New Links for Boating Laws and Online Course

A weekend in early August, the Environmental Police boat hit the waters of Manchaug Pond for a little “educating!” Recently we received the following comment and update from Kathy at boat-ed.com: “Thank you for providing links on your blog to the official Massachusetts boating safety handbook and online course. Could the Corresponding Secretary please update the links so that they land on the appropriate pages? Boat Massachusetts Boating Laws Handbook: http://www.boat-ed.com/ma/handbook/index.htm Boat Massachusetts Online Course: http://www.boat-ed.com/ma/index.htm Many thanks, and safe boating!” Don’t wait until the police boat is talking to you to find out it is against the law to pull a skier or tube behind a jetski! Get the facts and know the law before you hop on!

Sutton Public Hearing on DOCK REGS – Last Night!

Sorry to report this after the fact but I didn’t know about the Hearinguntil it was too late! I guess I need to subscribe to the Millbury-Sutton Chronicle to get the Public Hearing announcements. The Sutton Conservation Commission held a public hearing last night as partof their agenda to accept comments on new, more stringent changes theyare proposing to current state dock regulations. The hearing began at8:00 p.m. with 45 people attending in the room and more flowing into the hall.Discussion was lively and pointed with those speaking identifying themselvesfrom Lake Singletary. The outcome seemed to be that the Conservation Commission wants people to voluntarily come to them – they do not want to be strict enforcers. It was decided that the public hearing was continued to November 7th with time to be posted in the Town Hall, and an October 10th workshop of a small group (not identified at this time) would be held to discuss this informally was scheduled to work on the language. The next Conservation Commission would discuss proposed regulations ontrees,abutter notification and fertilizer use. Co-chairman Mark Briggs carried the hearing with the following changes presented as a handout: “Sutton Conservation Commission Policy on New Docks …

Douglas Selectman SUPPORT Creation of District!!

YES! 5-0! Unanimous! It was like winning the World Series! Manchaug Pond Nation! A year and a half of research, meetings, setbacks, more meetings, more facts, more meetings and finally the vote… Last night the Town of Douglas Board of Selectman voted unanimously to support “the creation of a watershed district for Manchaug Pond!” The MPA was allowed to present all our information: the numbers, the support, the reasons and benefits, existing precedents of existing districts preserving “Great Ponds”, and our intent and direction. A good number of people from around the pond – Douglas and Sutton alike – were allowed to speak from the heart about their love of the lake and desire to protect this “gem” of a resource. Douglas Selectman would like us to continue our work with Sutton before the exact language of the Act is reviewed. As the District Clerk of Cedar Meadows Lake Watershed District advised us early on: “Educate, educate, educate!” Our work continues…. http://www.douglasma.org/cable/online_programs.phpThis is the link to view the Selectman’s meeting on your home computer… See foryourself! Watch the August 21st meeting and wait for the posting of last night’s Sept. 4th meeting. They did have video problems and the Selectman …

Tuesday, Sept 4th, DouglasTown Hall 7:00 p.m

ONE MORE MEETING – See you there! Tomorrow night, Tuesday, September 4th at 7:00 p.m. the MPA will go before the Board of Selectman in Douglas asking for their support of our effort to form a watershed district for Manchaug Pond. The Douglas Board recently voted to support the formation of a watershed district for Whitin Reservoir and now is considering the same legislation for Manchaug Pond. We expected a ruling at their last meeting but…. the vote was delayed until tomorrow night to review what a Sutton resident handed to the Board in opposition. (Check out the August 22nd post.) Also of concern to all is that the Sutton Board of Selectman did not want to participate in the District and would not even consider the new changes made at the request of Douglas legal counsel to limit eminent domain powers and secure a voting seat for the Town. Douglas Selectman voiced concern as to how the district would function without Sutton’s participation seeing a need for two willing participants with lake property owners. While the relocation of the Guilford mill and the pending sale of the dam are definitely what got us doing our homework, the dam and …

Ugh! Did I See PURPLE Near Manchaug Pond?!

Last weekend, driving on Manchaug Road at the edge of Areas 1 and 2, I thought I saw PURPLE on the side of the road farthest from the lake. See it in this photo – look close as it is tiny and almost finished flowering! My fear was/is Purple loosestrife! A perennial which is flowering now and common along moist roadsides, and small ponds and lake edges. Within a few years an entire pond can become a sea of PURPLE! No exaggeration on my part either! Just think of the fish hatchery ponds on West Sutton Road in Sutton. Clearly smaller than Manchaug, but we don’t need our coves loaded with this! Anyway, I pulled both plants and figured better to be safe and properly identify it later! Here’s the official word on the HIGHLY INVASIVE weed Loosestrife (and there are a number of different species some showy, some not): “Purple loosestrife is a wetland plant from Europe and Asia. It was introduced into the east coast of North America in the 1880s. First spreading along roads, canals, and drainage ditches, then later distributed as an ornamental, this exotic plant is in 40 states and all Canadian border provinces. Purple …

Labor Day Weekend! Get the Flares Ready!

Just a reminder to purchase your flares to light up the shores of Manchaug Pond! 8:00 p.m. Sunday night! Flares can be purchased at the local compground stores in Area 1 and 4 or from your local Area Representative. Flares are sold at cost: $3.00 each or 2 for $5.00. When did this tradition start in our 40 year history? Anyone know for sure? Perhaps we should light the flares both Saturday and Sunday in celebration of the MPA 40 years of service to Manchaug Pond!

“…were planned well…. Officials work to protect the watersheds”

Those were headlines in yesterday’s Telegram & Gazette. Not about Manchaug Pond….…about the watersheds of Quabbin, Ware River, Wachusett Reservoir and Sudbury Reservoir. Credited is “the foresight of engineers at the turn of the century and those who have worked tirelessly since to protect the reservoirs and the rivers and streams that feed them, providing natural filtration – the watershed.” Forsight. Watershed. Yes, they are protecting a water supply which Manchaug is not. But did you know that Manchaug Pond is fed by runoff from the watershed – not springs. Remember when Lycott Environmental conducted our weed survey and gave us that fact at an MPA Annual Meeting. And more recently Lycott did testing up in the watershed… High bacteria counts in one very unpopulated cove… numbers coming from the watershed. That is why we have an educational component to the NonPoint Source Pollution Project – so people in the watershed can learn how to do things, around their lawn and landscape and in the care for their animals, with Manchaug Pond in mind. The property owners around the lake and in the watershed need to continue working to educate neighbors, and town officials as to the importance preserving Manchaug …

Municipal Districts Common in Massachusetts

The Manchaug Pond Association continues the work begun last August of educating town officials as to the beauty of Manchaug Pond, the benefits of forming a municipal district, and the need to position the lake community so it can act promptly and effectively in the future. Municipal districts within cities and towns are common in Massachusetts. Water districts such as the ones in the Sutton villages of Wilkinsonville and Manchaug are simple, easy to understand examples. Sewer districts, fire districts, even school districts, there are also community improvement districts which look to the maintenance of roads, historic preservation and then those that manage a lake,pond or river. The watershed/lake districts look to the issues that are important to nearly all waterways – quality of the water, invasive aquatic weeds and their control, and water level and impoundment issues. How do districts come about? Well, there is a ground swell of support from the local user group/property owners with a minimum of 80% needed. The support here on Manchaug Pond was and remains over 80%. The citizens bring their request to the town and then in turn to the state legislature for review, input and approval. Once approved, the district management …

Deer Me! Let me give you this thought!

As you drive Torrey Road in Area 3 be ready to brake for deer! Yesterday evening this deer was enjoying a few apples. One foggy morning last week at about 7 a.m., my daughter saw a doe with 3 fawns cross Irma Jones Road. They are common around the lake and in the watershed. And I should probably add – a little too used to us all. Lyme Disease is also prevelant in this area and I’ll talk about that in a later post but… …here’s a thought the MPA Board and membership hasn’t discussed….Last week our MPA President has found grant opportunities open just to municipalities/municipal districts – thousands of $$ awarded to conservation: to preserve greenways and open space to allow for wildlife corridors, to protect special habitats, and to reduce development in watersheds. We did have a property owner from Douglas offer land in the watershed to the MPA for preservation. The MPA is not in the position to do that so I suggested he try groups such as the Trustees of Reservations and the Metacomet Land Trust or another Conservation group. But…. a watershed district could be given the mission and the tools needed to maintain …

“Our cause was righteous, our intent was good”

Turn on the local community cable station as soon as you can- specifically the Douglas Board of Selectman. This is why I write today – to talk of leadership, committment, vision, integrity and courage. Those are the qualities I would like to see in our elected officials. http://www.douglasma.org/cable/online_programs.php Here’s the link if you want to view it on your computer. Sunday, as my daughter watched her new episode of Star Trek from the “Captain’s Collection”, I heard Captain Sisko say “our cause was righteous, our intent was good…” Certainly that was the case with the Manchaug Pond Association. What better cause then the preservation of Manchuag Pond. Our intent to do the best thing, employ the best tools – modern, 21 century methods of protecting the lake through the formation of a watershed district at no cost to the town. Our methods: communication within the lake community, communication with the current dam owner, communication with government, looking to the experts for advice and direction, starting a list of users so that all could share the costs. A platform based on truth, vision for the future, and with all users involved. “We must be the change we wish to see in …

More on Districts

A Sutton Selectman expressed difficulty understanding the operation of a district within a city or town. Attorney Jabs clarified they were municipal entities (not municipalities) like sewer and water districts. And it seems the district concept has been a great way to get specific tasks accomplished by specific user groups. Check out this headline from Better Homes and Gardens, October 2006: TAPPING LOCAL SPIRIT: COMMUNITY GROUPS CAN’T FIX THE PROBLEM? IMPROVEMENT DISTRICTS MAY BE THE SOLUTION. We’ve looked at Minnesota and the fact that they have been doing the watershed district idea since 1955, let’s take a look at Missouri as reported in this article: In 1998, Missouri passed the Community Improvement District (CID) Act allowing property owners “to set aside money – gthered from a special tax- to make specific neighborhood improvements,” reports the magazine. The District is run by the people who live in the community and can pay for everything “from landscaping, security, recreation and historic preservation.” “What makes these districts unique is the self-taxing mechanism,” says Lorlene Hoyt, assistant professor of technology and pplanning at the Massachusetts Institute of technology, who heads up the school’s international Business Improvement Development Project. Another Sutton Selectman saw a watershed …

Annual Meeting & Picnic 2007

Saturday, August 18th is the date of this year’s MPA Annual Meeting and Picnic. Where your voice is heard and your opinion and friendship is valued! 🙂 The business portion of the meeting will begin at 10:30 with agenda items to include the Manchaug Pond NonPoint Source Improvement Project and the Manchaug Pond Watershed District initiative. The picnic will begin as usual at noon or there abouts. You’ll notice a change in the menu this year. (Actually I was slightly shocked when the Board voted to deviate from the traditional. It wasn’t unanimous but a very good majority made the decision.) In true picnic style we will enjoy grinders and pizza from Harry’s as well as our traditional Helen’s Bakery brownies which a few of us just couldn’t go without! Hot coffee and cold soda will also be served. Why the change? Well, our head chef and Picnic Director Maureen from Area 3 recently moved away from the lake, and our new location does not have running water for clean up purposes. Cost remains the same at $5 for adults and $2 for children. Embroidered MPA baseball hats and visors will be on sale. Yes, visors! (at the request of …