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Don't
contribute to the spread of invasive plants and animals. 2. Drain all water from your kayak at the water's edge before you load it on your car and head home. 3. Dry the kayak (and paddling gear such as wetsuits and PFDs) in the sun for at least five days after paddling in waters containing zebra mussels and before paddling in waters uncontaminated by zebra mussels. If you want to use your boat sooner or avoid excessive UV exposure to your gear, rinse off your kayak and gear with hot water or at a car wash. 4. Leave live aquatic bait and bait used in infested waters behind-either give it to someone using the same water body, or discard it in the trash. 5. When paddling in areas infested with Eurasian watermilfoil, be careful not to break apart the plant because milfoil spreads by plant fragments. Leave
No Trace 2. Learn about the particular skills appropriate for Lake Champlain by reading information in the Lake Champlain Paddlers' Trail Guidebook, or for general Leave No Trace information, visit the Leave No Trace Web site at www.lnt.org Support
the efforts of groups working on behalf of Lake Champlain. 2. Learn more about "Opportunities for Action: An Evolving Plan for the Lake Champlain Basin." This plan is a pollution prevention, control, and restoration plan. The plan was endorsed in October, 1996 by the governors of New York and Vermont and the regional administrators of the US Environmental Protection Agency. The 1996 plan called for periodic updates, and 2001 marks the first revision of the plan. In October 2001, the Lake Champlain Basin Program released a draft of the update to the plan for public comment and review. Although the official public comment period is over, the program welcomes comments at any time. Visit the program's Web site at www.lcbp.org to get more information about the Opportunities for Action plan. 3. Get Involved in programs to monitor and combat pollution and invasive species. Kayakers are an important source of information about the condition of Lake Champlain. The Lake Champlain Paddlers' Trail Guidebook contains a Lake Health Observation Form that kayakers can use to record information about the sections of the lake in which they are traveling. The form contains sections related to Water Quality Conditions, Algae Blooms, Infestations of Aquatic Plants, and Stormwater and Wastewater Outfalls and Discharges. Complete the form and send it in to the Lake Champlain Committee anytime you paddle on the lake. 4. Become familiar with storm drain stenciling. Storm drain stenciling is an effective method to educate people about where water goes when it flows down their street and into the drains. Check out the Earthwater Stencils Web site (below) for information about how to get involved in storm drain stenciling. 5. Contribute to public awareness. Along with talking with other paddlers and friends, consider posting some of the humorous Urban Runoff Posters in places such as workplaces, schools, marinas, and outdoor stores. They are funny and effective educational tools. The Lake Champlain Basin Program has created a set of posters specific to the Lake Champlain Basin which are available on their Web site. The poster series was adapted from ones that were developed by the Washington State Department of Ecology and others. For information on how to get posters for use in other areas, check out the Earthwater Stencils' Web site.
Mary
McClintock lives in Conway, MA, where she runs a research and editorial
business. She has kayaked for 17 years, and has served as a guide
for women's paddling trips.
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