Wool and Water: Using Fiber Art to Bring Science to Lake Champlain Basin Communities

Written By Michale Glennon

Lake Champlain Basin Program (LCBP)

Michale Glennon

Wool and Water is a collaborative data art project that blends fiber art with scientific information to tell the story of water and water quality in the Adirondacks and beyond. This project was developed by AWI in 2022 and has grown significantly since then. Knitting, crochet, weaving and other fiber arts are used to illustrate concepts and trends related to our waterways, and to provide inspiration for their protection. This project has benefited from support from the Lake Champlain Basin Program, the Champlain Valley National Heritage Partnership, and Northern New York Audubon, among others. Wool and Water to date has been the focus of more than 100 events including exhibits, workshops, interviews, presentations, and residencies and has resulted in both a traveling and a virtual exhibit supported by contributions from more than 30 makers. This report describes activities in association with a grant from the Lake Champlain Basin Program, which helped us to significantly build the program from 2022 – 2024. Among the reported activities are the results of a social survey which helped us to understand the value of Wool and Water as a tool for environmental education.

Michale Glennon

Michale Glennon serves as the Senior Research Scientist of the Paul Smith's College Adirondack Watershed Institute. She is interested in the effects of land use management on wildlife populations in the Adirondacks and is engaged in research ranging from issues of residential development to recreation ecology to climate change. She is an ecologist and previously spent 15 years as the Director of Science for the Adirondack Program of the Wildlife Conservation Society. At AWI, Michale works to support and help shape the scientific research program, provide high quality research opportunities for students, and distribute and champion AWI's work in order to enhance the use of science in the management and stewardship of the natural resources of the Adirondack Park.

Next

The Tablelands at Uihlein Farm: Grassland Bird Conservation and Recommendations