Getting stocked
Rare, reclusive
Lake trout numbers rebound in Champlain
Spotted turtles remain threatened in Vermont
Page 2
Page 16
Volume 52 Number 30
POSTAL CUSTOMER
PRSRT STD U.S. POSTAGE PAID PERMIT #217 CONCORD, NH ECRWSSEDDM
shelburnenews.com
July 27, 2023
As floodwaters subside
Road rescue
Officials monitor Lake Champlain for contaminants LIBERTY DARR STAFF WRITER
Although much of Chittenden County remained relatively unaffected following historic flooding that devastated most of the state this month, officials are warning that conditions in Lake Champlain could begin to worsen as flood waters subside. What has already been a harsh year for toxic cyanobacteria blooms is likely to intensify as flooded river waters dumped massive amounts of sediments, nutrient pollutants and debris
PHOTOS BY LEE KROHN
The intrepid Lee Krohn rescued this turtle crossing Greenbush Road Monday just south of the Shelburne town line.
into the lake, said Ryan Mitchell, a communications coordinator with the Lake Champlain Basin Program, a Congressionally designated initiative to restore and protect Lake Champlain and its surrounding watershed. “One of the big issues is going to be the huge amount of sediment and nutrients, particularly phosphorus that was discharged in the lake from the rivers, an enormous amount that could potentially set us up for more cyanobacteria See LAKE CHAMPLAIN on page 13
Shelburne jumpstarts new energy committee LIBERTY DARR STAFF WRITER
The Shelburne selectboard has officially charged its first energy committee to help address the global climate crisis while also ensuring the town reaches its energy goals set in the 2019 town plan. “There was an informal energy committee somewhere around 2015 when the current town plan was being put together in 2018,” said new committee member Rowland Davis. “But basically, once they were done with the plan they dissolved.” The committee is currently comprised of four members —
Rowland Davis, Jeff Loiter, Judy Raven and Art Friedman — and is focusing most of its energy now on securing grants and other funding sources for the town. “There’s a lot of climate money out there to be pursued,” he said. “Being an official committee will help us go after that.” The first meeting last week focused on gathering more committee members while next week the group plans to meet with the consultants that are working with the planning commission on the bylaw overhaul that has been in the works for the last six months. See COMMITTEE on page 11