Who brought their camera?! I forgot 🙁 Email pictures if you did! Well, for those of you who didn’t venture out today to the Annual Meeting – you missed a lot! Info, info, info! Offee and great pastries! And the great lake friends I only get to see once a year! Also about the new location … a number of members complained that Camp Blanchard was too small, too hard to get to on foot for the older members, and too much work to clean. So we decided to try a new location … the Blackstone National Grill at the golf course was booked through September; someone on the board said St. Anne’s church hall would be too hot without air conditioning if the weather was warm; someone else suggested Singletary Rod and Gun but there is a bar there and doesn’t it sound like that other lake association in Sutton should meet there?! … so one of our board members arrranged the Whitinsville Fish & Game’s pavillion. Under a great roof, plenty of tables, clean, near a trout stocked pond, plenty of parking, and free too BUT having lived my almost 50 years of life in Sutton, the place …
Annual Meeting – Rain or Shine!
Rain or shine tomorrow’s MPA Annual Meeting is happening! This year we are trying a morning meeting over coffee and soda, donuts, muffin and bagels at the Whitinsville Fish & Game in Douglas. There is a large pavilion to accomodate us as well as a large indoor hall if needed. This year’s site also offers easy access, cleaner more modern restrooms, and a larger space to accomodate the entire membership! Give it a try! Take a ride out tomorrow! I’ll see you there!There are a number of ways to get to the facility but our President found this one well marked with great signs and the roads easier to follow: Starting at the Citgo Extra Mart in Douglas follow Route 16 east for 2.9 miles. Turn right onto West Street and go 1.7 miles.Turn right onto Martin Road and go .4 miles turning left on to White Court which is the driveway of the Whitinsville Fish & Game. :))
Weekday Calm!
A photo NOT taken on the weekend!
Water Level To Be Taken Down Another 6 Inches
If you are wondering why the water is running out of the spillway let me tell you. I heard from Guilford Thursday night and he asked me to pass on this information…. Fuddy has been notified by the Guilford office in Maine that the state of Massachusetts has required that the lake be brought down an additional 6 inches and is sending a dam inspector tomorrow, Friday morning, to observe as Fuddy takes out the boards from the spillway. (We are currently down 6 inches below full.) Fuddy says this is an “emergency act” – a precaution- as the gate is broken/jammed closed and heavy rains are expected Sunday. This will take us down an additional 6 inches bringing the total to 12 inches down from full. We had a good level all summer and really can’t complain can we! Remember with the broken gate they could of drained us a month ago! I know the downstream residents of Steven’s Pond will welcome more water! Have a good weekend!
Annual Meeting – Mark Your Calendar!
With August coming to a close it is time for the MPA Annual Meeting! Mark your calendar and plan to attend. Saturday, August 26th10:00 to noonWhitinsville Fish and Game in DouglasWhite Ct. DouglasAgenda items will include: the dam, the non point source pollution grant, election of officers and directors, and anything you want to talk about! Coffee, donuts, muffins and bagels are on the menu for this morning meeting. This new location offers a beautiful pavillion with picnic tables, lawn area overlooking a pond as well as indoor facilities if it rains. Easy access for young and old. Room for the entire membership plus! I’ll see you there!For direction click the title of this post. You can take either Depot St off of the Main St. in Douglas or head west a bit and take Franklin St to White Court. Check the link for the Yahoo Map for best directions.
A Little Story…. Boat Repairs
What do you do when you need to put a new propellor on your boat? Take the old one off right?! Well, it is not always that easy or that cheap. We heard a story about a man who came into Consumer Auto Parts for a torque wrench. Seems he is a bass fisherman who was charged $118 by a local garage to put on the new propellor. Next time he will be able to do the job himself for a lot le$$ as he bought a beauty of a wrench with a nice case for only $78.
Boating Safety
Kids, adults who need a refresher!! take the online exam to earn your Boating Certificate. One of our members pointed out that I shouldn’t have left out the obvious boating rules…. boats on the lake at night need lights and tubing and waterskiing is out of the question after dusk until sunrise. Also NO tubing or skiing through the channel. Common sense helps a lot on the water! Try the link! http://www.boaterexam.com/usa/massachusetts/
Boating Safety Laws
A few water-related fatalities have hit the news lately so I thought a quick review of some boating basics is in order. 1. Life jackets are required by ALL jet-skiers, ALL water-skiers, ALL tubers, ALL canoer and kayakers from Sept 15 to May 15th, and ALL children younger than 12 years old. No exceptions. 2. Life jackets must be in good condition (no rips or dry rot!), readily accessible if not on you (stowed in the seat is not accessible!), and one for each person onboard. Also check proper size and weight limits. 3. No open containers of alchohol on Manchaug Pond. No drinking …it is the law. 4. Don’t forget a ladder os required for water-skiers, tubers, and swimmers. 5. Registration and numbers for all boats with a motor. 6. Fire extinguisher for those motorboarts over 26 feet with an outboard motor or all inboards. 7. ALL motorboats need an anchor, bailer, and a line. If under 16 feet, a paddle or oar is required. 8. To operate a jet-ski you must be 18 or older. 16 and 17 year olds may complete a Safety Education training and then may operate with this certificate. 9. To operate a motor …
Water Level an AMAZING 6 Inches Down From Full!
The report is in… we’re only 6″ below full! Fuddy calls it “amazing” to remain this constant. He says we were 8″ below, but we are up with that last rain and some run-off from the watershed. Of course the gate remains closed with nothing going out except through the crack between the spillway boards. With this heat, we usually get evaporation taking us down, but not yet. For those of us new to all this, you might ask … What does Fuddy mean by the term “below full”? Well, Manchaug Pond is considered “full” when the water level is to the top of the spillway boards. If 6″ of the board is showing, then we are 6″ below full. Simple as that.
Kayak Invasion!
I received a call from Area 5 at 6:30 tonight… “Did you get a picture of that! A kayak invasion of Manchaug Pond!!” Later down at the shore, this is what I saw coming around the point from Area 5… …thirty plus kayaks and canoes. An hour or so later, another group went by. It wasn’t an invasion. It was the RI Kayak Association and the Blackstone Valley Paddlers Club who set out on the waters of Manchaug Pond from the state boat ramp for the evening.
MPA Submits s.319 Nonpoint Source Pollution Grant: Manchaug Pond NPS Improvement Project
The Manchaug Pond Nonpoint Source Improvement Project was resubmitted last month in an effort by the MPA to secure state monies to address weed-causing nutrients, bacteria and sediment getting into the lake from the watershed.Our proposal was one of 16 grant requests received by the State asking for a piece of the $2 million they expect to be available. The MPA is asking for $129,250 – requests this year ranged from $77,768 to $300,000. Last year the requests were lopsided with one heavy hitter asking for $1 million which threw the rest of us out. So providing we get the grant – which we are told looks good! – there is a matching component where the Town of Sutton will provide labor, etc to install a number of storm drains, catch basins, etc and the MPA will provide volunteer hours getting educational information out on animal manure best management practices, septic systems, fertilizers, unpaved roads, and the like to those using the lake and in the watershed. I’ll let you know when we hear!
Board Meeting Last Night
So what were you doing yesterday evening? The MPA Board of Directors held a meeting in Area 5.Topics on the agenda?1. the pending sale of the dam2. forming a watershed district 3. the water level and the broken dam gate4. the s. 319 Non-point Pollution Grant5. the annual meeting of the members6. Sutton’s Lake Patrol Program7. Nomination/election of a new board A new member came to the board meeting, his Area Representative recommended him as an Area Rep. for Area 4. Elections will be held at the annual meeting. What to get involved?