A Letter from Orleans County Natural Resources Conservation District’s Lake Watershed Program Specialist
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Will Marlier
Spring 2025
For many, Spring is a time of new beginnings. The snow melts, the ice recedes, crocuses bloom, and peepers fill the air with their cacophonous song. Lakes across the state shake the lethargy from their shores as both natural and human systems prepare for the hustle and bustle of summer.
For me, this spring brought new employment and an opportunity to connect more deeply with the thawing lakes of the Northeast Kingdom. The Orleans County Natural Resources Conservation District had been advertising for a Lake Watershed Program Specialist over the course of the winter. For a young local man looking to dedicate his life to the stewardship of Vermont’s natural resources, it felt like the perfect opportunity. I was happy to apply, and even happier to be offered the position. I bring with me to this work an undergraduate degree from Temple University, and a session working in the State House with the House Environment & Energy Committee. I moved to Greensboro in 2020, and have spent much of my time since then volunteering with the Greensboro Conservation Commission and Greensboro Land Trust.
In the Lake Watershed Program Specialist role I will support lakeshore communities across Orleans County in managing their watersheds to improve water quality and restore natural ecosystems. The bulk of my work will be focused on collaborating with lake associations, landowners, and other partners to implement recently completed Lake Watershed Action Plans (or LWAP’s). I will accomplish this by interfacing with landowners to develop projects, secure grant funding for project implementation, and coordinating community outreach efforts. I will serve as a resource for landowners with questions about Best Management Practices, and will make myself available to conduct Lake Wise Assessments for those that are interested.
My efforts in community outreach will sometimes manifest as written articles (like this one) and other times manifest as in-person educational workshops. This spring I supported our partner organizations, the Memphremagog Watershed Association and Northwoods Stewardship Center, in developing a program on Lake Seymour. The workshop is designed to showcase practical and manageable projects that lake association members and lakeshore landowners could implement independently. It will be held on Sunday, April 27th from 10:00 AM to 2:00 PM, and will feature three stations, each exploring a different type of water quality improvement. If you are interested in attending this workshop, please contact MWA’s Gabryel Gianoni at [email protected] for more information and to RSVP.
Station One:
Culvert Installation and Driveway Drainage
With the help of an excavator operator, this crew will install a cross culvert that redirects stormwater drainage under an existing driveway and reconnects it to a marshy field it has historically hydrated. Culvert installation requires the careful consideration of multiple points.
1. Is the culvert properly sized to accommodate high flow events?
2. Is the culvert properly pitched to facilitate drainage and natural flow?
3. Are both the inlet and outlet set in such a way that future erosion will be minimized?
Workshop facilitator, MWA’s Patrick Hurley, will lay out the details of how he determined the culvert’s ideal size and pitch to the day’s attendees. If you (or a neighbor) are considering replacing or adding a culvert, it is always a good idea to get a professional’s opinion before moving forward to implementation. After the culvert is in the ground, the day’s volunteers will set about stabilizing the outlet. This will be done with loose stone and a handful of willow stakes. Stone at the outlet helps to slow and disperse the water as it exits the pipe while also protecting the soil from unnecessary erosion. The value of the willow stakes and other plantings are explored even more thoroughly at the next station.
Station Two:
Riparian Buffer Planting
The second station focuses on planting a riparian vegetative buffer alongside Cranberry Brook. There, facilitator Ted Sedell and myself will lead volunteers through the planting of a wide range of wet-loving plant species. The following table provides a list of the species that will be used, as well as some information worth considering before planting.
Establishing buffers on the banks of streams and lakes serve a critical role in protecting water quality. Growing roots work to stabilize and hold the soil, prevent erosion from high-flow events, armor banks against ice push, and slow and filter water draining down the bank and into the body of water. Planting vegetative buffers is a wonderful and accessible way for lakeshore property owners to get involved on their own properties. While this management practice is relatively straightforward, most plant vendors and landscapers are also available to answer questions about the specifics.
Station Three:
Lakeshore Erosion
The third station will be located directly at the lakeshore, by the mouth of a drainage area. This station will serve as an informational station, with less hands-on involvement from volunteers. The site showcases examples of lawn-to-lake mowing, which creates a weaker bank that is prone to erosion, and does little to filter the water entering the lake. Significant ice push at this site has managed to create large berms of soil along the bank and push very large stones up and onto the lawn, threatening the structure of the cabin. At this point, facilitators of the workshop recommend leaving the berms in place to act as natural bank armor against future ice. Volunteers will add willow stakes along the shore to help stabilize the soil there. Willows are incredibly hardy plants, and can often withstand being flattened by ice. This site also observes an erosive gully that is threatening to destroy a portion of the driveway. Due to its proximity to the lakeshore, any excavation work to correct the bank of this drainage is potentially subject to permitting. It is a good reminder that work done by heavy machinery in the vicinity of a lakeshore should go through the proper regulatory channels, even if you are unsure if a permit is required.
Collaborating organizations are hopeful that this workshop will be a huge success. It will engage local lakeshore advocates and community members, and I hope that many attendees will walk away with useful information that they will be able to put into action on their own lakes. Again, if you are interested in the workshop, please contact MWA’s Gabryel Gianoni at [email protected] for more information and to RSVP. Remember, each of us are capable of effecting real positive change for the environment on our own properties and in our own communities.
As we look to the summer ahead of us, I hope to work closely with all of you to further protect our lakes, their shores, and the water and life that they hold. I am currently working on several potential workshops and projects for this summer, so make sure you are subscribed to the
OCNRCD newsletter for updates!
Please feel free to reach out to me by email
([email protected]) or phone (802-595-4538) if you have any questions or ideas regarding this work.
