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

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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

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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  

UPDATE: Enforcement Order & Fines Issued with Mumford River Affected

posted December 22, 2023 Sediment carrying runoff from the Oak Street Solar construction site in Douglas, Massachusetts has reached beyond Manchaug Pond and Stevens Pond further into the Mumford River. This morning at 10:00 a.m., visibly brown water was exiting the Stevens Pond dam to the village of Manchaug.  (full video can be viewed on the Manchaug Pond Facebook page) Since the first incident on December 11th, Manchaug Pond Foundation has been calling for immediate action be taken to stop the erosion and prevent further impacts to Manchaug Pond and its watershed, as well as Stevens Pond and the Mumford River. Information as to the scope of the area affected, the potential for further erosion beyond the lake’s causeway/channel and to watershed streams including the Douglas trout coldwater fishery, and to concerns for future water quality impacts, are being brought to local and state officials, agencies and regional organizations. Additionally, the MPF president provided public testimony before recent both Douglas and Sutton Conservation Commission meetings. The December 18th meeting of the Douglas Conservation Commission included a call for the company to put measures in place to prevent further erosion and runoff. (View at Douglas Cable You Tube)  A December 23 …