I spend summers at my place in Highgate Springs, VT, on Missisquoi Bay, in
the very northwestern part of the state. This bay is shallow with limited
natural flow, and from various sources, huge concentrations of phosphorus
have built up over the years, so that now, the bay is plagued with toxic
blue-green algae, especially after prolonged hot spells in July and August. It's ugly, often
smelly, and no one, especially dogs and kids can swim. During the summer of
2004, I helped form the Friends of Missisquoi Bay, whose mission is to
educate users of and landowners around the bay, to keep current with
legislative actions and write letters when appropriate. With my office
skills, I agreed to maintain the data base for mailings to members, which
now numbers close to 600.
I'm also a member of the Missisquoi River Basin Association, a volunteer group whose focus is the Missisquoi River which rises in Lowell, Vermont, and winds through the northern part of the state, and in and out of Canada as well. Last summer, and friend and I drove through the Franklin County countryside, stopping at bridges and culverts where the river and its tributaries, all of which eventually flow into the bay, to survey the surrounding area, noting width of floodplain, water clarity, proximity to cattle and cornfields, bedrock type and many other characteristics. In addition, we spent a day at a farm, whose owner requested assistance, pounding willow sticks into the ground along a stream, sticks, many of which
will take root and eventually stabilize the stream bank and provide cooling shade for the water.
An aerial photograph of part of the refuge appears on
www.friendsofmissisquoi.org,