Environmental Sciences Commons^™

Maintaining Driveways, Lake Champlain Sea Grant

Lake Champlain Sea Grant Institute

This presentation produced by Lake Champlain Sea Grant's BLUE BTV initiative explains how driveways can contribute to stormwater and pollutant runoff into waterways, what cities, like Burlington, Vermont, are doing to encourage impervious driveways, and actions that individuals can take to maintain their own driveways to keep waterways clean.

Keeping Dogs Safe From Cyanobacteria Blooms (Habs), Lake Champlain Sea Grant

Lake Champlain Sea Grant Institute

Cyanobacteria blooms (sometimes called Harmful Algal Blooms or HABs) are overgrowths of a type of bacteria that use sunlight to reproduce in lakes and ponds. Cyanobacteria blooms sometimes produce potent toxins that can poison people, pets, and livestock. The presence of these blooms is increasing in many areas, putting both animals and humans at risk.

This brochure will help you understand the risks, how to recognize cyanobacteria blooms, how to keep both you and your dog safe from exposure, as well as what to do if your dog has been exposed to a bloom or poisoned by toxins.

Best Lawn Care Practices, Lake Champlain Sea Grant

Lake Champlain Sea Grant Institute

Lawn care practices that contribute to a healthy lawn and better water quality are described.

Programs in Burlington, Vermont, are described.

Introducing Lake Champlain Sea Grant And Programs For Real Estate Professionals, Linda Patterson

Lake Champlain Sea Grant Institute

Lake Champlain Sea Grant offers accredited workshops to Vermont and New York real estate professionals. Real estate professionals are often the first (and sometimes only) source of information for buyers and sellers about construction and alterations in regulated areas (such as wetlands and river corridors), potential flood risks, septic requirements, shoreland protection, and related topics. Realtors also gain valuable information about state and local resources that they can pass on to their clients.

All courses award Vermont continuing education credits. New York credits are available for the septic course, with others pending. Courses are listed in the presentation.

Master’S Project: Exploring And Supporting Social And Ecological Dimensions Of Pollinator Habitat Enhancement In Burlington, Vt, Victoria Hellwig

Rubenstein School Masters Project Publications

Urbanization and other manmade impacts threaten critical pollinator species like the bumblebee, whose populations are significantly affected by habitat loss. In response, activists in the City of Burlington are enhancing habitat to increase biodiversity through collaborative partnerships in urban green spaces. In an effort to explore and support pollinator habitat enhancement in Burlington, I examined social interactions involved in a group highly motivated to enhance habitat at Lakeview Cemetery and Champlain Elementary School, with an emphasis on power dynamics and place meanings of these sites. In conjunction with this exploration, I created landscape designs, planted a native habitat garden, and …

Literature Review And Comparative Analysis Of Existing Certification And Training Programs Applicable To Clean Water Project Operations And Maintenance, Marc Companion, Anna Hildebrand, Kristine Stepenuck

Lake Champlain Sea Grant Institute

Stormwater runoff that carries sediments and nutrients is a primary pollutant entering surface waters in the State of Vermont. Phosphorus pollution is driving cyanobacteria blooms in many of our lakes including Lake Champlain, Lake Carmi, and Lake Memphremagog, especially in the warmer months. Warmer weather patterns and an increased frequency of extreme storms are predicted with climate change. As such, there is critical need to take action on the land to minimize and treat stormwater runoff on-site.

The State adopted a Clean Water Act in 2015, which was swiftly followed by a Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) for Lakes Champlain …

Soaking Up Stormwater Through Education And Stewardship In The Lake Champlain Basin And Beyond, Lake Champlain Sea Grant, University Of Vermont Extension

Lake Champlain Sea Grant Institute

The health of Lake Champlain and other waterbodies in the Lake Champlain basin, which lies within portions of Vermont, New York and Quebec, are negatively impacted by nonpoint sources of pollution, including phosphorus, nitrogen, sediments, chloride, and bacteria. All of this pollution is carried to waterbodies in stormwater runoff. Thus, it is critical that everyone understand what stormwater is, and how to help clean it and reduce its volume before it enters local waterways.

Stormwater is water from rainfall and melting snow or ice that moves over the land, collecting pollutants as it makes its way to lakes, ponds, streams …

Trace Metal Contamination In Urban Soils: A Field To Laboratory Methodological Framework For Characterization And Education, Sandra Leighanne Walser

Graduate College Dissertations and Theses

Urban soils around the world have been found to possess elevated concentrations of toxic trace metals such as As, Cd, Cu, Pb, Mn, Hg, Zn known to pose human health risks. Tightening environmental legislation and further elucidation of the detrimental health impacts from trace metals has necessitated more efficient means of contamination assessment, as well as greater public awareness. Within this thesis, I sought to develop an array of tools to holistically approach the socially relevant environmental challenges derived from heavy metal soil contamination. These tools consist in providing means to simplify Pb, Zn and Cu analysis in-situ, develop strategies …

Sense Of Place And Ways Of Knowing: The Landscape Of Experience For Black, Indigenous, And People Of Color In Natural Resources, Environmental Education, And Place Based Learning, Marie Cadiz Vea

Graduate College Dissertations and Theses

This collaborative qualitative research addresses challenges faced by Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) in higher education and environmental programs as a result of academic imperialism (Chilisa, 2012) and epistemic injustice (McKinnon, 2016), as well as other systemic challenges that marginalize, diminish and invisibilize ways of knowing and narratives of Black, Indigenous, and People of Color. Historic and ongoing erasure of Black, Indigenous, and People of Color from the Land contributes to the perception and narrative that BIPOC are disinterested in environmental issues.

Using a strengths-based perspective, I alongside a circle of nine leaders in the environmental fields collectively …

Master's Project: Maple: A Sap To Syrup Guide, A Manual For Career And Technical Centers Of Vermont, Lynn Michelle Wolfe

Rubenstein School Masters Project Publications

Maple syrup production is a very important aspect of Vermont life and history. Every year in the early spring, people of all ages find their way to the woods to tap trees, collect sap, and participate in the great tradition of producing maple syrup. Maple syrup production is an essential industry from a historical, cultural, agricultural, and economic perspective. As the industry continues to grow, it creates potential employment opportunities for people of all ages, including recent high school graduates.

Through a collaboration between Vermont high school agriculture/natural resources instructors, the UVM Extension Maple Specialist, Shelburne Farms, and the UVM …

Master's Project - Connecting Guests To The Landscape At Kripalu: Ecological Assessment, Interpretation, And Education, Jessica D. Griffen

Rubenstein School Masters Project Publications

Sweeping views of the Berkshires and miles of trails await guests at Kripalu Center for Yoga and Health in western Massachusetts, yet surprisingly few visitors venture outside. I collaborated with Mass Audubon to transform Kripalu's grounds from a beautiful backdrop viewed through the windows to an essential part of the guest experience. To accomplish this, I conducted a rapid ecological assessment of the 125-acre property, mapped its network of trails, and piloted natural history programs for guests. The rapid ecological assessment serves as a resource for Kripalu’s grounds staff and future educators. To encourage more guests to venture outside, I …

The Role Of Motivation And Curriculum In Shaping Pro-Sustainable Attitudes And Behaviors In Students, Kathleen Bamford

Graduate College Dissertations and Theses

Sustainability is an area of growing pertinence as our future and the future of our planet depends on its acceptance and application. Determining patterns in pro-sustainable attitudes and behaviors, and revealing motivations behind these behaviors have important implications for the future of sustainability education. The primary objective of this study is to discover the relationships between educational experience and sustainability attitudes and behaviors in elementary school students. A secondary objective is to determine the motivation behind pro-sustainability behaviors and to establish the role this plays in educational programs. The study utilizes mixed methodology through two modes of data collection: 1. …