News from Selected Category

Photo of a cyanobacteria bloom by Stephanie Krzywonos. Copyright Lake Champlain Committee.

Cyanobacteria blooms: Why do they happen, what are the risks, and what can we do?

Cyanobacteria blooms have received increasing attention in recent years, as a result of

particularly strong blooms in some areas. As research into blooms continues, we learn

more about what things make cyanobacteria blooms more likely, what dangers blooms

can pose to humans and other animals, and what the future might hold.

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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 what fish do in winter? Curious about how scientists use drones and photogrammetry to learn about the lake? Read...

We hope you’re healthy and finding ways to nurture yourself during these challenging times. We are looking forward to diving into the lake to refresh our spirits once temperatures warm and travel restrictions ease. In the meantime, we thought we’d share the expanded line up of “Zoom a Scientist” programs that our friends at Lake Champlain Sea Grant have put together. You can tune in virtually through Zoom every Tuesday and Friday from noon to 1:00 p.m. to learn more about the lake!

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Over the next few weeks, our friends at Lake Champlain Sea Grant are hosting "Zoom a Scientist," an interactive, virtual webinar series focused on watershed and aquatic science. The programs will feature scientists from the University of Vermont Rubenstein Ecosystem Science Laboratory, SUNY Plattsburgh, the Lake Champlain Research Institute, and other organizations. Every Tuesday and Friday from noon until 1:00 p.m. scientists will lead viewers through the Lake Champlain watershed and share their research.

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Deserted dog doo is a nasty addition to the bottom of an innocent passersby’s shoe—and to Lake Champlain. Canine feces left on hard surfaces like a sidewalk or compacted soil can wash into storm drains during any precipitation event. From there, they enter streams or the lake, which nearly 200,000 people rely on for their drinking water. Most pet owners conscientiously clean-up after their dogs, but those who don’t create an issue for people and waterways.

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Know a K through 12 student, teacher or homeschooler in the Lake Champlain Basin? In honor of World Water Day, LCC and Champlain Basin Education Initiative (CBEI) partners are hosting our annual cool contest to celebrate water. It’s a great way for educators to integrate art and science with their students.

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If your faucet drips or your toilet runs it can waste over 10,000 gallons a year ― the amount of water in a typical backyard swimming pool. More than one trillion gallons of water are lost annually in the U.S. due to easy-to-fix household leaks.

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There is great potential behind a hole in the ice. On Lake Champlain, those holes are often related to ice fishing. You can make ice fishing what you want it to be: a social or solo activity, over a short or long timespan, and on open ice or under the cover of a shanty. No matter the approach, it’s an activity that gets folks outside and interacting with the natural world in the wintertime.

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December 3 is Giving Tuesday, the "Black Friday" for charitable giving and part of an international movement to create a day of giving back. Please consider participating by making a gift of time or money to the Lake Champlain Committee.

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Has the invasive Asian clam made it into Lake Champlain? Join us in our surveying efforts to find out!

We are teaming up with our friends at Arrowwood Environmental and Magic Hat Brewing Company to comb Burlington area beaches for the invasive mollusk. The program includes training, field time, and lunch! It’s a great way to learn more about Asian clams, how to identify them and what we can do to keep them out of Lake Champlain. Read...

Help assess Lake Champlain water conditions around the lake. Complete our cyanobacteria monitor interest form if you're interested in monitoring or want to attend a training session to learn more about the lake. Feel free to share this invite with other lake lovers.  

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Walk, run, hike, bike in the great outdoors. Breath some fresh air, get a little dirty or wet, take in the sunshine – or the rain (or snow), watch the stars. Commune with nature. Getting out into the greenery is known to brighten moods and improve health. To celebrate this year's Earth Day LCC has several ideas for going all out to enjoy and protect our environment!

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Knight Point State Park in North Hero was buzzing with people on the day of Vermont’s annual ice fishing festival, which was a particularly sunny Saturday in mid-January. The nice weather drew hundreds to the park in the first hours of the festival. Cars filled the parking lot and spilled out onto either side of the highway, several of them sporting out-of-state plates. People of all ages crowded around the registration table – groups of young college friends, parents dragging sleds full of equipment, toddlers so bundled against the cold that they waddled on the ice like penguins.   

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If your faucet drips or your toilet runs it can waste over 10,000 gallons a year -- the amount of water in a typical backyard swimming pool. More than one trillion gallons of water are lost annually in the U.S. due to easy-to-fix household leaks. Read...

Teachers at J.J. Flynn Elementary School in Burlington, VT got creative in their World Water Day class project by partnering with Generator Makerspace, a non-profit in Burlington that bridges the intersection of art, science, and technology. With the technical support of Generator Makerspace, students learned to transform their drawings into laser-cut wood mosaics backed by colorful rice paper. 

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Plastics are everywhere. The stuff has made modern life possible, but more than 40% of plastics are designed for single use. Plastics are showing up in our waterways at an alarming rate, flushed down sinks and toilets in scrubbing agents, wet wipes and sanitary products; spun off as microfibers from clothes in the wash; and carried into waterways by wind and rain.

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Maple sugar houses across the states of New York and Vermont are hosting open houses during the weekend of March 23-24 - and festivities will continue in New York the next weekend, March 30-31! Celebrate maple sugaring season in the Champlain watershed by sampling maple products, enjoying pancake breakfasts with fresh syrup, and touring the woods and facilities where the sweet brew is made.   

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Wednesday, March 27, 2019
3:00 PM - 7:00 PM

Need a little pampering? Treat yourself to Spa Night at O’Brien’s Aveda Institute in Williston on March 27 and protect Lake Champlain at the same time. A $20 advance ticket buys you unlimited mini services including facials, manicures, paraffin dip, facial waxing, braiding, makeup application, and hand massages! All funds raised will be donated to LCC to support our education and outreach programs.  

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LCC is sorry to report that this event has been cancelled due to low registration. Visit the Champlain Basin Education Initiative (CBEI) website to learn about different events and opportunities in the Lake Champlain watershed.    

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Wednesday April 17, 2019
5:30 - 9:00 PM 

Watch students and stylists display their fashion, make-up and design skills and support the Lake Champlain Committee’s work at the same time at the 4/17/19 Catwalk for Water! The annual green carpet event put on by O'Briens Aveda Institute and local Aveda salons will showcase fashion made from recyclable materials and whimsical hair styles following themes of earth, wind, water or fire. Tickets are $15 each. All proceeds from the event will be directed to LCC’s work for clean water.   

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Want to try ice fishing for the first time or improve your skills? Come out to Knight Point State Park, North Hero, VT any time from 11:00 AM to 3:00 PM on Saturday January 26 where the VT Fish and Wildlife Department will host a free ice fishing festival. Fishing is free and no licenses are required for fishing any of the state’s waters that day!Read...

Join LCC, ECHO, and other members of the Clean Water Policy Network on Monday (1/28/19) morning for a discussion of clean water issues and upcoming legislation. The January forum in Montpelier provides participants with a preview of issues, legislation, and regulatory initiatives in the coming session. 

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World Water Day celebrates the importance of water around the world. In the Lake Champlain watershed we will be celebrating World Water Day on March 21, 2019 with a K-12 student contest! The contest will be hosted at the Main Street Landing Performing Arts Center in Burlington, VT. All student submissions of original art, videos, photography, and writing will be gathered for public viewing from 4:00 – 6:30 PM, awards will be given to winning submissions, and guest speaker Dr. Danielle Garneau, Associate Professor of Environmental Science at SUNY Plattsburgh, will present on “Plastics in Lake Champlain: How you can help”. 

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The fishhook waterflea was discovered near Valcour Island in September, making it the fifty-first known invasive species to date in Lake Champlain. The discovery was made by Plattsburgh SUNY’s Lake Champlain Research Institute (LCRI) at an established Lake Champlain Long-term Biological Monitoring Program site supported by the Lake Champlain Basin Program. Analysis of the water samples by LCRI’s Dr. Tim Mihuc and his staff confirmed high densities of over 100 individual fishhook waterfleas per sample.

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Interested in Lake Champlain’s past, present and future? Sign up soon to join LCC at The Lake Between (Le lac qui nous unit) – an International Conference designed to bring together academics, business leaders, policy-makers, outdoor enthusiasts, boaters and swimmers, musicians and artists to talk about the lake. 

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Today is GivingTuesday, the "Black Friday" for charitable giving and part of an international movement to create a day of giving back. Please consider participating by making a gift of time or money to the Lake Champlain Committee.

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Winter weather doesn’t stop dogs from having to head outside to fulfill their “dooty” and it shouldn’t stop dog owners from cleaning up after their canine friends either. Unfortunately, even diligent pet owners may get a little lax about scooping poop when the mercury drops and sidewalks and walking trails become snow covered or icy. Excuses range from “it’s too cold or hard to pick up poop with gloves on” to “it doesn’t matter in winter”. It may seem harmless to leave hound mounds behind on your winter walks to melt away when temperatures rise. However, that pet waste doesn’t just disappear, it’s flushed off into our waterways with snowmelt and spring rains.  Read...

Show your support for the vital role science plays in our health, safety, economies and governments by joining in the Earth Day March for Science.

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Help clean up your favorite park or walking trail before spring snowmelt and rains send a lot of foul stuff to the local swimming hole. LCC is looking for community partners for our April Stools' Day events. 

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Join us at Magic Hat Brewery on February 17 for a special tapping of Wee Heavy Champ -- a beer brewed for Lake Champlain!

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