Tom Berry to Lead The Nature Conservancy’s Lake Champlain Program

Collaboration with UVM Focused on Health of Lake Biodiversity

BURLINGTON, VT— April 10, 2007— The Nature Conservancy announced today that Tom Berry, former natural resource policy advisor for Senator Jim Jeffords and Senator Bernard Sanders, will join the organization as the Director of the Lake Champlain Program.

The Vermont and Adirondack chapters of the Conservancy spent a year assessing the health of biodiversity in Lake Champlain, in collaboration with other conservation organizations. That effort identified a number of serious issues with degraded habitat and invasive species, earning the overall health of the lake only a ‘fair’ ranking. In late 2006 the Conservancy announced the creation of a regional Lake Champlain Program designed to address these issues. To effectively analyze biodiversity the Conservancy assessed the health of different types of habitat found in and around the lake, like the cold deep waters that are essential for sport fish, and the health of key groups of species such as native mussels or colonial nesting birds, which have similar habitat needs.

“Think of the lake as a patient. We’re treating symptoms of the disease by using chemical controls on one species and restocking others, but we are not diagnosing or treating the underlying causes that will put the patient on the road to recovery,” explained Bob Klein, State Director for the Vermont chapter of The Nature Conservancy. “Simply put the goal of the Conservancy’s Lake Champlain program is to understand and restore the natural balance of the lake. When native species of predator and prey are in balance, and stresses to the system like excess phosphorous and sediment are reduced to acceptable levels, the lake can once again act as a resilient and self-regulating ecosystem.”

Mike Carr, Executive Director for the Nature Conservancy’s Adirondack chapter, added, “Our efforts will complement the great work being done by other conservation groups and government agencies, and we will be working in close collaboration with the Rubenstein School of Environment and Natural Resources to bring the best conservation science to bear on the challenges of Lake Champlain. Restoring a healthy, self-reproducing fishery in Lake Champlain that does not require a lot of human management will ultimately cost the taxpayer less, enhance recreation, bring economic benefits and demonstrate the return of health to the entire lake ecosystem.”

Walleye and lake trout exemplify the challenge of managing for single species rather than the whole lake system. Despite active spawning and viable egg and fry production juvenile lake trout do not survive in the lake, for unknown reasons, driving the need for annual restocking of mature fish to maintain populations and a viable sport fishing industry. In contrast the bass population reproduces abundantly and with plenty of large fish present can support a huge recreational and commercial tournament fishery. The only management tools necessary are minimum size and daily catch limits. Understanding the complex lake ecosystem within which bass thrive but lake trout fail, will aid the Conservancy in protecting essential components of the system and restoring those which have failed.

With a focus on ecosystem management and biodiversity the Conservancy hopes to attract new sources of federal funding and secure sustained commitment from government agencies in Vermont, New York and Québec. Control of nuisance species has been limited and even restricted in the past when support and funding from various agencies was inconsistent or driven by budgetary concerns not ecological schedules. Efforts to complement and align the Conservancy’s work with other groups already focusing on lake issues is well under way. Five partner organizations, including the Lake Champlain Basin Program which coordinates government investment in the watershed, worked alongside Conservancy staff during the year-long assessment of lake health.

Tom Berry brings to the position a wealth of experience working with government agencies on both sides of the Lake, a proven track record in federal fund raising, expertise in building coalitions among diverse interest groups and a background in stream ecology and natural resource management. Berry held the position of natural resource coordinator for Senator Jeffords from 1997 until the Senator’s retirement in 2006, and since then has assisted Senator Sanders in his transition to the Senate. This position will be co-located with the Rubenstein School of Environment and Natural Resources where Berry will be a Visiting Scientist.

"Tom Berry is the perfect person for this collaborative position,” commented Deane Wang, acting dean of the Rubenstein School of Environment and Natural Resources. “He knows the issues Lake Champlain faces, the people involved and the various interest groups. Lasting solutions for a healthy lake ecosystem will require an integration of ecological and social perspectives, an important part of the Rubenstein School mission and a task for which Tom is superbly suited."

Professor Mary Watzin, who is widely recognized as one of the leading experts on the Lake Champlain ecosystem and directs the Rubenstein Ecosystem Science Laboratory, said, “I am delighted to have this opportunity to work closely with Tom and The Nature Conservancy team. Both have a long track record of success working collaboratively with private land owners and government agencies to restore habitat and control invasive species. The Conservancy’s biodiversity protection plan adds a welcome focus on the living resources of Lake Champlain.”

UVM has a diverse program of research on Lake Champlain and its surrounding watershed much of which is explicitly designed to address pressing management concerns, like improving water quality, restoring healthy fish populations, and protecting biodiversity. The Rubenstein School has taken the lead on researching the causes of the toxic blue-green algae blooms in Lake Champlain, collaborated with the Conservancy to explore non-chemical alternatives to sea lamprey control on Lake Champlain, and is developing a tracking system and score card for phosphorus management.

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Read the Report

In collaboration with other conservation organizations the Vermont and New York chapters of the Conservancy spent a year assessing the health of biodiversity in the Lake Champlain watershed. This report (PDF, 372 KB) describes the lake’s major biodiversity components, identifies major threats to these resources, and selects key strategies for conserving biological diversity.

For more information on our scientific approach to conservation planning.

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The Nature Conservancy is a leading international, nonprofit organization that preserves plants, animals and natural communities representing the diversity of life on Earth by protecting the lands and waters they need to survive. To date, The Nature Conservancy and its approximately one million members have been responsible for the protection of more than 14 million acres in the United States and have helped preserve more than 83 million acres in Latin America, the Caribbean, Asia and the Pacific.

The Vermont Chapter, chartered in 1960, has helped conserve over 170,000 acres of significant natural areas throughout the state, and maintains 43 nature preserves. Visit us on the Web at www.nature.org/vermont.

The Adirondack Chapter, established in 1971, has helped to conserve more than 385,000 acres, including many riparian areas along Lake Champlain tributaries like the Ausable, Boquet and Saranac Rivers. On the Web at www.nature.org/adirondacks.