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VALCOUR — As a kid, John Boule played on the shores of Lake Champlain at his parents' camp in Valcour.
The family lived on McMartin Street in Plattsburgh but spent their summers at the camp, which overlooked historic Valcour Island and the site of the 1776 Battle of Valcour between Benedict Arnold's American fleet and a much more heavily armed British flotilla.
Boule would often ponder the significance of that engagement, where the Americans fell to the invading British vessels but bought the nation enough time to regroup and eventually defeat the British a year later in Saratoga.
As the 233rd anniversary of that battle approaches, Boule, 45, has returned to the region to offer his support and professional expertise in managing the lake that served as his playground nearly four decades ago.
'SPECIAL TIMES'
"Those were special times for me," Boule said as he sat in the dining area of the Valcour Conference and Education Center, awaiting the start of a meeting of the Lake Champlain Basin Program's Steering Committee.
"We always stayed busy during the summer, swimming, boating, fishing, water skiing. We'd spend a lot of time out exploring Valcour Island."
Boule, who now lives in New York City, is a colonel in the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and is the commander of its New York District, which stretches from the Canadian border down to Long Island.
He also sits on the lake Steering Committee and has promised the corps' support in moving forward with lake-management issues.
"I want to make sure we work closely with our partners in both states. If they need assistance with water resources or have any engineering issues, we want to be there to help solve those issues."
BALANCE
The Army Corps can help balance the use of human technology in a region like Lake Champlain with the needs of the ecosystem to ensure the environment is not overstressed, he added.
The Lake Champlain Basin has been working for well over a decade to prioritize lake-related activities so federal funding can be distributed for the most appropriate management needs.
The Army Corps of Engineers is involved in 12 projects on the lake, including phosphorus-reduction activities at the Plattsburgh Wastewater Treatment Plant and erosion problems along the Ausable River near Ausable Chasm.
MILITARY PATH
Boule, whose parents are Dr. John and Joanna Boule of Plattsburgh, graduated from Mount Assumption Institute in 1982.
When considering his college choices, he looked at several universities with strong engineering programs and eventually settled on West Point.
"I didn't have any idea of making the military a career but chose West Point because I was excited about its challenges, both academically and physically.
"But when I got into the institution and was exposed to that atmosphere, the idea of serving became appealing to me."
He has served across the globe, including Desert Storm and Iraqi Freedom, and has developed an immeasurable fondness of military life.
Boule married his teenage sweetheart, Lisa Duquette of Cumberland Head, and the couple have raised three children: Lisbeth, John and Thomas.
Though he has not called Plattsburgh home for decades, his return to the North Country as a representative of the Army Corps of Engineers was a kind of homecoming for him.
"I've always loved it up here. Serving on the Steering Committee helps me return something to the community."
E-mail Jeff Meyers at: jmeyers@pressrepublican.com
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