A Word to the (Lake) Wise
May 2026 Lake Look
Lake Champlain boasts a shoreline of 587 miles, spread throughout New York, Vermont, and Quebec. It’s a space where most people interact with the lake: beach picnics, waterfront walks, backyard grills, splashing the shallows, and skipping stones. These lakeshores are also important habitats, hosting a variety of specialized plants on land and in the water, as well as unique waterfowl, amphibians, reptiles, fish, and mammals big and small. They’re beautiful places alive with energy and activity, but that beauty is both a blessing and a curse: it makes them make desirable locations for development and housing. Traditional modes of lakeshore development have prioritized human habitation over ecosystem health and water quality. Balancing nature with human needs requires a bit of wisdom.
Lake Wise is an initiative aimed at establishing a new culture of lakeshore landscaping that protects water quality and habitat through free property assessments, awards, and technical assistance. The Lake Wise Award certifies that a property is well-managed, using shoreland best management practices, and is maintained to care for the lake.
Lake Wise aims to shift lakeshore development trends away from shore clearing and seawalls in favor of more lake-friendly practices that control erosion, treat stormwater runoff, and maintain a working septic system. Through the program, participants receive technical assistance to mitigate erosion and runoff problems and increase shoreland vegetation, which will protect lake quality and wildlife habitat.
This summer, the Lake Champlain Committee (LCC) is offering Lake Wise assessments and technical assistance for shorefront properties along Lake Champlain in New York or Vermont. The program is open to all lakefront properties, including private homes, businesses, state parks, and town beaches.
Lake Wise evaluates a property in four categories: shoreland, recreation area, driveway, and structure & septic. Evaluation criteria are based on how each of these categories mitigates erosion and runoff while promoting shoreline vegetation; a “pass” means that the assessment category meets the science-based best management criteria.
For shorelands, those criteria include maintaining natural vegetation as a buffer. Shoreline vegetation should extend at least 100 feet from the water line before there is clearing or development, and feature a healthy representation of all forest layers: canopy, understory, shrub, groundcover, and duff. Native plants that retain soil are the best species to include in this buffer area —this prevents erosion and helps stormwater from the property infiltrate the ground rather than running off directly into the lake. For recreation areas, the Lake Wise criteria include having minimal mowed lawn areas, allowing runoff to infiltrate into the ground, any gardens consisting of native species and mulched soil, and footpaths made of pervious surfaces. Driveways should be small and not contribute to erosion. For structures, rooftop runoff and impervious surfaces should be minimized. Septic systems should be far from the lake and pumped every 1-3 years, and the septic system leach field should not be near woody vegetation since their deeper roots can clog drainpipes and cause septic failure.
Points are issued on a sliding scale in each category with minimum “passing” grades. Passing two of the four categories earns a Lake Wise certificate, while passing all four categories earns the property a Lake Wise award sign, indicating the property is a model for lake-friendly living.
Alison Marchione—Shoreland Restoration Ecologist with VTDEC—manages the Lake Wise program. She notes the impressive range of work that Lake Wise facilitates. People can scale technical assistance from improvements as minor and low-cost as establishing “no-mow” zones by the lake, to as “whole hog” as planting massive buffer areas with native trees or building wide rain gardens. The program has even spurred full-scale clean water projects after assessments at state parks: Crystal Lake State Park was identified as a good fit for an encapsulated soil lift, a technique that encases soil with erosion control blankets to build terraces, restoring a stable bank and preventing erosion.
Prior to legislation passed in the 21st century, development along Lake Champlain’s shoreline was largely unregulated. Many lake homes and lakefront properties were built solely for human needs and desires, without regard for water quality, habitat preservation, and ecosystem health. After some periods of intense development, Lake Champlain faces an uphill battle to reclaim natural shorelines, bearing scars from its history in the form of crumbled seawalls, eroded lawns, and decaying pavement.
The strength of Lake Wise lies not just in the technical treatment of these degraded shorelines, but in its foundations in social sciences. It motivates lakefront homeowners to shift their approach to land management beyond the minimum legal requirements by celebrating practices that benefit the lake. Shifting cultural attitudes toward natural shorelines that benefit both people and the environment is an important hidden step toward making the uphill battle less steep. It’s already working: Lake Wise has grown significantly since its inception, particularly over the last four years, with about 200 assessments completed annually in Vermont.
Looking ahead, support from the Lake Champlain Basin Program has enabled LCC and other organizations to offer Lake Wise assessments and technical assistance beyond Vermont, including in the New York portion of the Lake Champlain watershed in 2026. We’re excited to help expand this program throughout Lake Champlain – if you’re interested in learning more and signing up for a Lake Wise assessment, visit our webpage and signup form or contact us at lcc@lakechamplaincommittee.org.
Lake Look is a monthly natural history column produced by the Lake Champlain Committee (LCC). Formed in 1963, LCC is a bi-state nonprofit that uses science-based advocacy, education, and collaborative action to protect and restore water quality, safeguard natural habitats, foster stewardship, and ensure recreational access. You can join, renew your membership, make a special donation, or volunteer to further our work.