Sign up for a free Stream Wise Property Assessment!

Do you live near a stream? Is there a healthy vegetated buffer around the stream that runs through your property? If you answered yes, you might be Stream Wise!

Stream Wise awards and recognizes private landowners that maintain wide buffers of native plants along river and stream shoreland to promote water quality and stream resiliency. Maintaining a healthy vegetated buffer around streams helps reduce the amount of runoff that enters our waterways, which is important for water quality. These buffers are also key wildlife habitat.

Assessments consist of a visit by a trained assessor from LCC to determine buffer width, buffer zone composition, and buffer vegetation. Site visits are an opportunity to share what you value in your stream and why you are interested in maintaining a buffer. All assessments will include a follow-up report that describes your stream buffer, recommendations for improvements, and resources. Folks who meet the Stream Wise requirements are issued awards.

Stream Wise is intended to not only award and recognize landowners who maintain healthy stream buffers, but to educate folks in the Lake Champlain Basin on best ways to maintain their land. This is a great opportunity to learn more about the land surrounding your stream and specific ways to manage them to improve water quality, and to help us spread the word on Stream Wise!

Stream Wise assessments for streamside landowners are available through LCC for free and will be conducted from July to October. If you are interested in signing up for an assessment, submit the form below and we will be in contact with you.

BURLINGTON RESIDENTS: You also have access to free home stormwater assessments through Blue BTV—a residential green stormwater infrastructure incentive program. Blue BTV will assess your site and provide personalized suggestions to improve stormwater management on your property. If you are interested in having a Blue BTV stormwater assessment done on your property in addition to a Steam Wise assessment, check the option for Blue BTV on the form and we can schedule a single visit for both assessments.

*NOTE* This program is in its pilot year and LCC can only conduct a limited number of assessments during the 2023 field season. Assessments will generally be done on a first-come, first-serve basis. If more people sign up than we can accommodate in this first year, we will add you to our waitlist for next year!