Road Salt in Mirror Lake: How does it Impact Lake Trout Habitat?

Posted on March 2, 2020

If you’ve ever had day to explore beautiful downtown Lake Placid, NY, then you have probably seen Mirror Lake which is adjacent to Main Street. Mirror Lake receives its water from Mt. Whitney and Cobble Hill, eventually draining into the Chubb River, a major tributary to the West Branch of the Ausable River which flows into Lake Champlain. Mirror Lake, like many other regional lakes, has a high concentration of chloride, much of which comes from road salt. Many institutions in the Lake Champlain watershed are working with local road crews to reduce road salt from entering nearby waterways. The Lake Champlain Basin Program continues to fund several salt reduction training programs offered by watershed partners.

On Thursday, March 5^th, the Lake Champlain Basin Program will host Brendan Wiltse, Science and Stewardship Director, Ausable River Association as he presents Road Salt in Mirror Lake: How Does it Impact Lake Trout Habitat? Brendan holds a B.Sc. from Paul Smith’s College and a Ph.D. from Queen’s University. His academic training focused on the ecological history of lakes and their historical response to climate change.

LCBP’s Love the Lake speaker series features both natural and cultural heritage resource topics relevant to the Champlain watershed. This FREE public program begins Thursday, March 5^th at 6:30 p.m. in the Lake Champlain Basin Program Office and Vermont Fish and Wildlife Training Facility, 54 West Shore Road, Grand Isle, Vermont, located just north of the Grand Isle ferry entrance. Homemade desserts will be served. For further information, contact the Lake Champlain Basin Program at the LCBP at (802) 372-3213 or (800) 468-5227 or visit www.lcbp.org.