 This is Dennis McMahon and welcome to Positively Vermont and today our special guest is Elizabeth Ehlers, the director of Lake Champlain International, which is a very important and very fascinating project and operation that we're going to explore. And hopefully you will get a chance to participate in. Welcome, Liz. Thank you very much for having me. Now I want to start out with just telling us a little bit about yourself. So I was born and raised in Panama City, Florida. When I graduated from college in 2000. I had a friend at the University of Vermont so girlfriend and I decided sounded like fun to come up here and spend the summer. And I never really left. That's great. And tell us a little bit about Lake Champlain International what is it and what it does and we'll go into some of the history but just give us an overview of the organization. Sure. So Lake Champlain International is a federally recognized 501 C3 nonprofit. And our, you know, our state admission is a swimmable fishable drinkable Lake Champlain. And can you tell us a little bit about the lake itself, you know, it's geography, it's scope, it's maybe a little bit of its history and importance to the region, and maybe even the continent. Sure. So Lake Champlain, you know, really is a huge asset to, you know, both New York and Vermont, as well as Canada is not only a source of drinking water for several communities. But it's also, you know, one of the most outstanding fisheries for sport fishing and provides an amazing source of recreation for all who enjoy it. And this actually Lake Champlain International started with a fishing there. What do you use. So in 1982. There was a bill Jacobus here was a South Burlington resident and avid fisherman partnered with the Lake Champlain Chamber of Commerce and pitched the idea of organizing and hosting a fishing derby with the express goal of stimulating economic activity and tourism in the area. You know, there, their main focus was more on the cold water fishery Lake trout and Atlantic salmon. And since you know the derby has expanded over the years to now we include both warm water and cool water species. You know, there's 11 eligible species and all for our father's day derby. What is that abbreviation you just said categories for eligible. Oh, cold water and cool water. Yeah. Yeah, so it's, it's how we sort of subdivide the different species of fish and Lake Champlain. You have cold cool and warm. It's like run is it is it cold or is it warm or what is it. Well I don't I don't know how far we want to get into into the lake ecosystem. But you know it's it's an incredibly diverse habitat. You know you have areas in our base outer base. I mean it's just there there really is is something for whatever interest in anger might have. Right. Of course we have champ living there somewhere. Yeah there's there's that too. So one of the things you told me about before today was what the lake Champlain international does about education and advocacy. So tell us a little bit about what that aspect of the group is. Sure. So the organization has sort of evolved over the years. As I previously mentioned it really was, was founded with the goal of economic activity and tourism and while that still is a big part of our goal to this day. We also tried to expand and realize that, you know, as an organization. We have a duty, a mission to help protect and restore the lake as well. So we, you know we approach it and several ways. Education is is a big part going into classrooms, going to trade shows and connecting with with youth who may or may not have ever been exposed to fishing. You know it's, it's a big goal of ours, because the sporting community historically you know they're some of the most important and avid conservators of the natural resources that they enjoy. So when you sort of create a solid foundation of a sporting community, they really take it on as their own personal mission as well to protect that resource. We do a fishing pole loan program for folks who maybe have never fished maybe it's been years and they can come to us we'll we'll outfit them with with what they need to go give it a try. We do presentations to other organizations chambers of commerce civic groups, just to, you know, highlight the opportunities available on Lake Champlain, but also to, to keep a spotlight on on the issues that are facing like Champlain which, you know unfortunate. They're there quite a few. I was going to ask you about this blue program, what is that ELUE and all caps, what is that about. Yeah. So, that was the program was the brain child of James James colors and he saw a big opportunity for education and grassroots action on behalf of homeowners that you know you sort of have point sources of pollution like we all, you know, have seen the pictures of wastewater overflows and culverts you know jumping into Lake Champlain but we also have to remember. We have all of these non point sources these, you know, homes with like a fertilize excessive fertilizers being used or maybe it's just it's simple things where we can go to the property and do an evaluation and make suggestions of just easy things that any homeowner can do whether it be installing a rain barrel so that they can catch rainwater and use it for watering outside redirecting downspouts, you know that's a small thing that can make a big difference in the runoff from a property. Building rain gardens where you know you can sort of plant specific species of plants that can better trap that rainwater and utilize it versus having it runoff runoff of the you know your property and then through the streets where you know it enters our watershed. I understand people can get an evaluation for free from your group. But that is correct yet and we have that information up on our website if anyone is interested, and also believe it's Burlington and Williston currently are offering rebates you know in the neighborhood of a couple hundred dollars to help offset the cost for the homeowner of implementing some of the recommended changes. I'm putting this in the middle of November and some many of the events have already passed, but I understand you have a few events that you have annually such as a wild game dinner and fishing, fish cooking class and fish trips involving restaurant local legislators want to tell us about some of those. So our flagship event that sort of started it all is the Father's Day Derby and in 2021 we celebrated our 40th Father's Day Derby, and it's a three day event it runs Saturday through Monday covers, you know, all of Lake Champlain. We have 13 way stations on both the Vermont and New York sides of the lake and it's our main fundraiser for our organization. We draw about 5500 anglers at last count, you know they come from about 38 different states. And it just you know it's it really it's my favorite time of year, obviously it's a very busy time of year. But I just one of the best parts of my job is hearing the stories from the families who, you know, a father who started fishing it when he was just a kid and they you know it's a family tradition now and they have their own children that they're moving into the Father's Day Derby and you'll get three or four generations all fishing together and it's, you know, yes we do give out a significant amount of cash and prizes you know in the neighborhood of $150,000. And for the vast majority of our, of our participants that's, that's not really the motivation. The motivation is really the tradition and spending three days together, you know outfishing, if they catch a winter great if not, you know it's, it's still, it's still a win in their book. It's a little angler's Derby so that started as she's sort of a way to give the feeling of being involved in the Father's Day Derby for younger kids who maybe don't have an adult to take them out for the three days. But it's a free event and Cheryl Dunkling over at Ray Seafood. She's sort of taken it on as, as her pet project and she organizes it every year she makes sure that that every kid leaves with a free fishing pole, and it's just, you know, the last couple of Shaw Supermarkets has come on and they provide refreshments and it's just, it's a great little one day event, you know, there's certainly no monsters weighed in, or we're usually in the, in the hundreds of the pounds for the entries. It's just, it's a really special free event for the kids. Our bass open. So, you know, a lot of times when people think of competitive bass fishing, the focus tends to be more down south and a lot of people are surprised to realize that Lake Champlain is really a premier bass fishing destination. We offer an event with two, two person teams. It's a one day event, and it's, it's, it's great. Again, it just it really highlights the, the premier bass fishing that we have at our, at our resource. And the last one the Champlain Basin Derby, that really was created to offer year round fishing opportunities and to promote more like hard water fall and spring fishing because, you know, with the Father's Day Derby that obviously is, is in June, but we just want to make sure that people know that, you know, Lake Champlain is it's a year round destination. You know, I said Lake Champlain, but I'm going to clarify. So the Champlain Basin, it's open to any public and legal bodies of water in the Champlain Basin, which is, you know, a significant area. You know, we're able to pull in Lake George Lake Placid Lake bomb is in a lot of like the trout fishing streams for for those anglers that prefer that. There's a huge bit of territory there. Yes, yes it is. That's excellent. And one of the things that we like to ask about here on positively the month are some of the issues that you are concerned about, you know, with the, the legislature coming up and and various legislatures I suppose and and also elected officials who often watch what are some of the hot issues that's kind of funny with the lake but what are some of the hot issues that you're concerned about right now. Sure. Well, I think that we all unfortunately have seen over the past few years. The number of blue green algae blooms on Lake Champlain just seems to be getting worse more numerous each year they're starting earlier in the season they're lasting later into the fall. And it really poses a very serious health impact to those who come in contact with those blooms. You know, one of the things that that we've been working on, along with a PhD out of Dartmouth Hitchcock Elijah Stommel is creating an ALS registry Lou Gehrig's disease, because it's it's his. It's his theory that there is a connection between ALS and exposure to blue green algae so that that was a win this past year of the legislature agreeing to start that registry. So we hope that will really aid Dr. Stommel and his work and showing if there is a connection or not. You know, another another big hot button issue is, you know, we keep hearing about these discharges of untreated sewage and untreated storm water and to Lake Champlain. And there can be, you know, there can be sort of two different scenarios, you know, we have to acknowledge that our infrastructure it's aging it's failing it was never meant to handle what we're asking of it. And, you know, obviously like we hear it in the in the national news, quite a bit, but it's, it's a big issue in Vermont. You know, the original storm systems. It was designed in a way where both sewage and storm water are being moved through the same underground pipe system. And, you know, what you would want is to have those separated because when we get these heavy rainstorms. Sometimes they're getting overwhelmed. And, you know, sometimes the wastewater plan operators have to make the difficult difficult decision. You know, do they, you know, open the valve so to speak and allow that untreated water to go straight into Lake Champlain or sometimes it's tributaries. Like if they don't make that decision though we're going to have all of that waste backing up into into people's homes. So I understand the difficult position that they're being put in and having to, you know, sort of find a way to work with this this failing system the best way that they can. You know, and that and that really, like, just like on the federal level, it's, it's an issue of money. I mean, it's, it's a huge expense to be able to make those upgrades. And what about the heritage aspects of getting people interested in the maritime with the late Champlain heritage aspects. Yeah. So for us, that that a lot of that comes back to the father's day derby and our other events. You know, I, I understand. I understand, you know, some people are not big fans of competitive fishing and I am sensitive to the fact that during the three days of the father's day derby, you know, most access areas in the state are quite full. I don't know much for that. But, you know, being able to offer that that three days where, you know, it's just it's fun, it's, and making sure that that people, you know, can just come out, take time off work take, take the kids away from the screen time and just, you know, be out on the water together. And I think that when people get those positive associations and those and those fond memories that it's something that they want to keep passing on to future generations. Well, having piqued the interest of our viewers. This is a very important aspect of every positively Vermont show. That's how can people help. What do you need from the viewers from the general public from legislators. How can people help late international and your good work. Well, thank you. Thank you for that. I think sometimes people under underestimate the amount of power each individual voice has. And, and we've seen, you know, time and time again, where when people individuals voters time to to pick up the phone call their and write them an email like that really does make a difference and I think sometimes we we get that defeatist attitude that it feels like we're just screaming into the wind but I can tell you it, it can move thing then as quickly as we would like, but please do that. Also, go fishing. If you don't even if you don't want to go fishing by a fishing license because a big portion of fishing license sales go right back into fisheries restoration and the great work that the Fish and Wildlife Department does in their as a volunteer to help out at one of our events. You know, the Father's Day Derby it's it's a huge undertaking and it wouldn't be possible without the volunteers that help and you need and there's no, there's no requirement or experience or knowledge for fishing we have several different roles. We help out the event, and also donate. You know, where we happily accept donations through our website or by mail. And that just, it helps support our year round efforts to continue the work that we started. And a good summary of how people can get involved. And the events such as the fishing derby now being scheduled for 2022. Yeah, you know, they were coming into to really our busiest time of year, which sometimes surprises people but as soon as we close the books on on one year's events, you know, we immediately have to start planning for the for the next year. You know, securing sponsorships going to trade shows making sure that that people know about us know about the opportunities you know not just through through our events, but just what what we have available on Lake Champlain. All right. Well, this has been very interesting and I want to thank Liz Ehlers, Elizabeth Ehlers commonly known as Liz, the director of Lake Champlain International. And we're going to publish the website information and she's available to talk to you or your group or anyone else about this rather fascinating topic. If you want to look out the window and you're probably going to see Lake Champlain, perhaps or one of its many waterways in the in its basin so this is really applies to just about everybody in the state and the region. This has been very fascinating. Thank you. Thank you so much. Thanks Liz and we'll get back to you in a while for progress report as the year moves on. Thank you. Thank you Dennis. This has been Dennis McMahon for positively Vermont. My guest has been Elizabeth Ehlers, director of Lake Champlain International. Thank you for watching.