PC Construction is celebrating its 55th anniversary year by giving $5,500 grants to five non-profit organizations. PC Construction employees chose the top ten contenders and now the public gets choose the winners. MORE Read...
News from Selected Category
Funding appears to have been secured for the remaining Lake Champlain Basin stream gages that were threatened with closure. Thanks to all of you who made calls or wrote letters emphasizing the importance of our stream gages and the need for on-going, stable funding! MORE Read...
Roads have an ecological impact far greater than would be anticipated based on the amount of area they cover. They act as filters for animal movement; allowing only some individuals to cross. They provide conduits for seed dispersal for many invasive plants. They are direct sources of pollutants like salt, motor oil, and pesticides used to keep vegetation at bay. MORE Read...
Strong winds in the lower atmosphere often develop in late autumn along Lake Champlain. These events, called low-level jets, can occur when a high pressure system over the Atlantic Ocean creates southerly winds which become channelized and accelerated by the north-south orientation of the Champlain Valley. MORE Read...
Help keep our waters clean by sweeping or raking leaves away from roadways. Piles of autumn leaves can become part of the stormwater flow into the lake. Rake up any leaves you see collecting on sidewalks, driveways, and roadways near your house. MORE Read...
On Facebook? We are too! 'Like' LCC's Facebook page for engaging content, the latest lake news, and beautiful lake photos. Here's how to like the Lake Champlain Committee on Facebook. MORE Read...
Please join in LCC's 50th birthday party on Saturday, September 14 from 2:00 - 5:00 PM at Flat Rock Camp in Willsboro, New York. We'll reflect on 50 years of lake protection work, honor special volunteers, and look to the future. MORE Read...
No algae blooms reported from 10 LCC monitoring locations. MORE Read...
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 would rehash issues previously studied in 1937 and 1981. MORE Read...
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 overflows in Vermont this year. MORE Read...
The Vermont Legislature has created a Lake Shoreland Protection Commission to provide information about existing and proposed shoreland protection measures and receive public input on ways to improve regulation of shoreland properties. MORE Read...
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 Read...
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 Clark University, and Sam Weber from Virginia Tech, conducted their work from afar, under the guidance of Dr. Kenton Ross. MORE Read...
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 segmented bodies and lack a structural skeleton. MORE Read...
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 emerge this time of year are newly hatched from eggs laid in the spring. MORE Read...
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 Champlain. MORE Read...
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 entire Champlain Valley for half a century,” GMP President and CEO Mary Powell said in delivering the award. MORE Read...
LCC's blue-green algae monitoring program got underway several weeks ago. Staff Scientist Mike Winslow has trained over 200 people to assess conditions, differentiate blue-green algae from other lake phenomena, and categorize water quality. MORE Read...
Don't forget to mark your calendar and plan to join us for our 50th anniversary celebration at Flat Rock Camp in Willsboro, New York. We'll have great food, camaraderie as we reflect on the past and look forward. Many thanks to our hosts the Paine Family and event sponsor Champlain National Bank. Further details will follow but please set aside the date for this special lake gathering. Read...
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 listings, natural history articles, safety and stewardship tips, equipment check lists and more! MORE Read...
Get out on the water and support great lake-related causes - including the Lake Champlain Committee - by participating in the 2013 Regatta for Lake Champlain! This year’s event, the tenth annual, will take place on Burlington’s Waterfront July 19 and 20. The Regatta for Lake Champlain is not your ordinary day out on the Lake; it's a family-friendly benefit sailboat race to promote the health, well-being, sustainable use and stewardship of Lake Champlain. MORE Read...
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 result of sequestration. Additional streamgages may be affected if partners reduce their funding to support USGS streamgages. MORE Read...
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 long for the Army Corps and the New York State Canal Corps to figure out what they need to study before they can erect any barriers to spreading the species to Lake Champlain. MORE Read...
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 three years ago and negotiations towards approval spanned almost 16 months. MORE Read...
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. MORE Read...
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 designation ‘hazardous’ from fracking waste. Read...
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 publically owned waste water treatment works or sewer systems within two hours of discovery of the discharge. MORE Read...
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 are many pine trees in the vicinity of the lake, and thus indicates a degree of health in the watershed. MORE Read...
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 Read...
Join LCC for our last Bird Walk this Friday, May 31 at 8:00 AM at Oakledge Park. LCC’s Staff Scientist will help participants identify birds by sight and sound. We'll conclude with a post-walk social with coffee and bagels at LCC's office. MORE Read...
