As you read this edition of Casin’ the Basin, you will probably see a theme. While we’re busier than ever with our clean water work, this installment more prominently features our efforts to protect the Basin’s habitat and ecosystems.

The projects highlighted in the local grants section below are a reminder of the challenges we face. Infestations by invasive species like the Eurasian Watermilfoil (EWM) are an ongoing threat. But those projects also remind us of the impact that thriving, involved communities have on the health of the Basin. The community response around EWM in Lake Eden and the Bouquet River community’s willingness to conserve land to protect riparian and aquatic habitat are heartening.

The local organizations—like those featured here—that work to ensure clean water and healthy ecosystems are critical to our collective success. That’s why we’re energized each year to see the proposals they send in response to our Requests for Proposals. We encourage you to browse the list of grant opportunities included below and send us your ideas for protecting and restoring our Lake and Basin.

Two significant obstacles to fish passage on the Saranac River were removed this fall after more than 30 years of planning when construction crews removed remnants of the defunct Indian Rapids and Fredenburgh Falls dams.

A partnership among the U.S. Fish and Wildlife, the New York chapter of Trout Unlimited, and dam owners Patriot Hydro and New York State Electric & Gas has resulted in a win for river habitat that has anglers cheering. When construction of a fish ladder at the Imperial Mills Dam is complete in 2026, fish will have access to habitat that hasn’t been available in 250 years—a total of nearly 30 miles of river that will again be available to fish migration.

The LCBP provided a $370,000 grant to Trout Unlimited to support the demolition work. The project will also provide flood resilience benefits and improved conditions for paddlers and other recreational users.

Read more from USFWS about the Saranac River dam removal →
Watch coverage of the project and more on salmon restoration by Mountain Lake PBS →

LCBP partners continue to monitor movement of the invasive round goby in the waterways connected to Lake Champlain. Electrofishing, trawling, and eDNA analysis this fall have confirmed that the fish still has not advanced upstream of Lock C1 on the Champlain Canal in Troy, NY. However, the Québec Ministry of Environment has confirmed that round goby have been found at a few sites upstream of the St. Ours Dam, bringing the threat one step closer to the Lake from the north.

Parcs Canada and Québec Waterways hosted members of the Lake Champlain Basin AIS Rapid Response Task Force to tour the Chambly Canal in Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu and discuss the threat of the fish’s movement through the system. Meanwhile, fisheries biologists continue to drive home the message to anglers that round goby are not good for Lake Champlain.

Learn more about the threat in the LCBP Round Goby StoryMap >>

Stream Wise thanks the 66 landowners who invited Stream Wise assessors onto their property this year to assess the health of their stream buffers and make recommendations for improvements. In total, 32 landowners earned a Stream Wise award for maintaining wide buffers of native plants along their section of river or stream. Their stewardship will help increase flood resilience and benefit water quality and habitat in their local communities.

Planning for the 2024 season has already begun. If your organization is interested in being an assessment partner, please get in touch!

Visit the Stream Wise website to learn more →

Congratulations to Aziza Malik of Champlain Elementary School in Burlington for being named the 2024 Vermont Teacher of the Year! The Vermont Agency of Education recognized Ms. Malik, in part, for her embrace of place-based education. Ms. Malik was an enthusiastic participant in the Watershed for Every Classroom (WEC) program in 2014. Since then, we have seen her bring the same passion, curiosity, and professionalism to her work in the classroom.

WEC is a year-long professional development experience for educators in the Lake Champlain Basin that offers teachers inspiration, knowledge, and skills to frame exciting watershed education. The Champlain Basin Education Initiative (CBEI) is currently planning for the 2024-25 WEC program.

Learn more about CBEI and WEC and hold your spot for next year’s program →

A summer edition of our Love the Lake speaker series featured Artist-in-Residence Glenn McClure’s eco-music project "Watershed Voices." Attendees at Goodsell Ridge Fossil Preserve in Isle la Motte, VT learned about the process that Glenn will use to transform scientific data from Lake Champlain into musical compositions. The LCBP’s Mae Kate Campbell helped to convert sample data from Lake Champlain tributaries into a melody that Glenn played right there on the piano! Glenn will work with three composers over the next year to develop original pieces based on lake data. "Watershed Voices" will culminate with performances in New York, Vermont, and Québec, so stay tuned!

Watch the full presentation →
Learn more about the Watershed Voices project →

The LCBP Education and Outreach team has been busy this fall providing a variety of outreach programs. Staff are available for classes, events, and public programs. We offer watershed model demonstrations and a guided soundscape lesson, among other activities. Please contact Colleen Hickey to learn more.

Sights and Sounds at John Brown Farm
The LCBP spent a picture-perfect August day in Lake Placid at the John Brown Farm with the Lake Placid Public Library, Paul Smith’s Adirondack Watershed Institute, and John Brown Lives! for a “Slow Down and Discover New Sights & Sounds” event. Participants learned that slowing down to look and listen carefully can open a world of possibilities. They learned about pond life, watershed pollution, and soundscapes through art and music with the LCBP.

Upward Bound Students
SUNY Plattsburgh Upward Bound students enjoyed views of Lake Champlain and lingering foliage while hiking up Coon Mountain on a warm October afternoon.  The LCBP has partnered with Lake Champlain Sea Grant for two years to bring the program to students who will be the first in their families to attend college. They explore the cultural, historical, and natural resources of the Lake Champlain Basin while learning about career paths in various fields.

UVM Students Seek New Lake Connections
The LCBP Resource Room hosted 290 students from the University of Vermont’s Introductory Natural Resources (NR1) class. Students learned lake ecology basics through 20-minute presentations with LCBP staff,  toured the the new Research Vessel Marcelle Melosira with Lake Champlain Sea Grant staff, and explored exhibits with staff from ECHO Leahy Center. Several touring students have then paired with the LCBP to become volunteers in our Resource Room.

Teachers Learn on the R/V Marcelle Melosira
The Champlain Basin Education Initiative partners joined the crew from the University of Vermont R/V Marcelle Melosira to provide 18 Vermont and New York teachers with an on-water experience.  They shared stories of the Lake Champlain watershed, conducted Secchi disk readings to measure water clarity, and conducted plankton tows to examine under microscopes in the new onboard classroom lab.

The LCBP’s “Meet the Scientist” videos were featured on Vermont Public's Made Here local film series in October. Vermont Public television broadcast the videos as a half-hour feature with narration by LCBP Chief Scientist Dr. Matthew Vaughan. The film is also available on the Made Here web site. We are currently working with Peregrine Productions on 'Season 2' of the series. Look for new videos next summer.

Watch Meet the Scientists on Vermont Public →

Clean Water, Safe Roads
AdkAction has developed a comprehensive outreach and education program for highway departments in the New York portion of the Basin to reduce the use of road salt and implement proven winter road maintenance best practices. The campaign resulted in ten new municipalities signing the program’s Pledge to Reduce Road Salt MOU, bringing the total to 27 municipalities. They also produced targeted water quality reports and maps for 26 of the towns, assisted with needs assessment and action plans, and delivered training workshops.
View training and outreach materials a AdkAction’s online resource library →

Lake Eden AIS Spread Prevention and Management
After invasive Eurasian Watermilfoil (EWM) was first detected in Lake Eden, Vermont in June 2022, the Lake Eden Association and the Town of Eden partnered to develop and implement a plan to manage the plant. In 2023, contractors conducted diver assisted suction harvesting and placed benthic mats on the lake bottom and conducted aquatic plant surveys. The community rallied around the effort, with volunteers assisting the suction harvest crew, hand harvesting plants, and monitoring for plants. A local scout camp incorporated EWM management into camp programming. Efforts will continue in the future to contain the spreading invasive.

Bouquet River Watershed Protection and Restoration
The Nature Conservancy developed an assessment tool that considered ecological, flood resilience, and transportation factors to prioritize culverts and other barriers for removal on the Bouquet River. They then worked with municipalities to identify 13 barriers for replacement, which will result in a total habitat gain of about 93 miles. They also completed a parcel prioritization analysis to determine the most important properties to protect to reduce runoff and protect riparian habitat. The analysis guided the protection of three parcels along the river totaling 290 acres under conservation easements.  

Lake Lessons with Missisquoi Partners
The St. Albans Museum partnered with several watershed partners to engage local elementary students in a hands-on place-based educational workshop to deepen their understanding of how local communities and waterways impact Lake Champlain. During the half-day workshop, students from six participating schools rotated through seven activities focused on topics including Saint Albans Bay History, a creative expression related to Lake Champlain, soil health, the Lake Champlain watershed, and water quality.

The LCBP, in coordination with NEIWPCC, is pleased to announce several new funding opportunities:

Clean Water and Healthy Ecosystems Research Projects
Pre-proposals for research projects will address any research-oriented strategies and tasks outlined in the Lake Champlain management plan Opportunities for Action (OFA). Projects may have an implementation or planning component, including pilot studies or studies on implementation efficacy. Several research tracks that will be considered for funding: nutrients, public access, flood resilience, cyanobacteria, biodiversity and native species conservation, and general OFA strategies. Awarded projects through this RFP will begin work in January 2025.
Award amount: $25,000 to $300,000 per project.
Deadline: November 10, 2023.

Large Education and Outreach Projects
Proposals for large education and outreach projects will address strategies and tasks outlined in the Informed and Involved Public chapter of the Lake Champlain management plan Opportunities for Action (OFA).  Priority topics for these grants include road salt, phosphorus loading and cyanobacteria, aquatic organism passage, climate change adaptation, and education and interpretation at recreation access areas. Awarded projects through this RFP will begin work in January 2025.
Award amount: $15,000 to $50,000 per project
Deadline: January 4, 2024

Small Education and Outreach Projects
Proposals for small projects will inform students or adults about key Lake Champlain Basin issues identified in the management plan Opportunities for Action (OFA) to develop awareness, knowledge, skills, and commitment on a Basin issue so that informed decisions and constructive actions will benefit Lake Champlain. Awarded projects through this RFP will begin work in May 2024.
Award amount: up to $15,000 per project
Deadline: December 13, 2023

Organizational Support Projects
Proposals for projects will support increased organizational capacity and long-term effectiveness of watershed organizations working to implement elements of Opportunities for Action. The intent of this grant category is to assist watershed organizations with the early stages of their development or to assist established watershed organizations in strengthening their organizational capacity. The goal is to increase capacity, not develop new programming (this work can be requested in other LCBP grant competitions). Awarded projects through this RFP will begin work in May 2024.
Award amount: up to $20,000 per project
Deadline: January 5, 2024

Organizational Support and Workforce Development in the New York Portion of the Lake Champlain Basin
Proposals for projects through this opportunity will assist organizations focused on water quality or watershed ecosystem health working in the New York portion of the Lake Champlain basin to strengthen their organizational capacity. Requested funds should be applied to environmental-related activities, workforce development, or professional development support. Please see the LCBP’s annual Organizational Support grant opportunity (above) to apply for funding to support administrative-related organizational capacity needs. Awarded projects through this RFP will begin work in May 2024.
Award Amount: $25,000 - $150,000 per project.
Deadline: December 15, 2023

Stream Wise Community Partner Grants
Proposals for Stream Wise projects that inform and engage streamside landowners in protecting and planting native vegetated buffers on their properties to increase stream health, wildlife habitats, and flood resiliency in their local communities. Awarded projects through this RFP will begin work in May 2024.
Award amount: up to $15,000 per project
Deadline: December 13, 2023

Visit our the LCBP website for details of these RFPs and to apply →

Watershed Academy Webcast
November 13, 12-2 p.m.
Join this webinar to learn more about Lake Champlain and efforts that EPA, the Lake Champlain Basin Program, and their partners are taking to restore the lake. Speakers will include LCBP Program Director Dr. Eric Howe.

Learn more and register for the Restoring Lake Champlain webcast →

Northeast Aquatic Biologists Conference
February 14-16, 2024
Lake Morey Resort, Fairlee, VT
The NAB Conference, coordinated by NEIWPCC in partnership with member states and EPA, preserves the spirit and tradition of providing a forum for the professional sharing of knowledge and collaboration that the aquatic and environmental biologist community in the Northeast represents.
Learn more →

Annual Nonpoint Source Conference
April 10-12. 2024
Old Saybrook, CT
The Annual NPS Conference is the premier forum in the Northeast for sharing information and improving communication on NPS pollution issues and projects. The theme for 2024 is Climate Resiliency through NPS Outreach and Implementation.
The call for abstracts is open through December 17, 2023.
Learn more and submit an abstract →

Watershed for Every Classroom
July 16–19, 2024 and additional dates TBD
Various Locations
Save the date for our next session of A Watershed for Every Classroom.

Explore the stories of the Lake Champlain Basin as told by its people and places. Learn how these stories offer a variety of ways to teach all subjects and engage students in learning in and about their community while building their sense of belonging to their home place.

The program is best suited for educators working with grades 4-9 but is applicable to all subject areas and grades. Additional details will be released soon!

Learn more and hold your spot for next year’s program →
 

LCBP Committee Meetings
• Lake Champlain Executive Committee, November 16, 2023
• LCBP Technical Advisory Committee, December 6
• Lake Champlain Steering Committee, December 14, 2023
• Lake Champlain Executive Committee, January 18, 2024
• Lake Champlain Executive Committee, February 15, 2024

View the LCBP’s full meeting schedule →