Testing the Depths

On a beautiful Monday morning in September, science teacher Jill Nichols led her Environmental Science and Biology Honors classes on an adventure to where the rivers flow north. Their mission—to board the Northern Star and journey out onto Lake Memphremagog, putting theory into practice.

“The trip was made possible through Memphremagog Community Maritime,” said Nichols. “In addition to Northern Star Cruises, they also operate the Memphremagog Science and Education Center.”

Similar to the Montshire Museum in Norwich, Vermont, MemSEC recently opened a community science center filled with fun, interactive exhibits focusing on Lake Memphremagog. 

“They have been reaching out to local schools, offering grant-funded opportunities for learning, trying to get students out onto the lake to do science. They contacted us not long ago, and it seemed a perfect fit with our goal of getting more of our students into the outdoors,” Nichols said.

While MCM’s Northern Star vessel is famous in the Northeast Kingdom for its scenic cruises up and down Memphremagog featuring dining and entertainment, during school days it transforms into a floating classroom for students of all ages. 

“We headed out that morning to examine several different aspects relating to water quality and the region’s ecosystems. They had everything we needed on board. We broke our classes up into groups and took turns at different stations.”

To better understand the lake’s biology, students took water samples and examined them up close, using an array of digital microscopes to examine microinverterates. “The plankton station offered students a chance to study the differences between the lake’s phytoplankton [plant-like] and zooplankton [animal-like] species, including Daphnia, Copepods, and Cyanobacteria,” Nichols explained.

Another station taught students how to analyze water quality. “Students were able to measure turbidity using a Secchi disk, dropping the black and white patterned disk into the water and recording the depth at which the disk’s visibility is compromised and how the color changes. Is it brown from sediment or green from phytoplankton?”

In addition to taking samples and recording data, students also had a chance to view the lake from a broader perspective, something especially relevant to her Environmental Science class’s focus on ecosystems.

“The trip offered a great opportunity for my students to walk away with a better understanding of our local waterways and the connections between different systems, including rivers and wetlands, and also human impact on the lake, such as local farms.”

A large map on board illustrates the watershed, showing how various river systems— such as the Barton, Clyde, Johns, and Black Rivers in Vermont, along with the Fitch, Cherry, and Castle River systems in Quebec—all help feed the mighty Memphremagog. The Northeast Kingdom river systems are of special interest. Whereas most watersheds in Vermont, and the United States in general, flow to the south towards the coasts, these four systems journey north into the lake, giving the region a distinctive character made popular in places like the fiction of Howard Mosher, in particular his novella and story collection Where the Rivers Flow North.

Students spent time discussing what defines a watershed, how lakes form, and how these systems work together to create local ecosystems. They also talked about the various challenges that threaten the quality of the Memphremagog Watershed, from human impacts to invasive species.

Junior Andrew Olone appreciated the excursion. “I really enjoyed just moving with the boat. The teachers were really nice, and it was fun doing those experiments. It’s good to do these kinds of trips—it shows how lakes are important and why we need to protect them from trash and pollution.”

Sophomore Makayla Ott also enjoyed venturing out onto Memphremagog’s waters. “It’s nice to go off-campus and experience something new and different. Being able to collect data and get a deeper understanding of what’s in the water we swim in was interesting. It was so cool to see all the different kinds of little creatures in the water that we can’t detect with the naked eye.”

MemSEC director John Aldridge was glad to host LI students. “They were wonderful,” he said. “We’ve been lucky to have kids this school year and a great staff to work with them. Our floating classroom is a citizen science program. A large part of our mission revolves around educating local youth and offering opportunities for hands-on applied science. They’re doing real science but also connecting as a community.” 

In addition to using the trip to enhance students’ classroom learning, Nichols is excited to bring some of these lessons closer to home on LI’s own campus and through other programs, including a possible collaboration with English teacher Richard McCarthy’s Pursuing Purpose class. 

“We’d like to apply some of these same lessons to our on-campus pond behind the school,” said Nichols. “Collecting water on the pond, tracking conditions in terms of water quality and biodiversity. A dock will be very useful for that process, something that allows us to get out easily onto the water. There seems to be an opportunity to collaborate there.”

McCarthy’s Pursuing Purpose class, part of the new Vail Scholar’s Program at LI, is planning to step up and join forces with Nichol’s class to develop Lyndon Institute Pond. 

“We are in the process of designing a twelve to fifteen foot retractable dock,” McCarthy said. “Something that allows easy entry to the water with a boat to access samples. We’re also planning to trim back trees along the banks and build some lewis benches to help create a nice outdoor experience for students and classes in a natural setting.”

McCarthy hopes the classes can collaborate on testing water depth temperatures to possibly reintroduce trout into the ecosystem. “T.N. Vail built the pond to be a stock pond for fishing—it would be neat to restore it to its original purpose.”

Nichols looks forward to bringing future classes back to Memphremagog, perhaps even collaborating with students from schools north of the border in Quebec. In the meantime, this year’s students will be able to apply lessons learned on the lake to the waters in our own back yard.