The Memphremagog Watershed Association was recently awarded nearly $143,000 from the Department of Environmental Conservation’s Water Quality Formula Grant program to complete stream and floodplain restoration work on Valley Brook in Morgan. Phase 1 of the restoration project will begin in August, and shortly thereafter a transformation will take place on the property off Valley Road. As part of a farm retirement and conservation effort, the former dairy operation will be decommissioned and converted into a VT Fish & Wildlife Department Streambank Management Area (SMA) for use by the public for fishing, hunting, trapping, and wildlife viewing.

Cyanobacteria (sometimes called blue-green algae) are tiny microorganisms that are a natural part of fresh water ecosystems. Under certain conditions, cyanobacteria can multiply quickly, creating blooms on the water’s surface that can also wash up along shorelines. Blooms can produce toxins harmful to humans and animals. 

See a video of cyanobacteria and photos of what is – and isn’t – a bloom at HealthVermont.gov/cyanobacteria. 

“Take a quick scan of the water before you, your kids or your pets go in,” said Bridget O’Brien, an environmental health scientist with the Vermont Department of Health. “If you see any scummy or discolored water – or if you are unsure – play it safe and find another place to go.”

The Vermont Lakes and Ponds Program offers guidance to help property owners protect and restore lake side properties. The Shoreland Best Management Practices guidance contains multiple Best Management Practice documents. Each document highlights different activities that can improve water quality and the health of lakeshore habitat. Examples of activities include planting native trees and shrubs, installing rain gardens to absorb runoff, improving driveways and pathways, and creating no-mow zones.

From the Vermont DEC Website:

Help us monitor for cyanobacteria blooms this summer by becoming a trained monitor! The official cyanobacteria monitoring season will begin on June 26. Monitors will receive a training from DEC staff on how to recognize and report blooms, and commit to monitoring a location on a lake every week for 12 weeks or more on the same day of the week.

Public comment meetings on the Draft Basin 17 Tactical Basin Plan have been scheduled for May 18th and 23rd. Everyone is Welcome

May 18th at 12:30 PM – Prouty Beach Pavilion, 386 Prouty Beach Rd, Newport City, Vermont – hosted by the Orleans Natural Resources Conservation District

May 23rd at 6:30 PM – Gateway Center, 84 Fife Drive, Newport City, Vermont – hosted by the Memphremagog Watershed Association

This Arbor Day, April 28, 2023, members of Memphremagog Watershed Association (MWA) joined the City of Newport to plant trees along the Clyde River Buffer zone maintained by MWA in conjunction with the City.  The City planted five trees to supplement the buffer zone along the Clyde in Newport and to replace some trees that have been…

The sport of wakesurfing has found its way to Vermont, but not everyone is riding the wave. Host Connor Cyrus will talk with Vermonters who are concerned about wake boats’ role in environmental problems like shore erosion and the spread of invasive species. We’ll learn about proposed rules that would end the use of wake boats on some Vermont lakes and restrict their use on others. 

Please join Vermont Lakes Program staff at free workshops offered to train Public Access Greeters in educating lake visitors about invasive species, providing watercraft inspections and STOPPING invasive species introductions.

James Ehlers can’t help but say something any time he passes the Winooski River’s Salmon Hole and sees kids splashing around or anglers eyeing fish. 

“Do you know what’s in that river?” Ehlers, a steadfast water activist who founded the nonprofit Lake Champlain International, sometimes yells to those he sees at the spot in downtown Winooski.