It was another great season for Lake Wise on Lake St. Catherine!

Lake Wise is a program developed by Vermont’s Lakes and Ponds Program to recognize outstanding efforts by homeowners who live along a lakeshore to protect the water quality and habitat along the shoreline and within the near-shore area of the lake.

Stormwater has a widespread environmental impact which makes it a growing concern in Vermont. In a statewide effort, towns and local organizations are working to implement large scale projects to help clean stormwater before it enters water bodies. Work is being done from the headwaters all the way down to the stream outlets. Excess nutrients in the water contribute to problems which affect both human and wildlife health including; lower oxygen levels in the water, toxic algae blooms, and excessive plant growth.

As a shoreline property owner, you have the access and the ability to control what is happening directly at the water's edge.

While small-scale improvements on individual properties may not seem like they have much impact, collectively the implementation of many small projects will have a positive benefit on the water quality in the lake and the surrounding watershed.

Actions now will promote a healthy lake environment that will continue to support swimming, fishing, boating, and wildlife viewing in the future.

This is such an important program for long term health of Lake St. Catherine, and we can all pitch in to make a difference.

This season, the LSCA again earned a grant from the Lake Champlain Basin Program (LCBP) to perform Lake Wise assessments, and to help property owners with projects on their land to mitigate stormwater runoff into the lake. The LSCA was happy to again partner with the Poultney Mettowee Natural Resources Conservation District (PMNRCD) on this project!

Building on the work of previous years, 3 property owners earned the Lake Wise Award this year! This brings the total number of Lake Wise Award properties on LSC to 29.

Our 2024 Lake Wise Award winners are:

• Kimberly Thomas, West Lake Road, Wells
• Robin Barley-Waegener, Little Lake East, Wells
• Jerremy Jones & Carrie Armenio, Cones Point Road, Poultney

Congratulations to this year’s Lake Wise Award winners!

You can see where all 29 Lake Wise properties are on the lake by viewing the interactive map on our Lake Wise page here: https://lakestcatherine.org/lake-wise-program.

Thank you to all the winners and Lake Wise participants for the work they have put into their property in an effort to become Lake Wise. This work represents a model of what all LSC lakeshore owners should strive for, as these projects are both beautiful and lake friendly.

All winners will be receiving the Lake Wise Award plaque that they can proudly display on their shoreline. We’ll reach out to winners in the spring to schedule the presentation of their award and to take a photo! Keep an eye out for them as you cruise around the lake next season.

The PMNRCD crew completed a tremendous amount of work in support of the Lake Wise Program this season (thank you Jaden!). They were also able to leverage their Lake Education Action Program (LEAP) program, which pairs student and community lake education with the implementation of small planting projects for shoreline owners to increase the amount of projects completed.

This year, the PMNRCD performed:

• 8 new property assessments
• 4 property reassessments
• 5 projects funded through Lake Wise
• 8 projects funded through LEAP

The LSCA would like to help other Lake St. Catherine property owners implement best practices to mitigate stormwater on their properties, and help them to earn the Lake Wise award. To date, over 100 properties have participated in the Lake Wise Program, and have at least received an initial assessment. If you would like to have your property assessed, please email us at info@lakestcatherine.org.