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Human Impact on the Ecosystem

[pullquote]For thousands of years the Lake Champlain Basin has experienced dramatic changes in its ecosystem. Less than 15,000 years ago much of the Adirondacks and Green Mountains were covered by ice over a mile thick.[/pullquote]

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From a geological standpoint, our current natural ecosystems in this region are relatively young. Although the changes of the last 15,000 years have dramatically shaped the ecosystems of our area, the effects of global climate change over the past fifty years cannot be dismissed. Greenhouse gases associated with fossil fuel use account for much of this change.

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Other human changes to the ecosystem include the effects of increased development and building. Some of these effects include increased runoff from paved surfaces unable to absorb rainfall, increased water usage, release of sewage, pollutants and other garbage into the environment.

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Animals and plants have moved from one ecosystem into another since the dawn of time, but, due to human intervention, the migration of invasive species into Lake Champlain has accelerated drastically. Plants and fish native to areas half a world away are finding their way to the Champlain Valley and taking root here. Their lack of predators and their aggressive nature creates a situation where local native species cannot compete for the available resources, and decline or disappear.

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[pullquote]About 10,000 years ago, the Champlain Valley held a salt-water arm of the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of St. Lawrence called the Champlain Sea.[/pullquote]

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Learn more about Lake Champlain’s ecosystem:

• Judge’s Decision on cormorant control has Biologists feeling helpless
• Biologists Working to Save Lake Champlain’s Young Island
• Rain Barrels Are Good for Lake Champlain
• Toxic algae starts upstream! Pollution sources of toxic algae
• Lakes Appreciation Month
• Scientists Claim Nitrogen as Bad as Phosphorus for Algae Blooms in Lake
• EPA Focusing on Farm Phosphorus Runoff For Lake Champlain Cleanup
• Great Lakes Scientists Warn of Microbeads Threat
• LCBP Awards $662,471 to Local Groups and Municipalities
• VT Fish & Wildlife Expanding 2 Wildlife Management Areas in Addison County
• Link Between Lou Gehrig’s Disease and Algae?
• VT Legislators Looking to Ban Microbeads in Vermont
• Enforcement is Latest Tool in Vermont’s Lake Champlain Cleanup Effort
• $1.5 Million USDA Funding to Improve Water Quality for New York State
• Vermont NRCS Conservation Funding Focused on Most Impaired Watersheds
• $16 million in USDA funding to benefit Lake Champlain
• Lake Champlain Gas Pipeline Phase II Proceedings Delayed
• Federal Funding for Lake Champlain
• Friends of Northern Lake Champlain Awarded CIG Grant
• Conservation Law Foundation Takes Vermont To Court Over Best Management Practices Ruling
• VT Agriculture Secretary Rules on Mandatory BMPs in Missisquoi Bay Basin
• Vermont Watershed Grants Help Vermont Lakes, Rivers and Habitat
• Volunteers Needed for Turtle Beach Clean Up Day
• EPA Head in VT to Discuss Lake Champlain Clean-up Plans
• Lake Champlain Transportation to minimize air emissions and pay penalty
• Government Shutdown Affects Lake Champlain
• Butternut Hill Natural Area: Nature Snapshot
• Water Flows Downhill
• Easement Protects Over 1,300 Acres In Essex County
• Why was a famous local Brewmaster talking about zebra mussels?
• Crosby tract preserves wetlands habitat along Lake Champlain
• Shrinking the Phosphorus Cycle: Lake Champlain, Phosphorus, and Time (and Patience)
• Middlebury College’s New Lake Champlain Research Vessel is Home
• The Next Invasive SpeciesThreat to Lake Champlain
• Seiches
• New Weapon to Combat Sea Lamprey in Lake Champlain
• Sea Lamprey in Lake Champlain
• A Dinosaur Among Us- The Lake Sturgeon
• Have You Signed the Petition to Close The Champlain Canal Yet?
• New York State Acquires 156 Acres of Lake Champlain Wetlands
• Lake Champlain Phosphorus Levels (20 year chart)
• Blue-Green Algae Tips
• How You Can Prevent Invasive Species Expansion
• Other Invasive Threats to Lake Champlain
• Invasive Plants
• Invasive Invertebrates
• Invasive Fish Species
• Invasive Species in Lake Champlain
• Champlain Hudson Power Express
• Vermont to Preserve Lake Champlain Marsh

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