Five New Research Projects Kick Off This Summer
Lake Champlain Sea Grant (LCSG) is pleased to announce our 2024 awarded research projects! The funded research reflects the 2024–2028 LCSG Strategic Plan, which was developed using input from a diverse group of partners, individuals, and organizations within the Lake Champlain basin. LCSG is a leader in the basin in providing science-based education and outreach and supporting ecosystem and resilience-focused research. For the first time, LCSG will address all four National Sea Grant focus areas: Environmental Literacy and Workforce Development, Healthy Coastal Ecosystems, Sustainable Fisheries and Aquaculture, and Resilient Communities and Economies.
One of our top priorities has been and continues to be educating diverse audiences, including basin residents, land managers, and students (K–12, undergraduate, and graduate students). Each of the selected research projects will incorporate community outreach, public educational events, peer-reviewed publications, collaborations with partners in the Lake Champlain basin, or opportunities for undergraduate and graduate students in Vermont and New York.
Of 17 proposals submitted to Lake Champlain Sea Grant, five projects from researchers at Middlebury College, SUNY-Plattsburgh, Dartmouth College, and UVM were selected through a rigorous review process.
Dr. Erin Eggleston of Middlebury College will study microbial ecology and community knowledge to enhance our understanding of cyanobacterial blooms in Lake Champlain. Dr. Eggleston’s project will generate community-centered data that will be communicated to state agencies and basin stakeholders through reports and in conversation with community members.
Dr. Michale Glennon of Paul Smith’s College’s Adirondack Watershed Institute will pilot a program that studies the impact of various land uses on lakeshore wildlife and ecosystems on Upper Saranac Lake (Franklin County, NY). Dr. Glennon and her team will develop outreach and communication tools in collaboration with the Upper Saranac Lake Association, Upper Saranac Lake Foundation, and Adirondack Lakes Alliance to promote informed stewardship techniques that benefit native wildlife and their habitats around Upper Saranac Lake.
Dr. Justin Lesser of the University of Vermont’s Rubenstein School will study the effects of invasive alewife on the food web function in Lake Champlain. Dr. Lesser and his team will collect fish samples within Lake Champlain and similar lake systems without alewife—Lake George and Lake Memphremagog. In addition to the food web research, this project will foster valuable cross-lake cooperation between researchers, communities, stakeholders, and managers of Lake Champlain (New York, Vermont, and Quebec), Lake George (New York), and Lake Memphremagog (Vermont and Quebec).
Dr. Vivien Taylor from Dartmouth College will evaluate levels of beneficial omega-3 fatty acids and contaminants such as mercury and PFAS in commonly caught game fish from nearshore and offshore locations on Lake Champlain. Fish provide an accessible food source and supply of nutrients to a large population of recreational and subsistence anglers and their communities. However, safe consumption guidelines often target sport fish, which are found away from shore. Subsistence anglers tend to stay onshore where they need less equipment, and it’s these shoreline areas that are more impacted by watershed nutrient inputs. This research will inform subsistence anglers to make healthy choices while fishing in Lake Champlain.
Dr. Leon Walls at the University of Vermont will expand upon work initiated by Dr. Kim Coleman in our last research award, now of RESNR. Dr. Walls and his team will examine barriers that prevent black, indigenous, and people of color (BIPOC) students from entering the environmental workforce. A PhD student will work with 400 Upward Bound students who identify as BIPOC. Upward Bound is a national program aimed at high school students from lower-income households or in households where neither parent holds a bachelor’s degree. The students served through this project will be provided opportunities to experience watershed science and learn about a range of career options in environmental science.
These two-year research projects will begin this field season and Lake Champlain Sea Grant will communicate findings throughout the projects. If you’re interested in learning more about these projects, sign up for our newsletter to get updated when we announce our fall Research Webinar Series. If you’re interested in receiving Sea Grant funding, check out the resources on our request for proposals page.