Keurig forms partnership with Nature Conservancy

Keurig forms partnership with Nature Conservancy, the global conservation organization, geared toward addressing water quality issues in North America.

The collaboration will begin in Keurig’s home state of Vermont and the Great Lakes, and will support the Conservancy’s work on projects intended to improve water quality. This will include the organization’s work in Vermont aimed at protecting and restoring natural infrastructure that filters and retains water—which brings benefits ranging from enhanced flood protection, restored fish and bird habitats, and clean water in Lake Champlain. Other projects include advanced watershed management in the Great Lakes region and beyond.

Keurig’s effort with The Nature Conservancy is part of the company’s water stewardship goals and its target to balance, ounce for ounce, the water used in all of its beverages through projects that restore an equal volume of water for natural and community uses by 2020. “Keurig’s approach to water stewardship aims to be both responsive and restorative, taking into account water impacts across our entire value chain—from source to consumption,” said Monique Oxender, Keurig’s chief sustainability officer.

Group Targets Vermont Dams For Removal

Nature Conservancy Lists Vermont Dams For Removal

The Nature Conservancy of Vermont, a nonprofit organization, is looking at about 200 ‘deadbeat dams’ with an ultimate goal of removing them. The Nature Conservancy and the State of Vermont have partnered and created a detailed, data-supported map, that ranks and prioritizes the most destructive dams.

 

Group Targets Vermont Dams For Removal

Swanton Dam on Missisquoi River

 

“We use things like the length of river that can be opened up for fish spawning, the presence of rare fish such as lake sturgeon and the conditions of river shore habitat to prioritize which dams, if removed, could have the most positive impact for our communities and for our rivers,” – Heather Furman, The Nature Conservancy of Vermont state director

 

‘Useless’ Dams Targeted For Removal

Vermont has more than 1,200 dams that hold up rivers, creeks and streams – some over 100 years old. There are additional dams that have not been inventoried, making the actual total even higher. At this time, only 80 of Vermont’s dams are actively used – either for hydro-power or flood control.

Many of the others no longer serve a purpose. It is these dams that no longer serve a useful purpose, that create legal and financial burdens for their owners, cause potential safety hazards and impact the ecology of the waterways – that have been targeted for removal and have been the focus of Vermont’s dam removal efforts. 

 

Useless derelict Vermont dams for removal

Before (left) and after (right) photos from of the Dufrense Dam on the Battenkill River| © Amy Singler

 

Critics say about 200 of these deadbeat dams are deteriorating and reducing habitat for fish as well as impeding recreational activities for humans. These derelict dams cost communities money for upkeep, and block water flow creating problems for fish and other aquatic species. The illustration below shows how a dam affects a river and the resulting problems for fish, especially migratory species.

 

 

Nature Conservancy Lists Vermont Dams For RemovalHow a Dam Affects a River

Building a dam can affect a river in many ways because it is a barrier that interrupts the river’s natural dynamics.

The impoundment formed behind the dam loses many of its riverine characteristics; this impacts species depending on river habitat for their survival.

 

“They don’t manage floodwaters,” Furman said, in speaking about these ‘useless’ dams. “They don’t produce any hydropower. And today these dams are posing safety hazards.”



Guns Over The Champlain Valley:
A Guide To Historic Military Sites And Battlefields (Paperback)
Author: Coffin, Howard

The Champlain Valley is one of the most historically rich regions of the country. Fort Ticonderoga, Saratoga, Fort William Henry, Crown Point, Plattsburgh, Bennington and Valcour Island all lie along the ancient warpath that is the Champlain Corridor.
In this lively and informative new travel guide to historic places and events, the author leads you to each venue, describing the events and their long-lasting impact.  Adventure awaits you with Guns over the Champlain Valley.
Order Today

 

More Lake Champlain News:

James Wakefield Rescue Row

The James Wakefield Rescue Row

This Saturday, October 10, the Lake Champlain Maritime Museum’s Champlain Longboats Program will hold its annual youth rowing race in Burlington – The James Wakefield Rescue Row. The race is named after James Wakefield who was responsible for the courageous rescue of the passengers and crew of canal schooner General Butler when the vessel crashed into the Burlington breakwater during a fierce winter gale on December 9, 1876. 

 

James Wakefield Rescue Row is this Saturday, October 10

The James Wakefield Rescue Row

Over 150 youths in 20 crews will participate, rowing 32- and 25-foot boats in a series of heats along the Burlington Waterfront. Local crews, as well as visiting crews – some travelling from as far as the coast of Maine will participate in the race that begins at Perkins Pier in Burlington.

 

The colorful boats used in this event were built at Lake Champlain Maritime Museum’s boat shop by Vermont High School and Middle School students and are used in after-school rowing programs by 160 students at nine area schools through mid-November.  

See these boats in action: Lake Champlain Maritime Museum’s website.



Guns Over The Champlain Valley:
A Guide To Historic Military Sites And Battlefields (Paperback)
Author: Coffin, Howard

The Champlain Valley is one of the most historically rich regions of the country. Fort Ticonderoga, Saratoga, Fort William Henry, Crown Point, Plattsburgh, Bennington and Valcour Island all lie along the ancient warpath that is the Champlain Corridor.
In this lively and informative new travel guide to historic places and events, the author leads you to each venue, describing the events and their long-lasting impact.  Adventure awaits you with Guns over the Champlain Valley.
Order Today

 

More About Lake Champlain Shipwrecks:

 

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Colorful Lake Champlain sunset in Grand Isle, Vermont on October 3, 2015. Photo by Betsy Dall.




More Lake Champlain Photos: