Great Lakes Research Consortium
Lake Champlain Research Institute
Lake Champlain Research Institute was established by SUNY Plattsburgh in 1996 to support basic and applied research about aquatic ecosystem in the Lake Champlain Basin. The primary objectives are currently to promote undergraduate student research, to improve understanding of regional natural resources, and to provide reliable scientific information for environmental decision making.
Research areas include biological, physical, economic and educational topics of concern for the Lake Champlain/Adirondack region. Current LCRI projects involve science education programs for students and teachers, regional historical issues, watershed geology and environmental science, biological research (e.g., food web biochemical markers, protozoan genetics) and aquatic chemistry in the Lake Champlain basin.
Research highlights include ice storm effects on watershed dynamics, studies of toxic substances (e.g., PCB's, arsenic,mercury) in lake water and sediments, as well as a mass balance study of phosphorus in the lake. Research is also underway on environmental hydrology, watershed ecology and geology, food web dynamics and lake-watershed interactions in the Lake Champlain basin.
Specialties: Lake Champlain, hydrology and water management, wetland processes, invertebrate ecology, food web biochemical markers.
Needs: Improvements to existing laboratory and field facilities, expansion of docking capacity and educational center.
For more information: Timothy Mihuc, Director Lake Champlain Research Institute, Plattsburgh State University, 101 Hudson Hall, 101 Broad Street, Plattsburgh, NY 12901, 518-564-3039.