Massachusetts Outdoor Recreation Map

More tourism talk in the news! June 27th, the day after my last post, I received a news advisory from Mass Wildlife announcing the release of the Massachusetts Outdoor Recreation Map, a directory of what the state has to offer in outdoor attractions and activities. Ian Bowles, Secretary of Energy and Environmental Affairs (EEA), will release the map as part of Governor Patrick’s dedication to enhancing local tourism at a press conference July 1 at the Waldon Pond State Boat Ramp. The state explains that the “informational guide is a great resource and tool for visitors as well as residents. The guide features outdoor safety tips and ethics and helpful information such as locations of state parks, forests, reservations, beaches, and wildlife areas. The updated map is a collaboration between two EEA agencies: the Department of Fish and Game (DFG) and Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR).” The map features Fishing & Boating Access Boat Launching Sites with our own Manchaug Pond ramp listed!( And No, there are no caution/warnings notes about Manchaug’s low waterlevel!!) You’ll also see on the list in the Western District the ramps of 3 Great Ponds who have protected their lakes with a Watershed District: …

“Massachusetts It’s all here” even at Manchaug Pond!

Have you ever thought of Manchaug Pond’s economic contribution to the area?! Massachusetts’ tourism website for the central part of the state highlights Lake Manchaug in it’s boasting opening paragraph! See for yourself:Hit the slopes at Wachusett Mountain. Take in the Worcester Sharks, AHL affiliates of the San Jose Sharks. Hang out with Mother Nature at Lake Manchaug and go camping, fishing or boating. Spend the day hiking or snowshoeing, amongst the trees at Otter River State Forest or Wells State Park. Or, kayak along the Blackstone River and know what it really means to “get your adrenaline pumping.” With a wide range of forests, ponds and trails easily accessible, Central Massachusetts is home to all of the things you love to do — indoors and out. here’s the link: http://www.massvacation.com/centralMass/outdoor-activities.php Now check out the $$$ economic contribution in dollar$ that the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers sees as the Value to the Nation of Oxford’s Hodges Village natural resource area on the French River for 2006 at this link: http://www.vtn.iwr.usace.army.mil/recreation/reports/lake.asp?ID=184 “107,012 visits per year resulted in: * $1.94 million in visitor spending within 30 miles of the Corps lake. * 63%of the spending was captured by local economy as …

Spotted again! Pileated Woodpecker

Early this morning this woodpecker could be heard on the shores of the lake tapping methodically along checking out dead wood for insects. My husband spotted him about 7:30 a.m. in an oak tree along the shore of Manchaug Pond. With the limits of my camera, I was able to get closer and get a picture of him. My husband says it is about time for a new camera with a good zoom lens. This bird is good size – about the size of a crow and the sound of it tapping quite loud. A few years ago these birds nested in the cavity of a very large tree which has since come down in a storm. Tonight we could hear 3 birds calling to each other from across the channel. http://www.birds.cornell.edu/AllAboutBirds/BirdGuide/Pileated_Woodpecker_dtl.htmlCheck out the link to learn more. I also logged him in as being observed here on Manchaug Pond with the eBird site with Cornell Univerity’s Ornithology

On the lake – more activity!

Today saw more activity on the lake. The Boat Ramp reports receipts have been down as visitors are asking to have a look at the waterlevel before they pay. The inch of rain a few days ago brought the lake up about an inch and residents are getting creative – pulling docks closer to the water and pushing pontoon boats across the mud to the water. Here’s a little look at blue skies and sunshine on the water!

The Baltimores Vacationing on Manchaug Pond

Baltimore orioles are visiting feeders around the lake.These photos are from Area 2. Just a note: MASS Wildlife recommends taking down suet feeders in early spring to deter bears. I did report on a bear earlier who I later found had been seen first in Sutton before going to Northbridge.

Monster Size Fish Head!

MPA Board Meetings… never boring… never know what can be brought up under “New Business!” Last night a new board member brought a huge fish head to the meeting. It had washed ashore three days ago. He put it in the freezer just so he could show all of us! The picture doesn’t do it justice as it was huge! Too bad DEP didn’t get a look at this one. Actually they were looking for live fish for the fish sampling survey yesterday as they went around Manchaug’s shore. I heard from another board member they were looking for contaminants. Routine sampling and testing. As lakes go we are clean. We have seen the lake water quality decrease over the years with increased use. Our 319 Nonpoint Source Pollution grant from DEP directly addresses pollutants from stormwater through the construction of 5 new designs – stormdrains, filtering swales, and catch basins along Manchaug Road and Holt Road and at the State Boat Ramp along with a rain garden and pervious paving. Another major component to the grant is an educational program aimed at homeowners and livestock owners to keep household, landscape and barn pollutants out of the lake. We have …

Arrowheads the Topic Tomorrow at Museum

Manchaug Pond and arrowheads – ask any seasoned resident here on the lake to see his or her collection. My brother-in-law whose Swedish parents had been here way back when, had a collection he mounted in two frames. There must have been over 50 arrow heads in all shapes and sizes. I have even found a few myself! When the lake was down for the 2006 repairs to our gate, plenty of visitors came to search our shores for remnants of the first native settlers around Manchaug Pond. Perhaps this summer with the waterlevel down more will be found. Interesting too is that Manchaug is named after the Native peoples who lived and fished along her shores. Other area lakes and pond’s are named after white men who came later to tame their waters or who owned the property around their shores: Aldrich, Stevens, Singletary, Tucker and Whitin’s. Once again the Robbins Museum in Middleton is offering an educational program of interest to us on Manchaug. Last spring an exhibit of arrowheads collected on our shores was highlighted. Perhaps it is time we paid them a visit! June 21, 2008 10:30-11:30 Robbins Museum, Middleboro, MA Is this an arrowhead? That …

Whitin Reservoir Watershed District

103 in favor. 5 opposed. It is final: the property owners of Whitin Reservoir voted last night to form a watershed district – their own municipality within a municipality. The meeting took place in the auditorium of the Douglas high School. Within one hour’s time, the property owners had asked and answered questions and fears concerning the district’s future, appointed a temporary clerk, amended and adopted by-laws, approved a budget, and elected a Board of Directors for their association which will continue as a social organization. Specifically, Douglas Selectman Michael Hughes had opened the meeting with the Pledge of Allegiance, next a tally of those in attendance was completed to ensure a quorum was present and then swore in the newly elected temporary clerk. Two gentlemen involved in the 2 year effort (we try not to mention too many names on this blog to ensure privacy!) along with a professional moderator versed in Robert’s Rules took the group of over 100 through each article, making motions and voting to set the organizational structure of the district. As invited guests, 4 members of the MPA Board of Directors attended and observed an extremely professional, organized and well run first meeting. Our …

Saturday Meeting of MPA Minds!

Did you miss the MPA Spring Social? Too bad! The day began with coffee and juice and freshly made donuts and danish from N & J’s of Oxford’s as well as some mudslide brownies and other fancy pastries from BJ’s Wholesale Club and lots of smiles and greetings in the Dining Hall of the YMCA Camp Blanchard facility. This year the Social took a serious tone with less talk and more learning about the steps the MPA took this spring to get our dam closed with the flashboards put in May 13th – two months later than usual. The President reported on the conversations, emails and meetings between the officers and directors and with the dam owner, state agencies and officials and the Town Administrators and other town department heads and personnel. The members in attendance were also asked to look at the long term – a ballot vote was taken as to the next option we would formally pursue to avoid low waterlevels in the future. To end the meeting, Donna Williams of the Blackstone River Coalition spoke of the groups initiatives, Manchaug Ponds’s water test results as a tributary feeding the Blackstone and ways towns and individuals can …

More on the Fish Kill and the Negative Impacts of Low Waterlevel

The MPA spoke again with the biologist, Richard Hartley, from Mass Fish and Game as property owners around the lake report dead fish continue to wash ashore. Specifically, he said we can expect this to take several weeks to run its course. No need to report more dead fish as they have record of the kill. We should call Mass Wildlife if we observe something new or a change in the composition of the kill – for example: all ages of fish not just adults and/or a majority of another species other than bluegills. He also said that this summer we may see smaller kills as our waterlevel is low and shallow areas have great weed growth (The dam owner kept the water exceptionally high this winter failing to do the lake level drawdown for aquatic weed control which they have done for years) which will mean depressed O2 levels in the early morning hours in the cove areas. In addition to more fish kills, other amphibians are in jeopardy as is evident with our spring peepers. These tiny frogs reproduce in the cove areas which act as vernal pools (wet in spring and dry in summer). Having been dry …

Wednesday Night’s Storm

Manchaug Pond was not hard hit – very little rain here with other towns getting downpours and suffering loss of electricity from downed trees and limbs and lightening strikes from the thunderstorm which rolled in during the night. Don S. of Area 5 reported in on Wednesday with an exact reading from his wind gauge that we had hit 39.5 mph at midnight as the storm blasted by. That registers us as an 8 on the Beaufort Scale – a “Fresh Gale!” Further, Don explained that the wind speed during the day on the lake is about 12 mph and the most he has seen at his home in Paxton is 22.5 mph. The storm brought us up to 39.5 with very little rain and some lightening. Check out the Beaufort Scale yourself. It even lists the type of damage you can expect at the various wind speeds. For example 55 mph would up root trees and cause “considerable structural damage.”http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beaufort_scale The uprooted tree pictured is seen near Camp Blanchard and is from a previous storm. It’s shallow root system on the rocky shore is very visible. Don’t forget the Spring Social at Camp Blanchard tomorrow morning!