Habitat

Habitat degradation, particularly fragmentation of habitat, is among the greatest threats to fish and wildlife populations. Wetlands, lakeshores, and stream corridors are especially important, providing critical habitat connections in the landscape. Dams, impassable culverts, and other stream barriers inhibit movement of migrating fish, invertebrates, and amphibians. Landlocked Atlantic salmon, eastern brook trout, and lake sturgeon are blocked from historic spawning waters.

The improvement of fish passage and habitat connectivity has become a conservation priority in the Basin. Recent work has focused on improving aquatic organism passage by mapping and prioritizing culverts for replacement, and protecting wildlife corridors by restoring riparian and floodplain habitat. Other projects have retrofitted culverts to improve passage for fish and other aquatic organisms.

Lakeshore

The Lake Champlain Basin has 587 miles of shoreline that provides habitat for a wide variety of species, as well as extensive opportunities for recreation. Learn more about lakeshore →

Stream Corridor

Rivers, streams, and their buffer zones provide crucial habitat for fish, birds, and other wildlife. These corridors allow aquatic life access suitable habitat for feeding, spawning, and shelter. Learn more about stream corridors →

Wetlands

The Lake Champlain Basin has more than 300,000 acres of wetlands that provide wildlife habitat, filter pollutants, and control flooding. Learn more about wetlands →

Open Water

The open water in Lake Champlain provides a variety of habitat for microscopic plankton, aquatic plants, fish, and other wildlife. Learn more about open water habitat →