Keep Yourself and Your Neighbors Safe and Informed as Severe Flooding Hits Lake Champlain Communities

Vermont and Northern New York are experiencing severe flooding as continuing rounds of heavy rain hit the Northeast. Due to repeated rain events, our soil is saturated and unable to absorb more rainwater. When rainwater has nowhere to go, it ponds on the ground and runs downhill quickly, overwhelming waterways.  

This excess river water becomes a powerful erosive force with the potential to cause serious destruction to homes and infrastructure in flood-prone areas. With more rain in the forecast this week, be prepared for more flooding and stay informed on how to keep our families, friends, homes, and infrastructure safe. 

Get to know the terms used to describe flood risk and flooding

The National Weather Service uses terms to describe levels of flood risk and flooding so residents can respond appropriately. These terms are: 

    Flood Watch: Be Prepared! Issued when conditions are favorable for flooding. It does not mean flooding will definitely occur, but it is possible.  

    Flood Advisory: Be Aware! Issued when flooding is not expected to be severe enough to issue a flood warning, but it may cause significant inconvenience if caution is not exercised.   

    Flood Warning: Take Action! Issued when a flood event is imminent or occurring.  

    Flash Flood Warning: Take Action! Issued when a flash flood is imminent or occurring. If you are in a flood-prone area move immediately to higher ground. A flash flood is sudden and can take minutes to hours to develop. It can also occur where it is not directly raining.   

VT and NY Emergency Management flood safety tips

  • If rising water is approaching, leave.  
  • Travel may be difficult in certain areas experiencing flooding – please exercise caution, reduce travel speeds and DO NOT drive, bike or walk in standing water. Strong currents or unseen washouts can sweep you away.  
  • If you are in a flood-prone area with a basement, move belongings to a higher floor and consider moving your car from low-lying areas.  
  • Check your insurance coverage now and take photos of important belongings for the insurance process.  
  • Turn off your home’s circuit breaker before evacuating if you can do it safely.  
  • If your home has been flooded, have a licensed electrician inspect your home before returning.  
  • Contact 211 (VT and NY) and contact your town’s flood hazard area administrator to address flood damages beyond emergency action 

Stay informed

Sign up for Emergency Alerts in your language from your state to receive real time emergency information, recommendations and instruction relevant to your area from emergency personnel. 

VT-Alert: Sign Up 

NY-Alert: Sign Up  

Road closures due to flooding: 

Vermont 

New York 

Flooding and weather forecasts: 

Power outages:

Shelters in your area: 

  • Vermont call 211  
  • New York call 211 

Announcing the 2022-2023 Sea Grant Scholars

Lake Champlain Sea Grant welcomes our second ever cohort of Sea Grant Scholars! Selected undergraduate students at the University of Vermont (UVM) receive a 13-month Sea Grant Scholarship including a financial award, internship experience, and professional development opportunities.

Four new Sea Grant Scholars are joining us this year. Each student is from a different college at UVM: Jenna Abbey-Lowell, a sophomore studying Environmental Studies in the Rubenstein School of Environment and Natural Resources; Graecia Aine Pacheco, a junior studying microbiology in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences; Nidhi Konnanur, a sophomore studying Neuroscience in the College of Arts and Sciences; and Chiamaka Ozigbo, a sophomore studying Biomedical Engineering in the College of Engineering and Mathematical Sciences.

Prior to the start of fall classes, the Sea Grant Scholars participated in a professional development immersion week. They met the staff and fellows at Lake Champlain Sea Grant, learned about the mission and values of the organization, and participated in a variety of tours and trainings.

"During the Sea Grant Scholars professional development week, I was exposed to many different aspects of sustainable living and introduced to people who really emphasized the importance of doing what you love," shared Nidhi Konnanur, 2022 Sea Grant Scholar.

The Scholars had the opportunity to get to know one another as they paddled with fellows, staff, and partners to learn about the geography and habitats of New York’s Ausable River, a major tributary to Lake Champlain. From there they learned about business leadership while exploring aquaponics and aquaculture facilities in northern Vermont. They later toured green stormwater infrastructure sites and composting facilities to better understand connections between land use and water quality in the basin. At Burlington’s North Beach, the Scholars learned about cyanobacteria and public health connections, while thinking about how their unique careers might relate.

They wrapped up the week learning about and practicing their interview skills. Their travels took them north, south, east, and west of Burlington, seeing first-hand how people’s chosen careers connect them to the water. The week concluded with a presentation from the first cohort of Sea Grant Scholars about their experiences in their summer internships.

“I am grateful to the many professionals who took time to share their knowledge and expertise with the Scholars during the immersion week,” said Lake Champlain Sea Grant Associate Director Kris Stepenuck. “Learning from those individuals was a meaningful way to help the Scholars expand their understanding of Lake Champlain Sea Grant, the basin and its economies, and potential careers that relate to their chosen majors, and to gain skills that will help them move into those careers.”

By this time next year, these Scholars will have completed their own summer internships. They will each be matched with a STEM-focused business or organization involved in developing and sharing science-based information to benefit the environment or local economies in the Lake Champlain basin or in their hometown watershed.

"I am excited to gain work experience in the field I am interested in this summer," explained Jenna Abbey-Lowell. "I hope to work somewhere with a hands on opportunity. I would also love to travel for work this summer!"

The Sea Grant Scholars program supports diverse scholars, selected based on academic ability, commitment to a career in science or related field, financial need, and first-generation college student status. The Scholars program strives to grow representation of and help to prepare Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC), or first-generation college students for successful careers in science, science communications, technology, policy, natural resources management, engineering, or related fields.

 If you’re interested in becoming a Sea Grant Scholar, learn more about the scholarship.

Lake Champlain Sea Grant Launches Research Publication Library

Are you looking for peer-reviewed, scientific publications about research in the Lake Champlain basin? Then check out Lake Champlain Sea Grant’s new Zotero Library! We have compiled more than 450 papers about all kinds of environmental research conducted in the Lake Champlain basin.

Whether you are looking for information about plants, climate, water quality, or more, this research database has it all! With the earliest paper published in 1969 (more than 50 years ago!) to papers published this past December 2020, this collection covers a lot of ground (and water!) and is updated regularly. The best part? It is really easy to navigate.

You can search for papers using title, author’s name, and/or publication year—or for a broader search, you can use tags. Tags are words that might not be used in the title but are prevalent enough in the paper that they can still be used as search terms. For example, if you are trying to find a paper about Lake Champlain water levels over time, you could use the tags “drought” or “floods” to narrow your search.

Once you find your paper, Zotero lists other helpful information such as: the abstract, journal/publication, and the DOI/ISSN identifiers.

You can find our Zotero research publication library at zotero.org/groups/2645918/lake_champlain_research/library. We hope you use this thorough and easy-to-use database, and if you have any questions, feel free to contact us at seagrant [at] uvm.edu. Happy researching!

 

Undergraduate student Erin O’Mara completed the work to populate the Lake Champlain Sea Grant’s Zotero Library of 450+ research articles, alongside the work of former ECO AmeriCorps member Annie Schatz and University of Vermont current student Kristen Livingstone and former student Quinn Ledak. Erin and Kristen are both student employees of Lake Champlain Sea Grant and undergraduates in the Rubenstein School of Environment and Natural Resources. Erin is majoring in environmental sciences and plans to graduate in 2023. Kristen will graduate in 2021 with a degree in environmental studies and a minor in sustainable landscape horticulture.

Lake Monitoring and Outreach Coordinator Position Open

The University of Vermont is hiring a Lake Monitoring and Community Outreach Coordinator, a partnered position between Lake Champlain Sea Grant and the Vermont Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC).

This position is responsible for leading community-driven monitoring of water resources across lakes and ponds in Vermont, in support of the Vermont DEC Lakes and Ponds Program and Lake Champlain Sea Grant, to use this information to assess aquatic ecosystem health and to develop and provide training and assistance to local communities to take the necessary restorative and protective actions. In addition, this position is responsible to provide outreach to stakeholders and local decision-makers to aid the public in addressing lake management challenges and to help communities become more hazard resilient by understanding and preparing for changing climatic conditions.

The position requires a self-motivated, creative, well-organized person with strong quantitative, organizational, and both written and oral communication skills and should demonstrate ability to work with diverse constituencies. Applicants should have a bachelor’s degree in water resources, natural resources, or related field; 2 to 4 years of experience in water resources monitoring, data analyses, and report preparation; strong knowledge of lake ecosystems and field monitoring and laboratory analysis protocols; and experience working with local community groups and decision-makers to address local environmental challenges and to provide training to volunteers; among other qualifications.

Learn more about this position and how to apply. Application review will begin on March 15, 2021.

The University is especially interested in candidates who can contribute to the diversity and excellence of the institution.

Fellowship Available with Audubon Vermont and Lake Champlain Sea Grant

Audubon Vermont and Lake Champlain Sea Grant are jointly hiring a Conservation Fellow who will collaborate with Audubon Vermont senior conservation biologists and University of Vermont faculty to improve watershed resiliency through on-the-ground habitat restoration efforts in an agricultural setting. The fellow will engage in applied research to develop and implement best practices for bird-friendly habitat on agricultural lands, especially in riparian areas and along shorelines.

Applicants must be a recent graduate with a bachelor's degree in environmental studies, conservation, natural resources, or related field and an advanced degree is a plus. The fellowship is set to begin in late winter of 2021 and continue through late winter of 2023.

This two-year, grant funded fellowship is designed to provide a young professional a range of administrative and programmatic experiences with a focus on habitat restoration in the Champlain Valley of Vermont. Over the course of the fellowship, the Conservation Fellow will gain valuable experience interacting with professional biologists, educators, and leaders at Audubon and Lake Champlain Sea Grant, as well as with private landowners and other environmental professionals in Vermont. 

Learn more and apply through Audubon Vermont.

Working Toward Environmental Justice in the Lake Champlain Basin

Water quality and climate change are the environmental issues of greatest concern to Vermonters in communities characterized by high environmental burden or relatively large populations of low-income people and People of Color, according to a 2019-2020 survey led by Dr. Bindu Panikkar. Forty percent of respondents expressed concerns about water quality, and 35 percent expressed concerns about climate change and the impact these have on their daily lives.

Panikkar conducted the survey of 571 people in communities characterized by high environmental burden or relatively large populations of low-income people and People of Color, in collaboration with Rural Environmental Justice Opportunities Informed by Community Expertise (REJOICE). Panikkar is a member of the REJOICE team and an assistant professor in the Rubenstein School of Environment and Natural Resources at the University of Vermont.

Panikkar presented this research in a talk called “Environmental Health Disparities in Vermont” on January 27, part of a Lake Champlain Sea Grant Research Seminar Series. The seminar is also available on the Lake Champlain Sea Grant YouTube channel. Full results from the survey, which covers environmental, economic, and social issues, will be published in the coming months.

When reflecting on current environmental justice issues, many Vermonters probably think of groundwater well contamination caused by indiscriminate use of the human-made chemical PFAS, notably in Bennington and Pownal. Others may point to questions about how the herbicide, and probable carcinogen, glyphosate—which is used at a higher rate in Vermont than in other New England states—may affect farmers and farm workers. But environmental justice is a more comprehensive concept, Panikkar explained.

“There are multi-dimensional approaches we can use to understand well-being and vulnerability and their connection with the environment,” said Panikkar. “The research team has applied mapping and probabilistic associations to existing data.

“Though there are many holes in the existing databases, the data reveals evidence that there are inequities within the state that need attention,” she added.

Lake Champlain Sea Grant strengthens commitment to environmental justice.

The killings of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, Rayshard Brooks, and others in the summer of 2020 prompted examination of systemic racism across the nation. In the Lake Champlain basin, Lake Champlain Sea Grant staff developed a values statement and an action plan and committed, individually and as a group, to take steps to explore our racial biases more fully and to work openly and actively within our personal and professional networks to breakdown systemic racism and contribute to a more equitable and just society. Each staff member is incorporating actions into their individual work plans in an effort to fully operationalize the plan and take action in the short-term to effect change.

Panikkar’s informative presentation and a recent training on bias awareness and bystander intervention training educated Lake Champlain Sea Grant staff and environmental professionals, educators, and members of the public.

With partners, we initiated an undergraduate Lake Champlain Sea Grant Scholars Program for University of Vermont first- and second-year undergraduate students to be selected based on academic ability, commitment to a career in science or related field, financial need, and first-generation college student status. 

In December, we issued a call for research proposals that includes research topics related to socio-economic influences on lake use and management, especially those with an environmental justice component, and use of traditional knowledge for lake use and management, particularly Indigenous knowledge. Pre-proposals are due March 5, 2021.

Lake Champlain Sea Grant recognizes that climate change and other intensifying ecological stressors are likely to exacerbate environmental and economic injustice in the Lake Champlain basin. We will continue to double down to ensure our mission to develop and share science-based knowledge to benefit the environment and economies of the Lake Champlain basin reaches low-income and BIPOC communities.

Northeastern States Research Cooperative announces Indigenous Forest Knowledge Fund.

The Northeastern States Research Cooperative (NSRC) supports cross-disciplinary, collaborative research in the Northern Forest — a 26-million acre working landscape that is home to about two million residents and stretches from eastern Maine through New Hampshire and Vermont and into northern New York, including forests in the Lake Champlain basin. Jointly directed through the USDA Forest Service's Northern Research Station, Hubbard Brook Research Foundation, University of Vermont, University of New Hampshire, University of Maine, and the State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry, the NSRC aims to ensure that the priorities of Tribal Nations in the Northern Forest region are addressed in its research program.

Thus, NSRC recently announced a call for proposals for the Indigenous Forest Knowledge Fund to support:

  • The education, mentorship, and training of Indigenous youth in applied forest research and/or Traditional Ecological Knowledge about forest systems;
  • New applied forest research that advances Tribal Priorities; and
  • The synthesis and translation of forest research and/or Traditional Ecological Knowledge to advance communications, outreach, and economic programs for Tribal Nations and Indigenous communities.

Proposals are due April 2. 

Water You Know About Road Salt

Winter is once again upon us here in Vermont and the Lake Champlain basin. One of the most impactful things we can do in winter to help keep our lakes, streams, and groundwater clean is to reduce the amount of salt we use on our sidewalks, driveways, and parking lots. Salt, most commonly sodium chloride, that we spread on these surfaces helps to keep us safe, but once it is on the land, it can negatively impact water quality, vegetation, fish, and other aquatic life.

For instance, in Lake Placid, New York, as a result of winter salting, Mirror Lake has developed a long-lasting zone at the bottom of the lake that has little to no oxygen (anoxic). This changes natural lake processes and forces fish into a narrow band of lake water in summer months as oxygen levels decrease in warming waters above and remain anoxic below.

Diagram showing area of water body that fish can inhabit diminishing from spring to late summer

In New York, Massachusetts, and New Hampshire, drinking water wells have become contaminated as a result of road salting, putting people’s health at risk and causing homeowners and communities stress, time, and expense for decontamination. To reduce the chance of this happening in Vermont, we need to be careful about our actions regarding winter salting.

Before sharing some simple steps you can take to minimize salt use and still keep yourself and your family safe in winter, let’s talk about how sodium chloride works to protect us. When we spread sodium chloride on our walkways and driveways, it mixes with water and breaks into its individual components, called ions, which are sodium and chloride.

These ions then act like referees in a hockey game preventing fights between players; that is, the sodium and chloride ions get in between water molecules that are trying to join together to form ice crystals, inhibiting them from joining. The jostling for position of the sodium and chloride ions between water molecules decreases the freezing point of water and minimizes ice formation.

Diagram of sidewalk with salt grains about 3 inches apart Because it only takes about one teaspoon of salt to contaminate five gallons of water, whatever we can do to minimize our use of salt on the land will help to keep clean waters clean. If you use salt on your driveway, sidewalk, or parking lot, always shovel or plow any snow or ice that is present first. Then, identify the areas where it is essential to prevent ice from forming and spread salt only in those areas.

Where you do spread salt, use no more than a cup or a cup and a half of rock salt for every 10 sidewalk squares or every two parking spaces. There should be about 3 inches between each of the salt grains after you have spread it.

If you work with a contractor, you can ask them to salt only in critical areas or to spread a pre-mixed salt-water solution ahead of storms. The salt-water solution acts like butter in a frying pan, reducing the ability of snow and ice to bond with the surface. It can reduce salt use and eases the ability to plow or shovel after the storm. Plus, since any dry salt you spread must combine with water to minimize ice formation, it can work its magic more quickly than if you spread dry salt.

These steps you take at home and in communication with your contractor can help prevent contamination of surface and groundwater, keeping waters safe for today and the future.

Learn more about road salt and ways that homeowners, businesses, and winter maintenance professionals can reduce its use. 

 

Adapted from Kris Stepenuck's story "Keeping Water Healthy and Roads Safe in Winter" published in the Other Paper, January 21, 2021

Watershed Alliance K-12 Program Expands to New York

Since 2002, Lake Champlain Sea Grant has partnered with University of Vermont (UVM) Extension to bring the Watershed Alliance education program to elementary, middle, and high school students in the Lake Champlain basin. Students receive hands-on watershed education in the classroom, at UVM's Rubenstein Ecosystem Science Laboratory, on Lake Champlain aboard the UVM research vessel Melosira, and in basin tributaries.

More than 15,000 students, teachers, and family members have participated in this free and low cost programming since its inception. Due to the program's location at UVM and staff limits, the majority of participants served have been Vermonters. 

A long-term goal of Watershed Alliance is to reach K-12 students across the entire Lake Champlain watershed in both Vermont and New York, using the established Vermont-based program as a model for other universities. The establishment of a New York Watershed Alliance program at the State University of New York (SUNY) Plattsburgh required additional funding and staff. After achieving institute status in 2018, Lake Champlain Sea Grant received a significant base funding increase from the National Sea Grant Office, and we were poised to reach more students from previously underserved regions.

This increase in funding paired with support from the Lake Champlain Basin Program allowed us to establish a new branch of Watershed Alliance based out of the Lake Champlain Research Institute at SUNY Plattsburgh. We were able to reach more than 450 students from New York during the inaugural expansion year in 2019. 

During our first winter, we co-hosted a watershed science fair with CFES Brilliant Pathways of Essex, New York. Sixty-five students from Keeseville Elementary, Boquet Valley Middle School, Crown Point Middle School, Beekmantown Middle School, and Willsboro Middle School attended with their teachers. Students participated at interactive stations where they engaged in topics such as: benthic macroinvertebrate identification, cultural and natural history of the basin, water quality, and best management practices.

At the fair, the remotely operated vehicle (ROV) station was a participant favorite. Students learned about the capabilities of ROVs and had the opportunity to drive “Gary the ROV" around in a small tank to discover model fish at various depths. This event garnered attention from local media, further amplifying our central purpose to increase awareness and knowledge of watershed issues in the Lake Champlain basin. 

More telling than numbers of participants is the impact of the program on students and teachers.

"We need to protect the future," noted sixth-grader Celton after attending the watershed science fair. "If we don't really start learning more about our environment and how to help it, it might just start to fall apart." 

Watershed Alliance is most well known for its Stream Monitoring and Stewardship program in which participants get to put on waders and explore a stream near their school while assessing its physical, chemical, and biological health.

"This program is important in enhancing science education while fostering a connection to the natural world," remarked Erica Loher, a Boquet Valley Middle School teacher who would not otherwise have the resources to provide her students with these valuable experiences. "Watershed Alliance does an amazing job of covering New York State standards while making real world connections to the natural environment and inspiring students to see how they can make a difference.”

It is likely no surprise that some of our favorite moments so far in the journey to establish the Watershed Alliance in New York have taken place on Lake Champlain! For three days in the fall of 2019 the City of Plattsburgh Marina hosted the Melosira for a run of programming. Students and teachers joined our crew out on the water to practice the limnology techniques that scientists use to study lakes and gain an understanding of how our community action can influence lake health.

It seems students and teachers feel the same affinity for learning experiences on the lake as we do. 

“Despite living so close to the lake, many of my students have never been on the lake," wrote Sonal Patel-Dame a teacher at Plattsburgh High School who offered her perspective on the Lake Champlain Live program. "Nate and the Melosira crew took my students on an amazing journey, using sophisticated sampling equipment. This was an incredible way to start off the school year, and I am able to reference that experience when talking about various topics throughout the year. Students now take ownership of their learning and realize that there is so much they can do to save the world, and it all starts in their backyard.” 

Recently, because of the COVID-19 pandemic, we have not been able to host our customary, intimate, in-person learning experiences. In spite of this, our newly established presence in New York allowed Watershed Alliance to adapt quickly to the new education landscape altered by COVID-19 and continue to serve students and teachers. We designed Watershed Explorer Challenge booklets to engage students in a self-paced exploration of the Lake Champlain basin and distributed more than 450 in New York.

The Watershed Explorer Challenge has been a great adaptation in the face of adversity and adds another layer to Lake Champlain Sea Grant's efforts to further our offering of Watershed Alliance programs to every student living in Lake Champlain basin. We are committed to growing the program and serving our community as best we can no matter the challenges our region faces moving forward. 

 

Nate Trachte, the education specialist for Lake Champlain Sea Grant at SUNY Plattsburgh, runs Watershed Alliance programming on the New York side of the lake. The Lake Champlain Sea Grant education team includes Ashley Eaton, the watershed and lake education coordinator, and Caroline Blake, the watershed and lake education program assistant.

Lake Champlain Sea Grant Seeks Research Proposals

Lake Champlain Sea Grant seeks proposals, due March 5, 2021, for research projects to begin in February 2022. Research will inform policy decisions and management practices for the benefit of the environment and economies in the Lake Champlain basin, and Sea Grant anticipates that up to $600,000 in awards will be made.

Research project proposals on the following topics are encouraged:

  • Socio-economic influences on lake use and management, especially those with an environmental justice component
  • Use of non-traditional knowledge for lake use and management, especially Indigenous knowledge
  • Community hazard resiliency, climate change adaptation, emergency preparedness
  • Opportunities for aquaculture and fisheries to contribute to local food production and food security
  • Shoreline habitat protection, restoration, and management
  • Green infrastructure and clean water initiatives
  • Lake food webs, including aquatic non-native species
  • Sources of nutrients and pollutants that affect lake ecosystems

Researchers may request up to $75,000 in federal funding per year for one or two years, and they must demonstrate non-federal support of at least 50% of the federal budget requested.

Lead investigators must be from institutions of higher education, government agencies, non-profit organizations, or private for-profit companies. Researchers from outside the Lake Champlain basin are eligible to submit a proposal, but the research being proposed must be conducted, at least in part, in the Lake Champlain basin. Both single investigators and multiple investigator research teams from different institutions are encouraged to apply. Lake Champlain Sea Grant encourages participation from both the natural science and social science research communities.

Applicants of all ages, races, ethnicities, national origins, colors, gender identities, sexual orientations, disabilities, cultures, religions, citizenship types, marital statuses, educational levels, job classifications, veteran status types, and income and socioeconomic status types are encouraged to apply for this competitive research opportunity.

Lake Champlain Sea Grant is a cooperative effort of the Rubenstein School of Environment and Natural Resources at the University of Vermont (UVM) and the Lake Champlain Research Institute at the State University of New York College at Plattsburgh. It operates with funding from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and through partnerships with UVM Extension, state and local government agencies, and numerous other local organizations.

More information on this request for proposals is available on the Lake Champlain Sea Grant website. Inquiries can be emailed to seagrant [at] uvm.edu.

 

Reflections on Outcomes from Our Lake Champlain Public Trips

As 2021 approaches, I find myself thinking both backward in time and forward—remembering fondly Lake Champlain Sea Grant’s first public trip aboard the R/V Melosira on Lake Champlain and looking forward, with great anticipation, to days when we can once again provide education programs in-person.

That first public trip in summer 2017, during which we initiated our Stories of Lake Champlain curriculum, resulted in a variety of meaningful products and outcomes. As the name implies, the curriculum includes geologic, cultural, naval, and environmental stories that began millions of years ago and bring us to today.

Lake Champlain sunset on book cover My account of that first public trip is included in the newly-released book, Our Basin of Relations, The Art and Science of Living with Water, by Mike Sipe and Trevien Stenger. This book includes a multitude of stories by numerous authors who share their perspectives of the lake and its resources. Their stories are accompanied by stunning photos of Lake Champlain and its surrounds. A hard cover coffee table version and an e-version are available at www.myscgpriorities.com/our-basin-of-relations.

Another product that stemmed from that trip is the short film Nebi: Abenaki Ways of Knowing Water. During that first excursion on Lake Champlain, Chief Don Stevens of the Nulhegan Band of the Coosuk Abenaki Nation came aboard the R/V Melosira with us to share Abenaki creation stories of the lake and its basin. As Chief Don could not participate in every public trip we would offer, we were privileged to partner with him and 10 other Abenaki chiefs and/or members of the Nulhegan, Missisquoi, and Elnu Abenaki tribes and with Vince Franke of Peregrine Productions, LLC to produce Nebi.

This film not only shares some of Chief Don’s stories, but also describes the deep connection the Abenaki – and we all – have with water, which connects us through space and time, gives life, and sustains us. The film is available on the Lake Champlain Sea Grant website at www.uvm.edu/seagrant/nebi. We use the film to support not only our public trips, but also school programs for youth who visit Lake Champlain with their classes. The Abenaki use the film to preserve stories of the Abenaki People and to educate future generations.

Partner with us to create an Indigenous Educator position!

A third meaningful outcome from that first public trip is our commitment to sharing indigenous voices and ways of knowing. We have committed Lake Champlain Sea Grant funding towards this, and we are partnering with Shelburne Farms to develop an Indigenous Educator position. We are seeking additional funding partners to help make this position a reality in the next few months. If your organization may be interested in partnering with us, or if you know of another organization that may be interested in collaborating on the effort, please contact me (kstepenu [at] uvm.edu).

 

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