Making Waves: Summer 2026 with Lake Champlain Sea Grant
By Jessie Curl, Communications Lead & Program Specialist, Lake Champlain Sea Grant
As warmer days arrive and the landscape shifts into summer, Lake Champlain Sea Grant (LCSG) is diving ambitiously into the season and offering a variety of engaging programs and opportunities designed to share watershed science with different audiences in several locations within the Lake Champlain basin. From hands-on events to community boat trips to summer camps, teacher trainings, beach cleanups, and outreach and volunteer monitoring on Vermont’s inland lakes and ponds, there is plenty to explore. Read along to learn more about what we have planned for the summer of 2026.
For the Public
Public Boat Trips
All aboard! This summer, the Lake Champlain Sea Grant team will be offering public boat trips aboard the R/V Marcelle Melosira in both New York and Vermont. Typically docked at the University of Vermont’s Rubenstein Laboratory, the vessel supports fisheries and water resources research, as well as educational programming by the LCSG staff and our Watershed Alliance team. Over the summer, a limited number of trips open to the public and offer community members the opportunity to experience the ship and talk to the crew and staff while learning about Lake Champlain.
The Lake Champlain Live experience will provide participants with an opportunity to step into the role of limnologists (i.e., those who study inland waters). Following an interactive introduction to the geology and formation of the Lake Champlain basin and the lake, participants will learn about biological, chemical, and physical measurements limnologists make to improve our understanding of the lake, its watershed, and our impacts on them. The first trip departs from Burlington, Vermont on July 10. Learn more and register on our website. In New York, two excursions will depart from the Plattsburgh City Marina on July 16 at 11:45 AM and 2:00 PM. Learn more about these trips and reserve your spot on our website. We look forward to taking community members and visitors to the region out on the lake again this summer!
Little Lake Lessons
For those looking to stay on land but still eager to explore the lake, LCSG is partnering with Local Motion, the Lake Champlain Basin Program, Rozalia Project, South Hero Land Trust, Lake Champlain Committee, and the UVM Water Resources Institute to offer Little Lake Lessons at the Colchester Causeway. This scenic 13.4-mile rail trail in northwest Vermont attracts hikers, cyclists, and visitors to enjoy breathtaking views of Lake Champlain. One day each week, Lake Champlain Sea Grant staff or other local partners will be at the bike ferry crossing to share their passion for the lake with visitors queued for the ferry.
No two days at the Causeway are alike—some days are quiet, while others are buzzing with activity. The crowd is just as varied, from groups of friends on their way to local wineries, to buddies on a bike trip around the lake, to families enjoying time together. No matter the mix, the atmosphere is relaxed and full of joy.
Community Cleanups
Looking for a way to get involved this summer? Join the Lake Champlain Marine Debris Coalition for various community cleanups across the basin. The Coalition brings together organizations and communities with a shared commitment to reduce marine debris and improve the health of our local waters. Visit our website to stay up to date on upcoming events.
Flood Preparedness Workshop
Looking to learn about how to prepare for future flooding and strategies you can take at home to prevent damage from flooding? LCSG will be offering a workshop that will cover where to access emergency alerts, practical steps for preventing flood damage, and safe cleanup practices to prevent mold growth after a flood. We will also discuss the science behind flooding and drought in our region and how we can plan to adapt to future conditions. More information is available here.
For Teachers
Watershed Alliance Activities
The Watershed Alliance will also lead two educator professional development courses this summer, the Watershed Alliance Teacher Researcher Partnership (WATR) and Watershed for Every Classroom (WEC). Although registration has closed for both opportunities, we invite you to join in on the adventure by following along through our newsletter and Instagram. Learn more about these opportunities on the LCSG Teacher Professional Development webpage.
The WATR Partnership leverages local research activities and a state-of-the-art research vessel to provide teachers with a week-long summer field experience exploring watershed science and water quality issues. The R/V Marcelle Melosira is the primary research vessel at the University of Vermont, and during WATR, the vessel functions as a floating laboratory and classroom on Lake Champlain. This immersive experience allows teachers to gain valuable experience working alongside research faculty, staff, crew, and community partners to reimagine teaching rooted in place. Through the WATR Partnership, teachers will learn about current and emerging water quality challenges and will become involved in exciting, ongoing research projects! The capstone of this experience will be partnering with a researcher to collaborate on the development of a watershed Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Mathematics (STEAM) based unit.
Watershed for Every Classroom will begin in August and is a year-long professional development experience for K–12 educators in the Lake Champlain basin of Vermont, New York, and Quebec, brought to fruition by the CBEI–the Champlain Basin Education Initiative. Educators will explore how people, places, and things tell the stories of the Lake Champlain Basin and offer students the opportunity to demonstrate an in-depth understanding of content, community engagement, and sense of place.
For Other Professionals
Green Infrastructure Site Visits
On July 23, 2026, the Lake Champlain Sea Grant Green Infrastructure Collaborative is partnering with the Town of Williston to host a stormwater infrastructure site visit day. Participants will meet with stormwater managers and designers while touring several management practices, including a gravel wetland, stormwater ponds, and infiltration basins. Participation is open to stormwater practitioners, with registration on a first-come, first-served basis. More information can be found on our webpage.
Road Salt-focused Education Trip on Lake Champlain for Municipal Staff and Local Leaders
On July 15, LCSG is hosting a road salt-focused trip on Lake Champlain aboard the R/V Marcelle Melosira. The trip is designed to bring together municipal highway supervisors and crews with selectboards, conservation commission members, and other local leaders for an exchange of knowledge related to sustainable winter road salting practices and water quality. Each participant is encouraged to bring along a sample of water from a stream, pond, or lake near where they live for testing. Registration is on a first-come, first-served basis. More information can be found on our website.
Cyanobacteria-focused Education Trip on Lake Champlain for Science Writers and Media
Another unique trip aboard the R/V Marcelle Melosira will be offered for science writers and media from across the Lake Champlain basin on July 7 from 10:00 AM to noon. This trip on Lake Champlain will focus on cyanobacteria blooms and will include short presentations by several leading researchers in the Lake Champlain basin about the status of cyanobacteria blooms in the lake and other waterbodies in the Basin. There will be an opportunity for the trip participants to engage in one-on-one interviews with the researchers and a hands-on activity/demonstration (challenge by choice) to sample the lake water and see some of the cyanobacteria up close through microscopes connected to a large screen display in the classroom aboard the R/V. More information can be found on our website. Registration is on a first-come, first-served basis.
Other Exciting Happenings:
Team ROTifer (Research Experience for High School Students) Program Pilot. This summer, two high school students are working alongside Dr. Jason Stockwell (Director of the Rubenstein Ecosystem Science Laboratory), Dr. Ashley Eaton (Lake Champlain Sea Grant Watershed and Lake Education Coordinator), Hannah Nygaard (Aquatic Research Technician), Juno Stahl (Undergraduate Research Assistant), Captain Taylor Resnick, Eddy Duva (R/V Specialist), and Scarlett Vincent (Undergraduate Deckhand) on a hands-on research project focused on rotifers, which are tiny plankton that play an important role in aquatic environments. Sampling will take place on the R/V Marcelle Melosira throughout the summer and fall, followed by lab-based work where students will help process samples, measure, and identify plankton.
Sea Grant Scholars. Advancing science-based knowledge to benefit both the environment and the economy is at the core of the Lake Champlain Sea Grant mission. The Sea Grant Scholars program brings this to life. Late this summer, a cohort of four scholars will take part in a professional development workshop designed to deepen their understanding of Lake Champlain Sea Grant’s work and impact. Through a series of tours, trainings, and collaborative activities, participants will explore the values of Sea Grant while building skills and connections to support their future careers.
We hope to see you at the lake this summer. Sign up for our newsletter by clicking here.