Photo of the equipment volunteers need to safely monitor for cyanobacteria.
Sign up for Cyanobacteria Monitor Training or an Info session. Photo by Lori Fisher, © Lake Champlain Committee.

Report on Lake Champlain or Inland Lake conditions by becoming a cyanobacteria monitor!

Monitoring requirements for the 2025 season are listed below followed by a sign-up form. They currently include COVID-19 safety protocols, as they may still be required at some sites during the season. To participate as a cyanobacteria volunteer monitor, individuals must:

  • Have weekly access to a public or private lakeshore location. (LCC's top priority is to have public access sites monitored.)
  • Attend an online training session (approximately two and a half hours for returning monitors, three hours for new monitors).
  • Commit to reading the LCC weekly emails which provide ongoing guidance and support throughout the monitoring season. (They contain links to resources and information and photographs of conditions you may encounter to help you file accurate reports.)
  • Agree to the protocols in the form below.

Training sessions are held online via Zoom and required for both new and veteran monitors to ensure we maintain a high standard for our community science volunteer monitoring program so that our data is taken seriously. Accurately assessing water conditions is like learning an instrument, it takes time and practice. Attending an annual training and reading the weekly emails are important parts of the practice of monitoring.

The 2025 reporting season will run from mid-June through mid-November. LCC is also happy to train people who can’t provide weekly reports but are interested in learning how to recognize cyanobacteria.

Establishing your site(s):

  • Click here for the current Lake Champlain public site needs for the 2025 season. Note that this list will continue to be updated throughout the year. Inland lake site needs are not listed.
  • Additional monitoring sites may be added during the season.
  • Returning monitors may list the same site(s) they previously monitored.
  • If you’d like to monitor a site not listed below, please provide the site details in the form. Priority will be given to public sites. 

Cyanobacteria Monitor Interest Form

Please Complete Form Below (red * signifies required information for form submittal)

Cyanobacteria Online Training Sessions

Select Your Monitoring Site

Returning monitors may select "same site(s) as last year" and new monitors should select their preferred monitoring site from the list of Public Site Coverage Needs in the drop down menu below. Sites are listed North to South within each province and state. Note that this list will change throughout the season as we hear back from returning monitors and site coverage needs increase or decrease. If you cannot monitor at any of these sites, and would like to monitor at a different Lake Champlain location or an inland VT Lake, use the next section to enter your desired site information.

If you’d like to monitor weekly at a site not listed in the check-off box above, provide the site type (public, quasi-public, multi-party private, private), site name, site location (town/city and state/province), latitude and longitude.

NOTE: The site you’re interested in may already be covered by LCC volunteers or may be a new site that has not been monitored in the past. LCC can only create a few new sites each year and must prioritize public sites such as parks, beaches, and boat launches.

Site Coordinates

The easiest way to find the coordinates for your site is through Google Maps.

  1. Go to Google Maps.
  2. Click on the area of water closest to where you plan to conduct your assessment; when you click, a pin icon will appear.
  3. Google will automatically create the coordinates (for example, 44.461378, -73.221476). On a desktop computer, the coordinates will appear in a pop-up box; on a smartphone, you must click on the pin icon to view the coordinates.

Monitor Availability

Monitor Agreements & Supplies

  • Attend an online training session (approximately two and a half hours for returning monitors, three hours for new monitors)
  • Have weekly access to a public or private lakeshore location
  • Wear gloves and avoid dermal exposure when taking water samples
  • Read and follow guidance in the LCC weekly emails to monitors
  • Follow all applicable local, state, and federal laws and COVID-19 safety guidelines while monitoring and traveling across state and provincial borders for monitoring.
  • Agree not to sample or assess conditions at any public locations if you are feeling sick, have COVID-19 symptoms, or have had close contact with anyone with COVID-19 in the last five days
  • Follow any posted COVID-19 guidelines at any public sites where you monitor and agree not to monitor if the site isn’t open for public use
  • Wear a face mask and practice physical distancing at public sites including state parks, beaches and boat launches if it’s required
  • File weekly reports via an online form after meeting the above protocols

Monitor Supplies

Use the form fields below to select the supplies you would like. Note that during the monitoring season, LCC will send out weekly emails to assist with your reporting with links to your username, password and guidance documents. We will host open houses at our office in Burlington VT and select locations throughout the Lake Champlain watershed for monitors to pick up T-shirts, hats, and gloves prior to and during the monitoring season. You can also call our office at 802 658-1414 to arrange a pick-up at a different time. LCC will do our best to match glove and T-shirt size requests with our inventory. 

Note on sizing: If you have more than one household monitor, choose multiple sizes. If you need the same size, select that and we will send you the correct number based on the monitors you listed above.

IMPORTANT NOTE - when you click "submit" on this form, you'll be shown a copy of your completed form. You must scroll down and select "Next" if the form is ready to be sent or "Previous" if you need to go back and change anything. You'll receive an auto-response email after successfully sending in your form - if you don't get that email, please reach out to lcc@lakechamplaincommittee.org.