LCC News

Following on a 2008 lawsuit from the Conservation Law Foundation (CLF) the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has agreed to rewrite the Lake Champlain phosphorus budget known as a TMDL. The TMDL established an amount of phosphorus that can be…

The Vermont legislature is considering bills (H. 26 and S. 35) that would limit the amount of lawn fertilizers used in the state. Frequently, homeowners apply fertilizer in excess of what is needed by lawns. Excess fertilizer has detrimental affects…

The Lake Champlain Committee and environmental consulting firm Arrowwood Environmental have won a competitive grant from the Lake Champlain Basin Program to conduct an invasive species survey of Missisquoi Bay. In recent years, Missisquoi Bay has…

A new version of Opportunities for Action has been released. Opportunities for Action is the management plan that guides how federal and state resources are spent to protect and restore Lake Champlain. Regular revisions to Opportunities for Action…

LCC has been awarded a pollution prevention grant in the most recent round of competitive funding from the Lake Champlain Basin Program. LCC will conduct a water conservation education and outreach program working with multiple partners and in…

Throughout the country municipalities and states have struggled over what to do with old or unneeded pharmaceuticals. Too often, they are simply flushed down the toilet, but sewage treatment plants aren’t necessarily equipped to remove them. As a…

If you’re a skilled carpenter with time on your hands we could use your help! LCC is looking for several volunteers to tackle an interior job building walls and work counters for our office space. The project work will likely take place late winter…

Winter often offers a frozen lake for skating, fishing, and myriad other activities. Throughout the winter you can watch for changes in the ice as it continues to grow, shrink, and move. Three phenomena that demonstrate the dynamic nature of ice are…

Take a deep breath. In. Your lungs fill with cool, oxygen rich air. Out. The exhaled air has less oxygen, more carbon dioxide. The average adult at rest breathes twelve times per minute, all for the purpose of exchanging gases in the lungs, to bring…

Let us know if there is anyone whom you think would enjoy getting our Ripples E-News bulletins and please, forward it on to colleagues, friends, and relatives that share your love of the lake. We welcome your comments and suggestions for topics to…

If you’ve had an address change recently, please send us an email so we can update your files and ensure you receive news on lake issues and LCC’s work. Our primary form of communication with members is through email. By mailing electronically we…

Do you keep Lake Champlain in your heart through the year? LCC Staff Scientist Mike Winslow puts a Lake Champlain twist on Charles Dicken's 'A Christmas Carol'. Now you can hear him read his piece and see how the ghosts of the lake - Past, Present,…

The Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute Darrin Fresh Water Institute (DFWI) is leading a pilot project to assess the effectiveness of benthic barrier mats in controlling Asian clam (Corbicula fluminea), the newest aquatic invasive species in Lake…

The Burlington Free Press reported that researchers from the University of Vermont (UVM) are conducting the first survey since the 1930s of lake whitefish populations in Lake Champlain, and the results have been promising. Whitefish are relatives of…

Results from the Lake Champlain Committee's volunteer water monitoring program provide insight into the levels and locations of nutrient pollution. In 2010, significant algae blooms developed early during a July heat wave. Evidence of the bloom was…

The New York State Public Service Commission (PSC) conducted a series of public hearings about the proposal to place a cable underneath Lake Champlain to transport electricity to New York City. LCC testified about concerns regarding impacts to the…

It was November of 2009 when the Champlain Bridge was suddenly closed for good due to structural weaknesses in the bridge supports. One year later the bridge is gone; destroyed in a controlled explosion last December. Debris from the original bridge…

LCC received a $1,500 gift from our friends at the Regatta for Lake Champlain. Established in 2004, the Regatta is a fun annual sailing event that raises funds to support organizations working to promote the health, well-being and sustainable use of…

Autmn’s panoply of colors blankets the mountains of the Champlain Valley. All summer the trees have been investing in short-term high-yield leaves to collect sunlight, and then placing the dividends in long-term wood. Now, they’re dumping their…

On Lake Champlain we have become accustomed to winters when the lake no longer freezes over completely. From the mid 1800s, the time of the first available records, until the 1950s it was almost a given that the lake would freeze over each year.…

If you’ve had an address change recently, please send us an email so we can correct your files and ensure that we keep you updated on lake issues and LCC’s work. LCC’s primary form of communication with members is through email. By mailing…

This Sunday, October 10, you can be part of a global work party of grassroots efforts to implement climate solutions. The idea initiated from climate crusader, international environmental activist author, and Champlain Valley resident Bill McKibben…

What happens to all the leaves that fall into the Champlain Valley’s rivers during autumn as they make their way to Lake Champlain? Why does a thin line of clouds appear over the lake on crisp October days? Why do you sometimes notice a stale rotten…

The International Joint Commission (IJC) will hold two public meetings to discuss progress on identifying important land areas contributing to the pollution of Missisquoi Bay. The meetings will be October 12th in Swanton at the Village Municipal…

Some of the water quality problems that plague Lake Champlain, begin in our own backyards. Find out what you can do to reduce pollutant loading from your property at a free public workshop focusing on...

October is usually the month when Lake Champlain reaches its lowest levels. The average lake level for October is 95.03 feet. Water evaporates throughout the heat of the summer. When plants are growing they transpire water through their leaves…

The presence of pharmaceuticals and other “new generation” contaminants in surface waters of the United States has been well documented. In Lake Champlain, for example, researchers have found caffeine, HHCB (a musk fragrance), metolachlor (an…

On October 31, 2009 winds buffeted the Champlain Valley stirring the leaves of Halloween. The winds were sustained over a twelve hour period. The next day, the Plattsburgh Press Republican reported wind damage from throughout Essex and Clinton…

Landlocked Atlantic salmon head from Lake Champlain into tributaries to spawn during the fall. The main run of salmon usually extends from early September into mid-November...

The underwater cap at the Burlington Barge Canal Superfund Site is being repaired to ensure that contaminants don’t migrate to Lake Champlain. The $3.5 million sand and silt cap, originally installed during 2003 and 2004, has been largely…

The presence of a new exotic species, Asian clam, has been confirmed in Lake George, NY. Lake George drains directly to Lake Champlain via the LaChute River. The thumbnail-sized Asian clam, blamed for clouding Lake Tahoe in the High Sierras...

New York State has passed a bill regulating the use of phosphorus by homeowners. As of January 1, 2012, homeowners and landscape contractors will not be able to apply fertilizer containing phosphorus to their lawns in the absence of a soil test that…

Not sure what to do with leftover medicines collecting in your cabinet? The U.S. Department of Justice Drug Enforcement Administration is sponsoring a nationwide collection event for unused, unwanted or expired drugs. On Saturday September 25 from 10…

A friend recently commented on how different the water of Lake Champlain looked compared to the famous deep blue color of the Mediterranean Sea. The observation prompted me to remember the turquoise of the lakes in Glacier National Park in Montana...

Come play in, on and around the lake with LCC on Saturday, August 28^th from 10:00 AM until 2:00 PM at beautiful Oakledge Park in Burlington. We’ll have delicious food from local purveyors, lake news, a “State of the Lake” report, and plenty of…

Eurasian water milfoil (milfoil) is the bane of many a lake user. This aggressive non-native plant invades lake systems and spreads prolifically, choking out other plants and making swimming, boating, and fishing...

What animal is more humble than a snail? They are the epitome of slowness. The dull-colored shells are easily overlooked within the lake and rarely studied, but snails are a source of food for 20% of freshwater fish species including sunfish and…

If you’re thinking of fertilizing this fall, take time now to get a soil test to find out what it needs and help protect our waterways. Fall, not spring, is the best time to fertilize lawns in the Champlain Valley. You can obtain soil test kits…

Get your copy by joining LCC or renewing your membership!

The 2010 edition of the Lake Champlain Paddlers' Trail Guidebook and Stewardship Manual is out! It’s jam-packed with important information for great adventures on the water including site…

The Nature Conservancy (TNC) recently released a report titled “Climate Change in the Champlain Basin: What natural resource managers can expect and do,” one of the first efforts in North America to assess climate change on a watershed scale and…