Task Detail
Chapter 6: Managing Fish, Wildlife, and Plants
Action:
Use biological indicators to monitor change in the Lake Champlain Ecosystem. Continue assessment of species diversity and abundance.
Task
Establish a common classification system for the assessment of littoral, benthic, and shoreline habitat quality for Lake Champlain. Hold a workshop(s) by the end of 2011 with regional and national experts to establish an appropriate classification system and, ultimately, identify priority areas for conservation. Vermont will apply littoral habitat assessment methodology to the Lake Champlain shoreline.
- Task ID #: 6.11.3
- Lead Partners: LCBP, New York, Vermont
Task Comments
The LCBP has awarded a contract to Fitzgerald Environmental Associates (FEA) to measure and model the effects of lakeshore development on littoral habitat and biota in Malletts Bay, Vermont.
FEA will collaborate with researchers from Tierra Environmental, University of Vermont, and St. Michael's College to develop a method to measure, monitor and model the effects of lakeshore development on littoral habitat and biota in Malletts Bay, Vermont. Results from this study will be extrapolated to other areas of Lake Champlain. Field work will take place in summer 2011 with a model verification component in summer 2012. This project is scheduled to be complete by December 2012.
Project Abstract: To date, little research has examined the impacts of lakeshore development on littoral habitats of Lake Champlain. Using Malletts Bay (Vermont) as a study area, this project will (1) use high resolution imagery to create detailed maps of shoreline condition and lakeshore land use/land cover, (2) measure littoral habitat conditions and biotic communities across development and physical gradients, and (3) model relationships between littoral habitat conditions and riparian and shoreline condition. The results, including a list of biological indicator species and a GIS-based tool to predict habitat quality in other areas of the lake, will inform shoreline management and planning throughout Lake Champlain.