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Christopher Brown, NMSU Department of Geography

Environmental diplomacy & community-based efforts to enhance resilience of the Lake Champlain Basin Ecosystem. Christopher Brown, NMSU Department of Geography Courtney Hammond, UVM Rubenstein School of the Environment and Natural Resources

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Christopher Brown, NMSU Department of Geography

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  1. Environmental diplomacy & community-based efforts to enhance resilience of the Lake Champlain Basin Ecosystem Christopher Brown, NMSU Department of Geography Courtney Hammond, UVM Rubenstein School of the Environment and Natural Resources Asim Zia, UVM Department of Community Development and Applied Economics

  2. The Lake Champlain Basin (LCB) The Basin: 21,326 square kilometers, international basin of major importance to Quebec, Vermont, and New York. The Lake: 1,127 square kilometers in area, over 122 meters deep, 193 kilometers long. The Richelieu River: -Lake Champlain waters enter the Richelieu River, flow north to the St. Lawrence River, driving international dimension

  3. Lake Champlain Basin • Lake segments: The Lake is divided into five distinct areas, each with different physical and chemical characteristics and water quality –arguing for sub-basin management focus? • Population in the Basin: • 571,000 in 2000. About 68% live in Vermont, 27% in New York, and 5% in Quebec, reinforcing international relevance of the basin and its waters. • Drinking Water Use: • 200,000 people or about 35% of the Basin’s population, depend on Lake Champlain for drinking water.

  4. Major water resource issues in the basin • Lake Champlain Basin Program (LCBP) 2013 State of the Lake and Ecosystems Indicators Report: • Nutrient loading due to treated effluent poses threats to water quality and ecosystem health: • Blue green algae blooms are problematic. • Health concerns are reflected by beach closings. • High snowmelt runoff, spring flood, and storm remnants pose heightened flood risk. • Climate change will increase runoff carrying nutrients, negatively impacting vulnerable communities on both sides of the border.

  5. Missisquoi Bay Phosphorus Concentrations By Lake Segment • Greatly exceed P target • Seasonal BGA blooms • Extensive agriculture South Lake NortheastArm • Exceeds P targets • Seasonal BGA blooms • Extensive agriculture and urban areas • Exceeds P targets • Excess weed growth • Water chestnut and Eurasian watermilfoil • Much of the watershed is intensively farmed

  6. Blue-Green Algae - what & where is the problem? Blue-Green Algae Blooms • Blooms smell bad & look ugly • Blooms are sometimes toxic • Several dogs died from exposure • People worry … for good reason Algae blooms are often severe in Missisquoi Bay, St. Albans Bay, and smaller northeastern bays, but most of the Lake rarely has a dense blue-green bloom.

  7. Lake Champlain Flood 2011 Missisquoi Bay, St. Armand, QC September, 2011

  8. Existing binational management envelope • Federal (1996) and state-provincial (2010) MOUs set up Lake Champlain Basin Program (LCBP) • Working with NGOs, local communities, and basin residents, the LCBP • binational effort managed by the MOUs and supported with funding by the USEPA and province of Québec that • works to “to coordinate and fund efforts that benefit the Lake Champlain Basin’s water quality, fisheries, wetlands, wildlife, recreation, and cultural resources (LCBP 2014).”

  9. Lake Champlain Basin Program Operating Structure Lake Champlain Steering Committee • Quebéc Members • Ministère du Développement durable, de l'Environnement et des Parcs • Ministère des Ressources naturelles et de la Faune • Ministere de l’Agriculture, des Pecheries et de l”alimentation • Mayor: Municipalite de Saint-Georges-de-Clarenceville • US Federal Members • US Department of Interior • US Department of Agriculture, NRCS • US Environmental Protection Agency • US Fish & Wildlife Service • US National Park Service • US Army Corps of Engineers • New York Members • Dept. of Environmental Conservation • Dept. of Economic Development • Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation • Dept. of Agriculture and Markets • Mayor (vacant) • Vermont Members • Agency of Natural Resources • Agency of Transportation • Department of Agriculture • Agency of Commerce and Community Development • Mayor (vacant) Other Members · Citizens Advisory Committee Chairs: Quebéc, Vermont, New York · Standing Committee Chairs: Technical, Educational, Cultural Heritage· Lake Champlain SeaGrant LCBP Executive Committee 3 Citizens Advisory Committees: Quebéc Vermont New York Technical Advisory Committee Education & Outreach Advisory Committee Heritage Area Partnership Advisory Committee

  10. LCBP Opportunities for Action • Highest Priorities for Action • Improve public understanding of pollution problems and promote better stewardship • Reduce phosphorus inputs & toxic contamination • Maintain diverse plant & animal communities • Prevent introduction & control the spread of nonnative aquatic invasive species • Identify potential changes in climate and develop adaptation strategies to minimize adverse ecosystem impact. • Build knowledge of history, culture and special resources in the Basin and make information accessible to all. plan.lcbp.org

  11. Addressing LCB Action Opportunities • Social-Ecological Systems (SES) Approach • Identify vulnerable communities within the basin • Build on existing efforts: • LCBP • Resilience and Adaptation to Climate Change in LCB (NSF Vermont EPSCoR) • Develop policy initiatives to advance resiliency of water quality regimes in the LCB and improve quality of life of basin’s residents.

  12. Social-Ecological Systems Framework Framework of core subsystems for analyzing social-ecological systems (Ostrom, 2009).

  13. Resilience in Social-Ecological Systems “Resilience is the capacity of a complex system to remain within a regime in the face of external perturbations and /or internal change” (Holling, 1973, as cited in Garmestani and Benson, 2013)

  14. SES framework and the LCB Governance and policy of: Vermont New York Quebec United States Canada International Joint Commission? Point source pollution Non-point source pollution Treatment facilities Other? Towns Recreation Tourism Industry Agriculture vulnerable communities Phosphorous loading, invasive species, and flooding Framework of core subsystems for analyzing social-ecological systems (Ostrom, 2009).

  15. Research objectives

  16. Questions related to water quality resilience in vulnerable communities in the Lake Champlain Basin What are the interactions that underpin water quality management in the region? Are vulnerable communities present in these interactions? What are the important water quality issues for vulnerable communities? Drinking water, water access, cultural heritage, subsistence, etc. How formalized are these vulnerable communities in Vermont, New York and in Quebec? Are there strong trans-border ties between communities across the US/CAN border? How effectively do regional, national, and international policies address water quality that impact vulnerable communities?

  17. Methods

  18. Proposed outcomes • A current GIS dataset of relevant biophysical & human resource variables, • A PGIS toolset to help local residents better understand nutrient loading, invasive species issues, and flood dynamics, • Specific actionable ideas to advance resilience in adaptive water management regimes and improved quality of life of Basin’s residents.

  19. Any questions? Algunas Preguntas? Des questions?

  20. Bamford, D., C. Stroh, and B. Svivak. 2009. Webinar on Participatory GIS in Coastal Zone Management, hosted by Ecosystem-Based Management Tools Network, 5 November 2009. • Brown, C. 2010. “Comparative Approaches to Governance and Management of Water Resources in North America.” VertigO, La revue électronique en sciences de l'environnement, Hors série 7 | juin 2010. VertigO is an electronic journal published by l'Université du Québec à Montréal. Journal is available at http://vertigo.revues.org/9721. • Garmestani, A. S., and M. H. Benson. 2013. “A framework for resilience-based governance of social-ecological systems.” Ecology and Society 18(1): 9.http://dx.doi.org/10.5751/ES-05180-180109. • Lake Champlain Basin Program (LCBP). 2013. State of the Lake and Ecosystems Indicators Report, available at http://sol.lcbp.org/, accessed 5 September 2013. • Latta, M. 2010. “Canada US Transboundary Hydrographic Data Harmonization Efforts Gain Momentum.” IJC publication describing work of the IJC Transboundary Hydrographic Data Harmonization Task Force. • Ostrom, E. 2009. “A general framework for analyzing sustainability of social-ecological systems.” Science 325, 419-422. • Ostrom, E. 2011. “Background on the Institutional Analysis and Development Framework.” Policy Studies Journal 39(1), 7-27.

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