The Windham Conservation District received an Aquatic Invasive Species Grant from the Department of Environmental Conservation to support the management of Vermont Public Access Greeters at Windham County lakes. Greeters work at public access boat launches performing inspections of water craft before they launch to help keep aquatic invasive species from being introduced. Greeters also … Continue reading
Tactical basin planning for the 100-mile-long Otter Creek (Basin 3) is now underway. A kick-off meeting was held at the Brandon Town Hall Community Center on June 7, 2018. Monitoring, Assessment, and Planning Program Manager Ethan Swift and Basin Planner Angie Allen led the discussion. Topics included what state scientists know about the water quality and … Continue reading
In what will be one of the last acts of his presidency, Barack Obama has issued an executive order addressing invasive species and the need to prevent further spread of invasive pests. In an executive order issued on December 5th, the President reiterated the need for the continued efforts to “…prevent the introduction of invasive … Continue reading
Vermont’s lakes and ponds are characterized by a plethora of biota. While boating on the south end of Lake Champlain (heading toward lock 12), my colleagues and I are greeted at the Lake’s Narrows by a juvenile bald eagle standing guard atop a white cedar. Moments later, squawks and screams erupt from a great blue … Continue reading
For the past 13 years, Shadow Lake in Glover has had the only hot water, high pressure watercraft decontamination station in the state. The Shadow Lake Association in partnership with the Town of Glover has operated this unit since 2003, and has encouraged washing of all watercraft before launching into the lake. One of their … Continue reading
Now that the 2014 Lake Champlain Monitoring Report is available online, we can report it contains bad news about the spread of spiny water flea. While we knew the spiny water flea would travel fast once introduced, the extent to which it spread through Lake Champlain in 2014 surprised us. The first sighting, near Valcour … Continue reading
There are many reasons why people volunteer – to give back to society, to support a cause they believe in, to learn new information or acquire new skills, to meet people who share common interests. Regardless of their motivations, volunteers are essential to improving our understanding of lake health in Vermont. Through the Vermont Lay … Continue reading
