We were delighted to receive the 2013 Green Mountain Power (GMP) Meeri Zetterstrom award at a May ceremony at the Vermont State House. “The Lake Champlain Committee has been an active, constructive force for the betterment of Lake Champlain and the entire Champlain Valley for half a century,” GMP President and CEO Mary Powell said in delivering the award. “Like Meeri Zetterstrom, for whom the award is named, LCC has demonstrated a long-term commitment to building alliances to solve environmental problems, while pursuing education and environmental research. LCC’s determination and leadership, despite tremendous environmental challenges and obstacles, mirrors on a broad scale Meeri Zetterstrom’s leadership and commitment to saving ospreys at Lake Arrowhead." Read more on the award history and 2013 ceremony.

LCC's blue-green algae monitoring program got underway several weeks ago. Staff Scientist Mike Winslow has trained over 200 people to assess conditions, differentiate blue-green algae from other lake phenomena, and categorize water quality.

"We are excited to be working with such a dedicated group of lake-lovers to better inform the public about the presence and absence of algae blooms on the lake," said Winslow.

LCC blue-green algae monitors provide weekly observations about water quality from designated locations around the lake from mid-June through Labor Day. To become a monitor you need to attend an LCC training session, have weekly access to the same shoreline location and the ability to submit online reports. The program provides critical data on where and when blooms are happening and is relied on by municipalities, park managers, and public health and environmental agencies to assess whether the water is safe for recreation. It also adds to our knowledge about the triggers for blooms so we can reduce their frequency.

We will host another training session at the LCC office at 208 Flynn Avenue on Tuesday, July 9 at 2:00 PM. The training will last about an hour. An <link get-involved events blue-green-algae-monitoring-training-session-rsvp _blank internal-link internal link in current>advance RSVP is helpful to ensure we have enough room.

The 2013 edition of the Paddlers' Trail guidebook is out! It’s jam-packed with important information for great adventures on the water including site descriptions and chartlets for 41 Trail locations (with access to over 600 campsites), launch site listings, natural history articles, safety and stewardship tips, equipment check lists and more! The guidebook isn't sold, it's only available through a yearly LCC membership of $45 or more. Annual memberships support LCC's Trail development and the work for a healthy, accessible lake. <link support join _blank external-link-new-window external link in new>Join or <link support renew _blank external-link-new-window external link in new>renew online to ensure you have the guidebook in hand for the rest of this paddling season.

Get out on the water and support great lake-related causes - including the Lake Champlain Committee - by participating in the 2013 Regatta for Lake Champlain! This year’s event, the tenth annual, will take place on Burlington’s Waterfront July 19 and 20. The Regatta for Lake Champlain is not your ordinary day out on the Lake; it's a family-friendly benefit sailboat race to promote the health, well-being, sustainable use and stewardship of Lake Champlain.

The Regatta will start just outside Burlington Harbor on Saturday, July 20 at 11:30 AM. This pursuit format race features a handicapped start so sailors and crews of all levels, from cruising to competitive racers, can participate. Registration starts at $150 and is available online at RegattaForLakeChamplain.org. Anyone with a sailboat no matter how old or new can put together a crew. There are a limited number of spaces so we encourage folks to sign-up quickly. Read more about Regatta for Lake Champlain.

The Army Corps is notoriously slow in developing and implementing projects. The Champlain Canal is a disappointing example of their glacial pace. It’s been almost a year since the invasive spiny water flea was found in the Canal. It has taken that long for the Army Corps and the New York State Canal Corps to figure out what they need to study before they can erect any barriers to spreading the species to Lake Champlain. Reports are that it could take another six months before the actual studies begin, despite the availability of $200,000 through the Lake Champlain Basin Program to conduct the work. There is no telling how long it might take to get around to building a barrier. A compounding factor has been the redirection of Army Corps staff to deal with recovery from Hurricane Sandy, but the reaction to an invasive species in the Canal has been anything but rapid. Tell your Senators and Representative to let the Army Corps know the delays are unacceptable and they should move quickly to prevent the spread of invasive species to Lake Champlain.

The New York State Public Service Commission has approved construction of a high voltage direct current transmission line to deliver electricity from generating sources in Quebec to the New York City area. The original application was filed over three years ago and negotiations towards approval spanned almost 16 months.

Once built, the power line would have a length of approximately 335 miles from the generating source in Quebec to its southern terminal in New York City. The cable would be buried at varying depths up to 3 feet under Lake Champlain and the Hudson, Harlem, and East Rivers. The cables would cross the border under Lake Champlain and run southward to the Town of Dresden north of the Village of Whitehall. On its way to the Hudson, the cables would be routed briefly along State Route 22 and then parallel rail lines until entering the Hudson River in the Town of Catskill. Read more about the underwater power line.

The New York State Assembly passed a bill that would extend by two years a moratorium on fracking in the state. However, the Senate continues to stall consideration of that bill and another that would end an industry exemption that stripped the designation ‘hazardous’ from fracking waste. Indications are that a majority of Senators would support the limitations, but Senate leaders are blockading a vote. The moratorium bill would require a health study to be completed before a final decision is regarding the future of fracking in the state.  The Cuomo Administration continues to deliberate about whether or not to end the current moratorium, but there is no indication when a decision might be forthcoming.

The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (NYS DEC) will begin collecting discharge reports of untreated and partially treated sewage from public wastewater systems. The new law requires notification of any discharges from publically owned waste water treatment works or sewer systems within two hours of discovery of the discharge. The new law went into effect in May of this year after passing the legislature in August of 2012. A second part of the law will require direct public notification of discharges. NYS DEC anticipates draft regulations regarding this requirement for the fall.Under the previous law, notice had to be provided to DEC within two hours only if the discharge was near a public drinking water in-take, a bathing beach, or a shellfish bed, while other discharges needed to be reported within 24 hours. An Excel spreadsheet of discharges over the past month for the entire state is available on the DEC website.

Last July the manager of Sand Bar State Park in Milton, Vermont received a call that would greatly affect his summer. Someone whose family had visited on July 1, 2012 reported that two children who had been swimming later became ill. That alone wasn’t a big deal; kids get sick all the time from any number of causes. When a second report came in a few days later, this time four children from one family all of whom had also been swimming on July 1^st, it became much more worrisome. By the afternoon of July 6^th the media began calling and the park had itself a crisis. Reports of illness continued to accumulate over the next 17 days and the Department of Health got involved. The park closed on July 17^th and would remain closed for three days while health officials searched for the culprit. What they found provides an interesting glimpse about both real and perceived risks of swimming in public areas. Read more about norovirus.