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Lake Eden update: three grant efforts, five‑year milfoil plan, and state herbicide permitting discussed
Summary
At a March 4 selectboard special meeting, presenters Colleen and Vinny Brennan updated the board on three 2025 grant applications to support a Greeter program and milfoil mitigation, said Arrowwood was hired to develop a five‑year management plan, and noted that state herbicide permitting and strict application rules could delay any treatment until 2026.
Selectboard member Tim Bullard moved the agenda to allow a public update from Colleen and Vinny Brennan on Lake Eden at the start of the meeting.
Colleen Brennan told the board there are three grant efforts for 2025: a Greeter grant from ANC, a milfoil grant through the Lake Champlain Basin Program applied for through the town, and an additional milfoil mitigation grant applied for through the Lake Eden Association. She said that if the grants are received they would cover the town’s 2025 initiatives, but with federal funding uncertain the group is also considering state funding and fundraising by the Lake Eden Association. Arrowwood has been hired to prepare a five‑year plan for milfoil management.
Brennan explained that the Lake Eden Association has applied to the State of Vermont for a permit to use herbicide but, even if permitted, “there are still many steps in the process before any application could be administered in 2026,” and that the state imposes strict parameters for any treatment. The presentation identified the north end of the lake near the state fishing access as the primary concern because of its shallow water and potential for spread. The presenters referenced Lake George, N.Y., which has used herbicide under contentious local debate, as a case other communities are monitoring for ecological and drinking‑water impacts.
The board later signed a separate letter of support for the Greeter grant, indicating municipal backing for the volunteer/monitoring effort tied to the Lake Eden work.
