LCBP Releases Opportunities for Action 2017

Vermont Governor Phil Scott signs OFA.

On June 19, partners from around the Lake Champlain Basin gathered at Champlain Memorial Lighthouse in Crown Point, New York for the release of the new version of Opportunities for Action: An Evolving Plan for the Future of the Lake Champlain Basin. The management plan will guide the LCBP’s work over the next five years to improve and restore water quality and ecosystem integrity in the watershed. It lays out objectives and strategies to address four primary goals: Clean Water, Healthy Ecosystems, Thriving Communities, and an Informed and Involved Public.

Morning rain showers held off long enough for the group to hear remarks from representatives and signatories from Vermont, New York, Québec, and the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Vermont Governor Phil Scott and acting Regional Administrators for EPA Regions 1 and 2, Deborah Szaro and Catherine McCabe, endorsed the document for their respective jurisdictions. Governor Andrew Cuomo is expected to sign the plan on behalf of New York State later this summer. Premier of Québec Philippe Couillard endorsed the plan with a letter of support and cooperation.

Senator Patrick Leahy, who introduced the legislation that created the LCBP more than 25 years ago, said: “I am proud that after more than 25 years, the Lake Champlain Basin Program is moving ahead, stronger than ever, with a fresh new plan and plenty of energy to protect and restore the Lake. As Vice Chairman of the Appropriations Committee it continues to be my priority to continue the federal share of the support required to make this plan a reality.”

The 2017 version of the plan is its fourth iteration. Lake and watershed conditions and issues have continued to change since the plan was first endorsed in 1996. Progress has been made in many areas, and priorities for action have evolved to reflect the dynamic nature of human interactions in a complex ecosystem. Like previous updates in 2003 and 2010, the 2017 version addresses the latest challenges and opportunities related to nutrient loading, aquatic invasive species, habitat conservation, and cultural heritage preservation.

Opportunities for Action is a tool for the Lake Champlain Steering Committee, which develops the LCBP’s annual budget and directs its work, including several key functions that are defined in the plan: coordinate actions that benefit the watershed; support local level involvement and public engagement; monitor success relative to benchmarks; promote and advise partner communications; secure and direct funding; conduct sound research; foster information exchange; and regularly update plan recommendations. These functions inform priority task areas for each goal, which are implemented through the LCBP’s annual budget process.

Partners and stakeholders gathered within view of the Lake Champlain Bridge for the signing of Opportunities for Action.

Read the Plan

NEIWPCC, Fiscal Agent for the LCBP, Under New Leadership

This month, Susan Sullivan took the helm of the New England Interstate Water Pollution Control Commission (NEIWPCC).  Susan had been the agency’s deputy director since 1997; she succeeds Ronald Poltak of Auburn, New Hampshire, who has led the organization since 1983. Ron is now enjoying a very well-deserved retirement! NEIWPCC is an interstate compact founded in 1947 by an act of Congress, with a broad mandate to help its member states to preserve, protect, and advance the quality of their precious water resources. NEIWPCC member states include the six New England states and New York. The group last year oversaw $14 million in environmental and water quality research, training, certification, and monitoring efforts across the region. 

Many of LCBP’s partners are aware that NEIWPCC serves as the LCBP’s fiscal agent. In this role, NEIWPCC serves to assist and support the LCBP in implementing Opportunities for Action, provides programmatic advice, hires and supervises staff, manages subawards and contracts, and provides administrative, financial, and human resources support. NEIWPCC also provides direction to the LCBP and the work of its staff.

Susan has been active in national and international groups as an advocate for the region, the compact states, and for best clean-water practices generally. She is a member of the Board of Directors of the Association of Clean Water Administrators. She represents the New England Water Environment Association to the Water Environment Federation’s House of Delegates, where she is a member of the body’s standing committees on Strategic Planning, on Outreach, and on its Nominating Committee.

The LCBP team is looking forward to working with this highly-regarded, long-standing water quality organization under its new leadership. Congratulations, Susan!

IJC-Funded Draft Lake Champlain-Richelieu River Plan Released

High waters flood the streets of Venise-en-Québec in spring 2011. Photo courtesy Québec MDDELCC.

The International Lake Champlain-Richelieu River Study Board has released its draft Work Plan, The Identification of Measures to Mitigate Flooding and the Impacts of Flooding of the Lake Champlain and Richelieu River. The Work Plan was prepared in response to the Plan of Study presented by the International Joint Commission (IJC) to the United States and Canadian governments in 2013.

To meet the objectives of the Plan of Study, which was commissioned in response to the devastating flooding of 2011, the Work Plan outlines a number of tasks that will address floodplain management over the five-year timeframe. Work will include an assessment of potential flood management and mitigation measures, a real-time flood forecasting and mapping system, and a study of public perception of flood mitigation techniques.

The study teams are comprised of an equal number of members from Canada and the United States with backgrounds in engineering and science, resource management or conservation, communications, social sciences, public outreach, public safety, and information technology. With LCBP staff support, the IJC hosted three public meetings in July to present the draft work plan and solicit public comments and feedback. The IJC accepted comments until July 28.

Three Technical Working Groups (Hydrology, Hydraulics, and Mapping; Flood Management and Mitigation; and Resource Response) and a Social, Political and Economic Analysis Group are responsible for planning and implementing activities to achieve the goals of the plan. A meeting of these groups in August will review the outcomes of the public meetings and begin the process of assessing flood control options and development of performance indicators and metrics for evaluation of those options.

Learn more and read the Work Plan

Education and Outreach Highlights

Teachers in the WEC program reflect on the interface of land and water.

Watershed for Every Classroom Concludes
A new group of teachers completed the Watershed for Every Classroom (WEC) program in May. The teachers spent the last couple days of the program exploring the lakeshore of Grand Isle, learning about local plant ecology and human/environment interactions, and reflecting on their experiences and curriculum units they developed as part of the program. WEC is a year-long professional development experience for educators, coordinated by CBEI. The program offers teachers inspiration, knowledge and skills to frame exciting watershed education.
Learn more about WEC

Raise the Blade
A group of watershed partners has embarked on a new initiative to encourage homeowners and lawn care providers to use lake-friendly lawn care practices. The “Raise the Blade” campaign recommends raising mower blades so that grass is no shorter than three inches after being mowed. Following the “1/3 rule”—cutting only one third of the grass height to protect the base of the grass blade from drying out—and leaving clippings as a natural fertilizer is also recommended for healthier lawn, soil, and lake. Grass that reaches the ankles supports a strong root system and improves the health of soils. Longer grass and healthy soils benefit local water bodies by soaking up stormwater runoff.
Learn more

LCBP Resource Room
This summer, visitors to the LCBP Resource Room at ECHO can discover colorful displays on the importance of lawn and garden care to a healthy lake. A live butterfly exhibit at ECHO also has drawn attention to the conservation of pollinators like bees and butterflies. Fortunately, pollinators also benefit from good water quality practices, including the careful use of fertilizers and pesticides, growing native plants, planting rain gardens and streamside buffers, and raising the blade on your lawn mower. A new exhibit in the Resource Room highlights the “Raise the Blade” campaign. In addition to a healthier lawn, flourishing legumes like clover will add nutrients and supply nectar to pollinating insects. In the midst of the busy summer season, a caterpillar recently turned into a monarch butterfly in the Resource Room. This amazing transformation reminds us of the changes, big and small, we can all make to help Lake Champlain!

The LCBP Resource Room, located on the top floor of ECHO, is open seven days a week from 10 am – 5 pm. ECHO, Leahy Center for Lake Champlain, is on the Burlington, Vermont waterfront.

In the Media
LCBP Aquatic Invasive Species Management Coordinator Meg Modley has helped spread the word about AIS through several recent media interviews, including two extended interviews on Mountain Lake PBS.
Watch

Two videos produced as part of LCBP’s Diving In series have been featured in episodes of Vermont PBS Outdoor Journal:
Watch Learning on the LaPlatte
Watch Planting for the Future

AIS News

LCBP's Boat Launch Stewards have been busy pulling invasive plants as well as preventing spread of AIS at launches.

Boat Launch Steward Program Expands to Québec
The Lake Champlain Boat Launch Steward Program is midway through its 11th season and for the first time has added stewards in Québec. Funding from the Great Lakes Fishery Commission was directed to the Organisme de bassin versant de la baie Missisquoi (OBVBM) in Québec to hire two seasonal stewards at the Saint Armand and Venise-en-Québec boat launches on Missisquoi Bay. The stewards and the program supervisor visited the LCBP office for a training and also attended the Vermont DEC greeter training. LCBP translated sandwich boards, t-shirts, and rack cards into French to expand the program into Québec. The OBVBM stewards are collecting survey data, helping to address AIS spread prevention on Lake Champlain.

Invasive Plant Removal
The Lake Champlain Boat Launch Stewards spent two days in July harvesting European frogbit (Hydrocharis morsus-ranae) with the Lewis Creek Association (LCA) in Town Farm Bay, Charlotte, Vermont. Stewards took to canoes and hand harvested the invasive plants. The LCBP funded the LCA to organize the frogbit harvest from 2008 to 2010. The organization has operated the program since with volunteers and other support. Stewards also participated in three water chestnut (Trapa natans) harvest events: in the South Lake, New York State DEC, the Adirondack Park Invasive Plant Program, and other volunteers harvested 1,100 pounds; in St. Albans Bay, Vermont DEC and other partners pulled 1,817 rosettes; and on the La Chute River wetlands, Vermont DEC, the Adirondack Watershed Institute, and others pulled 7,240 rosettes.

Decontamination Stations Deployed
The Lake Champlain Boat Launch Steward Program is working with Vermont Department of Environmental Conservation to staff watercraft decontamination stations at the John Guillmette Fish & Wildlife access site in South Hero and the Shelburne Fish and Wildlife access site. Most weeks this summer from Friday through Monday, watercraft that are deemed high risk are referred to the complimentary stations. High pressure hot water is used to spray off the exterior of vessels to remove and kill any AIS present, and low pressure hot water may be used to flush out bilge and livewell compartments, flush engines, and soak equipment that might have AIS present. This is especially important for watercraft entering Lake Champlain that have recently come from the Great Lakes, St. Lawrence River, and Hudson River systems or other areas where unknown AIS might exist and for watercraft exiting Lake Champlain and heading to uninfested water bodies. These stations complement five decontamination stations set up and operated by the Paul Smith’s College Adirondack Watershed Institute at South Bay, Ticonderoga, Willsboro, Westport, and Peru and a number of units operated by lake associations at inland lakes.

CVNHP Hosts "One NPS"

CVNHP Assistant Director Jim Brangan discusses possible projects at One NPS.

The CVNHP and the National Park Service Stewardship Institute based at Marsh-Billings-Rockefeller National Historic Park hosted a “One NPS” workshop in Plattsburgh in July. The workshop brought together staff from the CVNHP, the National Park Service (NPS), and neighboring heritage areas to explore common goals among the CVNHP management plan and NPS programs.

During the two-day workshop, participants identified opportunities for enhanced coordination, cooperation and communication on programs that protect the region’s cultural and natural resources. The group worked through exercises to identify projects in the CVNHP that could benefit most from the expertise and services offered by partners, and identified priorities that could be easily translated into action through CVNHP initiatives.

NPS staff shared information about the wide variety of community assistance programs that provide financial and technical assistance for recreation and conservation projects, including the Recreation, Trails and Conservation Assistance Program, the National Trails System, the Preservation Assistance Program, the National Register of Historic Places Program, and the Wild & Scenic River Program. NPS partners shared case studies and success stories in collaboration and leveraging these resources.
Learn more about NPS Community Assistance Programs

CVNHP Grants

Students get a glimpse into daily life on the Vermont frontier at the Ethan Allen Homestead.

Kids to the Homestead
Ethan Allen Homestead Museum in Burlington, Vermont partnered with local schools this spring to offer educational tours and programs designed to bring fourth-grade classroom learning to life. The Homestead created three lesson plans that incorporate learning in social studies, history, language arts, and drama, and welcomed 280 students to the Homestead to participate. Grant funds were also used to develop and print a new educational programming flier to highlight these offerings. Feedback from teachers is being used to enhance the program for camps offered this summer and for future classes. The Homestead advances CVNHP’s “Making of Nations” interpretive theme by preserving the influence of Ethan Allen in Vermont and beyond.

A Guide to the Architecture of the Adirondacks
Adirondack Architectural Heritage produced A Guide to the Architecture of the Adirondacks by Richard Longstreth. This informative, accessible, and richly illustrated “field guide” to regional architecture and communities can be used to explore and understand the region’s diverse architecture and rich history. The project brings together the talents and experience of author Richard Longstreth with Adirondack Architectural Heritage’s extensive knowledge of the Adirondack region and Adirondack Life magazine’s pre-production and marketing skills. CVNHP funds were used for printing costs.

Learn more about the guide

Local Implementation Grant Results

Since 1992, the LCBP has awarded more than $7.3 million through more than 1,000 small grants to local organizations. These grants support a variety of pollution prevention, habitat restoration, and other projects that address the goals and priorities of the Lake Champlain Steering Committee as outlined in the Lake Champlain management plan Opportunities for Action. A sample of recently completed projects include:

NY Realtor Educational Training Program
The Champlain Watershed Improvement Coalition of New York (CWICNY) created a three-hour Watershed Protection Course for Real Estate Agents. The class was accredited by the NYS Department of State, and offered in Glens Falls, Lake Placid, and Plattsburgh in March and April 2017. Realtors are in a unique position to influence how land and home buyers view their property as it relates to the environment. In total, 145 realtors learned about wetlands, floodplains, wells, and septic systems, as well as related land use regulations. Staff from the New York State Department of Health, Adirondack Park Agency, and private sector consultants spoke at the classes. The courses were created with the assistance of the Chazen Companies from Queensbury, NY. CWICNY also partnered with the Southern Adirondack Realtors Association and the Northern Adirondack Board of Realtors.

Stem to Stern Education Program
The Lake Champlain Maritime Museum (LCMM) has developed a “Stem to Stern” interactive and discovery-based curriculum guide that integrates into school-based programs the themes of forest stewardship, woodcraft and waterways and their role in regional history and contemporary life. Working with partners, including Vermont Family Forests, LCMM researched and designed the curriculum, distributed trees to schools, and led tree-plantings and other hands-on activities. Content from the program will be used to develop interpretive and educational materials for the 2017 Legacy Voyage of the Schooner Lois McClure. The replica canal boat will voyage to the World Canals Conference in September via the Champlain and Erie Canals, commemorating the centennial of the start of construction of these vital waterways. LCBP and CVNHP grants supported the development of the curriculum guide and delivery of the program to local schools.

Wind, Waves and Variables
The Isle La Motte Preservation Trust (ILMPT) and environmental education non-profit Exordium developed and delivered a program to 100 elementary school students during the 2016-17 school year. The course consisted of classroom sessions and two field trips. The program focused on using the scientific method, observation, and interview skills to learn about geologic time and the formation of the Lake Champlain Basin, human impacts on the watershed, and lake ecology and predator-prey relationships. The program concluded in June with a field trip the ILMPT’s Goodsell Ridge Preserve, where students went on a photo scavenger hunt, drew mental maps of their home environments, created artistic rubbings of natural objects, searched for fossil gastropods and other remnants of an ancient tropical reef, and excavated soils to find evidence of the former Champlain Sea.

Lake Iroquois Boat Wash Station
The Lake Iroquois Association (LIA) used an LCBP AIS Spread Prevention grant to purchase and set up a hot water pressure wash station at the Vermont Fish & Wildlife Department fishing access on Lake Iroquois. LIA worked with Vermont DEC staff, the Lake Iroquois Recreation District, private consultants, and other local lake organizations to site the station, purchase and install equipment, and train lake greeters and LIA board members. Records show that most boaters in Lake Iroquois have most recently visited Lake Champlain, which has 50 known aquatic invasive and nuisance species. Eurasian watermilfoil (Myriophyllum spicatum) is the only known AIS in Lake Iroquois, and the Association is vigilant in preventing the introduction of additional species to this very busy waterbody in Chittenden County.

Students plant trees as part of the "Stem to Stern" program; students make rubbings of fossils at Goodsell Ridge; a greeter washes a boat at Lake Iroquois. Photos courtesy LCMM, LCBP, LIA.

Search our grants database to learn about other projects supported by the LCBP

Research and Implementation Projects

The GI for Stormwater webinars cover a range of options for treating runoff—including rain gardens— from rooftops, parking lots, and other impervious surfaces.

Each year, the LCBP funds several research projects that help to improve the understanding and management of the watershed. These projects include scientific research, best management demonstration projects, education and outreach efforts, and other initiatives that are key to implementing Opportunities for Action and improving the Lake Champlain ecosystem.

Infrastructure for Stormwater Management webinars
With this year’s wet spring and early summer, municipalities have worked to slow the flow of water from impervious surfaces to local rivers and streams. The timely release of a new manual and webinar series on green infrastructure for stormwater management provides guidance for municipal officials in the New York State portion of the Lake Champlain Basin. Watershed Consulting Associates and Hirschman Water and Environment developed the materials under contract with the LCBP. The manual and series cover implementation of green infrastructure in variety of settings, including village (developed) streets, rural roads, parking lots and hardscapes, and buildings. The manual also addresses planning and implementation, operation and maintenance, and how to get projects funded. The manual and webinars are available on LCBP’s website.
Read the manual
View the webinars

New Technical Budget Development Process
In Fall 2017, the LCBP will begin using a new process to award many of our science and implementation grants. In the past, Requests for Proposals (RFPs) with a focused scope and budget have been issued to address specifically defined pre-determined priorities, and grants have been awarded to the strongest proposal submitted in response to the specific RFP. Moving forward, Requests for Pre-proposals will call for two-page summaries of potential projects that address any of the strategies in Opportunities for Action. A subset of pre-proposals will be chosen to develop and submit a full proposal for funding consideration by the Lake Champlain Steering Committee, and projects will be awarded based on the suite of full proposals. The aim is to tap into the creativity of the research and management community to solve the most pressing challenges in the Lake Champlain Basin.

Learn more about LCBP RFPs

Upcoming Events

Adirondack Lake Alliance 2017 Symposium
August 11, 2017, Paul Smith’s College, NY
The symposium will focus on watershed/lake/river assessment and management plans.
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CBEI Love the Lake Hands-On Workshop for Educators
August 17, 2017, Burlington, VT
Sessions will include The State of the Lake, Aquatic Invasive Species, Water Quality 101, Cultural Heritage, Stormwater Bike Ride, macroinvertebrates and more.
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Vermont Clean Water Week
August 20-26, 2017, Throughout Vermont
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LCBP Events:
State of the Lake Coffee Chat with LCBP Director Eric Howe
August 20, 9:00 am, Wally’s Bagels, South Hero, VT

Lake Champlain Bridge Quest Guided Tour with Jim Brangan
August 25, 10 am - 1 pm, Chimney Point, VT

Wetlands Discovery with Colleen Hickey and Ellen Kujawa
August 25, 9 am - 11 am, Gordon Center House, Grand Isle, VT

Evening Paddle with Mike Winslow, author of  Lake Champlain: A Natural History
Date and Location TBD

World Canals Conference
September 24-28, Syracuse, NY
"Our Vital Waterways: Agents of Transformation" is a five-day world-class conference 200 years in the making. Celebrate the bicentennial of the Erie Canal and enjoy endless exploration of Central New York.
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Lake Champlain Research Conference
January 8-9, 2018, Burlington, VT
"Lake Champlain: Our Future is Now" will be held at the Davis Center at the University of Vermont. Proposals for session topics are being accepted until August 15, 2017.
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