Lewis Creek Association History

2006 2004 2002 2001 2000 1999 1998 1997   1999 The Lewis Creek Association (LCA) is in its 9th year!  Historian and author Kevin Dann and LCA founder Andrea Morgante helped LCA to celebrate at the Rokeby Museum in Ferrisburgh.  The Hinesburg Community Band kicked off the program as we met to hear about the history and lore of Lewis Creek, our watershed programs, and to elect new LCA board members.  We are grateful for the continued support from the Lewis Creek watershed towns - Ferrisburgh, Charlotte, Monkton, Hinesburg, Bristol, and Starksboro.  Your investment in LCA is a wise one, especially since the value of services received by each town greatly exceeds its expenditure. The LCA continued to support area towns through field and educational programs ranging from citizen wildlife tracking to students learning about the creek through in-stream research projects.  Water quality monitoring, stream bank restoration, and LCA’s land protection program are also highlighted below:  Wildlife Habitat Citizen wildlife trackers observed and recorded wildlife road crossings in the winter months.  In response to two years of data collection, a new GIS color map has been produced for field work in 1999/2000.  LCA invited knowledgeable hunters and trackers to identify the most active animal travel corridors which intersect watershed roadways.  These known crossings will be monitored annually by community volunteers.  Twenty new and experienced trackers also improved their skills at a LCA workshop led by Susan Morse of Keeping Track, Inc.  The LCA Tracking Program provided support and data to town Conservation Commissions and Planning Commissions, as well as to Vt. Fish and Wildlife Department.  Education LCA provided support for students at Champlain Valley Union High School and Mt. Abraham Union High School during their annual data gathering of biological and chemical indicators of water quality in Lewis Creek.  CVU students presented their test results to the LCA Board and other community members.  LCA sponsored a day with Mt. Abe 10th graders to The Watershed Center in Bristol, where they learned about water quality, forestry management, amphibians, mapping and other topics from experts these fields. Water Quality Lewis Creek is classified as acceptable waters for the public to enjoy for recreational purposes (fishing, swimming etc). In its 7th year of testing, LCA monitored the recreational value of the creek by measuring total phosphorus, E. coli (unsuccessfully), pH, and temperature at eight sites along Lewis Creek.  A final report is to be distributed in early 2000.  This program assists LCA in prioritizing its stream bank restoration projects.   Restoration Stream bank restoration projects were completed this year in Starksboro and Hinesburg.  A farm bridge and massive tree planting was completed in Starksboro while bank shaping with tree revetments was completed in Hinesburg.  LCA worked with USDA’s NRCS and Farm Service, and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Partners for Wildlife Program, and hundreds of volunteers, including students from the Robinson School in Starksboro, to carry out these projects.  Newsletter The LCA Kingfisher newsletter highlighted in depth articles regarding water quality and was mailed to 700 members in the watershed and to supporters from other locations.  Conservation Land protection efforts are in process in Starksboro, Monkton, and Hinesburg this year.  As a 501c3 non-profit, LCA provides support to towns considering land protection measures associated with the Lewis Creek watershed.