REGION – We love living near water, and lakeshore living can offer us so many benefits: gorgeous views, access to all kinds of recreation, a connection with nature, and a sense of tranquility. The star attraction is a clean, healthy lake – there are so many ways that we can help protect, and even improve, the condition of the lake, and Vermont’s Lake Wise program can help.
This free visit by Lake Wise staff features about an hour-long chat while walking a property to make observations, take simple measurements, and ask pertinent questions of the landowner. Some of the information gathered includes distance from the lake to buildings and parking areas, an evaluation of vegetation, and the location of a septic system or well, if present. Also very important to the assessment is learning the priorities of each landowner – lake view, recreational access, a natural setting, etc. Many factors are taken into account, and the Lake Wise staff or trained assessor may offer suggestions and recommendations for projects a landowner could do to help keep the lake healthy, shoreline edges more natural and erosion-proof, and still enjoy the many special benefits to living on the lake.
Why Lake Wise? Each item that can be checked off on the list of “best practices” earns a landowner points that are tallied at the end of an assessment – enough points will earn a property a free Lake Wise Award that includes a yard sign to display proudly. If enough properties around a given lake earn the award, the entire lake wins a Gold Award. Only five lakes in Vermont have received this honor.
Thanks to a grant from the Mount Ascutney Regional Commission, the Black River Action Team (BRAT) was able to get the ball rolling on Lake Rescue. After the initial Lake Wise assessment in 2022, the DEC allowed BRAT to hire Annie White of Nectar Landscape Design LLC and Rockingham Recon Drone Service to produce extensive design drafts for each property. From these designs, BRAT will work with each landowner to settle on a list of projects that could be put in place to earn the Lake Wise Award.
As these projects begin to move from the design phase to construction, stay tuned by reaching out to BRAT at blackrivercleanup@gmail.com or 802-591-0101. If you live on any of the lakes along Route 100, or would like to learn about the Lake Wise program, check out their website at www.dec.vermont.gov/watershed/lakes-ponds/lakeshores-lake-wise/what-lake-wise.