Paddlers prize Lake Champlain’s natural environment
Ann Arbor, MI — What makes for a good day of kayaking or canoeing? For Lake Champlain paddlers, the answer is simple: nature. Researchers at the University of Vermont and Utah State University teamed up to better understand indicators and standards of quality for paddling on the lake. Scenery, quiet and solitude, time on the water, and wildlife are key dimensions of good paddling experiences, while human intrusions, like noisy motorboats, developed shorelines, and water pollution, detract from enjoyment. Paddlers indicated that they could become dissatisfied if they were to encounter more motorboats, sailboats, and shoreline development than currently exist on Lake Champlain. “Study findings can be used to help manage important lake recreation resources like the Lake Champlain Paddlers Trail,” says Robert Manning, study author and director of the University of Vermont Park Studies Laboratory.
Original Publication Information
Results of this study, "Indicators and Standards of Quality for Paddling on Lake Champlain," are reported by Laura E. Anderson, Robert E. Manning, Christopher A. Monz and Kelly A. Goonan in the special issue on Lake Champlain, of the Journal of Great Lakes Research, published by Elsevier, 2011.
Contacts
For more information about the study, contact Laura Anderson, The University of Vermont, 81 Carrigan Dr., Burlington, VT, 05405; landers2@uvm.edu, (802) 656-3113.
For information about the Journal of Great Lakes Research, contact Marlene Evans, Editor, National Water Research Institute, Environment Canada, 11 Innovation Boulevard, Saskatoon, SK, S7N 3H5, Canada; jglr@ec.gc.ca; (306) 975-5310.
Since 1967, IAGLR has served as the focal point for compiling and disseminating multidisciplinary knowledge on North America's Laurentian Great Lakes and other large lakes of the world and their watersheds. In part, IAGLR communicates this knowledge through publication of the Journal of Great Lakes Research, available to members in print and electronic form. A searchable archive of the journal is available online and includes the abstracts of articles from the journal's inception in 1975 through the most recent issue. In addition, complete articles are available to members who have signed up for an electronic subscription.