Lake Champlain is an integral part of the Champlain-Adirondack Biosphere Reserve established by the United Nations in 1989. Thompson’s Point on the Vermont side of Lake Champlain is an ecologically important peninsula within it. Its dolomite cliffs support a rare upland natural community called Limestone Bluff Cedar - Pine Forest. There are currently 21 state-significant examples known, together occupying only 360 acres. Cedar bluff forests are highly threatened by development as they occur on low cliff tops with commanding views of Lake Champlain. Given their rarity, concentration of rare species, and known threats, Limestone Bluff Cedar-Pine Forests are a conservation priority in the state.

Thompson’s Point and Split Rock on the New York side, pinch the deepest and most narrow part of the Lake. The deep water in combination with wide shallow bays on either side make this one of Lake Champlain’s most important fishing grounds.  The area was traditionally inhabited by the Abenaki people. The 230 acres of Thompson’s Point is now owned by the town of Charlotte.  The land is leased to a summer community that has developed over the past 150 years. The original ecological pattern of native species is still evident on the Point but there is increasing pressure upon it.  There is increasing threat, through the homogenization of vegetation communities through exotic plantings and invasive species, of long-term loss of biological heritage and the special sense of place that has always been palpable on the Point.

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