November and December. Providing a meal where most of the food comes from within a 30-mile radius of home can deepen the meaning of Thanksgiving.
According to the Vermont Department of Agriculture, shifting just 10% of food purchases to locally grown food products, would add more than $100 million to the state’s economy. Any day of the year buying local foods offers thanks for the bounty we share living in the Champlain Valley. Read...
Why do clouds hang low over the lake on autumn mornings?
Where do invasive species come from and how do they arrive?
How might global warming affect Lake Champlain’s future?
How did the lake get here?
Hundreds of University of Vermont students are learning the answers to these and many more questions through LCC’s award-winning book Lake Champlain: A Natural History. The book is required reading this semester in Dr. Larry Forcier’s Natural History and Field Ecology class where students learn about the dynamics of the natural world.
You can join in the lake learning too by purchasing a copy of the book through LCC’s secure online Lake Shop. The 160-page illustrated publication covers the lake’s geology, geography, biology, and ecology in an accessible, engaging style. It makes a great gift for friends, family, fellow lake lovers or yourself! Read...
Sometime in November or December those who spend time on the lake in quiet contemplation might notice the normally clear water becomes murky, despite the absence of rain. A stale rotten smell may fill the air, even though the summer's algae blooms are long since passed. Lake Champlain will be in the midst of one of its twice yearly mixings. The mixing, also called turnover, occurs because, the water column in a given section of the Lake is of uniform temperature for the first time since spring.
During the summer months the Lake is layered, less dense and warm above, more dense and cool below with a sharp transition, a thermocline, somewhere in the middle. So long as the upper warm layer absorbs heat the temperature and density differences between the layers is accentuated. In addition to temperature differences, the cool bottom layer has less oxygen. Fish and other creatures take oxygen from the water and, because this layer is trapped below the warm layer above and not in contact with the air, the supply is never replenished.
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Each year thousands of ships move between the Great Lakes and the Atlantic Ocean. Some carry more than cargo and crew; they hide animals or plants from distant lands. A new invasive species is found in the Great Lakes every 28 weeks on average. While throughout history species have expanded their ranges, only in modern times has such movement between continents, assisted by humans, been so easy and so frequent.
Species that arrive in the Great Lakes don’t necessarily stay there. They travel, often eastward toward Lake Champlain. Intercontinental traffic brought zebra mussels to the Great Lakes, the original introduction point for all North American populations. Zebra mussels made their way through canals or attached to other boats, reaching Lake Champlain by the early 1990s, ten to fifteen years after first being seen in the Great Lakes.
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In late September, LCC celebrated its 46th annual meeting as part of the Crown Point Quadricentennial and Festival of Nations. The Crown Point Bridge was an integral part of the bi-state events. Thousands of participants crisscrossed the lake in cars and on foot to take in music, theater, films, and natural and cultural history programs at Chimney Point and Crown Point State Historic sites. Less than a month later, the bridge was abruptly closed indefinitely when inspectors discovered that at least two of the 80-year old concrete piers were in danger of collapse.
The effect was immediate and severe in an area where people live on one side of the water and work on the other, farms straddle state lines, and businesses have been built around cross lake traffic. Commutes have more than doubled in time and money, employees have been laid off, and some people have resorted to boating across the lake in the dark to get to and from work.
The bridge symbolizes the connectedness of Champlain Valley residents. Its closure has brought to light one fact that sometimes gets ignored – our shared reliance as a lake community. What happens on one side of the water affects the other. Recognition of our interconnectedness will not only help us address the transportation challenges at hand but should also inform all our environmental policy decisions from reducing nutrient loading to combating invasive species. Read...
Check out LCC’s Lake Shop for the perfect present for a fellow lake lover. We have lake note cards, art prints, and a great natural history book to help you celebrate friendships, thank a host, stuff stockings, and remember the holidays. You can also give a gift membership. Recipients of a $40 membership will be notified of your gift in December and sent the 2010 Lake Champlain Paddlers’ Trail Guidebook in June. Recipients of a $55 membership will receive an autographed copy of LCC’s award winning natural history book in December and the 2010 trail guidebook in June. Just fill out the online new membership form, check the “gift membership” box, and we’ll do the rest! Read...
The largest known population of mudpuppies on Lake Champlain was found recently in the Lamoille River when over 500 of the reclusive nocturnal amphibians were killed by chemicals added to the river to kill sea lamprey. It is unknown how many mudpuppies survived. Mudpuppies, particularly juveniles, are known to be susceptible to the lampricides and have been affected by many treatments around the lake. Fewer than 200 mudpuppies were killed in the largest prior die-off on the Ausable River.
Mudpuppies are large salamanders that never lose their external gills. They spend their entire lives in the water and populations are extremely difficult to survey. They feed principally on small invertebrates. They are long-lived and do not reproduce until they are about six years old. The first mudpuppy ever described by science came from Lake Champlain. In 2002 the state of Vermont’s Reptile and Amphibian Species Advisory Group recommended that mudpuppies be listed as threatened in Vermont, but the Agency of Natural Resources did not accept that recommendation.
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LCC Staff Scientist Mike Winslow will discuss the historic and on-going cooperative efforts to protect Lake Champlain. Learn more about the lake, what is being done to restore its health, and how you can make a difference in Lake Champlain’s future, during this free evening program. Click here for directions to Hawkins Hall. Co-sponsored by the Lake Champlain Committee and the Lake Champlain Research Institute.
Can’t attend but want to learn more about Lake Champlain?
Purchase a copy of LCC’s award-winning natural history book through our Lake Shop.The 160-page publication covers the lake’s geology, geography, biology, and ecology in an accessible, engaging style. It makes a great gift for friends, family, fellow lake lovers or yourself! Read...
Keep the lake in mind when loading your automatic dishwasher and use phosphorus-free detergent. Check the labels on the products you buy to ensure the brand you choose doesn’t include phosphorus to avoid sending excess nutrients into our waterways.
Research and lobbying by LCC led to passage of legislation in Vermont to ban phosphates from household dishwasher detergents in 2010. Similar legislation in NY was introduced earlier this year (S.3780 and A.8914) but has not yet passed. According to independent studies by Consumer Reports, phosphate-free automatic dishwasher detergents work as well as those with phosphates.
For more lake friendly tips, check out the Learn and Get Involved sections of our website and consider taking our Lake Protection Pledge. Read...
As summer fades to winter blue-green algae blooms become but a memory. But what actually happens to the algae? Well, it depends on the species. Some blue-green algae produce specialized resting cells called akinetes that settle to the bottom of the lake and essentially hibernate through the winter. Development of akinetes is triggered by both declining light levels and declining temperature. Other blue green algae produce colonies that are either buoyant or not. As winter approaches, change in light and water temperature lead to an increase in proportion of non-buoyant colonies. These cells settle to the bottom where they continue to remain active and even divide, though at a much reduced rate. Come spring, when wind and wave stir the bottom sediments, the algae are re-suspended. Models developed in the Netherlands suggest that if there were no recruitment of algae from the bottom, summer blooms would be reduced by 50%. Read...
In early October, a rare meteorological phenomenon provided a treat for people lucky enough to be near the Crown Point Bridge. The waters north of the bridge became suffused with rainbow colors. Though everyone is familiar with rainbows arcing in the sky, seeing them sitting atop the water is much less common.
Rainbows form when the sun’s rays pass through water droplets and reflect back to an observer. Once the light enters the water droplet it bends, with different wavelengths varying in the degree to which they are bent. Reds bend 42 degrees while blues bend about 40 degrees. The light then bounces off the back of the water. Thus in order to see a rainbow, light must shine from behind the observer while water droplets are in the air in front of the observer.
In order to see the different colors of the rainbow, light must reflect off different water droplets. Those slightly higher in the atmosphere reflect reds, while the lowest droplets reflect blues.
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Aquatic biologists at Vermont’s Agency of Natural Resources (ANR) found a population of the invasive plant, variable-leaved watermilfoil, in the southern end of Missisquoi Bay. Similar to the native whorled watermilfoil, a rare plant species in the state, the variable-leaved watermilfoil was confirmed by genetic analysis this week from samples pulled during a routine water chestnut search last month in the bay.
Though variable-leaved milfoil is known in the Adirondacks, Lake Champlain is only the second confirmation of the species in Vermont. The first was found in Halls Lake in Newbury in 2008. The invasive plant has also been found in Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Quebec waters.
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Join LCC Staff Scientist Mike Winslow at the Lake Champlain Maritime Museum at Basin Harbor, Vermont on Thursday, October 1 for a provocative lake presentation. Learn about the forces that shape the lake, the creatures that call it home, the phenomena that add to its mystery, and what you can do to protect its future. The lecture is free and open to all so bring friends and family. Click here for directions to the Museum. Read...
While raking leaves and puttering around the house this fall, check the nearest stormdrain to be sure it too is free of debris. Plugged stormdrains prevent water from entering the storm sewer. Instead, the water starts eroding its own path to the nearest stream, and thus creates even more pollution.
One way to be sure the leaves you rake don’t contribute to clogging stormdrains is to compost them. Use your lawnmower to shred the leaves. If you have a bagger attachment the shredded leaves can be collected. Otherwise, use the blower on the motor to accumulate leaves. In either case the leaves make excellent mulch, or they can be added to a compost pile.
For more lake friendly tips, check out the Learn and Get Involved sections of our website and consider taking our Lake Protection Pledge. Read...
LCC wrapped up our 7th algae monitoring season just after Labor Day. Overall, although patchy blooms continued in Missisquoi Bay and sporadic blooms popped up in other parts of the lake, the frequency and intensity of blooms was lower this summer than in most past monitoring seasons. LCC staff identified a bloom in Kelly Bay at the far north end of the lake by the Rouses Point Bridge, an unusual place for such blooms. Though it is well known that high nutrient levels promote algae blooms, the exact triggers that determine when and where blooms occur are still unclear. The monitoring program is a key to efforts to identify toxic blooms, protect public health, and work for solutions.
Sincere thanks to the Lake Champlain Basin Program for funding support, our program partner Dr. Mary Watzin of the University of Vermont Rubenstein Ecosystem Science Laboratory and our faithful 2009 season monitors for their weekly wading into the water: Jennifer Bowman, Sally and Jim Brabham, Bryan Burke, Al Carpenter, Chris Case, Carson Cornbrooks, Deborah Diemand, Marc Eisenhower, David Greenough, Bill Magnus, Robert Martell, John McBride, Gary Molinski, Bob Murphy, Martha Perry, Larry and Jeanine Pratt, Mike Roach, Micah Rose, Julia Smith, Mark Sweeney, and Doug Ward.
Click here for an overview of the seasons monitoring results or go to www.lakechamplaincommittee.org/lcc-at-work/algae-in-lake/ and scroll to the bottom of the page. Read...
Foliage season, bird migrations and the serenity of a near empty lake all beckon the fall paddler. It can be a wonderful time to be on the water – if you’re well prepared. The cooler fall temperatures require a wet suit or dry suit. Any time the combined air and water temperatures are less than 120 degrees F, you should wear this extra gear under your Personal Flotation Device (PFD). You’ll also need lots of fuel to maintain your core temperature and reinvigorate tired muscles so be sure to bring lots of water and carbohydrate-rich snacks with you. Be cautious about heading out and make sure you, your boat and your group are properly equipped:
- Plan your trip ahead of time and make sure it matches the mental and physical skill set of your entire party.
- Leave your itinerary with a responsible onshore contact.
- Be aware of the wind, water and weather conditions before you depart.
- Bring a weather radio or VHF with you, check the weather forecast repeatedly, and adjust your travel plans accordingly.
- Always wear a Personal Flotation Device (PFD). Nine out of ten drownings occur in inland waters, most within a few feet of safety. Most of the victims owned PFDs but died without them. A properly fitted, buoyant PFD can save your life, only if you wear it.
- Wear a wetsuit or drysuit with an insulating layer and a hat that stays put. Dress for the season in layers of synthetic fabric to prevent getting overheated and chilled from perspiration or water.
- Pack extra dry clothing in a sealed bag.
- Test your gear in advance in a controlled cold water environment to learn how much protection it provides.
- Paddle near to shore and near others who can help you in the event of capsize.
- Make sure you have the skills to travel to and from shore and shelter.
- Ensure that everyone in your paddling party knows the signs and symptoms of hypothermia before you set out.
- Stay aware of all boat traffic.
- Fuel your body with high carbohydrate foods and lots of water.
We love to hear about our members’ outings! Please send pictures and tales from the water to: lcc@ lakechamplaincommittee.org. Read...
Throughout cold autumn evenings, the layer of air closest to the Lake Champlain’s water accumulates moisture and warmth. The moisture condenses and a thick steam fog forms with colder air masses generating thicker fogs. As the strengthening sun continues to warm the air, wisps of cloud flow upward, revealing the air’s convection currents. A layer of fluffy clouds hovers, seemingly suspended between the water and the otherwise azure blue sky. These clouds mark the border between the lake-warmed water and the cold air mass above. Eventually, the day’s sun warms all the air and the fog burns off. Click on the title to learn how steam fog played a key role in a pivotal Revolutionary War battle. Read...
The future will not look like the past. Such is true for the lake and the landscape. Rather than trying to recreate some hypothetical past utopia, we need to work towards a mutually desirable future state that is better than what we have. Agriculture may present the most significant opportunity today for envisioning and moving toward a desirable future state. Currently, agriculture in the Lake Champlain Basin is dominated by dairy production, but that may not be true in the future.
The dairy industry presents inevitable challenges to water quality. Cows produce manure which is high in phosphorus and bacteria. Cows, at least during the winter and on larger farms, eat corn, an annual crop that leaves much of the soil exposed and susceptible to erosion. Corn and other crops used to feed cows require inputs of additional phosphorus fertilizer which is a pollutant when it gets to the lake. Cows that are pastured instead of eating corn have a tendency to trample vegetation in their search for drinking water, directly contributing to erosion. All of these challenges can be managed and minimized, but they can not be eliminated.
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Variable leaved-milfoil, a new invasive species in Lake Champlain, has been confirmed in Missisquoi Bay. Variable-leaved milfoil is closely related to Eurasian watermilfoil which already infests much of the lake. Click the headline for more information. Read...
