Lake Champlain Sea Grant Awarded $2.4 Million to Benefit Local Economies and Environment

Lake Champlain Sea Grant now supports ten research projects that benefit the environment and economies in the Lake Champlain basin. Current research projects, with topics spanning from innovative wastewater treatment with wood chips to finding the spawning locations of wild and stocked lake trout, benefit the basin's people and ecosystems.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) National Sea Grant College Program has supported the Lake Champlain Sea Grant since 1999. A promotion to Institute status in 2018 and a corresponding infusion of $2.4 million into its budget by 2021 has spawned an expanded, outcome-oriented competitive research program. As of February 1, Lake Champlain Sea Grant is funding the most research in its history.

Scientists conduct research on farms, in wetlands, at wastewater treatment plants, on roads, in parking lots, and on Lake Champlain, representing the broad suite of land uses that can, and do, impact water quality and aquatic life in the lake and its tributaries.

On Lake Champlain, researchers assess bioavailability and bioaccumulation of mercury in fish, track progress of lake trout conservation efforts over time, evaluate impacts of environmental change on food webs, and track nutrient cycling under changing climatic conditions.

“We aim to improve and protect clean water in Lake Champlain,” said Eric Leibensperger, Professor at the SUNY Plattsburgh Center for Earth and Environmental Science and a Lake Champlain Sea Grant-funded researcher. “Our Sea Grant-funded research identifies how climate change may compromise clean water efforts and what water quality managers can do to avoid this. But not only scientists are using our research; anglers and boaters are using our publicly available data to inform where and when they go out on the lake."

Land-based research projects identify management strategies to reduce streambank erosion; use novel, nature-based solutions to treat wastewater and stormwater; and track water quality following use of innovative technologies to minimize use of salt on roads.

“We are proud to partner with dozens of highly engaged and informed scientists to research critical issues,” said Breck Bowden, Professor in the Rubenstein School of Environment and Natural Resources at University of Vermont and Director of the Lake Champlain Sea Grant. “Across the Lake Champlain basin, citizens, government, and researchers are committed to making science-informed decisions in support of a healthy lake and the healthy economy that goes with it.”

Lake Champlain Sea Grant develops and shares science-based knowledge that helps communities and businesses make informed decisions related to the environment and economies of Lake Champlain and its basin. Lake Champlain Sea Grant is hosted by the University of Vermont in partnership with the State University of New York, Plattsburgh and operates with additional support and collaboration with multiple state and local partner organizations.

“Due to the huge land to water ratio in the Lake Champlain basin, we know that what happens on the land can have significant influence on water quality,” said Kris Stepenuck, UVM Extension Professor and Assistant Director for the Lake Champlain Sea Grant. “Our outreach team is eager to help translate research results for local businesses and communities to help inform decision-making. The research is expected to benefit land use planning, inform sustainable development, and improve hazard resiliency."

Learn more about  Lake Champlain Sea Grant and read the full descriptions of the ten research projects.