HISTORY This Week A Good, Not Great Lake (from Points North)
Apr 9, 2026
Guest
Various Guests (Tom Berry, Suzanne Fleek-Green, Ellen Marsden, Fred Upton, Chris Gilchrist, others)
Guest
Patrick Leahy
Tom Berry, Suzanne Fleek-Green, Ellen Marsden, Fred Upton, Chris Gilchrist and others, plus longtime senator Patrick Leahy, weigh in. They trace how a 1998 law briefly dubbed Lake Champlain a Great Lake, stir Midwest outrage, and then shifted to secure Sea Grant research funding. The conversation follows political maneuvering, scientific priorities, and a compromise that preserved funding without changing maps.
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Episode notes
Leahy's Late Amendment Surprised Everyone
- Senator Patrick Leahy quietly added a one-line amendment declaring Lake Champlain a Great Lake to the Sea Grant reauthorization bill at the committee stage.
- The change surprised colleagues and constituents, triggering national media coverage and local callers like Tom Berry’s mother.
Midwest Pushback Was Cultural And Financial
- Midwestern legislators and port officials reacted with ridicule and fear of funding dilution, calling Champlain tiny compared to the Fab Five.
- Reactions ranged from jokes about donating retired lakers to Lake Champlain to demands the designation be undone.
Political Language Used To Unlock Funding
- Leahy's goal was funding and research access for Lake Champlain through the Sea Grant program rather than a geographic reclassification.
- He inserted the line "The term Great Lakes includes Lake Champlain" as a legislative shortcut to enable University of Vermont access to Sea Grant funds.