Last week a busy week! Thanks for the ideas…

It has been a few days since we’ve had a post on the blog – pictures were taken last week but our work for Manchaug Pond and life on the lake has kept us busy. So let’s just recap a bit of last week’s happenings: First, let’s thanks those readers who submitted suggestions to our FUNdrai$ing Committee.  All your ideas were brought to last week’s meeting and let me tell you new events and activities are in the works!  Three are being planned for later this year… a followup meeting is scheduled for next week and then a Board meeting the week after for final approval. The goal is to have registration forms available for members at the MPA’s 43rd Annual Meeting later next month. Also in 2011, you’ll see once again the great RAFFLE event, Spring Social, and the Boat Decorating Contest.  So stay tuned! Tuesday we found the Town of Sutton doing some maintenance on the drainage sites on Manchaug Road and having a telephone pole moved out of a drainage pipe/ditch.  Important work necessary to improving our water quality – minimizing run off of sediments and nutrients into the lake. Also on Tuesday,  our invasive aquatic weed …

Hello! We would like to hear from you!

Last Thursday’s post asked what YOU would like to see as our next FUNdrai$ing event…. ….. Only one reader commented.  hmmm…   So what conclusions can we draw from a lack of respondents …  well…  ….maybe we only have one reader…  No, that’s not true as Google statistics on the MPA blog tell us that from January 1, 2010 to July 19, 2010 a total of 1,604 people visited the blog 8,332 times. That’s a lot of readers and a lot of visit for half a year. Graph Mode: One Metric Compare Two Metrics Compare to Site Visitors Visits Pageviews Pages/Visit Avg. Time on Site Bounce Rate % New Visits …. maybe no one visited since Thursday as it is hot and prime vacation time…  No, the numbers from Google show 192 visits since we asked for ideas on Thursday til yesterday.  No, you’re out there…  … maybe no one is interested in fundraising events? No, I don’t think that is it because the July 4th weekend Boat Decorating Contest was a huge hit with 91 visits to the blog on July 6th alone as readers checked out the photos of the great entries… and the Boat Raffle/$8,000 Giveaway sold …

LOST AND FOUND: 1 O’Brien Waterski

This ski was found by one of Manchaug Pond’s facebook friends on Saturday in the rocks on the north side of the lake.  Anyone missing a ski or know who it belongs to?  Shoot us an email!

Looking for a New Toy? How about a High Visibility Watercraft

 I had to share this one with all of you: a transparent canoe/kayak! Here’s the review from Gear Patrol: “Constructed of transparent Lexan the Transparent Canoe/Kayak ($1,475) measures just over 11′ in length and is designed for comfort with a wide water displacement with lower deck seating (adjustable). Carrying two people (up to 425 lbs) in high visibility comfort, the see-through skiff won’t satisfy our hard-core enthusiasts, but the Transparent Canoe isn’t just novelty – the clear polycarbonate material is the same used in jet-fighter cockpit canopies and fastened to a lightweight anodized aluminum frame that keeps weight down to just 40 lbs, not included photo model. That makes this canoe lighter than many aluminum or wood canoes of similar size. Includes two double-headed paddles, water bailer, and two polyurethane flotation bags. If you live near Denver, CO you can save yourself the $125 delivery fee by picking it up yourself.“  http://gearpatrol.com/blog/2010/06/11/transparent-canoe/ (Please note photo provided by Gear Patrol – and NOT taken here on Manchaug Pond.)

What Would You Like to See as the Next FUNdrai$ing Event?

The MPA Fundraising Committee is meeting next week. So we are asking you what event you would like to see next!  The Annual Spring Social was a hit! The barbecue chicken dinner received rave reviews! People enjoyed seeing old friends and making new ones. and the reverse raffle drawing for the Boat Raffle/$8,000 Giveaway was extremely exciting. People are still calling to buy a ticket! and the Boat Decorating Contest was a traffic stopper! Great fun for both participants and spectators! So what would you like for the next fundraising event? Post a comment here today with your ideas and preferences! What do you think? a golf tournament? a dinner dance? a road race? walkathon or cycling race? a silent auction?  …. tell us your ideas!

Great Egret Visits Manchaug Pond!

If you’re a twitter follower, you knew 9 hours ago that a Great Egret, Casmerodius albus (note the beautiful white feathers, yellow bill and black legs) was visiting Manchaug Pond today! The large lanky bird was very tolerate of passing boaters and us tourist-types with cameras taking numerous photos.  It stayed  a long time  enjoying the breeze. Our Audubon field guide tells us that the Great Egret, like the Great Blue Heron, is a solitary bird feeding on “fish, frogs, snakes and crayfish in shallow water.”  Further, “each year individual birds wander far to the north of the breeding grounds.”   Yes, Massachusetts is as far north as its found with its range which extending as far south as southern South America.

Making New Friends on Manchaug Pond …

While the MPA Board of Directors (of which 3 are the main photographers for this blog!) was deep into their July meeting reporting on last month successes and planning future ones, new friends were being made on Manchaug Pond. A longtime favorite visitor to Manchaug is this 1976 boat plane. Landing on Blueberry Island gave an opportunity for boaters and the pilot to chat. A very special thanks to Laura from the Old Holbrook’s Place campground for bringing her camera to capture the seaplane up close!