The Peru Gazette

Grand Isle, VT – A new video series launched by the Patrick Leahy Lake Champlain Basin Program in partnership with Peregrine Productions and NEIWPCC celebrates the beauty of the Lake Champlain basin and efforts in several communities to protect and restore our shared waters.

With the web-based Summit to Shore StoryMap as a guide, viewers can digitally explore the landscape around Lake Champlain, from distant mountain peaks in the headwaters to wetlands on the lake’s shoreline. The videos include breathtaking drone imagery, intimate portraits of streams and rivers, and panoramic 360-degree video.

The map and videos feature three of the major rivers that flow to Lake Champlain.

The Winooski River, Lake Champlain’s largest tributary, flows through the largest population center in the basin before emptying into the lake in Burlington.

The Ausable River begins in the High Peaks of New York’s Adirondack Park, one of the oldest, largest, and most unique protected areas in the United States.

The binational Missisquoi River ties Quebec’s rich French heritage with English tradition and includes the only federally designated Wild and Scenic River in the Lake Champlain basin.

Ryan Mitchell, Communications and Publications Coordinator for the Lake Champlain Basin Program, said, “We are fortunate to live in an extraordinarily beautiful place. We wanted to share that beauty and the stories of communities that are working to protect and restore these lands and waters. Our hope is to inspire others to get involved.”

Vince Franke of Peregrine Productions said, “As a videographer, it was a joy to capture the beauty of our local rivers and our connections to them. From the stunning but often inaccessible headwaters, I was struck by the expansive views of the rivers as they flow through such a variety of rich habitats and communities on their way to Lake Champlain.”

Organizations in these communities are invaluable sources of knowledge and information. They provide many opportunities for individuals to get involved as stewards of the natural and cultural heritage in their own backyard. 

The Summit to Shore stories include an artist-in-residence program that connected students to their watershed; a collaboration between private landowners and their local watershed organization to remove a dam; improvement of public river access points; and a partnership between a researchers and town officials to reduce the amount of road salt entering a local lake.

To experience Summit to Shore, tour the video collection.

For more information, please contact Ryan Mitchell