Champlain Canal Interpretive Panels Available to Partners
A new traveling exhibit developed by the CVNHP is available for partners to display at their facilities. This year, the CVNHP is marking the 200th anniversary of the opening of the Champlain Canal.The six-panel mobile display interprets the natural and cultural history of Lake Champlain, the Hudson River, and the 12-mile stretch of land between Fort Ann and Fort Edward known by Native Americans as Wahcoloosencoochaleva, the “Great Carrying Place” that connected them, first by an overland
route, then by the construction of the canal. The man-made waterbody forever changed Lake Champlain. It spurred commerce and the movement of ideas, but also serves as a vector for invasive species. If your organization is interested in hosting the interpretive display, please contact Susan Hagar at shagar@lcbp.org. View the exhibit →
The Great Carrying Place: the first panel
of the 6-panel traveling exhibit.
The Biosphere in Your Backyard
The CVNHP is marking the 35th anniversary of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) Man and the Biosphere designation of the Champlain-Adirondack Biosphere. Work on the biosphere is guided by the Champlain-Adirondack Biosphere Network (CABN). The CVNHP is working with CABN to highlight the biosphere region through ten grants totaling over $275,000. Focusing on the CVNHP Conservation & Community Interpretive Theme, projects range from educational programs to new interpretive displays to symposia. The focal point for 2024 is “Biosphere in your Backyard.” Visit the CABN webpage to learn more about the good work being done in the biosphere! Read the complete list of awarded projects here →
Two Interpretive Trails Revitalized
The LCBP and CVNHP have developed more than 325 interpretive panels located within the Lake Champlain Basin and the CVNHP region since 1999. This year, exhibits were updated for the Ticonderoga River Walk and the Heart's Delight Farm Heritage Trail at the Miner Institute in Chazy, New York. Heart’s Delight was an innovative farm built by industrialist William T. Miner that included 300 buildings on 15,000 acres and employed 800 people. The Ticonderoga River Walk interprets the rich cultural and natural heritage of the historic LaChute River. The
LCBP/CVNHP provides free design for organizations that use our wayside exhibit template. We also provide free French translation for bilingual panels. If you’re interested in developing a wayside exhibit, contact Jim Brangan at jbrangan@lcbp.org.
Heart's Delight Farm Heritage Trail in Chazy, New York
Abandoned by American forces following the 1776 Battle of Valcour Island, the gunboat Spitfire sat undisturbed in cold, deep water until it was discovered by a Lake Champlain Maritime Museum (LCMM) research team in 1997. Threats to the nationally important shipwreck—including damage from fishing lines and anchors, the potential invasion of Quagga mussels that can live at the lake’s deepest depths, and divers who could disturb the site—has led the LCMM and the CVNHP to focus on protecting the site and its artifacts. Through several CVNHP
grants, the LCMM has advanced the multi-year project to document, preserve, and share the Revolutionary War shipwreck. In 2022, the team, working with internationally- renowned photogrammetry expert Kotaro Yamafune, conducted photogrammetric documentation and 3D modelling of Spitfire using ROVs. The LCMM also worked with project partners to develop a plan for mitigating the potential entanglement hazard of the Spitfire mast, which is still intact and upright. The team continued to engage the public in the project, launching a new web portal and digital resource for the Spitfire on the museum’s website and hosting a series of public events. The LCMM was presented with the 2023 CVNHP
Director’s Award for their outstanding work on this nationally significant cultural resource. The award was presented at the 14th Annual CVNHP International Summit at the Basin Harbor Club in Vergennes, Vermont, on September 18, 2023.
Lauren Ross and Chris Sabick accept the 2023 CVNHP Director’s Award from CVNHP Director Eric Howe (right).
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