News by Category

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No algae blooms reported from 10 LCC monitoring locations. MORE

The International Joint Commission (IJC) delivered recommendations to Canada and the United States in late July regarding a Plan of Study for flooding in the Lake Champlain Richelieu River basin. They called for a $14.3 million dollar boondoggle that…

In early August, WCAX reported that a worker error led to discharge of a half-million gallons of untreated sewage to the Winooski River from the Essex Junction wastewater treatment plant. The incident was one of at least thirty cases of sewage…

In mid-August, LCC members Joan and Pete Smith joined Staff Scientist Mike Winslow to harvest the invasive European frog-bit from a bay east of Dead Creek on Missisquoi Bay. Together they brought in approximately 900 plants! MORE

A team of student interns working with NASA has developed a model that interprets data collected from satellites to detect and track algae blooms on Lake Champlain. The three young researchers, Tiffani Orne from Liberty University, Hayley Solak from…

Leeches are related to earthworms. Once you get past the initial revulsion for the animals, you can begin to see a grace and elegance in the orange spotted flattened worms. Both earthworms and leeches are hermaphroditic. Like earthworms they have…

Late summer is the time to see this year’s crop of whirligig beetles, those watermelon seed sized insects that spin and spin on the water surface. The beetles congregate atop tranquil waters around docks or near shore vegetation. The whirligigs that…

Annual memberships and donations fuel LCC's work for clean, accessible water. By joining LCC and giving each year you help protect and restore water quality, safeguard natural habitats, provide access, and educate and engage people in stewarding Lake…

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…

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…

The USGS is once again threatening to stop operating stream gages in the Champlain Basin. The notice on their website reads, “The U.S.Geological Survey (USGS) will discontinue operation of up to 375 streamgages nationwide due to budget cuts as a…

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…

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…

The 2013 legislative session saw little progress on water quality despite starting out with a report from the Agency of Natural Resources about the substantial problems facing the state’s waterways and high price tag for addressing all the issues. …

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…

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…

A yellow scum often appears along the shores of Lake Champlain from late spring through early summer. Though the scum has the texture and consistency of an algae bloom it is actually pollen. While the pollen may be unsightly, its presence means there…

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. MORE

Throughout the year, we will share a series of special feature articles in commemoration of the Lake Champlain Committee's 50-year anniversary. Here is the first one!

What do zip codes, the smiley face symbol, the Beatles, James Bond movies, push…

One of LCC’s top legislative priorities in Montpelier this year has been the passage of a lakeshore protection bill. Currently, any shoreline zoning is left to local communities but only 20% of towns have taken advantage of such opportunities,…

On March 27 Cumberland Bay was officially removed from the list of New York’s toxic Superfund sites. De-listing represents the culmination of work undertaken over a decade ago, spearheaded by LCC. The original listing came about because of an…

How much effort should society spend in preparing for rare events? The answer surely depends on the scope of the event, its rarity, and damage or costs associated with preparations. So, with these criteria in mind let’s examine potential responses to…

The Vermont Agency of Natural Resources has approved the Missisquoi Bay Basin water quality management plan. The Missisquoi watershed begins with mountain streams and gorges on the flanks of the Green Mountains and includes the pastoral meanderings…

On warm wet evenings from mid-March through April you can often find salamanders and woodland frogs creeping over the still cold ground. They travel from the woods where they hibernated to vernal pools and swamps where they will breed. In prime…

Earlier this month, LCC Executive Director Lori Fisher teamed up on Capitol Hill with water advocates from across the country. In meetings with policy makers and legislative staff, she and water partners from Galveston Bay to Long Island Sound…

We're at work on the 2013 edition of the Trail guide and other Trail promotional materials. If you have pictures and stories from your 2012 water outings that you haven't shared yet, we'd love to see and hear them. MORE

The State of Vermont is considering legislation that would increase protection of lake shorelines. The Lake Champlain Committee supports this effort and has identified it as one of our top priorities for action coming out of the Agency of Natural…

2013 marks LCC's 50th anniversary of working for clean water. In celebration of this special anniversary, longtime LCC member Cliff Landesman has offered a challenge to help us build LCC's Legacy Fund, our working endowment. The endowment generates…

LCC, the US Environmental Protection Agency and other WaterSense partners are promoting a week focused on water conservation. Wasting water wastes energy and money and can contribute to lake pollution. Get a jump on the week by reviewing your water…

Lake Champlain Committee Staff Scientist Mike Winslow was recently appointed to chair the Technical Advisory Committee (TAC) for the Lake Champlain Basin Program (LCBP). The TAC is composed of professionals from academia, state and federal agencies,…

March marks a turning point in the annual cycle of the lake. As the sun creeps higher into the sky the lake begins to absorb more heat energy than it releases to the cold winter air. The exact time of switch in any given year depends on the frigidity…

Something about a wooded lakeshore invites exploration. Poking along in a canoe beneath the low-hung boughs of a cedar or birch tree you never know what you might find. Aesthetic draw is only one of the many benefits that natural shorelines offer.…

Why is ice so hard and slippery? What are pressure ridges and how do they form? Can we expect lake effect snow this month? Can fish get the flu? How do the lake’s turtles survive the winter? Find the answers to these and many more questions in Lake…

We are looking for several items in good condition to help our office and field programs hum along more smoothly. Please contact LCC Office Manger Jessica Rossi if you can provide any of the following. MORE

The New York DEC is considering changes to its large farm rule (CAFO – concentrated animal feeding operation) so that it no longer applies to farms with between 200 and 299 cows. MORE

LCC is part of a 32-member coalition of environmental groups, angler associations, and businesses who have signed a resolution urging public officials and elected leaders to make greater investments in protecting and restoring our waterways and water…

The Vermont DEC has released the final version of a report on funding needs for clean water in Vermont. The legislature requested the report in Act 138 of the 2012 session. DEC estimates it will cost $156 million per year in order to achieve the…

On Wednesday January 30th renowned climate change activist Bill McKibben spoke from the well of the Vermont statehouse in Montpelier to rally legislators to the urgency of preventing further climate change. McKibben came at the invitation of House…

On December 27, two New York State Public Service Commission (PSC) administrative law judges gave preliminary approval to a proposed project to lay a high voltage cable on the bottom of Lake Champlain in order to deliver electricity from…