Friends of Northern Lake Champlain Educational Programs

FNLC strives to educate our community and students about the Lake Champlain watershed and what they can do to improve water quality.

June 22, 2023

What is the Lake Champlain Watershed?

The Lake Champlain Watershed is the area of land from which rain and snow melt will run off into the Lake.

This area includes area Vermont, New York, and Quebec, which total 8,234 sq. miles!

In fact, the Lake Champlain Watershed is 18 times larger that the area of the Lake itself!

Everyone lives in a Watershed

If you live in Montgomery, Vermont...

You live in the Missisquoi River Watershed

Which is in the Lake Champlain Basin

Which flows out the St. Lawrence River to the Atlantic Ocean

Why teach students about the watershed they live in?

Watershed education can serve as framework for teaching students about the the physical, chemical, biological, and cultural dynamics of the place they live. Watersheds defy political, economic, and cultural boundaries and studying watersheds demonstrate that our ecosystems are intrinsically connected and that every small action we take within the watershed is an important piece in the puzzle of protecting water quality. Developing an understanding and appreciation of the watershed you live in at an early age is critical to fostering a sense of stewardship of natural and cultural resources.

FNLC hosts programs for both students and adults to teach about issues within the Lake Champlain Watershed, why they should care about the Lake and surrounding area, and what they can do to reduce land-use pollution and improve water quality.

Here are a few of our educational programs:

01 / 07

Lake Lessons

In partnership with the Saint Albans Museum and other partners throughout the state, we have participate annually in Lake Lessons, a place-based educational workshop with local fourth graders.

During the previous year, four schools came to the St. Albans Bay park to learn about watershed and lake science from local organizations.

Wind, Waves, and Variables

For the past two years, FNLC has partnered with local educator, Kurt Valenta, to teach a place-based watershed science class to fifth grade students in Northwest Vermont.

So far, eight different schools have participated in the program, which includes classroom sessions throughout the year, and two field trips in the Spring.

This year, the students took a field trip to the Missisquoi National Wildlife Refuge to learn about wetland ecosystems, beavers, and water quality testing.

Wind, Waves, and Variables

The second field trip of the program took the students to the Goodsell Ridge Preserve in Isle La Motte to learn about the geologic history of the Lake Champlain Basin.

Wind, Waves, and Variables

Throughout the course, students learned about the natural, social and economic history of the region, plus the elements of physical, chemical, and biological science that underpin the dynamics of the watershed.

Shoreline Socials

Beyond working with schools, we regularly host events that aim to educate the public on Lake Champlain and water quality issues within the basin.

Shoreline Socials

Throughout the summer, we have hosted Shoreline Socials to educate shoreline property owners about lake-friendly practices they can implement to reduce erosion and stormwater runoff. We partnered with Watershed Consulting Associates to present about the causes of shoreline erosion and ways to prevent or remediate erosion.

Vermont Bioengineering Manual

Shoreline Socials

We also invited the Lake Wise program to share resources about lakeshore landscaping that is proven to protect the lake.

Lake Wise Program

Thank you to our funders

We are extremely thankful to the Lake Champlain Basin Program for funding our Wind, Waves, and Variables and Shoreline Social programs between 2020 - 2023, and the creation of this StoryMap.

The Friends of Northern Lake Champlain (FNLC) is recognized as a statewide leader that acts to clean the waters of northern Lake Champlain and its watershed by working collaboratively with private citizens, businesses, farmers, and government.

The mission of FNLC is to clean the waters of northern Lake Champlain and its watershed by working collaboratively with citizens, businesses, farmers and government in order to reduce land-use pollution. Our focus is on catalyzing the actions and accountability needed to reduce land-use pollution and securing the essential local, state, and federal funding necessary for successful implementation.