Lewis Creek Association News
September 8, 2011, page 5.....
Successful Season of Bay Restoration
by Daron Blake and
Website Launched Connecting Watershed Towns
by Mollie Wills

Lewis Creek Association Wraps Up Third Successful Season of Bay Restoration
by Daron Blake

On a relatively cool evening in late July, a group of sunburned, bug-bitten and hungry workers met on Lewis Creek Road to celebrate the successful conclusion of a season of invasive plant removal in Town Farm Bay not far from Point Bay Marina. These workers had come from a final day of work picking a few more pounds of European frogbit, an invasive plant that has plagued the bay and threatened native species since 2007. After a morning of picking under a sunny sky, workers and volunteers paddled their canoes and kayaks to the marina. There, the marina staff graciously washed and stored the boats that have carried so many tons of frogbit over the past two months. Team members drove to the Lewis Creek Association headquarters to enjoy shade and fresh food and to reminisce about the experiences of this season.
This was the third consecutive season of the restoration project led by the Lewis Creek Association (LCA). Aimed at eliminating the free-floating European frogbit, this project has seen tremendous success in the past three years. Many tons of frogbit have been removed from the area. All of this season’s team members are veteran frogbit pickers, and all noticed a significantly lower amount of frogbit in the bay than in years before. However, there was still plenty of work to be done. Workers and volunteers joined together this summer and spent many hours continuing the progress of the removal project.
The summer of 2011 proved to be quite different from the years before. The spring flooding had completely transformed the bay. On the first of June, workers returned to old picking areas by paddling through silver maples that had previously been on dry ground. The bay had become an area of mostly open water. Yet as the season progressed, stands of wetland flora began to appear, creating a labyrinth of cattails and buttonbush. This bay is a beautiful area that is used recreationally by grateful boaters, birders and fishermen, yet it is also home to a wide array of wildlife. Each day, workers saw animals adapting to their ever-changing habitat. Muskrats dared to swim within feet of kayaks and canoes, sharing the limited space around the cattail stands. Egrets and herons swooped over the open water and stood, hidden, among the tall plants. Volunteers and workers spotted owls, snakes, turtles, and beaver among others. It was a pleasure to be able to observe the wildlife that these dedicated people were working to protect from invasive species.
The continuing success of the project would not have been possible without the help of the Point Bay Marina and especially of the dozens of dedicated volunteers who gave their time and energy to protecting this Lake Champlain treasure. The Lewis Creek Association would like to sincerely thank these volunteers and to invite towns and interested residents to consider joining the long-term caretaking program. Those interested in enjoying and protecting this bay should contact Lewis Creek Association at 425-2002.
On the final evening of the project, workers discussed the hard work and satisfaction of this lovely summer. They enjoyed garden-fresh vegetables, drank lemonade and shared stories of friendly frogs and cantankerous red-winged black birds. The main course of the evening? – perch and pickerel caught that afternoon by team member Ethan Tinson in Town Farm Bay.
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Website Launched Connecting Watershed Towns
by Mollie Wills

With grant support from the Lake Champlain Basin Program, Lewis Creek Association (LCA) has launched a new website. The new site is organized to help connect towns, partners and consultants with information about their watershed, including current Middle Lake Champlain studies and a comprehensive library of reports, maps and planning materials, all of which are available for download at lewiscreek.org.
The new website was designed to emphasize the importance of connecting watershed towns in order to provide knowledge to actively improve the water quality of our shared resources. By striving to make the new site accessible and informative, LCA aims to be an informational hub that can educate and activate towns and community members to the pressing water quality concerns that affect the entire Middle Lake Champlain region.
LCA, Addison County Riverwatch Collaborative and LaPlatte Watershed Partnership have long been documenting water quality and stream corridor conditions in this area where stream sediment and nutrient levels in the region remain high. Spreading awareness around and addressing these concerns is of the utmost importance. To learn more about water quality in your neighborhood and to see the results of current and past restoration projects, check out LCA’s new website, lewiscreek.org. “Like” LCA on Facebook to stay abreast of upcoming projects, events and volunteer opportunities in your area and be an informed water quality advocate.
To learn more about how you can get involved in LCA, contact Marty Illick at martylewiscreek@gmavt.net.