Local volunteers help detect cyanobacteria in Lake Champlain

Local volunteers help detect cyanobacteria in Lake Champlain

Chea Waters Evans

You’ve got your goggles on, you’re slicked up with sunscreen, your water shoes are firmly in place, you’re about to jump in the lake—and there it is: foamy pea soup, right on the top of the water. Though you might be tempted to take the leap anyway, it’s best to take a step back. Cyanobacteria blooms aren’t just any normal lake growth, and they can make people and animals really sick. Here in Charlotte, working through the Lake Champlain Committee, volunteers are testing the water so you can jump in without fear.

Fishhook waterflea infests Lake Champlain

Fishhook waterflea infests Lake Champlain

Meg Modley Gilbertson LCBP aquatic invasive species management coordinator

Anglers returning from the waters of Lake Champlain at Shelburne Bay have reported large quantities of invasive fishhook waterflea fouling their gear. Boat launch stewards with the Lake Champlain Basin Program (LCBP) noted this week that nearly all fishing boats returning to the Shelburne Bay and Converse Bay launches had downriggers infested with the tiny organisms. LCBP stewards removed, treated and disposed of the fishhook waterfleas. The alarming news for anglers and lake ecology came during the busy holiday period of Canada Day on July 1 and the July 4th holiday in the U.S.

Sixth annual Diamond Island Regatta goes “clean” and benefits Lake Champlain Maritime Museum

Sixth annual Diamond Island Regatta goes “clean” and benefits Lake Champlain Maritime Museum

Diamond Island Regatta

Now in its sixth season, the Diamond Island Regatta, hosted by the Royal Savage Yacht Club (RSYC) and Point Bay Marina, will for the first time be a certified Clean Regatta, helping educate and mobilize sailors to protect the world’s lakes and oceans.

Spinnakers galore and regatta results

Spinnakers galore and regatta results

Tim Etchells, Contributor

The fifth annual Diamond Island Regatta, on Saturday, Aug.19, matched last year’s record turnout, drawing 30 competitors for a day of sailboat racing on Lake Champlain. Again this year, the benefit race, sponsored by the Royal Savage Yacht Club (RSYC) and Point Bay Marina, netted more than $1,000 for the Lake Champlain Maritime Museum (LCMM) in Ferrisburgh.

Extreme weed growth along shoreline

Extreme weed growth along shoreline

Linda Patterson

Property owners on Long Point in North Ferrisburgh decided to form a “Weed Committee” to study the problem. After many months of research into causes and weed-control methods, and after speaking with their neighbors and other lake associations, the committee decided to organize an education event to inform lake users about the weed problem.