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Lake Health Debate Heats Up in St. Albans
| ST. ALBANS, VT -- The quest for a cleaner Lake Champlain found unanimous, passionate support Monday afternoon, Sept. 15th, at a crowded forum in St. Albans.
A unified strategy to that end proved much more elusive.
Yes, there was plenty of cheering and applause during the two-hour meeting. Participants pitched their solutions. Among the most popular: more funding for study and incentives; tougher laws; tighter enforcement; and an unsentimental re-examination of how agriculture (manure) has compromised water quality. Read article |
The Pollution of Lake Champlain
| Wondering how we wound up with toxic bacterial outbreaks in the waters of Champlain and other lakes in the watershed--here is short video history: |
Anthony Iarrapino Esq. and Dr. Elijah Stommel, M.D., Ph.D Join LCI Advisory Council
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COLCHESTER, VT -- At LCI, our staff and directors take the credibility and integrity of our positions on challenging and complex public issues very seriously. For that reason, and others, we rely on a very knowledgeable, insightful, thoughtful, and experienced advisory council. Today, we are honored to welcome the talents of Anthony Iarrapino, Esq. and Elijah Stommel, M.D., Ph.D. Professor of Neurology, Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth. Thank you, Gentlemen, for your sage guidance in pursuit of our mission of swimmable, drinkable, and fishable waters.
Anthony and Elijah join the following individuals currently serving on the LCI Advisory Council: Ed Adrian, Esq., M.S.E.L. Aleksandra Drizo, Ph.D. Brian T. Fitzgerald, M.S. Sally Flis, Ph.D. Jim Douglas, Governor (2003-2013) Brian Grenon, Ph.D. Gary Henry, M.S. Janette Henry, M.S. Scott Mapes, P.E., Esq. Timothy B. Mihuc, Ph.D. April Moulaert, M.S. |
Nutrient Trading Proposed as an Option for Reducing Lake Champlain Pollution
| VTDIGGER -- Clusters of blue-green algae splashed against the shores of Georgia Beach and St. Albans Bay Park intermittently for at least a month this summer.
State officials are now planning a short-term effort to inspect farms in Franklin County that surround the bays for water quality violations. Read Article |
Watersheds: Runoff from the Tax Code
| Federal and state tax codes send price signals that can affect behavior. This article examines selected tax measures from a watershed perspective, exploring ways in which they may -- or may not -- enhance the quality of water within a watershed. To provide a concrete setting for the inquiry, it looks in particular at ways in which tax systems may influence levels of nonpoint source water pollution in Lake Champlain from Vermont's agricultural activities. Read article |
Dogs and Harmful Algal Blooms: New York Sea Grant Brochure Alerts Pet Owners of Potentially Lethal Toxins in NY Waters
| OSWEGO, NY -- New York Sea Grant (NYSG) has announced the publication of Dogs and Harmful Algal Blooms. Harmful algal blooms (HABs), especially in the state's fresh water, are overgrowths of cyanobacteria (blue-green algae) that cause water quality problems in lakes and ponds, including the occasional production of potent toxins. These toxins can poison people, household pets, waterfowl and livestock. Read more |
Combating Lamprey on Lake Champlain
| PLATTSBURGH, NY -- It is not easy to control invasive species like Eurasian watermilfoil and spiny water flea once they've established themselves in a waterbody. But scientists have learned how to control some of the region's other water-borne pests, including sea lampreys. Read more |
Invasive Spiny Water Flea Confirmed in Lake Champlain
| The Lake Champlain Basin Program confirmed late last week that the invasive spiny water flea has entered Lake Champlain. The zooplankton threatens to disrupt the food chain and could become a nuisance to anglers.
The confirmation of the spiny water flea in Lake Champlain was not unexpected. Lake researchers had raised warning flags for more than a year that the tiny crustacean was in the Champlain Canal and its incursion into the lake was imminent.
Lake Champlain International Executive Director James Ehlers says they've had reports for several months from boaters and anglers that the spiny water flea has been present. Read more |
Oil Train Forum Attendees Call for Action
| More than 130 concerned residents attended the LCC public forum to discuss the risks of crude oil train traffic through the Adirondack Park and Champlain Valley on August 28th, with many saying they would urge New York state officials to fully access the risks to communities and the environment, and urge federal regulators to ban the older, leak-prone rail tanker cars involved in recent spills, fires and explosions. The event was hosted by the Lake Champlain Committee, Adirondack Council, Adirondack Mountain Club, and the Center for Biological Diversity. Read more |
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 Donahue and Associates as newest Business Member
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Donahue and Associates is a commercial real estate agency located in Burlington, Vermont. They can help with sales and leasing of office, retail, industrial, and development property whether for your business need or investment purposes.
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Vermont Gas renews as Sustaining Member
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Vermont Gas Systems has returned for a second year to support our mission of a swimmable, drinkable, fishable Lake Champlain. Thank you, VT Gas, for your support!
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Hotel Vermont renews as Contributor Member | Hotel Vermont in Burlington, Vermont, has continued their support of clean water. The people of Hotel Vermont pride themselves on supporting local communities. Recently, LCI has been working with them to help bring local Lake Champlain fish to their menu. Thank you! |
Let's Go Fishing Instructor Spotlight -- Martha DeGraaf
| What interested you about the Let's Go Fishing Program?
"I have been volunteering at the Vergennes Junior Fishing Derby for seven years, and I wanted to become more knowledgeable of Vermont Law and Rules and Regulations. I want to be able to teach youth proper rules and techniques while having fun." Read more
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Day Trips -- This Fall
| NY -- NORTH COUNTRY NOW -- There are all kinds of things to do in the North Country. Visit the Adirondack Fish Hatchery, Fort Ticonderoga, The Wild Center...and more this fall. View List of Day Trips |
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 |
Administration and Farmers Clash Over More Precise Clean Water Act Regulations
| WASHINGTON -- The Obama administration has found itself in a public brawl with farmers over a proposed rule that would more precisely define what land the Clean Water Act regulates.
Adverse group of business interests, including mining companies and developers, even golf courses, also oppose the rule the administration issued this spring, but the farm lobby, led by the American Farm Bureau Federation, has taken the most public role in trying to persuade Congress to stop the regulation from taking effect. Read more |
Algae Blooms That Kill Pose Puzzles
| JEFFERSON CO., WA -- Many algae blooms are harmless. But sometimes they produce poisonous toxins. Most common here is mycrocystin, which attacks the liver. More rare is anatoxin-a, which mysteriously thrives in sleepy little Anderson Lake. Anatoxin-a can kill a person in less than five minutes. Read article |
Scrambling Birds' Brains: Could This Toxic Algae Offer Clues to Human Diseases?
| THURMOND LAKE, GA - From their perch in a loblolly pine, two bald eagles swoop low over a floating flock of wintering coots. Most of the water birds scatter, but a few are left struggling on the surface. They flail on their backs, their wings twitching. They sense danger, but they cannot flee. Choosing its prey, an eagle dives over one of the sick coots, skewering it with sharp talons.
A mysterious toxin -- with no name and no cure -- lurking in lakes in the South has drilled holes in the brains of these waterbirds, rendering them unable to swim, eat and fly. In turn, this poison likely will also destroy the brain of the eagle that ate the coot. Read article |
Pesticide Levels in Waterways Have Dropped, Reducing the Risks to Humans
| The development of safer pesticides and legal restrictions on their use have sharply reduced the risk to humans from pesticide-tainted rivers and streams, while the potential risk to aquatic life in urban waters has risen, according to a two-decade survey published by the US Geological Survey on 11 September. Read more
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Bill to Overhaul How Chemicals are Regulated Faces Uphill Battle in Senate
| WASHINGTON (AP) -- Efforts to come up with a new chemical regulation bill face an uphill battle in the Senate.
Over the summer, Sens. Tom Udall, D-N.M., and David Vitter of Louisana, the top Republican on the Senate Environmental and Public Works Committee, provided a revised draft of their chemical regulation bill to committee chairwoman Barbara Boxer, who told The Associated Press this week that the draft bill falls short. Read Article |
Senator Charles Schumer Proposes Ban on 10 Flame Retardants in Kids Products
| ALBANY, NY -- Sen. Charles Schumer is proposing legislation to ban 10 flame retardants from upholstered furniture and children's products, saying the chemicals have been linked to developmental delays and cancer. Read Article |
Banning Food Waste: Companies in Massachusetts Get Ready to Compost
| America's trash stream is stuffed with squandered food -- 36 million tons of it. According to the federal government, tossed food reaches more landfills and incinerators in America than any other municipal solid waste, and it's a problem that Massachusetts officials are taking seriously.
Starting 1 October, approximately 1,700 of the state's biggest food-waste generators -- think hospitals, colleges, supermarkets, hotels, nursing homes, prisons and other facilities that produce at least one ton of food waste per week -- must divert it away from landfills. Read more |
Ford Races to Rebuild Truck Plant for Aluminum F-150
| DEARBORN, MI -- Carefully choreographed chaos is under way in and around Ford's historic Dearborn Truck Plant as the automaker races to get it ready to build a very different F-series truck.
On Saturday, Sept. 6th, the last steel-bodied 2014 Ford F-150 rolled off the line and workers were ripping up equipment behind it. Ford has just eight weeks to remove all the equipment and tooling and replace it with new machinery to make the all-new 2015 F-150 with an aluminum body. Read more |
Schumer Supports Aid for Turning Farm Waste into Electricity
| POESTENKILL, NY -- For the last four years, the black-and-white Holstein cows at Peter Wagner's dairy farm in Poestenkill have been like little electric power plants, with their manure converted into enough electricity so far to power nearly 185 average homes for a year.
That magic happens through the use of a $1 million machine called an anerobic digester. On Wednesday, U.S. Sen. Chuck Schumer unveiled a proposal for a federal tax credit to reimburse farmers like Wagner for 30 percent of the expense of the system. Read more |
Manure Loop to Fuel Ethanol Plant Digester
| PIXLEY, CA --The Calgren Renewable Fuels ethanol plant in Pixley has embarked on a methane digester project as part of a partnership with nearby dairies. Four years after proposing to use dairy waste to help in its ethanol production, Calgren Renewable Fuels is full steam ahead on a biomethane digester that will replace thousands of gallons of natural gas needed for heat and steam. Since its groundbreaking in August 2009, the company's 55 million-gallon-per-year ethanol plant in Pixley has relied on piped-in natural gas to run a turbine generator capable of producing 5,800 kilowatts of electricity necessary to make process heat and steam. Read more |
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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