Report on Lake Champlain or Inland Lake conditions by becoming a cyanobacteria monitor!

Cyanobacteria monitor training for the 2026 season has now closed. You're welcome to sign up to join the program for the 2027 season, and we'll contact you in April or May 2027 with training dates and next steps. Thank you for your interest in helping protect our lakes!

Monitoring requirements are listed below followed by a sign-up form. To participate as a cyanobacteria volunteer monitor, individuals must:

  • Have weekly access to a public or private lakeshore location. (LCC's top priority is to have public access sites monitored.)
  • Attend an online training session (approximately two and a half hours for returning monitors, three hours for new monitors).
  • Commit to reading the LCC weekly emails which provide ongoing guidance and support throughout the monitoring season. (They contain links to resources and information and photographs of conditions you may encounter to help you file accurate reports.)
  • Agree to the protocols in the form below.

Training sessions are held online via Zoom and required for both new and veteran monitors to ensure we maintain a high standard for our community science volunteer monitoring program so that our data is taken seriously. Accurately assessing water conditions is like learning an instrument, it takes time and practice. Attending an annual training and reading the weekly emails are important parts of the practice of monitoring.

Cyanobacteria Monitor Interest Form

Please Complete the Form

(Numbers only--no spaces or dashes. Example: 8026581414)
Phone TypePlease indicate whether the phone number you provided is for a landline or mobile phone
Monitor Affiliation *What is your monitor affiliation? (All monitors, returning and first-time, are required to participate in an annual training.)

Cyanobacteria Online Training Sessions

Training Sessions *Please register for one of the online training sessions below. We will send you a Zoom link for your training the day before your session.
Time of Day PreferenceIf you can't attend any, what time of day would you prefer to attend an online training session?

Select Your Monitoring Site

Returning monitors may select "Returning monitor – Same site(s) as last year" from the dropdown menu and skip to the Monitor Availability section below. If you would like to monitor an additional site, please check "Returning monitor – Same site(s) as last year" and either check another site from the public site coverage needs or use the next section to enter new site information.

New monitors should choose their preferred site from the Public Site Coverage Needs list in the dropdown. Sites are listed north to south within each lake province and state. Please select only the site(s) you are able to monitor regularly this season–do NOT list all of your preferred locations. If you cannot monitor at any of these sites, and would like to monitor at a different Lake Champlain location or an inland VT Lake, use the next section to enter your desired site information.

If you are not planning on monitoring this season but would like to attend a training, please check "N/A. Taking training for educational purposes only."

Note that this list will change throughout the season as we hear back from returning monitors and site coverage needs increase or decrease.

2026 Public Monitoring Site Needs *

Other Site – Not Listed Above

    If you’d like to monitor weekly at a site not listed in the check-off box above, provide the site type (public, quasi-public, multi-party private, private), site name, site location (town/city and state/province), latitude and longitude.

    NOTE: The site you’re interested in may already be covered by LCC volunteers or may be a new site that has not been monitored in the past. LCC can only create a few new sites each year and must prioritize public sites such as parks, beaches, and boat launches.

    Site Type(ex: Public - boat launch, municipal beach, state park; Quasi public - marina; Multi-party private - private property with access to multiple private landowners; Private - personal shoreline, private dock)
    (ex: Blanchard Beach)
    (ex: Burlington, VT)

    The easiest way to find the coordinates for your site is through Google Maps.

    1. Go to Google Maps.
    2. Click on the area of water closest to where you plan to conduct your assessment; when you click, a pin icon will appear.
    3. Google will automatically create the coordinates (for example, 44.461378, -73.221476). On a desktop computer, the coordinates will appear in a pop-up box; on a smartphone, you must click on the pin icon to view the coordinates.
    (ex: 44.4574)
    (ex: -73.2255)

    Monitor Availability

    Monitoring Day *Please indicate which day of the week you will do your routine weekly monitoring.
    How early in the season can you begin monitoring? The 2026 monitoring season runs from mid-June through mid-November.
    How late in the season are you able to monitor? With blooms persisting into the fall, we encourage monitors to continue weekly reporting as late in the year as possible.
    What dictates the end date of your availability to monitor? (E.g. no longer in the area, work requirements, seasonal resident, etc.)

    Daily Monitoring

    If you are interested in daily monitoring, please provide more details about your site(s)

    Monitor Agreement and Supplies

    All cyanobacteria monitors must abide by safety protocols. Please carefully review the requirements below.

    • Attend an online training session (approximately two and a half hours for returning monitors, three hours for new monitors)
    • Have weekly access to a public or private lakeshore location
    • Wear gloves and avoid dermal exposure when taking water samples
    • Read and follow guidance in the LCC weekly emails to monitors
    • File weekly reports via an online form after meeting the above protocols
    Cyanobacteria Monitoring Protocols *

    Monitor Supplies

    Use the form fields below to select the supplies you would like. Note that during the monitoring season, LCC will send out weekly emails to assist with your reporting with links to your username, password and guidance documents. We will host open houses at our office in Burlington VT and select locations throughout the Lake Champlain watershed for monitors to pick up T-shirts, hats, and gloves prior to and during the monitoring season. You can also call our office at 802 658-1414 to arrange a pick-up at a different time. LCC will do our best to match glove and T-shirt size requests with our inventory. 

    Note on sizing: If you have more than one household monitor, choose multiple sizes. If you need the same size, select that and we will send you the correct number based on the monitors you listed above.

    Needed Supplies *Do you need LCC to supply you with any of the following for your cyanobacteria monitoring? (select all that apply)
    GlovesIf you need gloves for monitoring, select the size. LCC will accommodate size requests as best as possible.
    T-shirt(s)If you need a T-shirt for monitoring, select the size.

    Photo Permission

    How did you learn about LCC's cyanobacteria monitoring program?Select all that apply.