2026 Community Engagement Highglights

2026 has been a busy and rewarding year for the Friends, and for community engagement. From January through September, we've hosted rain barrel workshops, webinars, stream cleanups, fundraisers, and programs to connect our community to the landscape, while also sharing our work at farmers markets and other community events. Most of my work this year has involved getting out into the community, meeting people, and finding ways to connect with them. As Community Engagement Specialist, I have also been awarded the opportunity to conduct research on our surrounding communities in order to improve our community engagement program. I will be working with Lake Champlain Sea Grant over the next two years to interview members of the community through surveys and focus groups and develop tools to help the organization, and members of the community.

Rain barrel workshops are always my favorite program to host. This year, I worked with multiple partners to host three workshops, servicing a total of 53 households! I had the opportunity to work with the Highgate Springs Protective Association for the first time to build barrels for their community. It was so rewarding to converse with a group of community members that are dedicated to lake-friendly practices and getting out into the watershed.

FNLC also hosted 4 stream cleanups this year! We welcomed over 15 volunteers across our public cleanups. For the second year in a row, I had the opportunity to work with the local Viatris group to host a company-wide volunteer day. Together, we were able to clean 5 sites and gather over 40 tires!

Birding on Farms walks were new additions to the FNLC program list this year. We hosted two walks along local farms in Highgate and North Hero to see grassland birds like Bobolinks and Meadowlarks and discussed how farming practices that conserve their habitats can also benefit water quality.

Along with our many programs, I also spent time tabling at community events and connecting with folks about water quality concerns, wildlife, and native and invasive plant species. Events like the Franklin County Volunteer Fair, St. Albans Church Street Festival, Missisquoi Wildlife Fair, and REI's Lands Day Celebration allowed me to meet folks from across the state and hear their thoughts and concerns and allow them the opportunity to fill out surveys that will benefit my fellowship research.

This year was a huge success in terms of introducing new programs to our community. We saw new participants and more interaction than in years' past and I can't wait to see what's next for FNLC!

Best,

Gracie Grimes | Community Engagement Specialist

*These programs were funded in part by the Lake Champlain Basin Program (LCBP) and New England Interstate Water and Pollution Control Commission (NEIWPCC)