Plant identification is not restricted to a particular season. Though woody plants can be difficult to identify in winter, the activity adds a new dynamic to winter adventures and is a fun challenge. Read on for identification tips about two common…
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…
In partnership with Jesse Bowman Bruchac, a Nulhegan Abenaki citizen and a teacher of the Abenaki language, the Middlebury Language Schools is launching a pilot School of Abenaki in summer 2020. Native to New England and Quebec, the Abenaki language…
Beavers are active year-round. Explore what a beaver lodge and dam is like in the wintertime with conservation biologist, Steve Faccio, and Outdoor Radio co-hosts, Kent McFarland and Sarah Zahendra, at a frozen beaver pond in Pomfret, VT. From…
Ice formations are a wonderful display of winter. Temperature gradients impact the formation and type of ice we observe. Water at or near the soil surface freezes and expands into the open space above ground, creating spectacular columns of ice,…
The Trump Administration recently finalized a rule that removes protections on waterbodies across the country. Trump’s new rule, “Navigable Waters Protection Rule,” rolls back crucial components of the Obama administration’s 2015 rule, “Waters of the…
Scientists studying Antartica’s Thwaites Glacier, larger in size than the state of Pennsylvania, are concerned about rising water temperatures at its “grounding line.” The grounding line is where the glacier transitions from laying on bedrock to…
A coalition of Environmental organizations—the Lake Champlain Committee (LCC), Conservation Law Foundation (CLF), Vermont Natural Resources Council (VNRC), and Vermont Audubon—issued a water quality-related press release on December 13, 2019.
Protecting wetlands is a longstanding priority for the Lake Champlain Committee (LCC). The areas of interface between shoreland and water are a vital part of Lake Champlain’s ecosystem. Thank you for using your voice to protect Vermont’s wetlands now…
In early September, Lake Champlain Basin Program Boat (LCBP) Launch Steward Matthew Gorton was conducting a routine boat inspection for invasive species prevention at a public access site in South Hero, Vermont when he noticed an unusual plant…
Eight years ago last April 13, Lake Champlain reached flood stage (100 feet) and stayed above that level for a record-setting 67 days. Waters rose to 103.27 feet – the highest the lake has been since records have been kept. Lakeside homes, roads and…
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.
Hundreds of LCC-trained volunteers took to the water from mid-June through mid-November to assess conditions at more than 100 Lake Champlain and inland waterway sites. Each week they scoured the shoreline for signs of cyanobacteria, donned gloves and…
When it comes to the wicked cold of winter, wildlife and humans are in it together: we bundle up, bunker down, hibernate, or head south. A plunge below Lake Champlain’s surface reveals the winter adaptations of hardy wildlife—it’s like watching a…
Wastewater treatment and septic systems are designed to handle the four Ps—pee, poop, puke, and (toilet) paper—and nothing else. Flushing other paper products, plastics, disposable diapers, pharmaceuticals, dryer lint, condoms, tampons or…
Waterfowl add a bright note to frigid winter days. Many birds escape from colder northern climes to the comparative warmth of Lake Champlain. Ducks can be observed on the lake throughout the winter, in open waters or wherever the edge of the ice is.
Fifty years ago this past September, LCC led grassroots opposition to a proposal to build a nuclear power plant on the Charlotte, VT shore. Kevin Burget of the Charlotte Conservation Commission interviewed LCC Advisory Council member Peter Paine for…
Eight months ago, an Addison County, Vermont farm spread excess liquid manure overtop its snow-covered fields. Since then, two Vermont state agencies, the Agency of Agriculture, Food & Markets (VAAFM) and the Agency of Natural Resources (VT ANR),…
This report by biologist, writer, explorer Bryan Pfeiffer provides annual breaking news on the migration of snow geese through Vermont and New York. Clinton County, New York is currently 2019’s snow goose hotspot: 8,000 snow geese were observed in…
Fatbergs have become commonplace in city sewer systems around the world. They are an accumulation of fat, oil, and grease congealed around common household solid waste items like “flushable” wipes, paper towels, and tampons. The removal of fatbergs…
This is the last report of the 2019 Lake Champlain and Inland Lake cyanobacteria monitoring season. Lake Champlain Committee (LCC) monitors and partners have filed over 2,700 reports from Lake Champlain and inland lakes during a 22-week season. We’re…
It’s snowing in the Lake Champlain Valley, coating much of our region in a gentle blanket of white as we enter our last weeks of cyanobacteria monitoring. The cooler temperatures make conditions much less hospitable for cyanobacteria, so not…
Cyanobacteria blooms were reported this week from Lake Champlain’s St. Albans Bay, Inland Sea, Main Lake North, Main Lake Central and Main Lake South as well as at Lake Carmi and Lake Memphremagog. Yesterday’s intense rain may wash cyanobacteria out…
Blooms were observed this week at a few Lake Champlain locations as well as on Lake Memphremagog. Temperatures are predicted to stay fairly warm into the beginning of next week, so cyanobacteria may continue to show up in waterways. As you enjoy…
Blooms were experienced this week in Lake Champlain’s St. Albans Bay and Main Lake North, as well as Lake Carmi and Lake Memphremagog. We’ve had a blustery few days, with strong winds triggering lots of wave action on our waterways. In addition to…
We had some great weather for leaf peeping this week but unfortunately, those moderate temperatures and sunny, calm days also helped cyanobacteria blooms flourish. High alert or mixed conditions were witnessed in Lake Champlain’s St. Albans Bay, the…
As temperatures cool and hues of orange, yellow and red color the hillsides, we hope you are enjoying autumn’s beauty. Although blooms are less likely as air and water temperatures drop and frost warnings are in effect, cyanobacteria can still…
Unseasonably warm weekend weather triggered a spate of 17 bloom reports on 9/21 and 9/22. More blooms followed during the week, with some monitors reporting their first blooms of 2019. With temperatures predicted to rise into the 70s on Saturday, we…
The time to prepare for future floods is now. Communities that took steps to protect themselves in advance of Tropical Storm Irene were often able to avoid some of the devastation that confronted their neighbors.
Today marks the global climate strike followed by a week of events to highlight the urgency of climate action. Water is a primary medium through which we feel the effects of climate change. Declining water quality is another consequence of a warming…
Mixed conditions were reported again this week on Lake Champlain in Missisquoi Bay, St. Albans Bay, and the Inland Sea, and also at Lake Carmi. The floating mats of the benthic cyanobacteria Oscillatoria sp. that we showed you pictures of last week…
Kids are back at school, seasonal staff are leaving beach and park areas, and there’s a hint of fall in the air this first week of September. However, cyanobacteria can still flourish even when autumn colors begin to show on the hillsides which is…
It was another busy week for <link about-lcc>Lake Champlain Committee (LCC) monitors with alert level conditions reported from Lake Champlain’s Missisquoi Bay, St. Albans Bay, Inland Sea, Main Lake North, Main Lake South, and South Lake. Cyanobacteria was also…
We hope you’ve been enjoying the cooler temperatures and lower humidity this week. Here are results from our tenth week of the Lake Champlain Committee (LCC) cyanobacteria monitoring program. You’ll find resources and links to help you identify,…
Alert level conditions were reported from several Lake Champlain locations and inland lakes this week including Lake Champlain’s inland sea, St. Albans and Missisquoi Bays and at Indian Brook Reservoir, Lake Carmi and Shelburne Pond. Scattered storms…
While there were many reports of generally safe conditions this week several sections of Lake Champlain as well as some inland waterways continue to be plagued by mixed conditions. Read LCC's latest report on cyanobacteria conditions for the week of…
Lake Champlain Committee Monitors filed 177 reports this week! Blooms appeared in four Lake Champlain regions: Missisquoi Bay, St. Albans Bay, Inland Sea, and Main Lake Central. There were also bloom conditions at Lake Carmi and Shelburne Pond. Warm…
Over 216 reports were filed this week from Lake Champlain and inland waterways. Blooms were observed in all regions of Lake Champlain, except Malletts Bay and South Lake; Lake Carmi also had reports of cyanobacteria. Sun and heat are in the forecast…
Lake Champlain Committee monitors filed over 196 reports this week for Lake Champlain and inland waterways. While there were plenty of reports of clear water, blooms proliferated in parts of Missisquoi Bay, St. Albans Bay, the Inland Sea, Main Lake…
