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Wetland Protection and

Restoration Program Accomplishments

Lake Champlain Basin Wetlands

Restoration Plan

Wetlands have an important role in protecting the water quality of our rivers and lakes.  Vermont has lost an estimated 35 percent of our wetlands since colonial times, with a corresponding decrease in water quality protection.  However, in certain cases it is possible to restore impaired wetlands, bringing back their water quality protection function.  With this in mind, Vermont recently completed the Lake Champlain Basin Wetland Restoration Plan.  This plan identifies impaired wetlands within the Vermont portion of the Lake Champlain Basin and prioritizes them for restoration.

Using a geographic information system (GIS)-based model 4,883 potential wetland restoration opportunities were identified in the basin.  A different model was then used to prioritize these opportunities.  A team of consulting ecologists then visited 82 of the top 200 sites to field test the model results and gather additional information.

The Lake Champlain Basin Wetland Restoration Plan can be viewed on this website.