Letter from the Director

Fall is in the air! It is always hard to let summer go, but after the long stretches of heat and humidity this summer, fall will be a welcome change in seasons for me.

The cooler weather also will bring changes to the Lake – biological activity will slow down, including the cyanobacteria blooms and aquatic plant growth that have affected some areas of the Lake this summer.

We received many calls about the “weeds” accumulating along the lakeshore this year. Generally, this increase in plant growth is due to a 1-2 punch of low lake levels at the beginning of the summer and warm water temperatures. Without full ice cover during the winter and with increasingly warm spring air temperatures, the Lake begins to warm up earlier in the year, extending the growing period, increasing plant growth. You can learn about this phenomenon (and much more) in our new State of the Lake report, published in June. 

Our staff have been extremely busy with the roll-out for new grant programs, working on new projects to help resource managers and residents of the Basin interpret new science and information about the Lake, and extending this work out into communities throughout the COVID pandemic. They also have been enjoying some well-deserved time off this summer, so if you found us difficult to connect with over the past few months, please forgive us! We are all back now working to move new projects, grant programs, priorities, and partnerships forward.

Please take a moment to get out and enjoy your favorite waterbody in the Lake Champlain Basin as the fall foliage comes into full color over the next several weeks. Feel free to share photos with us – we just might use one (and credit you, of course) in an upcoming social media post or future publication! 

Enjoy the Lake,

Eric Howe
Director, Lake Champlain Basin Program & Champlain Valley National Heritage Partnership

2021 State of the Lake and Ecosystem Indicators Report Released

The LCBP released the 2021 Lake Champlain State of the Lake and Ecosystem Indicators Report in June. The report provides an assessment of the condition of Lake Champlain based on the four goals of the management plan Opportunities for Action: Clean Water, Healthy Ecosystems, Thriving Communities, and an Informed and Involved Public.

Published every three years with input from dozens of scientists and experts, the report includes statuses and trends for nine ecosystem indicators focused on clean water and healthy ecosystems. The 2021 report introduces the first new indicator in nearly 20 years. The Lake Champlain freeze-over indicator tracks how often the Lake freezes over completely and potential impacts of warming trends.

Read the full report, request a hard copy, and watch a deeper dive discussion of the issues by LCBP staff at the State of the Lake website

LCBP Grants Available this Fall

The LCBP is again offering grants in several categories this fall. These grants help support the work of local watershed groups, non-profits, municipalities, conservation districts, and other organizations. An RFP is currently open for projects that implement projects or plan for future projects to improve water quality and habitat and prevent the spread of aquatic invasive species. The Champlain Valley National Heritage Partnership has an open request for pre-proposals for projects that preserve and interpret the region’s history and cultural heritage. The LCBP also currently seeks a consultant to advance its planning and programming in diversity, equity, and inclusion. Additional RFPs for education and outreach projects and organizational support, and a request for pre-proposals for technical projects will be released in the coming months.

Visit the LCBP’s Grants and RFPs to learn more about grants and apply

Ten Years Since Record Flooding

August 28 marked the ten-year anniversary of the arrival of Tropical Storm Irene. The storm dropped as much as seven inches of rain in parts of the Basin, causing devastating flooding and $700 million in damage to infrastructure and private property. This historic event came on the heels of spring flooding on Lake Champlain that saw the lake at flood stage for more than two months and brought the lake to a record-high level of 103.2 feet above sea level.

The flooding of 2011 triggered renewed focus on the causes and impacts of flooding in the Lake Champlain Basin. At the request of Québec Premier Jean Charest and Vermont Governor Peter Shumlin, the LCBP convened a series of conferences to examine the issue in the Lake Champlain and upper Richelieu River and published the Flood Resilience Report.

View photo galleries of the 2011 spring flooding and Tropical Storm Irene >>

Learn how one Vermont community increased flood resilience and reduced water quality impacts by restoring a floodplain after the flooding of 2011:

IJC Continues Work to Address Flooding

In response to the floods of 2011, the federal governments of the United States and Canada requested the assistance of the International Joint Commission (IJC) to review and make recommendations regarding a comprehensive study of measures to mitigate flooding.

The International Lake Champlain-Richelieu River Study Board was established by the IJC in 2016 to advance this work and in 2020 published The Causes and Impacts of Past Floods in the Lake Champlain-Richelieu River Basin – Historical Information on Flooding.

Most recently, the Study Board released Potential Structural Solutions to Mitigate Flooding in the Lake Champlain-Richelieu River Basin. The report describes several moderate structural actions, including excavating man-made structures within the Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu shoal, diverting moderate to high flows through the Chambly Canal and a combination of these two options. An initial feasibility analysis was completed on each option, while the study is continuing further cost-benefits analysis and hydraulic simulations and evaluations.

The Study Board is expected to make final recommendations to the IJC in spring 2022.

The LCBP supports the IJC flood study by providing administrative support and coordination of technical workshops, data acquisition, and public outreach, and through an LCBP staff member who serves as the U.S. Study Manager. The LCBP also supports the work of the U.S. Outreach Coordinator for the Study with IJC funding.

Learn more about the the International Lake Champlain - Richelieu River (LCRR) Study Board

Sediment plumes from the Lamoille River, the Winooski River, and shoreline erosion from South Hero mix and drift south in the main lake during the spring 2011 flooding. Photo: LCBP

LCBP Launches Science Blog

The LCBP has launched a new science blog to make it easier for partners and stakeholders to learn about LCBP supported research and apply its findings to their own work. Each post will include bullets points with key findings, a short summary description of the work, and links to additional resources that provide greater detail.

With the guidance of its Technical Advisory Committee, the LCBP funds several research projects each year that inform management decisions in the Basin and help to improve water quality and habitat. These projects have resulted in a substantial body of research since 1991 that is available in more than 100 technical and demonstration reports on the LCBP website.

Though well documented, the outcomes of the projects are not always easy to find and the reports that contain them can be daunting to even the most knowledgeable scientists. The new blog will bring the results of new projects to readers rather than requiring readers to seek them out.

Visit the LCBP Science Blog

Invasive Round Goby Closing in on Lake Champlain

Photo: USFWS

Scientists from the USGS captured round gobies in the Hudson River this summer for the first time. The find marks the eastern-most extent of the expansion of this invasive fish from the Great Lakes through the Erie Canal, and another step closer to Lake Champlain’s doorstep.

Native to Eurasia, the round goby is considered one of the greatest invasive species threats to the Lake’s ecosystem. The find highlights the importance of a barrier on the Champlain Canal to prevent the movement of invasive species between the Hudson River and Lake Champlain.

Round gobies are benthic—or bottom dwelling—fish that outcompete native species like slimy sculpin and prey on eggs of other fish like largemouth bass. They eat zebra mussels—seemingly a benefit to the Lake—but in the process, ingest toxic substances like PCBs which bioaccumulate in predators like bass and walleye, posing a threat to other fish and potentially humans.

Scientists believe that Lake Champlain and the lower reaches of its tributaries are prime habitat for gobies. They are known to be a nuisance to recreational anglers, whose bait and lures attract the undesirable fish. They also have impacted commercial fisheries in the Great Lakes, resulting in seasonal restrictions on certain types of fish whose populations have been affected.

Learn more about round goby and view a map of the species’ expansion

Education and Outreach Highlights

Photo: Lake Champlain Sea Grant

New York’s Watershed Alliance Completes First Year

SUNY Plattsburgh worked with Lake Champlain Sea Grant to expand the UVM Watershed Alliance programs into New York. The program provides ongoing watershed education with K-12 schools and youth groups, including new hands-on STEM offerings. Nate Trachte, Education Specialist with Lake Champlain Sea Grant and the Lake Champlain Research Institute SUNY offered programming in nine community schools and youth groups during the first year of the program. SUNY Watershed Alliance also collaborated with CFES Brilliant Pathways to create and implement their first Watershed Science Fair last year with 65 students from area schools.

The LCBP congratulates SUNY on wrapping up Year 1 programming during the pandemic. We are happy to report that they will receive LCBP funding for three more years of Watershed Alliance programs.

Both the SUNY and UVM Watershed Alliance work closely with the Champlain Basin Education Initiative teacher training efforts and are helping to create a stronger network of teachers participating in watershed education. These efforts will continue this fall with CBEI’s New York Educators Summit at Fort Ticonderoga on October 20th.

Learn more and register for the New York Educator’s Summit

Outreach at John Brown Farm, North Elba, NY

On two beautiful summer days, the LCBP, Lake Placid Land Conservancy, Lake Placid Library and John Brown Lives! teamed up to offer pond and watershed programs to visitors of John Brown Farm State Historic Site near Lake Placid, NY. Families gathered to pollute the LCBP’s watershed model and identify pollution solutions to protect their own neighborhood’s watershed, scooped and identified macroinvertebrates along the shoreline of the pond, and completed a story walk which featured Kate Messner’s book titled Over and Under the Pond. Combined with exploring John Brown Farm trails, exhibits and grave site, visitors loved learning about both cultural heritage and water quality in the same spot!

Contact us for information about programs for your school or organization!

Local Implementation Grant Highlights

The LCBP has awarded more than $10 million through more than 1,300 small grants to local organizations since 1992. These grants support pollution prevention, habitat restoration, and other projects to improve the water quality and health of the Lake Champlain ecosystem. A sample of recently completed projects include:

Johnsons Mill Dam Removed
The Franklin County Natural Resources District led an effort on behalf of a local landowner to remove the 125-foot-long Johnsons Mill Dam on the Bogue Branch in Bakersfield, Vermont. The dam impeded the movement of an abundant population of brook trout between the stream’s headwaters in the Cold Hollow Mountains and the Missisquoi River. The Nature Conservancy’s Vermont Dam Screening Tool assessed the dam as having “High” impact and reported that removing it would reconnect 23 stream miles (35.7 kilometers) of aquatic habitat. The dam had previously been partially breached, but stream flow velocity through the six-foot opening sometimes made fish passage difficult. Restoring the river to a free-flowing state also will help improve water quality and flood resilience.
Grant Category: Enhanced Best Management Practices

Watch a time-lapse video of the Johnsons Mill Dam removal

Mapping Fish Distribution

The Ausable River Association (AsRA) is using environmental DNA (eDNA) to detect and map fish in the New York portion of the Basin. The study will produce distribution maps for brook trout, brown trout, and rainbow trout in the Ausable River and Atlantic salmon in other New York rivers. The maps will help prioritize future stream habitat restoration projects and track progress of salmon restoration efforts. eDNA are DNA that are naturally shed into the environment via cell tissue loss, hair, scales, feces and reproductive cells. eDNA are useful for determining the presence or absence of species when traditional survey techniques don’t capture the organisms themselves.

Grant Category: Pollution Prevention and Habitat Conservation

Eurasian Watermilfoil Removal in Follensby Clear Pond

The Upper Saranac Foundation worked this summer to remove Eurasian watermilfoil (EWM) from Follensby Clear Pond, bringing the total amount of the invasive plant removed over a two-year period to more than 6.5 tons. The project aimed to restore the entire littoral zone of the pond with hand harvesting and diver assisted suction harvesting. The work focused on an 18-acre area near the outlet of the pond, with the hope of preventing infestation of downstream waters. The work was part of a larger ongoing effort to rid the Upper Saranac Lake watershed of the invasive plant.
Grant Category: AIS Spread Prevention

Nanaw8badam: Stewardship in Partnership
The Missisquoi River Basin Association (MRBA) and the Abenaki Nation of Missisquoi are working together to name, monitor, and restore three unnamed streams. The goal is that in the process of bestowing names, people in the community will come to know and care for the streams. The partners also are working to remove invasive species and plant culturally significant native species in riparian areas. In August they hosted a community event at Mac’s Bend on the Missisquoi River in the Missisquoi River National Wildlife Refuge and led a river cleanup. A traditional war canoe made its maiden voyage at the event and guests were able to ride in the 24-foot craft.
Grant Category: Education and Outreach

Clockwise from top left: Franklin County NRCD, Ausable River Association, LCBP, LCBP.

View more LCBP project highlights

Research and Implementation Projects

Each year, the LCBP funds several research projects that help to improve the understanding and inform 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.

Evaluating floodplain potential for sediment and phosphorus deposition

Scientists at the University of Vermont recently completed a study that serves as a baseline in efforts to reconnect floodplains to rivers and restore their functions in improving water quality, habitat, and flood resilience in the Lake Champlain Basin. The study mapped floodplains in the Basin, determined the amount of phosphorus deposited on these floodplains during flood events, and established a management framework to help prioritize and evaluate floodplain restoration. The data and the monitoring network established by the project have been adopted by the State of Vermont Functioning Floodplain Initiative, which is working to identify high priority projects to restore and protect stream, wetland, and floodplain functions.
Read the LCBP Technical Report

Upcoming Events

LCBP Committee Meetings

Lake Champlain Steering Committee, September 22, 2021. Virtual. Staff contact: Kathy Jarvis

 
LCBP Executive Committee, October 25, 2021. Virtual. Staff contact: Kathy Jarvis

LCBP Executive Committee, November 17, 2021. Virtual. Staff contact: Kathy Jarvis

Lake Champlain Steering Committee, December 14, 2021. Virtual. Staff contact: Kathy Jarvis

View the LCBP’s full meeting schedule

CVNHP International Summit
September 20, 2021 and October 18, 2021
Virtual
The Champlain Valley National Heritage Partnership’s 2021 International Summit at the Hotel Saranac has been postponed until September 18-19, 2022. Instead, we will host virtual “Knowledge Cafés” on Monday, September 20 AND Monday, October 18. These online meetings will include a keynote speaker and break-out sessions that allow partners to build stronger networks and help us better utilize the CVNHP Interpretive Themes for the next two years.

Learn more

New York Educators Summit

October 20, 2021

Fort Ticonderoga, NY

Exploring the Diversity of the Lake Champlain Basin and Linking Students to Their Watershed!

Learn more

Lake Champlain Research Symposium

January 10-11, 2022
Save the dates for the next Lake Champlain Research Conference! The focus of the conference will be Celebrating the 50th Anniversary of the Clean Water Act. Abstracts for sessions are being accepted through September 24th.
Visit the LCRC conference page