Vermont
UVM’s state-of-the-art research vessel studies Lake Champlain health after recent flood
Early indicators have led local scientists to conclude that recent flooding is not impacting Lake Champlain’s health as much as last year’s storms, although there are still concerns for the watershed’s well-being. The July 10 and 11 storm added large amounts of phosphorus to the lake, which can drive cyanobacteria blooms later in the summer, said researchers aboard the Marcelle Melosira July 18.
Lake Champlain Sea Grant, University of Vermont and the Lake Champlain Basin Program presented information about the lake’s health, discussing stormwater runoff, microplastics and bacteria and how they affect the basin. The presentations were aboard the Marcelle Melosira, the University of Vermont’s research and teaching vessel.
A new way to study
The Marcelle Melosira, named after donor and former Sen. Patrick Leahy’s wife and the previous research vessel, began sailing Lake Champlain July 23, 2023. It’s docked outside the Rubenstein Ecosystems Science Laboratory on the Burlington waterfront.
The “one-of-a-kind” boat hosts cutting-edge technology and research equipment, according to Kris Stepenuck, Lake Champlain Sea Grant associate director.
The Marcelle Melosira runs tests to monitor water clarity, track invasive species and erosion. UVM professors and students, Lake Champlain Basin Program researchers and others use the vessel depending on what they’re monitoring at that time. College interns also help the researchers on the boat.
The hybrid boat can run for up to three hours on electric energy, according to interim Capt. Taylor Resnick. He is aboard the Marcelle Melosira on Monday to Friday, collecting data on the lake and how the basin − with waterways from Cabot to Rutland, and from Saranac Lake to Quebec − all play a role in lake health.
The boat is 20 meters long and 6 meters wide, with a capacity of 32 people. It was projected to be a 60% reduction in fossil fuel use from the previous vessel. The boat is equipped with:
- First-of-its-kind winch technology.
- Echo-sounding technology to ID and map underwater species distribution.
- Multi-net plankton and fish larvae sampler.
- Profiler to study large particles and zooplankton.
- Echoview software to process hydroacoustic data.
- Gas analyzer to measure gaseous compounds.
- Corer for sampling lake bottom sediment.
Watershed Alliance offers K-12 programs on the R/V Marcelle Melosira, which give elementary, middle and high school students and teachers the opportunity to learn firsthand about the study of limnology − the study of inland aquatic ecosystems − and to collect their own data on Lake Champlain with the aid of professional educators and lab research staff.
Looking at lake health post-flooding
Matthew Vaughan, chief scientist for the Lake Champlain Basin Program, spoke on the State of the Lake briefly, but refocused to talk about how flooding in the lake’s basin affects the water quality.
With high water flow comes different debris floating down rivers and into the lake. Sea Grant Director Anne Jefferson pointed out that water pollution comes in many forms. Bacteria, microplastics and trash from landfills are all serious concerns when looking at water health. She also said that there are unintentional effects of flooding; for example, someone’s Tupperware − something not intended to be trashed − floating out of their house during flooding.
Bacteria is a large concern when evaluating the lake’s health. Too much of a harmful bacteria can make the water unsafe, leading to closed beaches. While bacterial blooms happen naturally with warm weather and stagnant water, flooding exacerbates it.
“It’s about six times more phosphorus that we can capture on our floodplains than during those smaller, regularly occurring events,” Rebecca Diehl, research assistant professor in the UVM Department of Geography and Geosciences, said about this most recent flood.
Bacteria blooms could be seen from the Marcelle Melosira where the Winooski River meets the lake. It was impossible to miss the murky haze tinting the water, revealing where sediments and bacteria are flowing. Two UVM fellows performed a Secchi disk test, dropping a black-and-white disk attached to a measuring tape into the water to check the clarity. Once the disk becomes invisible to the naked eye, the measurement is recorded. They dropped the disk in the murky runoff water and in the clearer, more standard water. The difference in clarity was about a meter.
The researchers emphasized that it’s still early to have all the data about the effects of the recent flooding. They will continue to monitor the watershed and keep the public up to date with their findings.
Protecting our waters
On July 23, Sen. Peter Welch, D, Vt., Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., and Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y., introduced the bicameral Lake Champlain Basin Program Reauthorization Act − legislation that would reauthorize the Lake Champlain Basin Program for 10 years at $55 million to support interstate conservation and the health of the Lake Champlain Basin.
The bill would establish the Lake Champlain Basin Program to “formally administer the program to promote climate resilience and mitigation through ecosystem restoration,” according to a press release.
Jefferson said that prevention is the best course of action. Removing bacteria or microplastics is extremely challenging, especially at such a large scale. Learning about the watershed and finding the best solutions to preserve it is the work they’re going to focus on.
Sydney P. Hakes is the Burlington city reporter. Contact her at SHakes@gannett.com.
,fit(1200,675),quality(65)&w=400&resize=400,240&ssl=1 "Herring Population Is Booming In Massachusetts | WBZ NewsRadio 1030")
Born Feb. 16, 1992
Burlington, Vermont
Died Sept. 21, 2025
Tucson, Arizona
Details of services
A memorial service in Burlington will be announced at a later date.
Jordan passed away on September 21, 2025, in Tucson, AZ. He was born in Burlington, VT, on February 16, 1992, where he lived until moving with his family to Tucson in 2003. Jordan graduated from Canyon del Oro High School in Tucson and then attended Denison University in Granville, OH.
From his youth, Jordan was a voracious reader and had an active, wide-ranging intellect. He could be seen, with a travel mug of tea in hand, walking to his elementary school, lost in the book held close to his face. With his ever-curious mind he preferred self-learning over formal education and enjoyed the camaraderie and competition of the extracurricular spelling bee team in grade school and the Academic Decathlon in high school. While at Denison Jordan was pursuing a major in Classical Studies and worked in the Online Communications department.
While growing up in Vermont, Jordan had fun outdoors during all the seasons. He loved camping, alpine skiing, playing hockey on the backyard rink, and adventures with his 4-H club. Memorable trips were ice fishing on the lake and an overnight stay in the mountains in a handmade snow shelter, both in subzero temps. Some months after moving to the Sonoran Desert, Jordan remarked that “Arizona has two seasons, summer and hell.” But he had adapted to the heat by then, having found relief at the neighborhood pool where he joined the swim team and quickly made a new group of friends. Through his Tucson 4-H club and a youth program with the AZ Game and Fish Department, he continued shooting skeet, trap, and sporting clays, a sport he first practiced in Vermont. Jordan found more friends and mentors at the Tucson range and excelled in competitions in and out of the state, ultimately becoming a certified referee. In high school he trained in ninjitsu, outdoors, year round. As a freshman at Denison he joined the sailing team and found a new passion competing in regattas around the Midwest, both for his school and on private boats.
After leaving college, Jordan lived and worked in Vermont, San Francisco, Seattle, Tucson, and New York City. He was employed in administration and sales at several established companies and in startups. He also worked regularly in hospitality, starting at age 14 in the kitchen of a gelato shop and most recently as a bartender. Jordan was a talented writer, a skill he used in his work settings and in creative, expository, and critical pieces that he published online.
From a young age, Jordan was kind, affectionate, funny and loyal. He enthusiastically affirmed and celebrated his family and friends. His warmth, curiosity, and quick wit served him well, both personally and professionally. He was engaging, approachable, and non-judgmental with friends, roommates, and customers. Jordan was a skilled shopper and enjoyed fine things. He eagerly shared his opinions on bespoke clothing (steam, don’t iron!), gourmet foods, chef’s knives (stone sharpen!), literature, and opera (Maria Callas!). He was equally cozy with fast food, dive bars, trendy music, and dented vehicles.
Jordan had a heart-felt sense of justice. He was troubled by abuses of power and was an advocate for victims of systemic oppression. The suffering caused by police brutality, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and civil war in Yemen weighed heavily on his mind. He yearned for a world with more compassion, equity, and tolerance. We honor Jordan’s memory when we embrace these values and act on our moral convictions.
Jordan’s personal suffering was deeper than many of us knew and his death by suicide is a heartbreaking and devastating loss to many. Our immense grief reflects our deep love and care for him. His absence from our lives will be an ongoing sorrow but memories of his universal empathy, off-beat humor, and clever commentary will continue to make us smile and keep his spirit alive.
Jordan is survived by his mother, Michelle Mraz (Rob Backus) of Burlington; his father, Mitchell H. Kurker (Juanita) of Tucson; his brother; his grandmother, Frances Kurker of Tucson, and many aunts, uncles, cousins, and friends. He was predeceased by his grandparents, Margaret and Charles Mraz of Middlebury, VT, and his grandfather, Mitchell A. Kurker, of Tucson.
If you would like to make a contribution in Jordan’s memory, please consider your local library, center for the arts, or agency for mental health services.
Jordan’s family is grateful to those who have expressed their sympathy and provided comfort and support since his passing. Thank you.
(Photo taken by Jordan, April 2022. If you look closely at the signs you will see a message that is helpful to those who are grieving him.)
The Green Mountain State is home to a quaint combination of vintage towns, agriculture, and public land for the outdoor recreator. The state’s tallest peak, Mount Mansfield, offers spectacular mountain views on your journey to the top, and the view from the summit is nothing short of magical. At the trail, natural beauty begins in the dappled light as you wander through northern hardwood forests. The scenic trail then rises through higher evergreen fir forests, until breaking through to rare alpine-tundra where 360-degree views of the state roll out beneath you. Once you’re in the alpine section of the mountain, be sure to only walk on the rocks to protect this fragile ecosystem.
Trails in Underhill State Park start at around 2,000 feet and take you up to Mount Mansfield’s summit of 4,395 feet. It’s one of the most scenic hiking experiences in New England, regardless of the season. Fall can make for soggy boots, but the maple, beech, and birch trees blanketing the mountain’s lower elevations are ablaze in autumn color from about mid-September to mid-October. A selection of hike-in campsites in the park makes for some great fall camping spots this time of year. For those seeking a blend of challenge, beauty, and solitude, heading up in winter provides a memorable experience — you might need snowshoes, skis, crampons, or poles depending on what route you take. Spring is known as mud season in the Northeast, though it can still be a stunning scene as the hardwood forests begin to show supple, bright green baby leaves while understory flowers break through the debris. Summer in Vermont is hard to beat, though, and it’s easily the best time of year to head to Mount Mansfield. Blitz up this peak, rinse off in one of the area’s swimming holes, and stop by a sugar shack for maple soft serve ice cream on your way through the nearby town of Stowe.
Trails to hike up Mount Mansfield
It’s always a good idea to plan and prepare properly for any day hike like this one. Mount Mansfield is a noodle bowl of trails, and you need to spend a few minutes before setting out deciding which one you’re going to attempt. The summit ridge runs north to south, and its ridgeline features resemble a person’s profile on their back (nose, chin, forehead, Adam’s apple). Vermont’s iconic state-long thru-hike, called the Long Trail, traverses the summit ridge. If you start at the Lower Barnes Lot, you can hike the Long Trail to the Adam’s apple and across the ridgeline, then descend via the Hazleton Trail for a hike that totals 7.8 miles.
Approaching through Underhill State Park, on the mountain’s western side, is ideal because it’s the more remote and undeveloped side. Several classic routes lead toward the summit ridge, including the Sunset Ridge Trail, a 3-mile approach that offers a steady climb and some of the best open ridgeline views in the state. Others take the Laura Cowles Trail, a steeper and shadier route that ascends through moss-covered forest and meets the ridge above the treeline. Looped together, these trails create a perfect 4.5-mile blend of demanding hiking and tranquil scenery.
Whichever trail you take, the ultimate reward of hiking Mt. Mansfield via Underhill is the moment you break through the treeline, where the summit ridge opens into sweeping views. Lake Champlain lies to the west, the Green Mountains continue to the north and south, and on clear days, even the White Mountains of New Hampshire peek out over the horizon. Returning via the Sunset Ridge Trail offers regular vistas of the valley below, aglow with sunset colors if timed right. It’s a nice distraction from your burning thighs and achy feet.
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