-For decades, scientists -have worked to better -understand and protect -Lake Champlain -and its watershed.

-Data collected over many years shows us how the lakes, water quality and ecosystems are changing over time.

-Ongoing research -based on this data -helps guide -smart investments, -management decisions, -and community efforts -to improve the health -of the basin.

-Hi, I'm Ryan Mitchell, I'm -the education and outreach program manager for the Lake Champlain Basin program.

-We're going to meet -five scientists whose work -spans diverse fields, -from deep lake ecology -to sustainable -agriculture.

-Each scientist -brings a unique background -and set of interest -to their research.

-Their personalities -and passions -inform their work -in the science that guides protection and restoration of Lake Champlain but while there are areas -of expertise -in the past that -led to their work differ, -they all share a strong -connection to the Lake -Champlain basin -and a commitment -to protecting -the place they call home.

-So I'm going to go -to the top of that.

-Then one person can walk -down.

-I'm excited -that I'm able to move back -to my home state -and try to help conserve -a place that I love.

-I knew from like age five -that I wanted to be -in the scientific field, -and I wanted to be able -to help -make an impact, -a positive impact.

-I remember going to camp -as a kid -and being asked -what I want to do when I grow up and I would say a marine biologist and people would say do you even know what a marine Biologist does?

And I was like, yes, I do.

-I grew up on the banks of -the river in Colchester.

-Always being able -to hop on my bike -and right down -to the river -or right down to the lake.

-So I definitely grew up -with these questions, -and really wanted -to get a better -understanding of how -we can conserve all the -things that we love.

-And so I was lucky -that I was able -to be exposed -to a variety -of different opportunities -to to get me in the field -that I love.

-And I've been working in -now for close to 20 years.

-Originally, though, -I was really focused -on the ocean, -and so I went -and got my undergraduate -degree in fisheries.

-But after that, -I headed up to Alaska -for the summer -and just fell in love -with salmon -and fell in love -with rivers.

-It shifted my direction -from that marine -focus -back into freshwater.

-It looked like a pool.

-I spent 18 years out -in California -working on salmon -restoration there, -and when an opportunity -opened up out of the Lake -Champlain -Fish and Wildlife Office, -I was able to bring back -the the knowledge -and the skills -that I learned -working with pacific salmon -out here to -work with -the atlantic Salmon.

-Landlocked Atlantic -salmon are really unique -in the fact -that, you know, -everybody's -used to their cousins, -the indigenous form -in the Atlantic Ocean.

-But the fact -that we were able -to have a population of -landlocked Lanark salmon -here in the Lake Champlain -basin is amazing.

-And so just being able -to try -to find opportunities to -be able to have those fish -have natural reproduction -in our rivers, -and to bring back that -native -iconic -species to the basin is -is definitely something -that makes me excited -and gets me up every day.

-Today we're out here -to kind of measure -what we have -for adult -spawning habitat, -as well as juvenile -rearing habitat, -and that will help us -determine -whether or not there's any -restoration actions that -we potentially could take, -or other -opportunities to -make sure -that we're getting fish up -here to the high quality -habitat -as you advance -in your career, -at least in the fisheries -field -and maybe -even in the natural -resource field, -you definitely end up -spending a lot more time -thinking about the data -you're collecting, -analyzing the data, -getting the information -out to reports -and presentations, -and then bringing it to -meetings so you can help -make management -decisions, opportunities -for the field -that are often limited.

-So there's a lot of time -spent in meetings.

-It's hard -to go from a field -biologist every day -in the field -to to those -first couple of years -when you're -just in the office.

-But the importance of -the work we're doing out -here is shown -through those meetings -and being able -to inform decisions.

-A lot of the work -I've always been doing, -or the work -I've been doing has been -in the adaptive management -framework.

-And the great thing -about adaptive management -is that you're collecting -information -to bring the science -forward, -to make more informed -and smarter decisions, -and that is critical.

-So recognizing -the importance of that -makes it a little bit -more palatable -to to be in the office -and attend those meetings -as opposed to not spending -your days outside, -being able to -get other people -enthusiastic -about this field, -about the work -we do, and help -provide them -an opportunity -to get exposed -to different -field surveys -or different -restoration actions, -and help them figure out -the career path -that they want to take.

-And that's -something for me -that's bringing me a lot -of joy in my job now.

-It's just great to be back -and it's great -to be working with sister -iconic species.

-For many researchers -in the basin, mentoring -young scientists -goes hand in hand -with their work -to protect the Lake -Champlain watershed -for future generations.

-New scientists -entering the field -will need to address -evolving challenges -facing our region.

-Doctor Timothy Mihuc -at the Sunni Plattsburgh -Lake Champlain Research -Institute brings -students into the lab -and out on the water, -where they gain hands -on experience in lake -monitoring and analyzes.

-Some big -old copepods in there.

-So I like to tell -people I'm -a disturbance ecologist, -not a disturbed ecologist.

-Itd be really interesting -to know if there's -any distribution -between the shallow -and the deep.

-Probably the thing -I enjoy most about my job -at Plattsburgh -is getting projects going -and then getting students -involved in projects.

-I think I knew as a child -that I was interested -in water.

-I was the kid in the ditch -when it rained -playing in the water.

-As I finished -my undergraduate -and ended up in -graduate school, -I realized it's -the biota in water -that fascinate me -the most.

-Streams and insects -in rivers, plankton -and fish and other things -in the lakes.

-My job is very fulfilling -at Suny Plattsburgh -and I always say -I really like my job.

-I, I get to do -a lot of different things.

-We have a lot of projects -going on -in the research institute.

-One of the main ones -is the long term -monitoring program, -which we've been -supporting -at Plattsburgh -for decades.

-We process -all the biological samples -of plankton from the lake -and get that data -together for -the monitoring program.

-And then we look -at that data -and try to understand -the patterns -and what's going on -and what's -changing in the lake.

-So today we're doing -diel vertical migration.

-So we're doing -multiple depths.

-They're doing -five meter intervals -with three different net -types.

-And we're getting the -the basically plankton -that live -in the different strata -of the lake from zero down -to 50m.

-The whole ecosystem -depends on this vertically -structured -thermal structure -in the lake.

-So if it changes, -for instance, -it changes with climate -change or storm events -Disrupt it, -You're messing around -with all of these species -in their evolution -and their biology -to orient toward this -vertical structure.

-So it's pretty important.

-16 going to ten.

Right now, -the biological responses -that we've seen in Lake -Champlain, -especially in -the plankton, -are a story of invasive -species.

-We had early 90s -onset of zebra mussels -in the lake.

-They had a huge change -in the lakes biota.

-Our micod shrimp -populations, -which is one of the -largest predators -in the plankton -in the lake.

-Crashed in the 90s, -a couple three years after -the zebra mussels invaded.

-And then most recently, -we've had two invaders -invade Lake Champlain.

-It was a student in my lab -that discovered -the spiny -water fleet in 2014.

-It was a different student -in my lab that -discovered the fishhook -water flea in 2018.

-Those were not wonderful -moments, but -students were there going, -oh my God, this thing -just invaded the lake.

-And then they come to me -and then we go -down to the lab -and then we all get upset.

-Getting students involved -in this work is important -because they're going -to be the stewards -of the future -of what we do in Lake -Champlain.

-Three, two, one.

-I'd say directions -for the future for me -as a scientist, -will probably be -to make sure -our monitoring program -is on solid, stable ground -and that we're -contributing to -that into the future.

-And we have a new study -on microplastics -in the lake.

-We're going to survey -the entire lake, -all the monitoring -samples, -and look to see where -plastics are, -try to get a handle -on the distribution -of plastics lake wide, -which is a huge issue, -and it's environmental -issue -that I think -we need -to do a little more -to try to figure out -and then sort of tackle -that problem in all water -bodies, including -Lake Champlain.

-The lake -is a divide between -New York and Vermont, -but it also brings us -together.

-We share this lake -together.

-Everyone -who lives around it -Quebec, New York, Vermont, -we all share -Lake Champlain.

-And in many ways, -I've been able to work -with a lot of people over -the last 20 plus years -who share the values -of preserving -and conserving what -this lake is, keeping it -clean, keeping it -healthy, and leaving it -for future generations.

-Yeah, it's a dream job, -I guess you would say.

-Many environmental -scientists -trace their careers back -to early experiences -of the natural world.

-This is true for Bradley -Young and avid -angler and fish biologist -with the U.S.

-Fish and Wildlife Service, -who's management -of the Sea Lamprey control -program on Lake -Champlain contributed -to the restoration -of native -lake trout in 2025.

-Thanks to Brad's -and other scientists -efforts, future fish -biologists could very well -find career inspiration -while landing their first -wild lake trout or salmon.

-I thought it was all going to be about going out and put on waders and playing with fish and it hasn't been anything like that.

-Biology is certainly -about the science, -but managing natural -resources is about people.

-When I was in high school, -I really loved fishing -and I lived on the shore -of Lake -Erie in Angola, New York.

-I was even keeping -a little journals -and diaries as a little -amateur naturalist, -and I went to school -to become a fisheries -biologist.

-I've been in the lamprey -world since 1993.

-The animal, -even though -it's a parasite -and it's ugly -and it's not good, -it's really a fascinating -organism.

-It's 400 -million years old.

-It predated the dinosaurs, -and it's still here.

-The mouth is obviously -the functional part -of the lamprey -that everybody is -most familiar with.

-He's got a tongue -in his throat, -and the tongue is where -it actually grinds a hole -in the side of the fish -and get the fish -to start bleeding, -where they're then able -to suck their body fluids -and feed off of them.

-These things have -no jawbone.

-They can't bite you.

They're not going to bite or crunch or tear or anything of That sort.

All they do is attach.

You can see -they have -a natural suction and -they want to just go on -and attach.

-So see, lamprey -are invasive species.

-They're from the Atlantic -Ocean.

-The first truly documented -sea lamprey was found -in the Ausable River -by New York State -D.E.C., in 1922, I believe, -and they think -that they got in through -the Champlain Ship Canal, -but they were very low -levels, -and it wasn't really -until the 1970s, -when the states of Vermont -and New York -and the Fish -and Wildlife Service -got together and said, -let's restore -lake trout and atlantic -salmon in Lake Champlain, -that we started to have -a serious lamprey problem.

-Now that we were -putting in lots -and lots of soft bodied -salmonid species, -they were the perfect -morsel for sea lamprey -to latch onto -and use and reproduce.

-And within a matter of 10 -to 12 years, -the population of sea -lamprey exploded -in Lake Champlain, -and because of their size, -when they attach -to a species, -they typically kill them, -and for that reason, -it prevents our ability -to be able to restore -natively trout and native -Atlantic salmon.

-So that's why -we control them.

-And the two -kinds of control that we -use, our physical control -and a chemical control.

-Starting into this, -I was thinking, -this is just going to be -science.

-It's it's an issue.

-It's ecology, it's -fisheries biology.

-I'm just going to come in -and run numbers -and look at spreadsheets -and do data, -go in the field -and call it a job.

-And that's not been -anything like what -it's really turned out -to be for me.

-I do more work -managing people -and permits and politics -and discussions -on topics of -public interest -and things of that sort, -far more than the biology -itself.

-In my first few years, -I was frustrated -because I had to deal -with people -and they actually had -their own thoughts -and talked back.

-I preferred fish -who just sat there -and did nothing -and it was frustrating -for me, -I admit it, -but I also came to learn -that if I want this -stuff to -work, -I need to find ways to -work with people, -and I over time developed -some better skills -and was able to figure out -how to go about that.

-It's actually developing -a long term relationship -with landowners -in the area, in areas -that we work, -and letting them know -that this is -an ongoing program -and that we depend on them -for continued access -to areas of their land -and rivers and the lake, -and also being able -to do the work that we do -without being restricted -from that.

-I'm an angler, -I enjoy fishing, -I enjoy being on the lake -and just knowing -the damage -that sea lamprey -do to the native -fish populations -and how it affects -the environment, -how it affects -the fishery, -helping to be -a part of this solution, -and being able -to remove them -and keep their numbers -down to a point -which allows the native -fish populations -to come back -and be restored, -is meaningful to me.

-Farms are a defining -feature of the Champlain -Valley landscape -and help feed -our communities, -but limiting nutrient -pollution -from agricultural land -is critical to meeting -water quality targets.

-Doctor Heather Darby -grew up on a farm -and knows firsthand -the challenges -farmers face -in managing costs, -maintaining -productive fields -and taking care -of the environment.

-Her research at -the University of Vermont -helps get farmers -the tools and solutions -they need to build -healthy soil -and protect water quality.

-When you figure out -a practice or a system -that does all the things -that you want it -to protect the soil, -protect -the natural resources, -you want it to -produce food -and you want it -to create an environment -that's healthy -for your family, -for the people that -you know and live around.

-When you find that, -that feels really good.

-I'm a professor.

-I've always -done research at UVM, -and I think for me, -I wanted to answer -questions for the farmers -here in Vermont.

-I grew up on a farm right -up the road from here, -so I love farming.

-When I started -looking for colleges, -my mom didn't -want me to be a farmer, -which is what -I wanted to do.

-And she said, no, -you can't.

-She hates it -when I tell this story.

-You're too smart.

-That's what she said, -which showed you how -farmers even kind of felt -about themselves.

-For high school, -I had to go interview -somebody who I wanted -to have a career like.

-So I went over -and I talked to -this man Ev Thomas, -who was an agronomist.

-I had never heard of that -before, -sounded very exotic.

-And he had a diploma -on his wall behind him.

-And I thought, -that's really cool.

-That's really like exotic.

-Nobody will have ever -heard of that.

-My mom will definitely -let me do that.

-So that's how I decided to -become an agronomist.

-I don't know if anybody -really knows that story, -but they do now.

-This is the Border View -Research facility -that hosts -all of the research -that I do.

-And it's a private, public -collaboration -with Roger Rainville, -which is very, -very unique.

-We've been doing research -here.

-I have for 19 years, -I think.

-All right.

I'm ready.

Yep.

-We have 50 or 60 -like unique trials here -every year and thousands.

-It's like 3500 or 4000 -individual plots.

-We're changing -the seeding.

-The goal of this research -is really to be relevant -to the farming community -today, -helping them with -challenges, opportunities.

-Just in this strip alone, -there's 12 -different treatments -exploring -different cover -crop planning -dates, varieties -and seeding depths.

-And so for a farmer to put -12 different mixtures -or different cover -crops out in their farm, -that's a lot of work -in planning -that we can do here -beforehand -in these little plots -and just kind of -get a sense of, well, -what's going to work best.

-Every experiment gets -written up every year -into a little report -that we give out there -online, -and then we can take it -from these tiny little -plots to bigger fields.

-And, you know, -I always like to think -that we take -some of the risk -out of trying -new practices, -growing a new crop -before the farmer -tries -to do it themselves.

-There's -a lot more soybeans now -grown in Vermont, -and farmers -are struggling -to figure out how to cover -crop in soybeans.

-By the time most people -harvest this crop, -it's way too late -for a cover crop.

-We're trying to see -if we can use interceding -to get cover -crops on soybean ground.

-The benefit of the cover -crop.

-It's there -to hold the ground, -hold the soil in place, -especially during -the winter -when there's generally -would be nothing else -growing, and keeps -the soil from running off -and keeps nutrients -where they should be.

-I feel like the more -we've learned about -how a practice -might impact -the environment -in a negative -or positive way, -we continue to try -to do better, innovate, -and do better -for the environment.

-You know, Vermont's a -special place, -the farmers that are here, -they live -in their community.

-So keeping -everyone healthy -and the environment -healthy is really, -really -important to all of us.

-For Lake Champlain Basin -Program Chief Scientist -Doctor Matthew Vaughn, -working alongside the -researchers highlighted -in this series, -as well as countless -other -dedicated scientists, -is a source of optimism -for the future of -Lake Champlain.

-Sound science -leads to better management -of our natural resources, -and gives people -the information -they need to enjoy -and care -for our watershed.

-I have a very strong -connection -with Lake Champlain.

-I fell in -love with the lake -pretty much the moment -I saw it.

-I like doing my homework -and doing the math and -coming up with the numbers -that are going to be -meaningful to people -coming up with the answers -that are going -to be informative -to their lives.

-So it's not a sure thing.

-Having the answers -that are based on our best -science is just really, -really valuable to -to me -and to others, I think.

-And it's exciting -that it's all for a lake -that I love and a lake -that a lot of people, -you know, share -that love with me as well.

-When I was a -kid, I always loved math, -especially -when I learned calculus.

-It really blew me away.

-And I was just totally -taken by physics -and astronomy.

-And I went to college -for physics.

But at the same time, I was kind of going back packing and canoeing and climbing, -and I started to realize -that life -as a physicist might not -be a good match for me.

-It kind of occurred to me -that, you know, -water is a hugely, -hugely fundamental thing -that all living things -need, -all people need every day.

-And it might be really, -really fun to work on it -because it would -get me outside.

-Our mission is to improve -water quality, -conserve habitat, -and we work with partners -at all levels, -from municipalities -to nonprofits, up -to the federal government -in the US and Quebec.

-We have a lot of work -going on right -now, a lot of research, -a lot of projects -happening, -and a lot of ways -we're working to -improve Lake Champlain.

-Our long term -monitoring program -has been monitoring -water quality -since about 1990.

-So we have an incredible -source of information -on what -the lake and tributaries -have been doing -since then.

-There's -been some really useful -developments -in water quality.

-And so this is -an example of, you know, the next generation of water quality monitoring systems.

-So we're using this -to kind of supplement -what we have -with our -traditional sampling -where we're going out -with bottles, -filling up the bottles, -bringing them -back to the lab.

-It's incredibly valuable.

-And we're going -to keep doing that.

-This just adds -to our information.

-And this shines light -through the water -and measures -parts -of the water chemistry.

-So it measures the river -Every 15 minutes.

we can -see what's going on -Throughout the cycle -of a day, -night and day, -during storms, -during periods of low -flow, -all things that we miss -with traditional sampling -when we're going out -with a bottle.

-So right now I'm using a -highly sophisticated -cleaning equipment -to just clean off -the probes and make sure -there's nothing -in the path of that light.

-I love being out here, -but my -my normal work ranges -more from data -analysis, meeting -with people, meeting -with partners to determine -how we can use our funds -to best improve -water quality and habitat.

-So we work with something -called -an adaptive management -strategy.

-So we are able to use -science -to assess the condition -of Lake Champlain -and its watershed.

-And once we have -that science, -we release a report -called the state -of the Lake Report.

-And a lot of what I do -also is taking data -that we've collected -through studies -over the course of -a few years -or a few decades, -and I'm analyzing the data -and I'm -coming up with answers.

-So that way we can provide -evidence based information -to people -when they ask, can -I swim in a lake?

-Can I, you know, -can I drink the water?

-We have good answers -for those -and we can feel confident.

-I am really -hopeful for the -future of Lake Champlain.

-I think -in general, -and a lot of ways, -we have really good -water quality -here in our rivers -and our lake.

-We certainly have -challenges -that we're working on.

-But, you know, -there's a lot of areas -and a lot of times -when we can enjoy Lake -Champlain without issue.

-because I work -in this field, -I see how many really -smart people -are working on this and -the amount of investment -going into our lake.

-We have a shared goal -for the restoration -and protection -of Lake Champlain.

-So, you know, that's -that's really encouraging, -encouraging to me.

-I have young kids -and I'm doing this -for them as much as for me -and for our community.

-I want Lake Champlain to -be an excellent quality.

-when we pass off to the -next, the next generation.

-The scientists you've -just met are solving -complex problems, working -collaboratively -and mentoring -future researchers -to ensure a healthy -Lake Champlain -for generations to come.

-And while there are areas -of expertise -very widely, -they each share a deep -appreciation for the Lake -Champlain Basin -and are committed to -protecting all that makes -this place so special.