News Archive

If you’ve paddled, taken a swim, or cast a fishing line in the waterbodies of the Lake Champlain Basin, you’ve likely spent time among one of the most enigmatic groups of aquatic animals in our region: native freshwater mussels. They’re…

Did you miss a “Zoom a Scientist” session? Don't worry! All the webinars are recorded and can be accessed via Youtube! Want to learn more about microplastics, climate change, or aquatic invasive species? Wonder how prepared we are for an oil spill or…

Vermont environmental advocates sent a letter to Governor Phil Scott on 4/6/20 thanking him for his efforts to address the unprecedented COVID-19 emergency, and urging him to uphold environmental and public health protections during the crisis, along…

May is American Wetlands Month! Join us in celebrating our wetland wonders, from swamps and shores to floodplain forests and fens. Check out the LCC Facebook page where we’ve been posting about a different Lake Champlain watershed wetland every week.

A sit spot is an outdoor site where you can go to slow down, soak up what’s around you, and appreciate nature. It is a location in your backyard or close to home—this is not a get-in-your-car activity—where you can observe changes in the natural…

Spring is a great time to recreate—blue skies, vegetation glowing green, woodland flowers bursting forth, birds in flight and song—all call us to get outside! With the recent easing of COVID-19 related restrictions on travel, we are all anxious to go…

Lake sturgeon can be unintentionally caught by anglers during May and June as they head upstream to spawn in the waters where they were born. The stress incurred from being hooked can inhibit their ability to reproduce. Lake sturgeon are a threatened…

Is it a bird? No. A cricket? Close! The shrill chorus of spring peepers is the chime of spring. They are among the smallest and certainly one of the most common species of frog in the Lake Champlain watershed. You can discern a spring peeper up close…

“P” stands for phosphorus. It’s a naturally-occurring element, that when present in excess, disrupts critical ecosystem functions and can cause cyanobacteria blooms. It’s carried into the lake through a host of sources, including the runoff from…

Chartreuse—a luminous yellow-green color—currently punctuates wetlands and wetland edges throughout our region in the form of American false hellebore (Veratrum viride). The herbaceous perennial belongs to the lily family and is typically found in…

Conservation Biologist Steve Faccio of the Vermont Center for Ecostudies (VCE) visits a local vernal pool each week throughout the spring of 2020. In a series of seven short videos taken from April 1 through May 8 he introduces viewers to the…

"From Lake Champlain to the Richelieu River and the St. Lawrence, a panel of Canadian experts explores our connections and common interests in our water. Saving Our Waters is a documentary series covering steps toward keeping our waterways clean; the…

Look no further than the vast system of pipes beneath our feet—sewers—for an alternative to monitoring for viruses like COVID-19 person by person. Wastewater could provide localized data about coronavirus levels and create an early warning system for…

Entomologist Douglas Tallamy is urging Americans “to go native and go natural” and move away from the monoculture of a lawn. He’s an advocate for native plants as a way of preserving North America’s natural ecology. His recommendations for rewilding…