Manchaug Pond Foundation

Hobby Farming with Our Water Resources in Mind: STORMWATER!

Posted: Friday, May 5, 2023 We all live in a watershed (the area of land that drains into a certain waterbody like Manchaug Pond), so our daily activities at home, around the lake, at the campsite, and at the barn are something we need to think about when it comes to the lake and clean water. You may be surprised to learn that just like our lawns and landscapes, hobby farms can be a potential source of water pollution. Heavy rain storms can cause fertilizers, animal manures, and sediment to be carried into the lake, streams and wetlands. Fertilizers cause excessive aquatic plant growth and algae blooms while animal manures not only act as organic fertilizers but also carry bacteria and sediment. So, what can you do? Learn more… check out this first in a series of newsletters geared to small farms and animal owners… Click the icon for a PDF of Fact Sheet 2.1: How Can Hobby Farms Be Sources of Stormwater Pollution? and visit our Hobby Farm website page and our Hobby Farm Facebook group for more information. ___________________________________________________________ This project has been financed with Federal Funds from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to the Massachusetts Department of …

TODAY! Annual Spring Lake & Watershed Cleanup

Saturday, April 22, 2023 Spring into action where everyday is Earth Day – for the Annual Manchaug Pond Spring Lake & Watershed Cleanup! Today is the day! You are needed to canvas the lake shoreline, public boat ramp, and watershed roadsides to remove litter and other potential threats to water quality. Come alone, bring family, friends, and neighbors as all are invited to meet at the state public access boat ramp at Manchaug Pond, 22 Torrey Road in Sutton, anytime between 9:00 a.m. and noon to fan out across the watershed. Refreshments, good company and the fresh beauty of Manchaug Pond will make for a great morning! Safety vests, gloves, and garbage bags will be provided. Rain date will be Sunday, April 23rd with notice posted on the Manchaug Pond Foundation social media and website at www.manchaugpond.org. Volunteer time will support the Foundation’s Phase III s.319 Non-point Source Pollution Grant volunteer match requirements under the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (MassDEP) grant award. (For each person attending, we are credited $32.15/hour/volunteer towards a $177,656 match requirement for this grant.) Manchaug Pond is a scenic 380 acre community natural resource located in Sutton and Douglas. Manchaug Pond Foundation looks to …

Got Horses? Donkeys? Chickens? New Outreach to Backyard Farms in the Manchaug Pond Watershed

Posted April 19, 2023 We love our animals, gardens and pastures in the Manchaug Pond watershed – especially horses, donkeys, beef cattle, sheep, and chickens! A 2020 watershed survey found close to 30 small hobby farms dot the landscape in this corner of Sutton, Douglas and Oxford. With water quality in mind, the Manchaug Pond Foundation is offering two new outreach programs to small farmers as part of a s319 Nonpoint Source Pollution grant received from the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection. ~ The first is a series of 24 newsletters and 12 podcasts – Hobby Farming with Water Quality in Mind. Our series is “for owners of ‘Hobby Farms’ – small scale farms operated primarily as a residential lifestyle – to provide their owners with the tools to develop and operate an environmental-friendly farm and promote responsible stewardship of both land and the environment.” Each Wednesday for the next 24 weeks, we will release a newsletter on a topic of interest to backyard gardeners and animal owners which offers best management practices, options and solutions to farm and raise animals with our lake, streams and wetlands in mind. Topics will go the gamut from planning your farm to understanding …

Virtual Training for Cyanobacteria/Algae Water Quality Monitors

Manchaug Pond Foundation April 11, 2023 Leave a Comment

A virtual training will take place Wednesday, April 17th at 6:30 p.m. for cyanobacteria monitoring volunteers. We invite all to join this informative presentation and the Manchaug/Stevens team offered by the Worcester Cyanobacteria Monitoring Collaborative (WCMC). While volunteers are needed at Manchaug Pond, you may attend to just learn more about our efforts in water quality. All are welcome and no experience is necessary. Contact us to volunteer and click here to register! Manchaug Pond Foundation enters the 4th year of monitoring with the WCMC giving tremendous baseline data and as one component to our organizations overall water quality program! While Manchaug Pond and Stevens Pond do NOT have an algae or cyanobacteria problem, with past levels either at “not detected” or extremely low levels, we do monitor in order to learning more about the waters and the ecology of our lakes and to protect the health and safety of this water resource and all who enjoy. Worcester Cyanobacteria Monitoring Collaborative: The Collaborative is a group of citizen science volunteers who work to better understand the diversity of algae and cyanobacteria in the lakes and ponds of Worcester County under the guidance of the City of Worcester. Visit their website …

Manchaug Pond Indigenous People and Arrowheads in Tonight’s Sutton Historical Society Presentation

Posted April 4, 2023 Sharing this Sutton Historical Society event notice received this morning by a member of the Manchaug Pond Foundation. At the event, the Society will display a collection of arrowheads from Harry Anderson, a longtime Manchaug Pond resident, historian, and member of our organization. Information about Manchaug Pond history, maps, and an article from Mr. Anderson are also featured on our About the Lake page. Here’s the Sutton Historical Society email notice: Tonight, Tuesday, April 4, 2023, at 7 pm, the Sutton Historical Society will host a presentation entitled Lithic Studies – Native Americans in Southern New England with speaker Joe Iamartino, President, Thompson Historical Society. The presentation will be held in the Sanctuary of the First Congregational Church, 307 Boston Road, Sutton, MA. Mr. Iamartino has been suddenly called out of town. The powerpoint will be shown in the Sanctuary with Mr. Iamartino calling in to present his powerpoint. There is not a ZOOM component to this presentation, and it will not be recorded. Additionally, the Society will have on display a collection of Native American arrowheads found by Harry Anderson over many years along the Manchaug Pond Shores, and past newsletters containing articles about the indigenous peoples …

Manchaug Village Water Study Project-Mtg #2

Manchaug Pond Foundation February 24, 2023 Leave a Comment

The Town of Sutton will hold its second meeting of the Manchaug Village Water Study Project on Thursday, March 16th at 6 pm at Manchaug Mills, Blaxton Hall. The town has secured a grant to take a detailed look at the natural and man-made drainage and water flow systems through the village of Manchaug. The goal is to identify existing issues and then create a plan and prioritize solutions and improvements that could include dam repair, drainage fixes, a public park, floodplain restoration, waterway access and more. At Meeting #1, the overall project was discussed and the nowledge and imput of residents and stakeholders about this system was received. At Meeting #2, the input and a completed assessment of the water flow system in the village will be presented. At Meeting #3- April 27, 2023 – Share and discuss possible strategies and solutions. At June 2023- Final report presented to the Sutton Select Board. Contact the Sutton Town Planner, Jen Hager, for more information, questions, or to be added to the stakeholder list at j.hager@town.sutton.ma.us or 508-865-8729. MPF President, Phyllis Charpentier, is participating in the process submitting specific information concerning the flows of Manchaug Pond watershed. Lake and watershed residents …