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Students Visit the Melosira Research
Vessel
Please click here
for an interactive tour of the VSF experience on Lake Champlain
Following the talk on Urban Sustainability on Tuesday, VFS students met
up with Dr. Ellen Marsden, a fisheries professor at the Rubenstein
School, and Dick Furbush, Captain of the Melosira Research Vessel at the
Rubenstein Ecosystem Science Laboratory on Lake Champlain's
waterfront. Ellen began by explaining how Lake Champlain is an
exceptionally exciting place to be doing research, in describing it as a
“mesocosm” of the Great Lakes. That is, Lake Champlain is very large in
its size but, unlike the Great Lakes, is small enough that researchers
can get an outstanding grasp on what is happening physically,
biologically and chemically in the lake as a whole and that scientific
research can more easily be conducted here than on the Great Lakes.
Professor
Marsden explained some of the physical and chemical issues presently
being dealt with on the lake, including eutrophication. Eutrophication
refers to the anaerobic conditions that result from the rapid growth and
eventual decomposition of the phytoplankton and algae that bloom as a
result of overloading the lake with nutrients such as Nitrogen and
Phosphorous. It becomes a serious problem in Lake Champlain, Ellen
explained, partially because of the run-off from the huge watershed area
(a large amount of which is agricultural lands) in relation to the size
of the lake itself. Eutrophication is dramatic in Missisquoi Bay and
other shallow regions of the lake. These shallow bays are heavily
affected by nutrients overloading resulting in dense Blue-Green Algae
blooms, which are both toxic and aesthetically unpleasant.
Masters
students of the Rubenstein School also learned about biological issues
created by invasive exotics, such as the Alewife and Zebra Mussel.
Professor Marsden's talk on the Alewife was a terrific follow up on the
brief Alewife presentation given by Mary Watzin the day before. It is,
explained Ellen, the most recent nuisance within Lake Champlain. Alewife
was likely introduced to the lake within the past few years and is a
native of the
Atlantic Ocean. They
are not well adapted to changes in the environment, especially
fluctuations in water temperature. Therefore, large
die-offs of the
species occur seasonally on Lake Champlain, such as that of the spring
of 2008, where several tons of the fish had to be removed from the
shorelines of the lake. Issues with species addition through the
Champlain Canal such as Water Chestnut and Water Milfoil were also
discussed. Dr. Marsden emphasized that Integrated Pest Management is
the name of the game; the best we can do with our diverse array of tools
is ‘manage’ the pests.
 VFS
students also had the chance to see some of the Melosira's research
equipment in action. Real-time GPS navigation was demonstrated by
Captain Dick Furbush, and CTD and Benthic Dredge demonstrations were
performed. The CTD is an instrument that measures several parameters of
the lake water at any given depth such as conductivity, temperature,
dissolved oxygen, turbidity, fluorescence and light availability. Within
minutes of raising the CTD from the lake bottom, the results from each
parameter could be viewed by the students onboard. The Benthic Dredge,
an apparatus consisting of a mesh net designed to sieve material on the
lake bottom, was dragged for a distance of about 20 meters, bringing up
zebra mussels and native mollusks. It was demonstrated that the zebra
mussels, even in soft-bottom environments, were choking out the native
mollusk species.
Students Meet with Panel on Lake
Issues
 Next on the
agenda for the VFS course was a meeting with a Panel on lake issues,
research and education at the Rubenstein Ecosystem Science Laboratory.
Kris Joppe-Mercure, a technical coordinator with the
Lake Champlain Basin Program (LCBP) was first to speak. The LCBP
was established in 1990 in efforts to preserve the Lake Champlain Basin.
It is a very rare program, explained Kris, in that it requires massive
coordination efforts between three government jurisdictions; Vermont,
New York, and Quebec. The LCBP releases both an Opportunities for Action
Plan, which is a design of goals and recommendations for the management
of the basin, as well as a State of the Lake and Ecosystem Indicator
Report to inform residents about the Lake's health and current and
future issues and challenges.
Tom Berry of
the
Nature Conservancy Lake Champlain Program (NCLCP) spoke next
about Biodiversity Protection on the lake. The NCLCP writes a report on
the biodiversity, threats to biodiversity, and conservation strategies
in the lake. The American Eel was a topic of interest here, with its
numbers declining due to the introduction of dams such as the St. Ours
and Chambly. Mr. Berry explained how the introduction of fish ladders at
the dams would help in restoring eel populations to the lake. Current
issues with populations of species such as the Caspian Tern and
Cormorant were also discussed.
 Julie Moore from the Center for Clean and
Clear was next to talk with the VFS students. Julie informed students on
issues of total maximum daily loads (TMDL) of Phosphorous within Lake
Champlain, a subject which tied in with previous eutrophication talks
from Professor Ellen Marsden. Julie discussed the Center for Clean and
Clear’s work in areas such as river management programs to survey
streams, effluent permits for large farms, and a Better Back-roads
Program to improve dirt-road practices and management in the basin.
 Mike Rapacz, Lake Champlain Lakekeeper,
followed on Julie Moore's talk with a discussion on issues that continue
to be challenges on Lake Champlain. Concerns included the idea that laws
for clean water may not be properly followed in certain areas of the
lake basin. Improvements in municipal treatment of wastewater,
stormwater, and other parameters need to be made in these certain
locations in order to keep Lake Champlain waters from continually
deteriorating.
Linda Bowden of the ECHO Lake Aquarium and
Science Center wrapped up the panel with an introduction to ECHO and a
tour of its facilities. The Center aims at public outreach and education
in the areas of ecology, culture, history and opportunities for
stewardship in the lake's basin. The tour of the ECHO Center was a
fantastic opportunity
(Please click here) for the VFS students to discover how visitors to
the Center learn about the natural science behind Lake Champlain and
many of the lake issues currently being dealt with.
Exploring Lake
Research
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