One doesn't have to dig deep in order to see that Lake champlain is polluted... At first I wasn't sure because I was just going on what other people told me; it was a general assumption. Then, beginning my research for this blog post, I put in a simple Google search to start: "Lake Champlain
pollution". After a couple of seconds, the browser loaded and revealed "About 97,300 results", and not a lot of them were looking good for the lake. Watershedmanagement.vt.gov said that "The primary concern is polluted runoff -- rainwater or snowmelt that drains off of parking lots, roads and streets, logging roads, farm fields and croplands, and lawns." It looks like I was right in my last blog, unfortunately. The site continues to explain that phosphorus found in the runoff is likely the cause of algae growth in the lake; which is becoming rather excessive. But what's bad about Algae, other than it is beyond disgusting when you unexpectedly feel it with your foot in the water? lakechamplaincomitee.org stated that it will "smother wildlife habitat", which basically means that algae and weeds are taking up all the oxygen that marine life needs to survive.
There are over eighty species of fish in Lake Champlain, and each one has to scrape up enough oxygen to breathe, which is evidently not as easy as it perhaps once was. But that's another question- How long ago was it that Champlain was clean and healthy? This took more effort than an easy Google search. Apparently it's been a while since it was clean. Since we have known about the lake, (until recently) we haven't exactly put a lot of work into keeping trash out of it. Retreating glaciers formed the lake by melting and then sealing it off from the Hudson, with large amounts of debris pushed by the glacier (lakechamplaincomitee.org). Roughly twelve thousand years ago, the lake came into existence, which was re-discovered (the lake had long since been known about by Native Americans) by captain Gregg Trask, in 1609, who gave word to the French. Since then, we have been building our towns and cities alongside the lake, with every bit of trash and phosphorous going right into the lake.
Anyway, back to marine life. Most people's top concern is drinking water, because Champlain provides water to around 200,000 people, not keeping the fish healthy. Which admittedly makes a lot of sense, but in my opinion, the fish are almost as important as well. Luckily, cleaning the lake for our purposes will help the fish at least in some ways. If the lake is healthy, shouldn't the fish be? I guess this is an assumption on my part, but that is certainly something I will be digging into in future blog posts.
Sometime soon, I will be visiting the Echo Center, which will certainly not be my first visit, but I think should help me learn a thing or two. If you have questions, comments or sources, comment below!
(http://www.watershedmanagement.vt.gov/erp/champlain/)
(http://www.lakechamplaincommittee.org/lcc-at-work/phosphorus-pollution-in-lake/)
Nice job, Jack... a few thoughts on this. Who else is affected by both the problem and any solution other than water drinkers? How might recreational users of the lake be affected- and how might this affect tourism which impacts many other parts of our economy including restaurants, hotels, etc. What about farmers- how might solutions impact them? How has farming already changed as a result of this issue- and what about larger trends driving ag in Vermont- 100 years ago much more farming was happening here and it's been in slow decline since- is that going to continue, reverse, or stay the same and how will that impact this issue... and what about the rise in organic farming- has that lessened the impact?
ReplyDeleteWhat are possible solutions and what are action items that would raise awareness of this issue and a discussion of options around solutions? And, for the purposes of this project, what's realistic in the time frame you have to work on this? What would a documentary video look like; what other action items can be created (sign on letter, editorial in newspaper, presentation to town select board, school group,etc?
Hope this is helpful and feel free to be in touch this week if you want to bounce other ideas off me... poldham@middlebury.edu
Jack -
ReplyDeleteLooks like the wheels are turning. That's great. Although, I'm a bit confused because this week's post was to reflect interviews with people in your life that matter: parents, mentors, peers, etc. See what they know and how they feel. Did you have a chance to try some of those soft interview and research skills out?
If you venture up to Echo, please reach out to them ahead of time to see if you can schedule a visit with someone perhaps more knowledgeable about the health and well-being of the Lake and what is being done about it and what could be done about it. Make that trip count as much as you can. They should be psyched that a Young Person is thinking about this and concerned. That individual or individuals might also be a good source of answering or at least thinking about some of the questions that Phil suggest above. They are great questions and are pushing you toward some very important points about our work. It needs to be Actionable, Focused, seek specific Change, and Doable in the time that we have together.
Keep thinking. Keep talking. Keep interviewing.
The hardest threshold I see for you is that you are just now becoming aware of an issue that others have worked a lifetime on, so how can you get to a place where you are knowledgeable enough to raise awareness and ask for change in meaningful, cogent, and convincing ways to people who matter? You might see this as a challenge that excites you, but it is a challenge.
Best of luck. Email for any further discussion or questions or respond here.
-Tim
You seem to be working well on your project, but did you interview anyone you know to hear what other people think about the issue? If you didn't I would do that ASAP. You will definitely learn a good deal about the aquatic health of Lake Champlain if you meet with a specialist at Echo.
ReplyDeleteAlso, as others mentioned, think of what changes could be accomplished in the time of this class, and all the groups, people, animals, etc, that the issue of water cleanliness in Lake Champlain is effecting.
Keep up the good work,
Henry