News by Category

Watershed for Every Classroom" is a year-long professional development experience for educators in the Lake Champlain Basin (Vermont, New York and Quebec), brought to you by the Champlain Basin Education Initiative of which LCC is a member. It…

As ice and snow melt they reveal a winter’s worth of detritus along our roadsides and walkways: dog droppings, sodden papers, and blown rubbish. Instead of just side stepping the mess, take a moment to clean-up some of the wayward waste before it…

Lake Champlain has been designated a national ‘Great Water’ through the America’s Great Waters Coalition. The Coalition was launched in December 2009 by the National Wildlife Federation and an Alliance of more than 30 national, regional, state and…

New York and Vermont officials are looking for input today on the design for the new Lake Champlain Bridge. Six designs for a replacement bridge have been proposed and you can vote for your favorite through midnight tonight. The 80-year-old Lake…

Numerous bass fishing tournaments are held around the lake each year. A fish kill from a recent Plattsburgh event rekindled concerns about the number of fishing tournaments on the lake and raised questions about the impact to the bass fishery. To…

New York Governor David A. Paterson and Vermont Governor Jim Douglas have received a report from their states' respective transportation agencies which finds that it is not feasible to rehabilitate the Champlain Bridge. Engineers have declared that…

As you go about your food preparations for Thanksgiving and other upcoming holidays, consider supporting local farmers. If you live in the Champlain Valley, finding eggs, butter, cheese, cream and milk and even poultry produced nearby is fairly easy…

Why do clouds hang low over the lake on autumn mornings?
Where do invasive species come from and how do they arrive?
How might global warming affect Lake Champlain’s future?
How did the lake get here?

Hundreds of University of Vermont students are…

Sometime in November or December those who spend time on the lake in quiet contemplation might notice the normally clear water becomes murky, despite the absence of rain. A stale rotten smell may fill the air, even though the summer's algae blooms…

In late September, LCC celebrated its 46th annual meeting as part of the Crown Point Quadricentennial and Festival of Nations. The Crown Point Bridge was an integral part of the bi-state events. Thousands of participants crisscrossed the lake in cars…

Check out LCC’s Lake Shop for the perfect present for a fellow lake lover. We have lake note cards, art prints, and a great natural history book to help you celebrate friendships, thank a host, stuff stockings, and remember the holidays. You can also…

The largest known population of mudpuppies on Lake Champlain was found recently in the Lamoille River when over 500 of the reclusive nocturnal amphibians were killed by chemicals added to the river to kill sea lamprey. It is unknown how many…

LCC Staff Scientist Mike Winslow will discuss the historic and on-going cooperative efforts to protect Lake Champlain. Learn more about the lake, what is being done to restore its health, and how you can make a difference in Lake Champlain’s future,…

Keep the lake in mind when loading your automatic dishwasher and use phosphorus-free detergent. Check the labels on the products you buy to ensure the brand you choose doesn’t include phosphorus to avoid sending excess nutrients into our waterways.  …

As summer fades to winter blue-green algae blooms become but a memory.   But what actually happens to the algae? Well, it depends on the species. Some blue-green algae produce specialized resting cells called akinetes that settle to the bottom of the…

Aquatic biologists at Vermont’s Agency of Natural Resources (ANR) found a population of the invasive plant, variable-leaved watermilfoil, in the southern end of Missisquoi Bay. Similar to the native whorled watermilfoil, a rare plant species in the…

Join LCC Staff Scientist Mike Winslow at the Lake Champlain Maritime Museum at Basin Harbor, Vermont on Thursday, October 1 for a provocative lake presentation. Learn about the forces that shape the lake, the creatures that call it home, the…

While raking leaves and puttering around the house this fall, check the nearest stormdrain to be sure it too is free of debris. Plugged stormdrains prevent water from entering the storm sewer. Instead, the water starts eroding its own path to the…

LCC wrapped up our 7th algae monitoring season just after Labor Day. Overall, although patchy blooms continued in Missisquoi Bay and sporadic blooms popped up in other parts of the lake, the frequency and intensity of blooms was lower this summer…

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. Any time the…

Throughout cold autumn evenings, the layer of air closest to the Lake Champlain’s water accumulates moisture and warmth. The moisture condenses and a thick steam fog forms with colder air masses generating thicker fogs. As the strengthening sun…

Variable leaved-milfoil, a new invasive species in Lake Champlain, has been confirmed in Missisquoi Bay. Variable-leaved milfoil is closely related to Eurasian watermilfoil which already infests much of the lake. Click the headline for more…

LCC and the University of Vermont are collaborating on a recreational study for the Lake Champlain Paddlers Trail. Surveys were sent this summer to all LCC members who receive our annual Paddlers’ Trail guidebook. Thanks to everyone who has…

LCC volunteers have been hard at work collecting water samples to identify algae blooms around Lake Champlain.  This summer has been relatively quiet.   The thick pervasive bloom often seen in the lake’s northeastern bays has been less prevalent than…

If you see lights out on Lake Champlain in the next few weeks it’s probably not UFOs. The Adirondack Cooperative Loon Program will be conducting night time surveys of loons on Lake Champlain. Researchers have found that going out at night with…

The Vermont Fish & Wildlife Department gave its recently-established muskellunge restoration effort a boost in August when it stocked 250 four-month old muskellunge in the Missisquoi River Delta. The fish were donated by the New York State Department…

Their names can evoke spine-chilling fear - bog haunter, pond hawk, shadow dragon, widow skimmer - or elfin magic - jewel wing, aurora dancer, sedge sprite. They are the subject of old wives tales about sewn lips of misbehaved children or their…

LCC kicks off its seventh year of algae monitoring around Lake Champlain on July 6th. Water samples are taken weekly by volunteers around Lake Champlain and the results are analyzed by UVM’s Rubenstein Ecosystem Science Laboratory. LCC coordinates…

Learn more about the lake at these upcoming events

Explore the forces that shape Lake Champlain, the creatures that call it home, and how you can make a difference in its future at Main Street Landing’s Film House, 60 Lake Street in Burlington on…

LCC along with the Vermont Agency of Natural Resources (ANR) has recently completed our third year of monitoring at a stream restoration site on Rugg Brook in St. Albans. Rugg Brook is an impaired waterway that flows into St. Albans Bay. An LCC…

The 2009 Quadricentennial edition of the Lake Champlain Paddlers’ Trail and Stewardship Manual is out! This year’s edition includes new site descriptions, revised maps and a special section on cultural history. Join or renew your membership at a…

Washing the car on a sunny weekend afternoon is part of the typical suburban summer scene. But usually the dirt, grime, detergents, and greases from the car end up in the local waterway and eventually Lake Champlain. Here are some tips to make your…

On land plants have developed elaborate mechanisms to ensure pollen passes from male flowers to female flowers through wind or intermediate pollinators and thus ensuring reproduction; water presents a different challenge. Pollen can not move through…

Get out on the water and support great lake-related causes - including the Lake Champlain Committee - by participating in the 2009 Regatta for Lake Champlain! The event kicks off Friday, July 24th from 7:30 pm to midnight at the ECHO Science Center…

Lake Champlain: A Natural History has won an IPPY Award from Independent Publishers. The group recognizes the best independently published books of the year.  Our book tied for silver for Best Regional Non-Fiction in the US Northeast.   

If you…

New York State Electric and Gas (NYSEG) has completed removal of contaminated wastes for an upland area of a former manufactured gas plant on Saranac Street in the City of Plattsburgh. The plant operated from 1896 to 1960, and the contaminants were…

Join in a fun day of trail maintenance and hiking at beautiful Niquette Bay, one of the stops on the Paddlers’ Trail. Individuals and families with children 8 and up are welcome to help us get this popular network of trails ready for summer. Lunch…

For the seventh consecutive year, the Lake Champlain Committee is coordinating a volunteer blue green algae monitoring program for near-shore areas of the lake. Citizen monitors collect water samples on a weekly basis which are analyzed by the…

The 2009 Quadricentennial edition of the Lake Champlain Paddlers’ Trail and Stewardship Manual will be mailed in June. Join or renew your membership at a level of $40 or more and we’ll mail you the informative guide to the Trail’s 37 locations that…