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Casin’ the Basin E-Newsletter
June 2014 Issue No. 23 Spacer Dark Blue
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Barrier on Morpion Creek to Reduce Lamprey Populations

State of the Lake PDF

U.S. Fish and Wildlife staff lower the gates on the Morpion Stream sea lamprey barrier.

In a unique example of the international cooperation that is at the heart of resource management in the Lake Champlain Basin, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) and the town of Notre-Dame-de-Stanbridge in Québec have worked together to construct a barrier to prevent sea lamprey from moving upstream to spawn on the Morpion Creek, a tributary to the Pike River. The barrier, located adjacent to the municipal office, officially opened on May 15.

 

The town and the USFWS share ownership of the barrier, which physically traps lamprey as they migrate. Non-target species caught in the trap are removed and allowed to pass upstream without harm. The barrier is an alternative to chemical lampricide treatments that are used in other parts of the Basin. USFWS staff currently operate the barrier, while town officials have taken an active role in site maintenance and engaging the public.

 

The barrier, the most recent accomplishment in a 20-year effort to reduce sea lamprey populations in the Lake Champlain Basin, will address one of the largest remaining uncontrolled populations in the watershed. Lamprey are a parasitic species that attach themselves to fish, wounding and weakening their hosts. As a result of this ongoing effort, sea lamprey wounding on lake trout and salmon has dropped to the lowest rates since monitoring began in 1985.

 

U.S. Senator Patrick Leahy of Vermont supported the funding from the Great Lakes Fishery Commission (GLFC) for the construction of the barrier. “This Quebec project is an example of the innovative solutions and partnerships that we need to protect the Lake that shares its shores with two states and Canada,” said Leahy.

 

Learn more about sea lamprey in our online 2012 State of the Lake Report.



Recent LiDAR Acquisition for the Lake Champlain Basin and Beyond

Missisquoi River LiDAR visualization created with 3D terrain modeling software.

The LCBP recently assisted with funding the acquisition of LiDAR data for the Otter Creek watershed in Addison and Rutland counties in Vermont and the Lake Champlain Islands, including portions of the New York shoreline. LiDAR is a high resolution laser-based elevation dataset that provides an exceptionally detailed understanding of the landscape. The recent work is an important piece in an effort to acquire complete LiDAR coverage of the Lake Champlain Basin.

 

LiDAR datasets have become critical tools in hydrologic, geologic, forestry, and landscape analyses. Applications of these studies range from conservation and flood preparedness to infrastructure and land use planning. In the Lake Champlain Basin, LiDAR was used in a recent effort to identify critical source areas of phosphorus pollution in the U.S. portion of the Missisquoi River watershed.

 

Because LiDAR data acquisition is quite costly, it often is necessary to pool resources of many users. The strong collaborative approach of agency partners in resource management in the Basin has helped facilitate data acquisition. In addition to the recent data, LiDAR has been collected for the U.S.-portion of the Missisquoi River basin and Chittenden County, Vermont. Efforts are underway in both Vermont and New York to secure funds for future data collection, including new coverage of the Winooski River watershed and Essex County, New York. Other efforts in the Basin have led to LiDAR acquisition for the Mad River basin and the southeast portion of the Montérégie region in Québec.



Climate Change in the Lake Champlain Basin

Damage to infrastructure and property in the Basin was extensive and devastating in the wake of Tropical Storm Irene.

The LCBP hosted two climate change workshops in Burlington, Vermont this spring. More than 75 people from around the Basin heard presentations from experts on climate change adaptation. The goal of these workshops was to review the latest regional climate change research as it related to stormwater management and aquatic ecosystem impacts.

 

The workshops focused on management tools that work in the Lake Champlain Basin, and how current management may be modified to adapt to climate change. Resource managers, municipal officials, and regional planners learned about the latest research and how to apply these management recommendations on the ground. At the stormwater workshop, Dr. Lesley-Ann Dupigny-Giroux of the University of Vermont provided an overview of climate change models and possible impacts on Lake Champlain, while technical sessions addressed low impact development recommendations, updates of the Vermont Stormwater manual, and a roundtable panel discussion examined regional climate adaptation and stormwater management. The aquatic ecosystem workshop featured Dr. Curt Stager of Paul Smith’s College, who discussed climate change impacts on Lake Champlain’s ecosystem. Technical sessions included aquatic invasive species pathways and potential new threats, climate impacts on native aquatic species, and a panel discussion examining aquatic nuisance species management tools.

 

The climate change workshops were held in conjunction with the 38th annual meeting of the New England Association of Environmental Biologists (NEAEB).  More than 160 environmental resource professionals representing government agencies, academia, NGOs, and the private sector from around the Northeast came together for the conference, which was hosted by the VT Department of Environmental Conservation, in partnership with NEIWPCC and LCBP. Invited speakers addressed the charges and challenges of implementing the Clean Water Act, while technical sessions reviewed water quality monitoring, bioassessment and biocriteria, Lake Champlain-specific work, land cover, and emerging science.



Partner Focus: Natural Resources Conservation Service

This wetland along Otter Creek in Vermont was restored under the NRCS Wetland Reserve Program.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) helps farmers, ranchers, and forest landowners throughout the nation conserve soil, water, and other natural resources. Through the Agriculture Conservation Easement Program (ACEP) Wetland Reserve Easements (WREs), NRCS provides technical and financial assistance to private landowners to restore, protect, and enhance wetlands in exchange for retiring eligible land from active agriculture.

 

The Wetland Reserve Program (WRP) preceded the ACEP-WRE, which was created under the Farm Bill of 2014. Since WRP began in 1995, the NRCS has obtained 52 wetland easements on 3,381 acres in Vermont, with the bulk of these sites in the Champlain Valley. In addition to improving habitat, these restoration projects help increase floodwater retention, prevent erosion, and reduce phosphorus pollution loads into Lake Champlain.

 

Vermont wetland conservation projects reflect the collaborative approach to resource management among partner agencies in the Basin. NRCS works closely with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) to evaluate and rank project applications, and to provide technical assistance. NRCS designs vegetation restoration work, such as tree planting and invasive plant control, while USFWS designs the hydrologic restoration components, such as the installation of ditch plugs and water control structures and modifications of tile drainage.

 

Land that was drained for agricultural purposes and frequently floods, or where crop production is difficult because of wet conditions, is likely eligible for ACEP-WRE. Other eligible lands include areas along rivers that link protected wetlands, and lands adjacent to protected wetlands that contribute to wetland functions and values. ACEP-WRE offers thirty-year easements and permanent easements, each with different levels of reimbursement for easement and restoration costs.

 

For more information on easements in Vermont, please visit the NRCS ACEP-WRE web page or contact Jim Eikenberry.



Will the Champlain Valley be America’s Next Viticultural Area?

With advancements in cold climate viticulture, winemakers in the Champlain Valley produce high quality wines that rival those from major grape growing regions.

The LCBP is working closely with winemakers in Vermont and New York to draft a petition to establish the Champlain Valley as an American Viticultural Area. Like those in Napa Valley or the Finger Lakes, the federally recognized Viticultural Area would establish a place-based label that highlights the growing number of wines produced in the region.

 

The Viticultural Area designation recognizes the unique taste of wines from a particular geographic region that results from specific environmental conditions. The petition process will take a few years to complete and requires documentation of the number of acres in grapes, the types of wines produced, and the soils and climate that make the Champlain Valley unique. If successful, winemakers in both states will be able to label their wine “made in the Champlain Valley,” highlighting the distinctiveness of agricultural goods produced near Lake Champlain.

 

The recent growth in viticulture is the latest chapter in the long history of agriculture in the Champlain Valley. Contemporary concern with environmental quality coincides with the emergence of a local foods movement that values environmental and economic sustainability. In 2012, the Champlain Valley National Heritage Area founded the first U.S.-Canada International Wine Trail as part of the Heritage Area’s commitment to connect communities and conservation. Recognition of a Viticultural Area represents another opportunity to celebrate the agricultural heritage of the region.

 

Learn more about the Champlain Valley International Wine Trail.



Track Our Progress


 

Opportunities for Action (OFA) is the management plan that guides the work of the Lake Champlain Basin Program and its partners in restoring and protecting water quality and the natural and cultural resources of the Basin. In 2010, the LCBP launched an online version of this plan. This new format allows resource managers, researchers, partner agencies and organizations, and the public to easily review exactly what the plan calls for and to search a database of actions and the status of tasks undertaken, providing a new level of accountability to the public .

 

The interactive, dynamic nature of the online plan supports an adaptive management process, the structured method for updating the plan as new information and understanding becomes available. This approach allows OFA to remain current in the evolving process to protect and restore the Lake Champlain ecosystem.

 

The management plan was first endorsed in 1996 and then again in 2003 and 2010. The LCBP currently is starting the process of revising and updating the plan for 2016. Partners have been hard at work updating their tasks online. Visit OFA online and review the task comments to see what progress has been made in improving the water quality of Lake Champlain.



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Grant Results

Richmond Flood Plain Forest Restoration
The Richmond Land Trust has begun riparian buffer restoration in a 35-acre area of Richmond known as the Beeken Preserve, and has continued invasive exotic plant control in a 145-acre state-significant Silver Maple-Ostrich Fern Floodplain Forest on the main stem of the Winooski River. These activities will improve the stability and resiliency of the floodplain forest, by increasing ground water infiltration, reducing erosion potential, and enhancing wildlife habitat by connecting already forested segments of the riparian area.

 

Stormwater Friendly Driveways
The City of Burlington has developed a series of fact sheets that inform citizens about the benefits and types of stormwater friendly driveways. Porous driveway materials reduce erosion, reduce pollutants entering the Lake, prevent puddles, and reduce the use of sand and salt or other deicing chemicals. The fact sheets provide information about the types of pervious surfaces, design guidelines and considerations, and maintenance guidelines. The fact sheets also describe the benefits of ribbon (two-wheel track) driveways and environmentally friendly (non-coal tar) asphalt sealants for asphalt driveways. View the fact sheets and a story map that highlights good examples at the City’s Stormwater Friendly Driveways web page.

 

West Brook Shoreline Remediation
The Lake George Association (LGA) worked with the Warren County Soil and Water Conservation District and New York State Department of Conservation (NYSDEC) to stabilize streambanks and restore stream structure and function on a portion of the West Brook in the Town of Lake George. This 170-foot section of the stream was heavily eroded during Tropical Storm Irene in 2011. As part of the project, LGA also leveraged funds from the NYSDEC Trees for Tribs program to plant streambanks with native seedlings and shrubs after stabilization and regrading. The work will prevent future erosion of the streambanks and help filter runoff from adjacent areas.

 

Project WET and Project Wild Workshops Reach 41 NY Educators

Over the past year, the Lake Champlain-Lake George Regional Planning Board used an LCBP local grant to complete three Project WET and Project Wild workshops. The workshops, which reached 41 elementary, secondary and home school educators, were offered in partnership with the Essex County Soil and Water Conservation District and the Lake George Association. Following the national program models for these workshops, teachers received classroom activity kits that address issues ranging from wildlife habitat to macro-invertebrates to water quality. Bravo to these three organizations which chose to become certified leaders for these national programs in order to bring workshops north of the Tappan Zee Bridge to the North Country!



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CBEI WEC Program Kicks Off in July

The Champlain Basin Initiative (CBEI) Watershed for Every Classroom program is a year-long professional development experience for K-12 teachers in the Lake Champlain Basin. The course offers teachers inspiration, knowledge, and skills to frame exciting watershed education. Twenty-two educators begin this year-long course in July. Stay tuned to follow their activities during the next year!



School Programs Implemented

LCBP staff was busy this spring implementing 14 school programs for North Hero Elementary School, Northeastern Central School in Rouses Point, NY and during the Winooski Conservation District Field Day. We are now taking reservations for fall programs. Please contact Colleen Hickey to schedule a free classroom program.



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Blue Spacer About The ProgramThe Lake Champlain Basin Program (LCBP) works in partnership with government agencies from New York, Vermont, and Quebec, private organizations, local communities, and individuals to coordinate and fund efforts which benefit the Lake Champlain Basin’s water quality, fisheries, wetlands, wildlife, recreation, and cultural resources. Learn more or view our Management Plan. Blue Spacer 2 Other SitesOpportunities for Action
State of the Lake
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