Thank You Monitors!
The Chairvolottis make monitoring a family affair, filing weekly reports from two shoreline locations throughout the summer. Photo by the Chairvolottis.
Over a hundred volunteers trained by LCC filed weekly water quality reports during the summer. Their data provided over 95% of the information on the blue-green algae tracking map housed at the Vermont Department of Health.
“The Lake Champlain Committee makes an invaluable contribution to the Lake Champlain Blue-Green Algae Monitoring Partnership,” said Eric Smeltzer, Environmental Scientist with the Vermont Department of Environmental Conservation. “The citizen scientist volunteers recruited and trained by LCC are essential to providing recreational users, water supply operators and health officials with timely, lakewide information about the occurrence of harmful algal blooms on Lake Champlain.”
The information the monitors provide is relied on by public health and environmental officials to assess the safety of the lake for recreating (see 2014 Blue-green Algae Recap). It's also adding to our body of knowledge about the triggers for blooms so we can reduce their frequency. If you'd like to be part of the monitoring crew for the 2015 season, sign up here.
LCC's monitors are a dedicated group. Kathy Davis in Shelburne and Brad Gooding in St. Albans were always willing to go the extra mile and provide daily checks when conditions warranted it. Mike Roach of Missisquoi Bay has been monitoring conditions for LCC since we began the program over a decade ago. Tara Gibson and Dan Pettit check on three sites at Burlington's Oakledge Park, Jeff Clock monitors two locations in Willsboro and Tim Etchells does the same across the lake in Ferrisburgh.
The monitoring program wouldn't exist without the committed, enthusiastic involvement of all our volunteers and the generous financial support of LCC members, the Lake Champlain Basin Program, PC Construction, the Lintilhac Foundation, the South Lake Champlain Fund, and the Hickok and Boardman Network of Companies. Our deep thanks to our project partners the New York and Vermont Departments of Health and Departments of Environmental Conservation and Vermont's Department of Forests, Parks and Recreation and our wonderful monitors: Kenneth Adams, Bunny Adler, David Andrews, Janine Banks, Mary Jane Banyi, Susie Becker, Dana Bishop, Joe and Paulette Bogan, Bob and Janet Bogdan, Liz Bosworth, James Boyce, Philip Brett, Ashley Brisson, Allan Carpenter, Sheila Chairvolotti and Kids, Jeff Clock, Peggy Coutu, Kerry Crowningshield, Kathy Davis, Todd deBurlo, Sandi Detwiler, Deborah Diemand, Bob Dill, Tim Etchells, Leisa Fearing, Dave Frisque, Rob Galbraith, James Gears, Erika Gehman, Tara Gibson, Louise Giovanella, Sara Glickman, Brad Gooding, John Grivetti, Jen Guimaraes, Rob and Carolyn Hackwell, Tim Hanrahan, Ann Ruzow-Holland and David Holland, Phelps Holloway, Zach Holman, Bob Jackson, Kim Jackson, Kim Jacobs, Suzy L. Johnson, Stephanie Kirchberg, Miles Koeller, Dianne Lansing, Norton Latourelle, Laura Limoge, Lisa Liotta, Bob Martell, Jon McBride, Chris McClain, Robert and Mary McKearin, Heidi McNally, Pat Morton, Mary Jay Mullowney, Boston Neary, Gerry O'Connor, Jacob Partlow, Doug and Gretchen Patterson, Martha Perry, Dan Pettit, Chip and Ann Porter, Ellie Reddington, Karla Rieger, Mike Roach, Ryan Robinson, Andrea Rogers, Judy Ross, Daniel Rugar, Lew Sanders, Wendy A. Saville, Roy and Cheryl Shea, Jessica Shields-Gregg, Mary Simmers, John and Berney Skutel, Edward and Barbara Smith, Michael and Veronica Stahl, Karen, Rachel and Sammie Stone, Ken Sturm, Gale Taliaferro, Cornelia Tierney, Jim and Colleen Van Hoven, Cassondra Whyte, Chuck Woessner, Sky Yardley, and Rebecca Zeyzus.
