Video Series About Lake Champlain
In 2021, Lake Champlain Sea Grant produced this series of 10 videos about Lake Champlain that feature the work and expertise of Lake Champlain Sea Grant education and extension staff. Learn about Lake Champlain and ways you can contribute to help keep the lake and basin healthy.
Lake Champlain is a key feature of the Vermont, New York, and Quebec landscape. The lake has a rich natural history and has served as a hub to support life for millennia from the Abenaki, Mohawk, and other First Nations to European settlers from around the globe. The geologic history of the lake, through upheaval and glaciation, combined with the lake’s 120-mile length and huge watershed make Lake Champlain a natural wonder.
Under the surface, lakes are dynamic systems, and just like the atmosphere above, lakes experience “seasons.” These seasons are very important in redistributing nutrients and oxygen across layers of water in a lake and help to ensure healthy lake ecosystems. Take a look at how lakes are like a “temperature layer cake” and what happens when the top temperature gets colder or warmer with the seasons.
Lake Champlain is considered one of the best bass fishing lakes in the United States, and bass-fishing tournaments attract anglers from far and wide to compete for prizes. This activity is a significant source of revenue for the region, but many are worried about the impact of tournaments on the local fish population. Join biologist Mark Malchoff as he tells us about the bass fishery of Lake Champlain and research about the impact of these competitions on bass populations.
Invasive species are plants and animals that are often from distant lands and are carried by humans to new environments where they thrive, overwhelm native populations, and change the ecosystem forever. Learn about aquatic invasive plants and animals that have impacted Lake Champlain’s waters, new ones on the prowl, and a few tips on what you may do to keep the Lake safe from these invaders.
Cyanobacteria, also called blue-green algae, are found in all types of water, but under certain conditions can “bloom,” causing public health problems for people and pets. Learn about how cyanobacteria blooms happen, what to look for, and how to be safe.
Public beaches are routinely sampled to check bacteria levels to make sure that the water is “safe” for swimming. Join Kris Stepenuck, PhD, in learning the steps to take and the techniques to use to get a good, testable water sample.
Winters in the Lake Champlain basin can feel very long, especially if you have to keep sidewalks and driveways free from ice and snow. Worse yet, salt can harm the environment, wildlife, pets, and property. Learn what steps we can take to keep safe while reducing the “salt intake” of the lake and the environment around us.
Green stormwater infrastructure (GSI) are human-made practices that mimic nature to clean stormwater runoff on-site and reduce its runoff. Rather than using conventional drainage, like concrete gutters and pipes, to handle rainfall runoff, GSI methods look to nature by letting the rain soak in and be used by plants rather than polluting streams and lakes. See how our built environment can be dramatically enhanced by mimicking nature’s way to handle rain and snow.
How does the way we mow our lawns protect Lake Champlain? How can mowing at a certain height help keep the lake healthy? Learn more about a program that provides very simple steps that you can use at your homes and businesses to help protect streams and rivers from pollution.
What happens to rain falling on a roof that flows into a roof gutter? As the water exits the downspout, it might flow over grass and nature. Or it may flow over an asphalt driveway. Follow the Tale of Two Gutters as the roof water makes its path to a stream and then the Lake. See how natural environments help keep our waters clean.