Free Access to Seminars on Lake Champlain Basin Environmental Science

By Lake Champlain Sea Grant Staff
September 24, 2020

Lake Champlain Sea Grant and University of Vermont (UVM) Extension are pleased to host three series of events this fall. The public is welcome to attend all meetings via internet or telephone. Registration is required.

Research Seminar Series

In the Research Seminar Series, scientists will summarize current research efforts and then take questions. Seminars will generally take place on the last Wednesday of each month at noon ET and last for one hour. 

  • September 28 at noon: Professor Jason Stockwell, Director of Wildlife & Fisheries Biology Program and Director of Rubenstein Ecosystem Science Laboratory at the University of Vermont, will provide an update on an international research project that uses long-term data sets to examine how storms impact phytoplankton in lakes. Learn more.
  • October 28 at noon: Dr. Jim Sutherland, Scientific Advisor for The Fund for Lake George, and Chris Navitsky, Lake George Waterkeeper, will describe their road salt reduction monitoring program in the Lake George basin, including how they coordinate with New York State and—more broadly—how to balance water quality and human safety in winter road maintenance. Learn more.
  • November 18 (a week earlier, due to Thanksgiving) at noon: Andres Torizzo, Principal Hydrologist at Watershed Consulting, will speak about ongoing research on the effectiveness of subsurface gravel wetlands on flow attenuation and phosphorus capture and how chloride impacts performance. Learn more.

The Research Seminar Series will pick up again in January 2021 and continue through April.  Spring topics include: environmental health disparities in Vermont (January 27); the denitrification capacity of riparian soils in the spring snowmelt period (February 24); forage fish, trout, and the science of fisheries in Lake Champlain (March 31); and tools to communicate riverine erosion hazards and improve flood resiliency in headwater communities of the Lake Champlain basin (April 28).

Stormwater Education Webinars

As part of a UVM stormwater education methods course this fall, Lake Champlain Sea Grant and UVM Extension are hosting a series of guest speakers about stormwater and green infrastructure. To allow others to benefit from these knowledgeable individuals, Lake Champlain Sea Grant welcomes public participation in the webinars. All except one will take place on Mondays 4-5 PM ET via Zoom.

  • September 28, 4:00 PM: Chelsea Mandigo, Stormwater Coordinator Village of Essex Junction, Vermont, will speak about community challenges and solutions in managing stormwater. Learn more.
  • September 29 at 4:00 PM: Sam Chan, Linda Serniak Tucker, Winnie Kong, Aaron Catchart, and Daniel Arisa, all from Oregon Sea Grant will talk about potential presence of and risks from COVID-19 in water. Learn more.
  • October 26 at 4:00 PM: James Sherrard, Stormwater Program Coordinator, City of Burlington, Vermont, will present “The History of Federal and State Permitting and How It Shapes Burlington’s Stormwater Program Today.” Learn more.
  • November 2 at 4:00 PM: Sarah Hoffmeier, landscape designer, will share her experiences designing, installing, and maintaining the rain garden at Montpelier’s VSECU. Learn more.
  • November 9 at 4:00 PM: Justin Geibel, Conservation Watershed Manager, Vermont Youth Conservation Corps (VYCC), will share VYCC’s work to implement and maintain green infrastructure practices across the state of Vermont. Marc Companion, Green Infrastructure Collaborative Manager with the State of Vermont and Lake Champlain Sea Grant, will share the importance of maintenance for green infrastructure practices and ideas for stormwater stewardship projects for schools. Learn more.
  • November 23 at 4:00 PM: Ruth Beecher, retired elementary school teacher, will share tips and tricks from a teacher’s perspective of how to use the Soaking Up Stormwater in the Lake Champlain Basin stormwater education curriculum with students. Learn more.

Zoom a Scientist

Lake Champlain Sea Grant’s popular Zoom a Scientist series return this fall. Geared towards school age youth but open to all ages, this series features scientists from the University of Vermont Rubenstein Ecosystem Science Laboratory, SUNY Plattsburgh, the Lake Champlain Research Institute, and our partner organizations. 

  • ​October 2 at 3:30 PM: Remotely Operated Vehicles with Cody Warner from Deep Trekker. Learn more.
  • October 13 at 3:30 PM: Climate Change in the Champlain Basin with Curt Stager from Paul Smiths College. Learn more.
  • November 10 at 3:30 PM: Managing Lamprey in the Lake Champlain Basin with Stephen Smith from US Fish and Wildlife Service. Learn more.
  • December 4 at 3:30 PM: Impacts of Road Salt in the Adirondacks with Brittany Christenson from ADKAction. Learn more.

Virtual Programs for Middle and High School Students

Programs include Stream Monitoring and Stewardship, Virtual Lake Exploration, Virtual Fish Dissection, and the new Watershed Explorer Challenge.  See the Virtual Learning website for materials and schedules.

See the Lake Champlain Sea Grant website’s Events page for a chronological list of all upcoming events.