Lake Champlain

Lake sturgeon look like the fish you don't want to meet in a dark alley. They are big, old, and mean looking.

The incoming leader of Vermont's environmental agency says there is one factor that has made water quality issues more complicated over the years: climate change.

The new leader of the state's environmental agency is no stranger to the cleanup effort for Lake Champlain. Julie Moore is the newly named Agency of Natural Resources secretary and she's among our guests on the next Vermont Edition.

Next month, Vermont Treasurer Beth Pearce will unveil a much-anticipated legislative report that will tell lawmakers how to raise the $1.3 billion needed to clean up Lake Champlain and other polluted waterways. And Governor-elect Phil Scott may soon find himself at odds with Democrats — and environmental advocates — over how to come up with the money.

When the Environmental Protection Agency mandated regulations for the cleanup of Lake Champlain, one concern was whether Vermont could actually meet those standards. Now a new study suggests that the bar the EPA has set may actually be too low, because the lake may be more susceptible to climate change than previously thought.

Lake Champlain water levels approached record lows this summer, which exposed acres of beach sand that would normally be underwater.  This allowed some rare — and a few endangered— species of sand-dwelling grass plants to blossom, some of which may have lain dormant for decades.

Lauren Dunn, a first-year student at St. Michael’s College, caught a pike in Lake Champlain that might be large enough to set a world record.

A Burlington-based company working on climate change solutions has won a federal grant to help reduce greenhouse gas emissions from Vermont farms. 

Erika Senft Miller is a dancer and choreographer who draws inspiration from specific sites and incorporates them into to her performances.

As an arts educator and steward of the land and the lake, Senft Miller has chosen to stage her latest site-specific piece at the Lake Champlain Community Sailing Center on Burlington's waterfront.

Vermont enacted a new law this year designed to keep people safe from potential health hazards in the water, but the law isn't working as intended. And some experts say it's ultimately up to Vermonters to protect themselves from lake toxins.

What has this summer looked like so far in terms algae blooms and the health of Lake Champlain? We're getting an update on the latest on the lake: the science of algae blooms and the state of the state's clean-up plan. 

As the Village of Swanton makes plans to renovate a historic dam in the center of town, village officials say outside forces - from state regulators to environmental activists - are spending more time pointing out problems than looking for solutions.

Pollution in Lake Champlain could lead to a significant decrease in the value of lakeside homes and a notable loss of tourism dollars being spent in the region, according to a new study.

The Village of Swanton has ambitious plans to redevelop an old dam across the Missisquoi River as a hydroelectric facility, but environmental groups say the dam is threatening the downstream ecosystem and should be removed.