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What Will It Take to Clean Up Lake Champlain (or the rest of our lakes, for that matter)?
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JAMES EHLERS -- "For how long we will stare into the reflection of a beautiful Lake Champlain before we realize it is but an image?"
Perhaps it will be reading this piece that joins you with me and others to effectively mobilize public and private resources to once and for all move beyond our fixation with the image we have of ourselves. Read more
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A Fish Story: The Battle to Remove Swanton Dam
| SWANTON, VT -- For 50 years, the Swanton Dam has been of almost no practical use. That is one of the few points of agreement a group of environmentalists and locals who have been sparring for more than a decade about the future of the eight-foot-tall span across the Missisquoi River.
Organizations including Lake Champlain International and the state's Fish & Wildlife Department want to remove the dam. They say it would go a long way toward restoring troubled fisheries in Lake Champlain by allowing sturgeon, walleye and other imperiled fish to reach fertile spawning grounds seven miles to the north of the dam for the first time in two centuries. Read more |
Water Pollution: Ehlers Talks on Channel 17 TownMeeting TV
| Colchester, VT -- Lake Champlain International Executive Director, James Ehlers speaks about the LCI mission and current status of the Lake Champlain waters.
Channel 17 Airtimes:
Wednesday Aug. 27, 2014 at 5:25 p.m. Thursday Aug 28, 2014 at 7:00 p.m. Monday September 1, 2014 at 4:30 p.m. Monday September 8, 2014 at 4:30 p.m. Monday September 15, 2014 at 4:30 p.m. |
VT Small Farms Under Scrutiny For Pollution Runoff
| The state of Vermont is working to reduce phosphorus pollution in the Lake Champlain watershed.
A lot of the focus has been on farms, and now the state is turning its attention to smaller scale agriculture, and that means owners of much smaller parcels of land will also have to conform to the regulations already on the books. |
Release of 1,954,853 Gallons of Non-Disinfected Wastewater Results in $22,625 Penalty For Village of Essex Junction
| MONTPELIER, VT - The Department of Environmental Conservation's Compliance and Enforcement Division (CED) announced on July 29, 2014 that it formally settled environmental violations involving the Village of Essex Junction. |
Vermont Agency of Natural Resources Announces Berlin Pond Decision
| MONTPELIER, VT -- The Vermont Department of Environmental Conservation announced its decision today to grant the City of Montpelier's petition to restrict the use of motorized vehicles, petroleum products and ice shanties on Berlin pond -- but not access to anglers. Berlin pond is a public water. DEC finds recreational use is no threat to Montpelier's water supply. Read more |
Public Water Systems Watch for Toxic Algae in Lake Champlain
| The proliferation of blue-green algae, also known as cyanobacteria, is a problem in lakes across the country, including Lake Champlain. Fueled by excess phosphorus in the water from farms, fertilizers and road runoff, algae blooms appear perennially in Lake Champlain in late summer and early fall. The lake supplies drinking water to more than 200,000 people, an estimated 140,000 live in Vermont.
After "high alerts" trickled in this month for blue-green algae in the St. Albans and Missisquoi bays, Vermonters wondered: Could the same toxins that took Toledo's water off-line imperil Lake Champlain's drinking water? Read more |
James Maroney: Fewer Cows, More Pollution
| VTDIGGER.ORG -- Addison Independent articles about lake pollution and agriculture deluge readers of late and it would not be surprising if they were confused. Emerson Lynn's Community Forum (July 28,2014) correctly states that over half of lake pollution is attributable to agricultural runoff, but he writes "Don't Just Blame Farmers;" the "real culprit" is political; i.e., pollution is not my doing, it's somebody else's. He proposes, as does the story on the front page " Farmers Say New Regulations Not Needed," that existing regulations, if enforced, if funded and if given many, many years to take effect, would stanch the problem. Read more |
Does Algae Threaten Lake Champlain Drinking Water? | VERMONT - For three days early this August Ohio's fourth-largest city had no drinking water. Toledo's tap water, supplied by Lake Erie, was contaminated with toxins produced by blue-green algae, forcing 500,000 residents to turn off their taps.
The problem-causing algae, also known as cyanobacteria, is becoming a concern to municipalities across the country that draw water from lakes. The pollution has not spared Vermont -- Lake Champlain is known to contain the same toxin-producing algae that caused the water shut-down in Toledo. Read more |
State to Step Up Testing For Toxic Blue Green Algae in Lake Champlain
| The state's top environmental enforcement official said more needs to be done to protect Lake Champlain's drinking water supplies from toxic algae blooms.
David Mears, commissioner of the Vermont Department of Environmental Conservation, now says the algae toxins could enter drinking water supplies for consumers around Lake Champlain and the state is working to improve its testing protocol. Read more |
New Culvert in Fayston is Ready for Flood and Fish
| FAYSTON, VT -- A new, larger and improved culvert now allows Lockwood Brook to pass beneath Manlin Road in Fayston. The old culvert - a combo of corrugated metal pipe and concrete - was too small for the Lockwood Brook system and during Tropical Storm Irene (and other storms) damming by debris and overtopping floodwaters caused major damage to private property and town road infrastructure. Read more |
Vermont Outdoors Woman -- Fall Doe Camp Returns to Jackson's Lodge in Canaan, VT. Sept 19-21, 2014
Vermont Outdoors Woman is sponsoring a weekend retreat for adventurous women 18 years and older in Canaan, Vermont on September 19-21, 2014. Fall foliage will be in full swing as classes are held in the woods and on the lake. Learn more
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NEW! Sign-up with GoodSwipe to help Lake Champlain
| Now through everyday purchases with your debit or credit card at more than 50,000 stores around the nation, a percentage of your purchase can be donated to LCI! Learn how to sign-up here... |
Use GoodSearch for shopping, dining
& internet searching and help Lake Champlain!
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Shop online, eat dinner out, and search the internetall in the name of a healthier Lake Champlain! Learn how!
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LCI Business Members support the work that you and LCI are so passionately involved with. These businesses recognize the vital importance of clean waters and healthy fisheries to our local and regional economy, communities, and health.
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LCI Welcomes Clear Water Filtration As Newest
Business Member
| Clear Water Filtration is a full service water treatment company specializing in residential, commercial and industrial applications with leading technology in water softening, filtration, reverse osmosis, deionization and many other processes. Their mission is to be the most technically knowledgeable, cost effective, reliable and responsive professionals in their industry. To provide environmentally friendly, high quality water treatment devices and systems resulting in 100% customer satisfaction, while also exceeding the expectations of employees, community and other industry professionals.
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Smugglers Notch Resort resigns as Signature Member | Smugglers' Notch Resort has once again shown their support for a swimmable, drinkable, fishable Lake Champlain. Smuggs offers year-round fun for the whole family!
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Villanti Printing resigns as Signature Member | Villanti has again signed on as a Signature Member. Huge thanks to them for helping us ensure clean water, healthy fish, and happy people!
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Vermont Youth Waterfowl Weekend
| September 27 - 28, 2014 -- This is the weekend to get kids out waterfowl hunting. More info |
Dead Creek Wildlife Day
| October 4, 2014 -- Dead Creek Wildlife Management Area, Route 17W, Addision, VT. Take your kids and celebrate the Thirteenth Annual Dead Creek Wildlife Day with VT Fish & Wildlife. Activities will include bird banding, white-tailed deer discussions, plant identification and more. Learn more |
Mutant Fish in the Susquahanna River
| In Pennsylvania's Susquehanna River, one of the longest in the northeast, male smallmouth bass are sprouting female egg cells in their testes. According to a U.S. Geological Survey report released in June, these intersex fish appear in water -- both in this river and two others in the state -- that has become saturated with estrogenic compounds, natural and artificial hormones in animal manure and, to a smaller degree, sewage. Read more |
Stanford Research Shows Value of Clams, Mussels in Cleaning Dirty Water
| New Stanford research shows that bivalves can cleanse streams, rivers and lakes of potentially harmful chemicals that treatment plants can't fully remove.
Pharmaceuticals, personal care products, herbicides and flame retardants are increasingly showing up in our waterways. Read more |
The Fine For Months of Manure Spilling? Less than $500
| MARATHON CO., WISCONSIN -- More than one million gallons of manure flowed from a small farm for months, say Marathon County officials, quickly filling a storage tank the size of a small basement, then trickling into a wetland and eventually the Little Eau Pleine River on the far western edge of the county. The fine? $464.10. Read more |
"This is a Huge Success Story": Two Maine Scientists Say Acid Rain Effects Reversing Much Faster than Expected
| UNITY, MAINE -- Two Maine scientists are celebrating good news about the environment, after a decade-long study has shown that the negative effects of acid rain have been reversed much faster than expected.
Steve Kahl, a sustainability professor at Unity College, said Aug.14th that the study looked at lakes throughout most of New England and New York, and it found that the environmental regulations and the voluntary actions of industry have sharply reduced sulfur emissions in rain and snow. Read more |
Vermont Enticing Disaster Preparedness with Money
MONTPELIER, VT (AP) -- Vermont is preparing to implement new rules that encourage communities to take steps to reduce future flood damage in exchange for more money to help them recover from the next big flood. Read more |
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Sacramento Biodigester Turns Organic Waste into Fuel
| SACRAMENTO, CA -- Cutting edge biodigesters convert food waste into fuel. Compostable organics make up about 30% of the waste going into our landfills. Watch video |
Multi-tasking Could be Key for Algae-to-Diesel Ops
| A company from Nevada thinks it has found a way to make a profit turning algae into renewable diesel: multi-tasking. Algae Systems has a pilot plant in Alabama and believes it will be able to turn a profit by doing several other things while turning the algae oil into a usable fuel, namely clean water from municipal sewage, selling carbon-heavy residue as fertilizer and generating valuable credits for advanced biofuels Read more |
Cow Manure Powers Vermont Company
| A Vermont brewery uses manure to power its facility. The Long Trail Brewery has signed onto CVPS's Cow Power Program to run its plant while sending 8 tons of grain waste per day to feed cows in southern Vermont. Watch video |
Lake Champlain Maritime Museum - Archaeology Month
September is Archaeology month on Lake Champlain. Meet archaeologists and share hands-on presentations about shipwrecks, nautical archaeology, and the story of the Vergennes shipyard where the fleet was built that saved America in 1814.
Learn more
Vermont Bike Tour - Lake Champlain Roundabout
Sept 21-26 Organized by Escapades Bike Tours. Learn more
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Did you know there are two Lake Champlain newsletters?
Looking for fishing & boating news? Then check out LCI's other monthly email newsletter, 'On the Hook!'
To subscribe to 'On the Hook,' click here and enter your email address. Simply follow the directions to update your subscription!
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mychamplain.net | facebook.com/LakeChamplain | Donate | Become A Member
Lake Champlain International (LCI) is a federally recognized 501(c)(3) non-profit organization actively involved in shaping the future of Lake Champlain's water and fisheries health for the well-being of the people who depend on it today and tomorrow. To protect, restore, and revitalize Lake Champlain and its communities, LCI educates, advocates, and motivates to ensure that Lake Champlain is swimmable, drinkable, and fishable, understanding that healthy water resources are essential for a healthy economy and a healthy community.
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____________________________________________
Lake Champlain
International, Inc.
531 Main Street
Colchester, VT 05446
802.879.3466 Fax: 802.879.1746
a 501(c)(3) organization
www.mychamplain.net
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