If Champ, the Lake Champlain monster were proven to exist... who could lay claim to him? New York, Vermont, or even worse-- Canada?!

A REFRESHER ON A FRESH-WATER LAKE

Lake Champlain is the sixth-largest lake in the United States, primarily situated between New York and Vermont, with a bit of it dipping into Quebec.

And for the purposes of this argument, about 56% of the lake is in Vermont, 37% in New York, and 7% in Quebec. So, yes, Vermont does possess the majority, and they would have a strong claim for owning Champ the lake monster.

LEGEND OF 'CHAMP'

Champ -- or 'Champie' as he's known to his friends -- is a mythological lake monster, akin to the Loch Ness Monster in Scotland. According to Wikipedia, there have been over 300 reported sightings of Champ over the years.

The most famous purported photo of the beast is probably this one, taken in 1977 by Sandra Mansi:

Mansi took this photo in Vermont -- another argument for Vermont's ownership -- except she herself was from Connecticut. So maybe not.

In New York, however, you can find an official state "Legends & Lore" sign in the town of Plattsburgh. And the William C. Pomeroy Foundation doesn't just hand those suckers out!

Complicating matters further is the first man to ever report a sighting was Samuel de Champlain, the FOUNDER of Quebec!

According to Wikipedia:

French cartographer Samuel de Champlain, the founder of Québec and the lake's namesake, is often claimed to be the first European to have sighted Champ, in 1609.

You mean to tell me Champ is... *gulp*... Canadian?! No, just no. That's an injustice beyond all measure!

NEW SEARCH FOR 'CHAMP' IS SCHEDULED FOR SPRING

I guess in order to really have this argument, we first need to... y'know, find him. And that might happen sooner than later. According to a news story, a massive search is gearing up for spring of 2024, headed by filmmaker and author Richard Rossi. Commenting to the news outlet, he said:

...we are inviting a team of researchers from Scotland. That team just concluded the biggest search for Nessie, the Loch Ness Monster, in 50 years.

So, I ask again... if we find him, who owns him? Do we share custody? Maybe he lives in Vermont during the week, New York on weekends? Sounds like we'll have to get the courts involved.

One thing I'm sure both states can agree on-- he can't be Canadian. It's worth going to war over.