Brook trout hearings

[digitroll (ron)]

You can help bring back the brook trout this week!

Vermont's state fish, the native brook trout, has been in trouble for several decades now, depriving Vermont and visiting anglers of a piece of our heritage and tradition. The TMDL meetings this week, though, give you the chance to help bring back this great fish.

The TMDL ('total maximum daily load' - essentially a phosphorus budget) for Lake Champlain that is being created as you read this focuses on reducing phosphorus in Lake Champlain. The goal is to reduce phosphorus loads to the point where harmful algae blooms in the lake are prevented. Phosphorus ends up in the lake through our rivers and streams from a number of sources, and these sources cause disasters for brook trout:

•Phosphorus is often attached to sediments that clog brook trout spawning and feeding habitat
•The erosion that causes sediment is often linked to a lack of trees and plants on our river and stream banks
•A lack of trees and plants on our river and stream banks also often leads to warmer rivers and streams (no shade) making it too warm for brook trout to survive
•Water pollution runoff can increase water temperatures and scour brook trout habitat from the bottom of waterways
The point: your voice at the TMDL meetings this week urging the EPA and the State to prevent phosphorus loading properly in Lake Champlain will do great things for bringing back the brookies. Join us and your neighbors at the remaining three meetings.



December 10, 2013
2:00pm - 4:00pm
ECHO Lake Aquarium and Science Center

1 College Street, Burlington

December 10, 2013
7:00pm - 9:00pm
Founders Room, Middlebury Inn

14 Court Square, Middlebury

December 11, 2013
10:30am - 12:30pm
Fox Room, Rutland Free Library

10 Court Street, Rutland




For background on Lake Champlain clean-up efforts and where we stand today, read this article by LCI Executive Director, James Ehlers, in the Burlington Free Press: http://bfpne.ws/IAjBlm

Attend one, two, or all three meetings this week and tell the EPA and the State of Vermont why you think big change needs to happen urgently to prevent phosphorus pollution in your lake.

[Black Ghost (Ken)]

I am certainly very supportive of these kind of cleanup projects. in fact, our company is even doing the concrete work as a sub to Kingsbury Constuction on the Waterbury Phosphorus Removal project.

What I dont understand is how phosphorus removal in LC is relative to the native brookies which typically are in our smallest of tributaries in the LC watershed.

can anyone enlighten me?