Progress Reports and Impact Statements

Year One

Progress Report

The New England Regional Lake Education and Action Program (LEAP) combines the best elements of NPS education, outreach and implementation programs from the University of Maine Cooperative Extension, University of New Hampshire Cooperative Extension and University of Vermont Extension/ Lake Champlain Sea Grant. New Hampshire held and facilitated a LEAP partners (UNH, UMaine, UVM) planning meeting in Manchester, NH. At that meeting, we identified successful programs for inclusion in LEAP. Programs include:

• Watershed Alliance (Vermont)

• Following the Flow Watershed Assessment (New Hampshire)

• Leadership/Education and Outreach Training (New Hampshire)

• Data to Action (New Hampshire)

• Watershed Stewards Program (Maine)

• Youth Conservation Corps (Maine, and elsewhere)

Based on stakeholder input, we worked to compile and evaluate current program offerings and outreach materials for LEAP program use. Each state began implementation of new or amended programs in year one.

Workshops/Training Programs

• New Hampshire held/facilitated NH Stakeholders meeting to discuss potential formats of NH Watershed Stewardship Academy with NH Lakes Association, NH Department of Environmental Services, and NH Fish and Game.

• New Hampshire held sessions on "Advanced Monitoring Options," "Data to Action," and "Watershed Stewardship" at our 25 year anniversary celebratory NH Lakes Lay Monitoring Program Conference and Workshop held at UNH and attended by 82 people statewide. Workshop training attendance (note: workshops were repeated): Lake Stewardship: 15; Advanced monitoring: 24; Data to Action: 42. This venue was also used to initiate a "pre-" Stewardship Training Survey as part of our project evaluation plan.

• Vermont facilitated a lake association meeting (Lake St. Catherine) with 150 participants, to establish primary project goals, including creation of a youth crew, and direct landowner outreach.

• Maine amended their Watershed Stewards Program (offered twice in year one) to include more information on ecologically-based landscaping, including specific trainings on landscaping for the lakefront landowner.

 Other Activities

• Maine and Vermont initiated Youth Team projects, and worked with residents to install vegetated buffer plantings on 21 lakefront properties.

• Vermont contacted 600 Lake St. Catherine landowners with an offer of planting assistance.

• New Hampshire participated in the review of a co-occurring NH Extension project that is developing a guide and technical assistance effort: Integrated Landscape Practices: An Innovative Tool to Reduce the Spread of Invasive Species and Create Sustainable New Hampshire Landscapes. Of particular use to LEAP will be the effort to support the facilitation of municipal, commercial, residential, and schoolyard plantings that cost less and require less maintenance over time, creating healthy sustainable landscapes that benefit communities and ecosystems.

• New Hampshire initiated pre-planning discussions for Youth Conservation Corps adoption for Wakefield NH watershed group.

• With input from stakeholders, Maine leadership training objectives were revised, with outreach and education training planned for year two.

Impact

• Maine Youth Team college students installed buffers at eleven different properties on three lakes.  They transformed 5000 square feet of lawn to buffer. Landowners spent over $6000 in plant materials and contributed an average of 20 hours per project.

• Maine trained forty new Watershed Stewards, from lakes in central and southern Maine.

• Nineteen lakefront landowners attended a “Landscape Design for Lakefront Homeowners” workshop hosted by UMaine. Evaluations indicate that each participant plans to install new plants as a result of the workshop.  

• Vermont fielded 50 phone calls from homeowners requesting buffer information and assistance.

• Eight middle/high school students completed plantings at nine sites on Lake St. Catherine, Vermont.

• NH Stakeholder meeting resulted in agreement to co-produce a "For the Sake of Your Lake" publication for use by UNH, NHLA, and NH DES.

• 12 attendees of NH Conference/Workshop committed to attend a Watershed Stewardship Academy Training to be held in Year 2.

• LEAP program goals and outreach assistance in NH supported Integrated Landscape Practices project, to apply for additional funds in support of that project.

Year 2

Progress Report

The New England Regional Lake Education and Action Program (LEAP) combines the best elements of NPS education, outreach and implementation programs from the University of Maine Cooperative Extension, University of New Hampshire Cooperative Extension and University of Vermont Extension/ Lake Champlain Sea Grant. At LEAP meetings in year two, progress was made in sharing guidance and initiating pilot implementation:

• Watershed Alliance (Vermont) (to be used in Maine in year 3)

• Following the Flow Watershed Assessment (New Hampshire) (to be used in Maine in year 3)

• Leadership/Education and Outreach Training (New Hampshire) (used in Maine in year one, to be introduced in Vermont in year 3)

• Watershed Stewards Program (Maine) (to be used in Vermont and New Hampshire in year 3)

• Youth Conservation Corps (Maine) (used in Vermont in years 1 and 2, and in New Hampshire in year 2).

Impact

• Maine Youth Team college students installed buffers at thirteen different properties on eight lakes. They transformed 5500 square feet of lawn to buffer. Landowners spent over $17000 in plant materials and contributed an average of 41 hours per project.

• Maine trained thirty-nine new Watershed Stewards, from lakes in eastern and central Maine.  One non-point source watershed survey, using NH Following the Flow methods, is being planned for Spring 2006.

• Eight middle/high school students completed plantings at nine sites on Lake St. Catherine, Vermont.  Projects included buffer plantings on nine lakeshore properties, varying in size from five to 150 feet of frontage, and a demonstration welcome garden.

• Students working around Lake St. Catherine also spent time continuing the survey from last year, bringing in 44 new completed surveys for analysis.

• Due to the success of the Lake St. Catherine program, nearby Lake Bomoseen has requested youth team services for 2006.

Year Three

Progress Report

LEAP combines education, outreach and implementation programs from UMaine Cooperative Extension (UMCE), University of New Hampshire Cooperative Extension (UNHCE) and University of Vermont Extension/ Lake Champlain Sea Grant (LCSG). In year three, progress was made in implementation:

• Watershed Alliance (LCSG) (Maine Y3,4)

• Following the Flow Watershed Assessment (UNHCE) (UMCE Y3)

• Education and Outreach Training (UNHCE) (UMCE Y1,2,3, LCSG Y4)

• Watershed Stewards Program (UMCE) (LCSG Y3, UNHCE Y4)

• Youth Conservation Corps (UMCE Y1, 2, 3; LCSG Y1, 2, 3; UNHCE Y2,3).

Watershed Alliance: UMaine Extension hosted an Environmental Educator AmeriCorps with the Bangor Area Stormwater Group. Year one was spent developing relationships with local educators.  As a result of this experience, the Bangor Area Stormwater Group has funded another Educator with UMaine Extension to continue the program.

Following the Flow: (UMCE) A Following the Flow erosion survey for the Narrows Lakes in Lincoln resulted in partnerships with the town of Lincoln and the Penobscot County Soil and Water Conservation District.  The District and the Town will apply for US EPA funding to begin remediation of the 120 eroding sites documented in the survey.

Education and Outreach Training: UMaine Extension held programs for the Bangor Area Stormwater Group (a group of MS4 communities), and two lake associations.  This training is now a regular offering from UMaine Extension.

Watershed Stewards Program: UMaine Extension held the Watershed Stewards Program in Camden and Lincolnville, Maine (26 participants).  Continuing Trainings were held for Belgrade Lakes Stewards (topic: Lake Biology) and Lincoln Stewards (topic: Watershed survey – Following the Flow).

LCSG integrates LEAP into existing meetings and workshops, including annual UVM Extension-led town officers (TOEC) and municipal officials (MOMS) training seminars. LCSG presented two LEAP training sessions at the April 2006 TOEC conference.  In the October 2005 MOMS seminar series, LCSG covered regulations and requirements for buffer strips, setback zones and stream bank and lakeshore vegetation protection. Planting guidelines and other information on preventing and halting lakeshore erosion was presented to a mixed audience of local officials and lakeshore organization members at the annual Lakes and Ponds association workshop.

Youth Team/Buffer Brigade:  UNHCE: The Acton Wakefield Watersheds Alliance and its crew of local high school students (11) from the Youth Conservation Corps completed 10 projects and 37 Technical Assistance designs on most lakes in Wakefield.

LCSG Youth Team: The youth program was advertised in local high schools in spring 2006, and recruited students for two teams, nine and eight high school students and a half-time intern. The teams did field work and provided on-site education to residents and to the broader public in the watershed of Lake St Catherine. 

UMaine Extension: The Buffer Brigade installed eleven buffers, including one large-scale demonstration project. Landowners reported spending an average of $225 and 20 volunteer hours each on these projects. For the smaller projects, 3500 square feet of lawn was converted to functional buffer.

Impact

Due to the demonstrated success of LEAP’s Youth Teams, our partner organizations (Acton Wakefield Watershed Alliance, Green Mountain College, Poultney Mettowee Watershed Partnership, Penobscot County Soil and Water Conservation District) have either committed to sustaining the Youth Teams through local funds, or have committed to seek grant funds to continue the program beyond this grant period.  The success of the Maine Watershed Alliance pilot has prompted the Bangor Area Stormwater Group to place a second AmeriCorps Educator at UMaine Extension.

Through LEAP-related efforts, youth and adult volunteers devoted over 4000 hours of time regarding natural resources protection including lake and tributary sampling, watershed assessment, outreach planning, buffer installation, storm drain stenciling, and grant writing.

Youth teams installed 31 lakefront buffers and provided 37 additional landscape designs to landowners. These projects have reduced phosphorus loading to project lakes by over 43 pounds/year, and reduced sediment loading by over 24 metric tons per year.  The Englesby Brook project led to a phosphorus reduction of .45 - .93 metric tons to Lake Champlain.

LEAP partner lake groups have been awarded over $200,000 in grant funding, and generated (or committed to) an additional $180,000 in local match.

Strengthened/new partners: NH Lakes Assoc., Plymouth State University, UNH and UMaine Extension Horticulture Teams, Lakes Hortonia, Carmi and Bomoseen (VT), the Vermont Agency for Natural Resources, the Bangor (ME) Area Stormwater Group, the Maine Department of Environmental Protection.