Hobby Farming with Our Water Resources in Mind: PLANNING!

Hobby Farming with Our Water Resources in Mind: MAKE A PLAN! Posted: Wednesday, March 27, 2024 Are you planning a hobby farm?  What animals have you considered… chickens, a couple beef cows, or horses? Do they need space to graze? How much?   You can conduct your farming activities in ways that protect water resources! Remember… 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.   Learn more… check out this third in a series of newsletters geared to small farms, gardeners and animal owners… Click the icon for a PDF of Fact Sheet 2.3: Planning Your Hobby Farm and visit our Hobby Farm website page and our Hobby Farm Facebook group for all fact sheets and watch for our next in the series on Wednesday.  If you live in the Manchaug Pond watershed, have a large garden or own farm animals, and would like to be considered for a special help with an educational site visit by …

CALLING ALL TO ATTEND: Tonight Sutton Conservation Commission Mtg on BlueWave Solar Site

Posted March 20, 2024 CALLING ALL TO ATTEND: Sutton Conservation Commission Mtg – 45 Oak St/BlueWave Solar, Douglas March 20 @ 6:30 pm Restoration of Manchaug Pond needs to happen now! No more discussion. JOIN IN-PERSON OR ON ZOOM! The Sutton Conservation Commission meeting TONIGHT on  March 20, 2024 at 6:30 pm will include an update of the BlueWave Solar 45 Oak St, Douglas project.  Significant runoff and pumping from the construction site has caused significant sediment and large volumes of sediment-laden water to impact Manchaug Pond, Stevens Pond and the greater Mumford River, as well as neighboring properties, the watershed, and roads from Oak St and Parker Court, Douglas to Holt and Torrey Roads, Sutton. Manchaug Pond Foundation request restoration and water quality monitoring begin A.S.A.P. to ensure public safety and protect the lake ecology impacted by the sediment and phosphorus. 6 PFAS chemicals were found at Basin 5 two months after the basin failed flowing sediment-laden water into Manchaug Pond.  BlueWave needs to implement measures NOW as outlined in the January 3, 2024 Restoration Plan.  The lake waterlevel is at full, boat ramp is open, children are already swimming, and campgrounds open April 15th. Click here to access …

Manchaug Pond Foundation Land Conservation

Hobby Farming with Our Water Resources in Mind: STORMWATER

Posted March 13, 2024 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 …

boat ramp

Manchaug Pond Boat Ramp Repaving ~ Invitation for Bid

Invitation to bid! Continuing our efforts to improve and protect the water quality of Manchaug Pond, this spring you will see more work completed at the state public access boat ramp thanks to the Manchaug Pond Foundation’s Phase III s.319 Nonpoint Source Pollution grant […]

Hobby Farming With Our Water Resources in Mind!

Posted March 6, 2024 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 s.319 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 …

Forest Land Stewardship Webinar

Manchaug Pond Foundation Leave a Comment

An informational webinar for forest land community on funding opportunities through the Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP) and DCR’s Stewardship Program […]

Douglas Board of Selectmen Mtg. – Oak Street Solar

Manchaug Pond Foundation Leave a Comment

The Douglas Board of Selectman will meet on Tuesday, February 6, 2024 at 7:00 pm will include a follow up discussion of an item affecting Manchaug Pond on the agenda. Sediment-laden water is being discharged from the construction site of the Oak Street Solar project causing significant water/sediment flow to neighboring properties and onto Oak St and Parker Court, Douglas and Holt and Torrey Roads, Sutton, into Manchaug Pond, Stevens Pond and the greater Mumford River. Oak Street Solar Project (DEP #143-0989) Visit the Douglas meeting calendar for agenda and zoom link Meeting begins at 7:00 PM in the Douglas Municipal Center Resource Room, 29 Depot Road, Douglas.  View agenda here. Please plan to attend to show your concern for our water resources either in person or via Zoom. PLEASE NOTE:  ALL WISHING TO JOIN THIS MEETING WILL NEED AN AUTHENTICATED ZOOM ACCOUNT To create an authenticated Zoom account in order to join these meetings, please visit: http://zoom.us Meeting ID: 844 4108 8765