THE WATERWHEEL FOUNDATION

WaterWheel Donates $121,000 to Environmental Groups

April 3, 2000

The WaterWheel Foundation is pleased to announce eight grants totaling $121,000 to organizations helping Lake Champlain. These are the third series of grants made by WaterWheel to groups striving to preserve and protect the Lake and its watershed. Receiving these grants are the Lake Champlain Committee, Vermont Natural Resources Council, Lake Champlain Land Trust, Lake Champlain Basin Science Center, Nature Conservancy of Vermont, Missisquoi River Basin Association, Friends of the Winooski River, and the Franklin Watershed Committee.

The Lake Champlain Committee (LCC) received an unrestricted grant of $25,000. Based in Burlington, VT, LCC works to protect the natural resources and scenic beauty of the Lake and its watershed. This is the second grant made to LCC by WaterWheel. Lori Fisher, LCCıs Executive Director, outlines their plans for 2000:

"We have an ambitious program underway focused on reducing toxics and phosphorus, managing invasive species, promoting pollution prevention programs, and expanding low-impact recreational opportunities. We will oversee clean-up efforts on toxic waste sites, advance legislation to reduce mercury and advocate for comprehensive lake research to gain a better understanding of toxic inputs to the Lake. Through our technical task force on phosphorus we will develop a comprehensive funding and implementation strategy to accelerate the time frame for phosphorus reduction."

The Vermont Natural Resources Council (VNRC) received its third grant from WaterWheel, for $20,000. The grant will help fund VNRCıs Lake Champlain Pollution Prevention Program which addresses unmanaged urban and agricultural runoff. According to VNRC Staff Scientist Kim Kendall,

"Vermont's current efforts to control stormwater pollution are not enough to make substantial improvements to the lake and reduce nutrients, bacteria, and algae growth from polluted runoff. That is why VNRC is pushing hard to see passage of strong legislation that sufficiently addresses the problems resulting from unmanaged stormwater runoff from urban and suburban land uses."

The excess nutrients which flow into the Lake from runoff make possible the blue-green algae which killed dogs after drinking it last summer. The Vermont Legislature is presently considering legislation to address stormwater pollution.

The Lake Champlain Land Trust (LCLT) received a grant of $40,000 to finalize the purchase of the Malletts Bay Natural Area. According to LCLT Associate Director Jennifer Morrissey,

"the project will double the size of the Natural Area, thus preserving over 560 acres of woodland hiking trails and beautiful lake views while curbing development in a region increasingly pressured by urban expansion."

The total cost of the purchase is $480,000. Last year WaterWheel donated $20,000 to LCLT to complete the acquisition of Rock Island, home to 71% of the Common Tern fledglings hatched on the Lake. LCLTıs resident ornithologist reports that, although still endangered, the Common Tern populations are strong and growing.

The Lake Champlain Basin Science Center received a two-year grant of $15,000 per year for its Eco-Peers Program. Ray Lavigne, Executive Director of the Science Center, explains the new Program:

"The Science Center will work with middle and high school teachers on developing and implementing standards-based science curriculum about the Lake Champlain basin. The goal is to help teachers develop and improve curriculum about the environment in their own backyard using inquiry-based, hands-on activities, integrating technology and linking the curriculum to core standards."

The Nature Conservancy of Vermont received a $15,000 grant for its program to control water chestnut infestation in the Lake. Working in the southern reaches of the Lake Champlain watershed, the Conservancy battles the invasive water chestnuts through its aquatics SWAT team. Team leader Sherry Crawford describes the operation:

"We coordinate an intrepid group of volunteers who make up the Conservancyıs water chestnut exotics SWAT team. Last summer more than 280 volunteers contributed 1,554 hours hand-pulling over 145,000 pounds of water chestnuts."

There have been dramatic decreases in the number of plants at sites where the Conservancy has worked over several years. The water chestnut problem is one requiring constant vigilance else the invader should spread further throughout the lake.

Three watershed groups working in the Lake Champlain basin will each receive operating grants of $2,000. Based in Franklin County, the Missisquoi River Basin Associationıs mission is to restore and maintain the ecological integrity of the Missisquoi River system so that the uses and values desired by the community are supported by the river and quality of its water. Friends of the Winooski River, based in Central Vermont, works to reduce pollution in the rivers of the Winooski watershed, promote wildlife habitat, scenic value, and recreational amenity. The Franklin Watershed Committee of Enosburg Falls seeks to improve the water quality of Lake Carmi and the Rock River. Among the various projects these watershed groups manage are stream bank restoration, providing educational tools on water quality issues to teachers and the local communities, and working with farmers to reduce nutrient runoff.

WaterWheel's Lake Champlain Initiative is made possible by the sale of Ben & Jerryıs Phish Food ice cream. All of the royalties due Phish from the sale of the ice cream and related merchandise will be used to benefit Lake Champlain and its watershed. Since its introduction in 1997 Phish Food has been one of Ben & Jerryıs top selling ice creams. Thus far WaterWheel has made fifteen grants totaling $239,000 to nonprofit organizations.

Other press releases from WaterWheel are listed below.