The Aquatic Macrophyte Monitoring Program collects baseline information on aquatic plant communities in Vermont lakes by conducting descriptive surveys using a pre-established plant cover scale. This program has been active since the late 1970's, and information is available from 164 discrete surveys. This includes what is presently the longest ongoing zebra mussel monitoring program in the nation, the Lake Champlain Zebra Mussel Monitoring Program . In addition, adult zebra mussel surveys are performed at selected shoreline locations during late summer. More information is available on the Lake Champlain Zebra Mussel Monitoring Program including, detailed description and data.
More information is available on aquatic nuisance species in Vermont.
The Biodiversity Monitoring Program evaluates the status of selected biological species and communities. The Lake Bioassessment Project is the principal vehicle by which biological criteria are being developed for Vermont lakes. The project has developed consistent protocols by which the trophic status, and the phytoplankton, macrophyte, and macroinvertebrate communities in lakes can be measured. The goal of the project is to develop numeric measurements of the communities listed above to assess aquatic life use attainment. At present, trial multimetric criteria have been developed for the phytoplankton community, and are in development for macrophytes and macroinvertebrates .