\n\tAs COVID-19 continues to force radical changes to the education system, harsh bottom lines in the tourism industry, and unsettling uncertainty in our food supply chain in the Lake Champlain basin, Lake Champlain Sea Grant continues to rapidly adapt community activities in education, tourism, and aquaculture in Vermont and northern New York.<\/p>\n
\n\tPlace-based education\u00a0at home and on the water<\/strong><\/p>\n \n\tSea Grant educators pivoted to virtual learning in twice-weekly, one-hour online watershed education sessions from March through June. Hundreds of kids, parents, and educators tuned in to the Zoom-a-Webinar series<\/a> to learn from experts about topics ranging from trout to sturgeon, road salt to phosphorus, and cartography to environmental law. Experts covered the context, the science, and their own career paths. Students and teachers continue to access the recordings<\/a>.<\/p>\n \n\tIn August, Lake Champlain Sea Grant will launch the self-paced Watershed Explorer\u00a0Challenge<\/a> program online and in print, thanks to new funding from the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and a partnership with libraries in Vermont and nearby New York communities underserved by wireless communication services. By participating in the Watershed Explorer\u00a0Challenge, students will conduct many of the same ecological investigations they would in the classroom and on-water.<\/p>\n \n\tFor\u00a0the first time this summer, Lake Champlain Sea Grant is providing scholarships for low-income students to participate in summer watershed education programs at the Community Sailing Center in Burlington and the Lake Champlain Maritime Museum in Vergennes.<\/p>\n \n\t\u201cOur goal is to increase all students\u2019 awareness and knowledge of watershed issues,” said Ashley Eaton, Watershed and Lake Education Coordinator for Lake Champlain Sea Grant and University of Vermont\u00a0Extension. We engage with all communities, independent of their access to resources or the speed of their internet connections. COVID-19 hasn\u2019t changed that.\u201d<\/p>\n \n\tCOVID-smart tourism<\/strong><\/p>\n \n\tSustaining the coastal tourism industry during a pandemic is a tall order. Businesses must adopt new operating procedures to protect both people and the coastal resources on which they depend. And tourists must practice safe social distancing and follow stringent hygiene practices while minimizing impacts to water quality and infrastructure. For example, disinfectant wipes clogged scores of septic and municipal water systems in March and April, until a communications campaign reminded people to put disinfectant wipes in the trash.<\/p>\n \n\tCOVID-smart reminders, including about proper disposal of disinfectant wipes, are in each of the 25,000 business guides<\/a> published by the Lake Champlain Islands Economic Development Corporation this year, for the first time in partnership with Lake Champlain Sea Grant. And a Lake Champlain Islands COVID-smart photo contest aims to further that message. Enter the contest by sending a photo showing \u201cCOVID-smartness\u201d on the islands to info<\/span> [at] lakechamplain.com<\/span><\/span> or posting on Facebook at https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/LCIEDC<\/a>.<\/p>\n