Photo Courtesy of Valerie Dillon Clyde River
MWA is actively engaged in educational programs and outreach with our partners and volunteers to engage as many people of all ages, and cover as many topics of concern and interest as possible. MWA holds events and workshops during the year to stimulate discussion on the issues facing the watershed while emphasizing this beautiful landscape we need to appreciate and protect. By advancing these programs, by involving the community, we hope to raise awareness and encourage everyone to help improve and restore our watershed for the generations to come.
MWA Works With Area Schools
Youth Discovery Program
In the late Spring, before school recesses for the summer, MWA holds a week long Youth Discovery Program, for 3rd graders from area schools and homeschoolers. With volunteers and staff from NorthWoods Stewardship Center, a day-long outdoor classroom is held at Prouty Beach.
Students learn what a watershed is, how all the water flows into Lake Memphremagog and ultimately north to the Atlantic Ocean.
Students hike along the shoreline, spotting birds and aquatic critters, learning how the plants buffer the shoreline to protect water quality for these inhabitants.
They collect and release Macroinvertebrates, animals that have no backbone and can be seen with the naked eye, including insects, crustaceans, mollusks, spiders, and worms.
Students come away with a basic understanding of the importance of healthy and diverse shoreland.
MWA’s Scholarship Program
Since 2012, the Memphremagog Watershed Association has been awarding scholarships to graduating secondary school students from the high schools within the watershed: North Country Union High School, Lake Region High School, Craftsbury Academy, and United Christian Academy. Scholarship amounts range from $500 to $1500. Applications are distributed to guidance departments starting in January. The deadline for mailing applications is the end of March. The selection of up to three students is made in April. Scholarships are awarded to students pursuing further education in the sciences, particularly but not limited to environmental science. One scholarship recipient, a graduate of North Country Union High School, earned a BS in Environmental Science from UVM and another was an AmeriCorps volunteer with the Orleans Conservation District.
For additional information please reach out to Don Hendrich of the Scholarship Committee.
MWA works with Vermont Universities
MWA partnered with a student in the Environmental Science Program at Northern Vermont University. Together, with MWA’s Project Manager, Patrick Hurley, they continued a riparian assessment and evaluated the water quality on the Clyde River.
MWA’s Annual Educational Events and Outreach
In early June, MWA participates in the annual Bird Walk at Eagle Point with our partners at Missisquoi National Wildlife Refuge.
Annual paddles to the wetlands at Eagle Point are designed for all abilities so everyone can get involved and explore this habitat.
The annual Snowshoe/Ski Event, hosted with our partners at Vermont Land Trust & Vermont Woodlands Association, follows the groomed trails at the Bluffside Farm, while presenters explain the wildlife habitats, the methods for invasive species control, and forest management plans on the farm.
MWA hosts informative and technical discussions – most recently – the topic of leachate and its treatments https://youtu.be/nL2-wFka7Ug to offer the public accurate and unbiased information, including current and emerging leachate management practices. Leachate is the liquid residue from landfills and is an important subject of discussion within the Memphremagog Watershed both in the United States and Canada due to the location of the landfill in Coventry, Vermont.
MWA Supports and Promotes State of Vermont Educational programs:
- Water Quality Monitoring
- Cyanobacteria (blue-green algae) Monitoring
- Vermont Invasive Patroller (VIP)
- Vermont Invasive Patroller Animals (VIPA)
- Greeter Programs and Boat Wash Stations
Invasive Species Removal
For the past few years, a couple of times a year, a crew from Columbia Forest Products has joined forces with MWA staff, the City of Newport and other volunteers for a Phragmites (Common Reed) cutting party at Prouty Beach. Continual cutting and careful removal of this invasive is thought to diminish its viability. After harvesting the Phragmites, the area has been replanted with native reeds. We are so grateful for everyone’s support and assistance.
Shoreline Restoration
Using native trees and plants, MWA, NorthWoods, and the City of Newport completed the Prouty Beach Shoreline Restoration Project. This highly visible, public project will help restore and protect the shoreline. Re-naturalizing this area will increase pollinator habitat, and help manage stormwater runoff from the extensive lawns in the campground areas.
