News Archive

February 2nd is World Wetlands Day, a day to raise public awareness about the importance and value of wetlands.

There are countless flooded forests, marshy swales, and peaty bogs throughout the Champlain Basin which help to prevent major floods…

LCC has been hard at work producing a suite of pamphlets illustrating lessons from Tropical Storm Irene. The pamphlets will soon be available on LCC’s website and we are actively seeking opportunities to present our conclusions to interested…

While the lake bays are covered in ice and water temperatures hover in the 30s, LCC staff are looking ahead to paddling season. We'd love to see your photographs from paddling adventures, visits to trail sites, and other lake outings for use in…

Hats off to everyone who helped grow LCC's endowment by contributing to the Legacy Fund campaign! The campaign was initiated by LCC member Cliff Landesman who wanted to do something significant to celebrate his love of the lake and longstanding…

The area of open water on Lake Champlain has been steadily closing with the frigid winter we have had. Birder Ian Worley reported that the ice front moved northward 18 miles between January 22 and January 24, from near D.A.R. State Park in Addison,…

Lake Champlain is breathtakingly beautiful. Spread that beauty around with the purchase of LCC's stunning new photo cards. An eight-card set includes two cards each of four different arresting scenes and costs $10 for members, $14 if you haven't…

The state of Vermont and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) held a series of six meetings around the state to discuss clean-up plans for Lake Champlain. The meetings were very well attended with 60-130 people at each location. MORE

The FDA recently announced that it is requiring manufacturers of anti-bacterial soaps to prove they're safe. We think that's a good idea. The active ingredient in anti-bacterial soaps does not breakdown at wastewater treatment plants so it can end up…

If you walk along a stream in an agricultural area it is not unusual to encounter pipes discharging water directly into it. These pipes are attached to drain systems that farmers use to lower the water table for their fields. The practice, termed…

Water conservation is something we may think about during the hot days of summer but what about winter? While we aren't watering lawns or gardens in the Champlain Valley there are still plenty of ways to cut back on water use during the chilly…

A new report from the USDA offers hope that conservation practices can spread widely in a region in a relatively short period of time. The report shows that adoption of farm conservation practices in the last five years have led to significant…

Many thanks to everyone who has supported LCC's long-term work by making a donation to our 50th anniversary Legacy Fund endowment! We are very near our $30,000 goal! If you haven't contributed yet, please consider making a gift to the lake's future…

Purchase LCC's stunning new photo cards and you'll get to look at the lake every day! An eight-card set includes two cards each of four different arresting scenes and costs $10 for members, $14 if you haven't joined yet. MORE

Why is ice so hard and slippery? Does Lake Champlain produce lake-effect snow? Why does fog form over the lake on cold days? What is the probability that Lake Champlain will freeze over in any year? MORE

Almost 20 years ago Richard Moss set up LCC's first networked computer system. He connected all our office machinery, made sense of a labyrinth of wiring, and ensured all our systems "talked to each other". He's been handling LCC's IT work pro bono…

LCC’s work for a healthy, accessible lake depends upon the active involvement of many dedicated volunteers who lend heads, hands, and heart in a myriad of ways. As we close out 2013 the LCC Board of Directors and Staff extend our thanks to everyone…

Does your family enjoy a good game of Scrabble during the long winter nights? A student of lake ice formations can add such terms as frazil, nilas, and shuga to their repertoire. MORE

Blue-green algae have been implicated in the development of some neurodegenerative diseases leading to headlines like, “Could tap water cause Lou Gehrig’s Disease?” or “Are toxins in seafood causing ALS, Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s?” It is no…

The Vermont Department of Environmental Conservation, the Vermont Agency of Agriculture and Food Markets, and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) have scheduled a series of public meetings to discuss the Lake Champlain restoration plan (the…

Wish you could look at Lake Champlain every day? Now you can with a purchase of LCC's stunning new photo cards featuring beautiful vistas of our favorite lake! MORE

Know someone who loves the lake? Have a good friend who you play on the water with? Express your caring for the wonderful people in your life and your concern for water quality at the same time by gifting a membership in LCC. MORE

Since 2007, the Lake Champlain Basin Program has funded a boat launch steward program for the lake. The stewards interact with boaters as they are launching or removing their boats. MORE

Yellow floating-heart (Nymphoides peltata) is a non-native, potentially invasive species. It likely got into the lake through the Champlain Canal. The species has been here for many years, growing in shallow quiet bays. MORE

Seaplanes moving from water body to water body can serve as a vector for invasive species movement. To reduce such risks, the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association has developed a video for seaplane owners about how to avoid picking up and…

Earlier this week a Senate panel passed legislation to designate the Upper Missisquoi and Trout Rivers in Vermont as part of the National Wild and Scenic Rivers system. MORE

Tile drains are used extensively by farmers in the Champlain Valley and beyond to increase crop productivity on marginal lands. Drains work by lowering the water table allowing more oxygen to reach crop roots. LCC recently attended a tile drainage…

New York State boating laws require all persons aboard motorboats, canoes, kayaks, rowboats, and sailboats less than 21 feet in length to wear a personal flotation device (PFD) while on New York waters from November 1 to May 1. MORE

Ever wonder what makes brook trout spots so orange? Or sunfish so bright? The color of fish is determined by the arrangement and patterns of chromataphores in their scales. MORE

At midnight on September 30 the federal government shut down when the House of Representatives failed to pass a Continuing Resolution for the budget. Below is a rundown on some of the ways the government shutdown affects the lake. MORE

A revised plan to accelerate phosphorus reductions in the lake to meet water quality standards will be released in the next few months, pending the government shutdown. LCC has been advocating for additional steps and a more aggressive program to…

PC Construction, one of the countries' largest employee-owned construction companies, decided to celebrate its 55th anniversary by giving back to the communities where their employees work, live and play. Employees selected ten non-profits which were…

Transmission Developers, Inc. (TDI) is proposing to build a 1,000 megawatt high voltage direct current energy transmission powerline 335 miles from Quebec to New York City. In our region the power line would sit on the bed of Lake Champlain while…

LCC’s 2013 blue-green algae monitoring season ran for 12 weeks from June 15 to September 6, an increase of two weeks over previous seasons. This year we received a total of 675 reports including 557 from 54 regular monitoring locations that reported…

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. MORE

Have you received mail from LCC lately? If yes, chances are LCC volunteer Susan Keefe’s fingerprints are on it! Susan has been visiting the LCC office regularly during the last few months to help with a variety of mailings and administrative tasks.…

Over sixty volunteers trained by LCC headed lakeside on a weekly basis during the summer to observe water conditions and file online reports. Their data populated the blue-green algae tracking map housed at the Vermont Department of Health. MORE

Autumn is known for its falling leaves, and these can become a significant source of carbon for lake ecosystems. Usually we think of the carbon in lakes as coming from photosynthesis by algae and aquatic plants, but researchers added marked carbon…

While some have touted Champlain’s description as the earliest reference to Champ, the reality is he was describing what is surely one of the strangest fish in our fauna, the longnose gar. MORE

We had a wonderful 50th anniversary celebration at Flat Rock Camp in Willsboro earlier this month. The sun shone, conversation flowed, the food and drink were delicious, and a good time was had by all! LCC founding father Peter Paine reflected on the…

Flushable wipes, tampon applicators, and other personal care items often advertised as "disposable" can wreak havoc at wastewater treatment plants and cause sewage overflows. Read more about the problem and your role n prevention in this news story…