Spring Webinars Feature Research on Lake Champlain Food Webs, Diversifying the Environmental Workforce, Safe Fish Consumption, and Cyanobacteria
Lake Champlain Sea Grant is pleased to host four research webinars on topics critical to the environment and economies of the Lake Champlain basin and important in watersheds worldwide this Spring. On the last Wednesday of each month, join us on Zoom for an hour-long presentation from Lake Champlain Sea Grant researchers and partners.
For our first research webinar on January 31, Justin Lesser from the University of Vermont Rubenstein School will present his research on Lake Champlain food web dynamics. Across all ecosystems, consumers can move energy and nutrients across space; that fish you catch in your favorite spot could have visited 20+ spots that day. By eating in one location, moving somewhere else, and eating again, or by being eaten themselves, consumers link habitats that otherwise might be thought of as distinct, separate ecosystems. Lesser will discuss current preliminary work from the Rubenstein Lab, demonstrating how applying concepts of cross-habitat connectivity from completely different ecosystems can greatly enhance our understanding of the rules and drivers of fish production in Lake Champlain. The frameworks he utilized highlight consequences for lake food web productivity under projected climate change in the Lake Champlain basin and reveal new implications for projected ecosystem change in the face of imminent invaders. Register in advance for this webinar.
Unpacking Harmful Narratives about Individuals who identify as BIPOC and Nature
On February 28, Kim Coleman, an Associate Professor in the Rubenstein School of Environment and Natural Resources at the University of Vermont will present her research on diversifying the environmental workforce in the Lake Champlain basin. The environmental workforce in the Lake Champlain basin is still largely white, despite calls and efforts to diversify. This talk will discuss scholarship aimed at understanding if connectedness to nature is a predictor of environmental career aspirations for vulnerable groups of people—namely individuals who identify as BIPOC, women, and gender-non-conforming folks—to understand if efforts to increase connectedness represent a leverage point or change. Understanding these dynamics could help environmental education programs shape their focus to help diversify the environmental movement. Register in advance for this webinar.
On March 27, a Rubenstein School research team, Saurav Lamichhane, Ariana Chiapella, and Bindu Panikkar, will present the findings from a recent survey and focus group study on the local fishing and fish-eating behavior of Burlington residents. Exposure to contaminants in fish, such as mercury and persistent organic pollutants has wide-ranging adverse health effects. Immigrant and refugee communities often have less knowledge of these risks due to a lack of appropriate education and outreach and may be at greater risk of exposure to contaminants in fish, especially if they practice subsistence fishing. This talk reports the survey and focus group results on the local fishing and fish-eating behavior and subsequent contaminant exposure risk among residents in Burlington, Vermont. Register in advance for this webinar.
Insights of Lake Champlain Beachgoers about Cyanobacteria Blooms and Beach Closures
On April 24, Kris Stepenuck, Lake Champlain Sea Grant Extension Leader, and Aude Lochet, Lake Champlain Sea Grant Water Resources Specialist, will present their findings from a recent survey of Lake Champlain beachgoers to learn their knowledge and behavior around cyanobacteria blooms and beach closures. More information on this presentation to come. Register in advance for this webinar.
Each webinar will begin at noon. A 30-minute presentation will be followed by a 30-minute question-and-answer period. We hope you will join us.