New Leader for the Lake Champlain Basin Program
For Immediate Release
Contact: Jane Ceraso, NEIWPCC Director of Water Resource Protection Programs, (978) 323-7929
New Leader for the Lake Champlain Basin Program
Lowell, Mass., July 7, 2016 – The New England Interstate Water Pollution Control Commission (NEIWPCC) and the Lake Champlain Basin Program (LCBP) are pleased to announce that Dr. Eric A. Howe has accepted the position of program director of the LCBP, replacing Dr. William (Bill) Howland who retired from this position on June 22, 2016, after seventeen years. Howe has worked on water quality and watershed management issues in the Lake Champlain basin for nearly 20 years; for the past seven years he has served as Technical Coordinator for LCBP.
As the program director for LCBP, Dr. Howe will work to administer a federally-funded program designed to protect and preserve Lake Champlain and its bi-state and bi-national watershed through partnerships that conserve and restore natural resources, promote the use of sound science to support management decisions, enhance water quality, and promote community involvement and stewardship. Howe will also serve as director of the Champlain Valley National Heritage Partnership, a federally recognized Heritage Program and subprogram of LCBP whose focus is to increase knowledge and appreciation of the area’s cultural heritage, outdoor recreational opportunities, and historic landmarks.
“We are very pleased by this appointment,” said Ronald Poltak, NEIWPCC’s executive director. “Eric is highly regarded by the Lake Champlain basin community and there is no question that he will successfully lead LCBP forward. Eric will help raise public awareness about the importance of this bi-state, bi-national ecosystem and national historic treasure.” “EPA is happy to welcome Dr. Howe as the new program director of the LCBP,” said Curt Spalding, regional administrator of EPA’s New England office. “Eric brings experience working on Lake Champlain issues with local communities, environmental organizations, the research community, and state, federal and provincial leaders. EPA looks forward to working with him and the steering committee to focus on critical new challenges while building on previous LCBP successes.”
Dr. Howe holds a Ph.D. in Natural Resources and a Master of Science in Wildlife and Fisheries Biology from the University of Vermont. He obtained his Bachelor of Science at the State University of New York in Environmental and Forest Biology. Eric started his career in environmental protection in the late 1990s working with the Darrin Fresh Water Institute of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. Subsequent positions included serving as a lake protection scientist for the Vermont Department of Environmental Conservation’s Water Quality Division prior to joining NEIWPCC as the Lake Champlain Basin Program’s Technical Coordinator in 2009.
NEIWPCC is a not-for-profit interstate agency that works to meet the water-related needs of its member states – Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York, Rhode Island, and Vermont. This includes coordinating forums and events, developing educational and technical resources, training environmental professionals and providing overall leadership in water management and protection. NEIWPCC has served as the host of LCBP for over 25 years, since 1991. Lead by Senator Patrick Leahy, the US Congress passed the Lake Champlain Special Designation Act of 1990 which initiated the development of the Lake Champlain Basin Program located in Grand Isle, VT. New York, Vermont, and Quebec work hand-in- hand to address critical issues facing Lake Champlain.