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Clean Water Conversation Series

Microsoft Teams Tutorial CWIP YouTube Channel

Four photos depicting people implementing clean water projects have a white border against a blue backdrop. Text above reads

The Department of Environmental Conservation hosts a monthly public Clean Water Conversation presentation series (formerly named the “Clean Water Lecture Series”) on a variety of clean water-related topics. Presentations are free and open to the public online via webinar (Microsoft Teams). This year, each conversation spotlights a diversity of groups working on projects in Vermont communities to improve water quality in rivers, lakes, ponds, and wetlands. Come learn with us about clean water successes making a difference across the state. 

Please see the link above for a tutorial on how to attend the events via Microsoft Teams. View past Clean Water Conversations recordings on the Clean Water Initiative YouTube Channel linked above. 

Upcoming Clean Water Conversations 2025

Subscribe to CWIP's E-Newsletter for updates.

Conversations Schedule 2025

Topic Date and Time Registration

Clean Water Initiative 2024 Performance Report | Claire Madden, Tracking and Accounting Team, DEC Clean Water Initiative Program

Thursday, January 23, 2025 | 12:00 - 1:00 pm

Past Event

Lake Watershed Action Plans: A Tool for Cleaner Water through Community Engagement | DEC Lakes and Ponds Program, White River NRDC, Lake Morey Protection Association

Thursday, February 13, 2025 | 12:00 - 1:00 pm Past Event

Watersheds and Community Stewardship | Watersheds United Vermont, White River Partnership, Friends of the Winooski River, Lewis Creek Association

Thursday, March 27, 2025 | 12:00 - 1:00 pm Past Event

Clean Water Initiative Program Forestland Practices | David Wilcox, FPR Watershed Forestry Program

Thursday, April 10, 2025 | 12:00 - 1:00 pm

Past Event

Vermont Agriculture Water Quality Partnership Annual Report | Alli Lewis, Vermont Association of Conservation Districts

Thursday, May 8, 2025 | 12:00 - 1:00 pm Register Here

Stormwater Infrastructure and the Green Schools Initiative | Sarah Coleman, DEC Clean Water Initiative Program

Thursday, June 5, 2025 | 12:00 - 1:00 pm Register Here

Collaboration for Clean Water in the Northeast Kingdom | Meg Carter, Northwoods Stewardship Center 

Thursday, July 31, 2025 | 12:00 - 1:00 pm Register Here

Clean Water Board and Budget | Colleen Miller and Gianna Petito, DEC Clean Water Initiative Program

Thursday, August 7, 2025 | 12:00 - 1:00 pm Register Here

Past Clean Water Conversations

  • Clean Water Initiative Forestland Practices

April 10, 2025

Speakers: David Wilcox, Watershed Forester at Vermont Department of Forests, Parks, and Recreation

Presentation (PDF)

Recording (YouTube)

  • Watersheds and Community Stewardship

March 27, 2025

Speakers:

Watersheds United Vermont

White River Partnership

Lewis Creek Association

Friends of the Winooski

Presentation (PDF)

Recording (YouTube)                                 

  • Lake Watershed Action Plans: Tools for Cleaner Water through Community Engagement   

February 23, 2025

Speakers:

Vermont DEC Lakes and Ponds

White River Natural Resource Conservation District

Lake Morey Protection Association 

Presentation (PDF)

Recording (YouTube)   

  • Vermont Clean Water Initiative Performance Report 

January 23, 2025

Speakers: Claire Madden, Vermont DEC Clean Water Initiative Program

Presentation (PDF)

Recording (YouTube)

  • American Rescue Plan Act-Funded Clean Water Projects Panel

August 1, 2024

Speakers: Ashley Hellman, Madeline Russell, and Sarah Coleman, Vermont DEC Clean Water Initiative Program

Presentation (PDF)

Recording (YouTube)

  • Agriculture, Water Quality, and Climate Resilience

July 22, 2024

Speakers: Nina Gage and Ryan Patch, Vermont Agency of Agriculture, Food & Markets 

Presentation (PDF)

Recording (YouTube)

  • Vermont Climate and Water Quality Connections

June 27, 2024

Speakers: Dr. Lesley-Ann Dupigny-Giroux, Vermont State Climatologist

Presentation (PDF)

Recording (YouTube)

  • Partner Panel - Clean Water Projects Improving Flood Resiliency

May 9, 2024

Speakers:

Brattleboro Housing Partnerships

Connecticut River Conservancy

Vermont River Conservancy

Two Rivers-Ottauquechee Regional Planning Commission

Presentation (PDF)

Recording (YouTube)

  • We All Live Downstream

April 4, 2024

Speakers: Staci Pomeroy and Ned Swanberg, Vermont DEC Rivers Program

Presentation (PDF)

Recording (YouTube)

  • Phosphorus Loading into Lake Champlain Post 2023 Flooding

March 7, 2024

Speakers: Dr. Matthew Vaughan, Chief Scientist, Lake Champlain Basin Program

Presentation (PDF)

Recording (YouTube)

  • Vermont Clean Water Initiative 2023 Performance Report

February 1, 2024

Speakers: Claire Madden and Lauren Sopher, Vermont DEC Clean Water Initiative Program

Presentation (PDF)

Recording (YouTube)

  • LWAP's Tip to Tail: Implementation Outcomes from Lake Watershed Action Plans

August 17, 2023

Speaker: Alison Marchione, Vermont DEC Lakes and Ponds

Presentation (PDF)

Recording (YouTube)

  • Tactical Basin Planning for Flood Resilience 

July 31, 2023

Speaker: Vermont DEC Tactical Basin Planning Team

Presentation (PDF)

Recording (YouTube)

  • Mudpuppy Conservation

June 8, 2023

Speaker: Mark Ferguson, Wildlife Biologist with Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department 

Presentation (PDF)

Recording (YouTube)

  • Clean Water Project Design and Implementation Block Grant Q&A Panel

May 25, 2023

Speakers:

Vermont DEC Clean Water Initiative Program

Vermont Association of Conservation Districts

Watersheds United Vermont

Mount Ascutney Regional Commission

Connecticut River Conservancy

Friends of the Winooski River

Recording (YouTube)

  • What's Going on at Lake Carmi? Update on Vermont's Lake in Crisis

April 13, 2023

Speakers: Oliver Pierson, Vermont DEC Lakes and Ponds

Presentation (PDF)

  • Water is Life with Abenaki Artists Association

March 9, 2023

Speakers: Vera Longtoe Sheehan, Executive Director of the Abenaki Artists Association and Founder of the Abenaki Arts and Education Center 

Recording (YouTube)

  • Looking Ahead to Cleaner Water

February 9, 2023

Speaker: Claire Madden, Tracking & Accounting Coordinator with Vermont DEC Clean Water Initiative Program 

Presentation (PDF)

-Recording (YouTube)

  • Key Changes in the Clean Water Initiative Funding Policy

January 26, 2023

Speaker: Gianna Petito, Grants Coordinator with Vermont DEC Clean Water Initiative Program 

Presentation (PDF)

Recording (YouTube)

  • Agriculture, Climate Change, and Water Quality

January 12, 2023

Speaker: Dr. Joshua Faulkner, Researcher at University of Vermont

Presentation (PDF)

Recording (YouTube)

  • Connect with Clean Water Initiative Funding

August 3, 2022

Speakers: Gianna Petito, Lauren Sopher, Rachel Wood, and Sarah Coleman with Vermont DEC Clean Water Initiative Program 

Presentation, Resource Document 

Recording (YouTube)

  • Building Vermont's Clean Water Service Provider Network

June 30, 2022

Speakers:

Emily Bird, Ethan Swift, and Chris Rottler with Vermont DEC

Dean Pierce, Northwest Regional Planning Commission

Dan Albrecht, Northern Lake Champlain Clean Water Service Provider 

Presentation (DEC), Presentation (Dean Pierce), Presentation (Dan Albrecht)

Recording (YouTube)

  • How are Vermont's Wetlands Doing and How Can I Support Them?

May 26, 2022

Speaker: Laura Lapierre, DEC Wetlands Program Manager

Presentation (PDF)

Recording (YouTube)

  • Opportunities for Climate Resiliency on Vermont's Rural Roads

May 12, 2022

Speaker: Beverley Wemple, Professor at University of Vermont

Presentation (PDF)

Recording (YouTube)

  • Prioritizing and Implementing Clean Water Projects on State Lands

April 29, 2022

Speaker: David Wilcox, Watershed Forester at Vermont Department of Forests, Parks, and Recreation

Presentation (PDF)

Recording (YouTube)

  • Clean Water Funded Projects from Start to Finish

March 31, 2022

Speaker: Karen Bates, Watershed Planner at Vermont DEC

Presentation (PDF)

Recording (YouTube)

  • Investments in Clean Water are Paying Off for Vermont

January 27, 2022

Speaker: Helen Carr, Nonpoint Source Coordinator, Vermont DEC

Presentation (PDF)

Recording (YouTube)

  • Introduction to Wetland Screening Tool

June 17, 2021

Speaker: Shannon Morrison, District Wetlands Ecologist, Vermont DEC

Presentation (PDF)

Recording (YouTube)  

  • Status of Vermont's Inland Lakes: Phosphorus Trends and Protection

June 3, 2021

Speakers:

Kellie Merrell, Aquatic Ecologist

Oliver Pierson, Lakes and Ponds Program Manager, Vermont DEC

Presentation (PDF)  

Recording (YouTube)  

  • Reconnecting Rivers: Developing Tools to Restore Stream, Wetland, and Floodplain Functions 

May 6, 2021

Speakers:

Gretchen Alexander, Vermont DEC Lead River Scientist

Roy Schiff, Principal Water Resources Engineer

Kristen Underwood, UVM Research Assistant Professor

Presentation (PDF)

Recording (YouTube)

  • The Multiple Benefits of Wetland Conservation and Restoration on Public Lands 

April 1, 2021

Speaker: David Sausville, Wildlife Biologist, Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department

Presentation (PDF)

Recording (YouTube)

  • Vermont's Tactical Basin Planning Initiative - Past, Present, and Future

March 18, 2021

Speakers:

Ethan Swift, Watershed Planning Program Manager, Vermont DEC

Ben Copans, Watershed Coordinator, Vermont DEC

Presentation (PDF)  

Recording (YouTube)  

  • Vermont Pay-For-Phosphorus Program

March 4, 2021

Speaker: Sonia Howlett, Water Quality Specialist, Vermont Agency of Agriculture, Food & Markets

Presentation (PDF)

Recording (YouTube)  

  • Vermont's Clean Water Investments and Results

February 8, 2021

Speakers:

Helen Carr, Nonpoint Source Coordinator and Katie Bockwoldt

Vermont DEC Clean Water Initiative Program

Presentation (PDF) 

Recording (YouTube)  

  • In Action! Stormwater 3-Acre General Permit

January 7, 2021

Speaker: Padraic Monks, Stormwater Program manager, Vermont DEC

Presentation (PDF)  

Recording (YouTube)  

  • Pointing Out Nonpoint Source Pollution

December 3, 2020

Speaker: Helen Carr, Nonpoint Source Coordinator, DEC

Presentation (PDF)  

Recording (YouTube)  

  • An Introduction to Act 76

August 15, 2019

Speakers: Neil Kamman and Emily Bird, Vermont DEC

Presentation (PDF)  

Recording (YouTube)  

  • Lake Score Cards Highlight Restoration Progress and Protection Needs

    June 13, 2019

Speaker: Leslie Matthews, Lakes and Ponds Program Environmental Scientist, Vermont DEC

Presentation (PDF)

Recording (YouTube)  

  • Stormwater Update: What You Need to Know About the New 3-Acre General Permit

May 9, 2019

Speaker: Padraic Monks, Stormwater Program Manager, Vermont DEC

Presentation (PDF)

Recording (YouTube)  

  • WISPr, It’s Louder Than It Sounds: Millions Available for Natural Resources Restoration

April 11, 2019

Speaker: Ashley Lucht, Water Infrastructure Financing Program, Vermont DEC

Presentation (PDF)  

Recording (YouTube)  

  • Immerse Yourself in Vermont’s River Basins Through Story Maps and More

March 14, 2019

Speaker: Danielle Owczarski, Basin Planner, Vermont DEC

- Presentation (YouTube)

- Recording (YouTube)

  • 2018 Investment Report and Interagency Clean Water Projects Dashboard

February 14, 2019

Speakers: Emily Bird, Assistant Manager and Helen Carr, Operations Coordinator, Clean Water Initiative Program, Vermont DEC

Presentation (PDF)

Recording (YouTube)

  • Proposed Revisions to the Acceptable Management Practices for Maintaining Water Quality on Logging Jobs

June 14, 2018

Speaker: Dave Wilcox, Watershed Forester, Department of Forests, Parks, and Recreation

Presentation (PDF)  

Recording (YouTube)  

  • Wetlands Bioassessment

May 10, 2018

Speakers: Tina Heath and Charlie Hohn, Wetlands Ecologists, Vermont DEC

Presentation (PDF)  

Recording (YouTube)

  • Addressing Combined Sewer Overflows

April 12, 2018

Speakers:

Jessica Bulova, Wastewater Program Manager

Terisa Thomas, Financial and Loan Programs Manager, Vermont DEC

Presentation (PDF)

Recording (YouTube)

  • Lake Champlain Restoration Plan Progress Report

March 29, 2018

Speaker: Kari Dolan, Clean Water Initiative Program Manager, Department of Environmental Conservation

Presentation (PDF)  

Recording (YouTube)  

  • Municipal Roads General Permit

February 8, 2018

Speaker: Jim Ryan, Municipal Roads Program Coordinator, Vermont DEC

Presentation (PDF)  

Recording (YouTube)  

  • Clean Water Investment Report

January 18, 2018

Speaker: Emily Bird, Nonpoint Source Coordinator, Vermont DEC

Presentation (PDF)  

Recording (YouTube)  

  • Vermont’s Required Agricultural Practices: The First Year in Review

December 14, 2017

Speakers: Nina Gage and Kaitlin Hayes, Agricultural Water Quality Specialists, Agency of Agriculture, Food and Markets

Presentation (PDF)  

Recording (YouTube)  

  • Restoring Lake Memphremagog

November 9, 2017

Speaker: Ben Copans, Basin Planner, Vermont DEC

Presentation (PDF)  

Recording (YouTube)

  • Stormwater Rule and General Permits Update

October 12, 2017

Speaker: Padraic Monks, Stormwater Program Manager, Vermont DEC

Presentation (PDF)  

Recording (YouTube)