Earlier this month lake effect snows dumped over seven FEET of snow around Buffalo, NY. Roads were closed for days; at least 30 roofs collapsed in Erie County; and at the latest toll 13 people had died as a result of the storm, many due to heart…
Sea lamprey, best known for their parasitism on salmonids, are among the most primitive organisms with backbones. They belong to a relic group of jawless fish called Agnathans. Their basic body structure evolved much earlier than most other…
Rail transport of explosive Bakken crude oil through the North Country has increased dramatically due to tremendous growth in outputs from Canada and the Bakken oil fields of North Dakota. Rail incidents in Quebec, Alberta, Alabama, North Dakota, New…
Prevent Tar Sands from being transported through our communities! File comments by 9/30/2014 with both the New York Department of Environmental Conservation and the federal Department of Transportation.
More than 130 concerned residents attended an LCC public forum to discuss the risks of crude oil train traffic through the Adirondack Park and Champlain Valley last week, with many saying they would urge New York state officials to fully assess the…
On August 25 four individual spiny waterfleas were found during routine monitoring of Lake Champlain. The invasive exotic zooplankton species were discovered in the middle portion of the Main Lake between Burlington and Port Kent.
In early August, more than 400,000 residents in Toledo, Ohio were warned not to consume, cook with, or even boil their tap water due to the presence of algae toxins in their source water, Lake Erie.
Should farmers who own land with greater potential to pollute Lake Champlain be held to a higher standard than those that own less vulnerable land? LCC agrees with a Conservation Law Foundation petition submitted to the Vermont Agency of Agriculture…
Governor Peter Shumlin sent a revised Phase I plan for the clean-up of Lake Champlain to EPA the end of May. The plan is an effort to meet requirements anticipated from a revised lake pollution budget required by EPA.
Bass are now the most popular recreational sport fish in America, and Lake Champlain has become a destination for bass fishing. In 2012, BassMaster Magazine listed Lake Champlain as the fifth best bass lake in the United States.
Earlier this year, an innovative sea lamprey barrier was put in place on Morpion Stream, a tributary of the Pike River in Notre-Dame-de-Stanbidge. The barrier addresses one of the largest uncontrolled populations of sea lamprey on Lake Champlain by…
The United States Department of Energy has released a Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS) for a electric transmission line that would run down the bottom of Lake Champlain and the Hudson River to deliver Canadian hydro-electricity to the New…
There are still more warm, drying days ahead before cold fall breezes blow in. Below are a few lawn and garden tips before you put tools away for the season.
While most people are savoring the last few days of summer, many birds have gotten beyond that and are beginning their travels to warmer winter climes. One of the first migrating birds you might encounter on Lake Champlain is the Bonaparte's gull.
Blue-green algae blooms have begun developing on Lake Champlain, particularly in the shallow northeastern bays – Missisquoi and St. Albans. Blue-green algae thrive in nutrient-rich water and can multiply rapidly to form blooms and scums.
The sound of trains clacking along the rails that abut Lake Champlain has become more common recently with the dramatic increase in freight traffic attributed to fossil fuel extraction.
In the midst of another spring of high water we remember the floods of 2011 that brought widespread devastation to the Champlain Basin. A large snow pack and extensive spring rains swelled Lake Champlain to a record height of 103.27 feet above sea…
Vermont has been working on revising a lake clean-up budget as directed by the Environmental Protection Agency. What are the chances that the budget will lead to a cleaner lake?
In the 2014 Vermont Legislative session the legislature debated bills to increase requirements for protecting lake shores, regulate toxic chemicals and provide more funding for water quality projects.
In late March, LCC joined with a number of other organizations interested in lakes and rivers to discuss ways to advance water quality policy in Vermont.
The 2014 Lake Champlain Paddlers' Trail Guidebook will be out soon. This year's edition is filled with important information for great adventures on the water. MORE
How much information can you convey in five minutes? That was the challenge presented at the Slam session of the recent meeting of the New England Association of Environmental Biologists.
Even if air temperatures seem balmy, the lake takes much longer to warm up. Additionally, strong currents and springtime debris are potential marine hazards this time of year. MORE
The high waters of early spring flood low-lying forested areas offer an excellent opportunity to maneuver your kayak or canoe through the trees and button bush of floodplains and back waters. Flooded navigable habitat can be found at the mouths of…
Winter in the Lake Champlain watershed brought abundant snow and ice this year. Before we fully embrace spring, we thought we'd share with you some great visuals taken by LCC members and supporters on their explorations on and around the lake. MORE
The lake clean-up plan known as a TMDL has been the subject of intense debate over the last year. EPA is in the process of developing a pollution budget while Vermont is responsible for outlining an implementation plan for meeting that budget. MORE
The Lake Champlain Committee, along with the Conservation Law Foundation, Vermont Natural Resources Council and Lake Champlain International, held a press conference at the State House in Montpelier last month asking Governor Shumlin to provide…
Plastics are everywhere. Try shopping for household goods and not coming home with plastic products. It’s almost impossible. Plastic does not degrade easily, yet so many plastic products are designed to be thrown away. Given that, it should come as…
In early February the Vermont Senate passed legislation to protect Vermont shorelands. Over the summer, legislators traveled around the state and held a series of public meetings to hear concerns about the bill. MORE
For the first time since 2007 Lake Champlain froze over. According to the records kept by the National Weather Service, ice cover used to be a fairly common event. View a slideshow of ice images. MORE
After the lake freeze, the few pockets of open water on Lake Champlain became magnets for the winter ducks, gulls, and eagles that stuck around and braved the frigid temperatures. MORE
You can view the lake year-round even when you're not lakeside with LCC's color note cards. An eight-card set includes two cards each of four different beautiful lake scenes. At $10 for members, $14 if you haven't joined yet, they're a great deal.…
Lake Champlain isn’t the only waterbody facing excessive phosphorus loading. In February, the International Joint Commission (IJC) released a report offering scientific and policy advice to governments as they implement plans to respond to…
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) portion of Lake Champlain restoration funding was cut by over a million dollars, from $2,432,000 in 2013 to $1,399,000 for 2014. For over 20 years these annual federal appropriations have supported critical…
In late November Vermont released a new “Proposal for a Clean Lake Champlain.” The public comment period for the proposal ended on January 17th. LCC and EPA were among 42 individuals and organizations to weigh in on the state plan.
Drugs are making their way from our medicine cabinets into our waters, and traces of pharmaceuticals have been found in the environment. Drugs may pass through our bodies unchanged or unused pills may be dumped down the toilet. Wastewater treatments…
