Vermont asks public to report lake "ice outs" March 17, 2021 FacebookTwitterEmail MONTPELIER, Vt. (AP) — The Vermont Department of Environmental Conservation is asking Vermonters to report when lakes and ponds are completely free of ice so that scientists can start their spring water quality sampling. The so-called “ice-out" data also helps scientists track the effects of climate change in the state, the department said. “We try to sample lakes within seven to 10 days of ice-out, because that’s the best time to collect information about the average conditions in the lake at the start of the growing season,” DEC environmental scientist Leslie Matthews said in a written statement. “Tracking ice-out dates over time can also be important because in some lakes, earlier ice-out may lead to more phosphorus release from sediments during the summer, which can help fuel algae blooms and growth of aquatic nuisance vegetation.”