Sunday, May 19, 2013 Group races to save Sutton landscape A robin takes flight from a fence post on land the Manchaug Pond Association wants to save from development. (T&G Staff/RICK CINCLAIR)The Manchaug Pond Foundation is racing to raise $1.32 million by July 16 to buy the Beaton Farm Property overlooking Manchaug Pond. (T&G Staff/RICK CINCLAIR) By Susan Spencer TELEGRAM & GAZETTE STAFF susan.spencer@telegram.com Add a comment Enlarge photo Enlarge photo SUTTON — There is hardly a more classic rural New England landscape than in Sutton. Rolling hills unfold in a patchwork of fields and stone walls. Weathered barns stand against the wind. Orchards, dairy and horse farms dot knolls sloping to sparkling ponds. That view — and the town’s cultural heritage — is changing, as open space succumbs to development. Selectman Michael A. Chizy, who serves as board chairman, has lived in town almost 60 years. “Where cornfields used to be, now there’s houses,” he said. Another quintessential parcel, the 100-acre Beaton Farm Property that was once part of historic Waters Farm, overlooking Manchaug Pond, may be the next to be developed. The current owner, who has received property tax benefits for 73 acres on the site under the …
Today’s Cleanup Draws 21 Volunteers!
On this beautiful spring day, beginning with coffee, donuts and a bowl of fresh fruit, 21 volunteers joined forces at the state boat ramp on Torrey Road, Sutton today from 9:00AM to 2:00PM to fan out cleanning the roadsides, ramp and shoreline of Manchaug Pond. Coordinated by the Manchaug Pond Foundation, the cleanup included trash pick up on roadsides including Lackey Road, Manchaug Road from Central Turnpike to Torrey Road, Torrey Road to Holt Road in Sutton and then on to Oak Street in Douglas. A team with “heavy equipment” focused on the public boat ramp clearing branches from lawn areas, leaves and other debris from gutters, and trash from the property. Cooperating in the effort was the town of Sutton Highway Dept. who supplied a town truck for disposal of the trash. Volunteer hours will count toward our upcoming s. 319 Nonpoint Pollution Grant. A couple cars also pulled up asking for information on the MPF and how they could join our efforts! As Sutton residents they loved the lake and enjoyed boating and one local family camps at a Manchaug Pond campground! If you would like to be on the mailing list – email ManchaugPondSecretary@gmail.com with your name, …
IN THE NEWS: Beaton Farm Property
Tuesday, May 14, 2013 Outdoors: Hoping someone can save this land from development by July Mark Blazis Outdoors Add a comment Today’s column was supposed to be about great fishing — the first big surge of stripers, mackerel, squid, the Canal, Barnstable Harbor, huge flocks of terns feeding over bait, tired casting arms, local mayfly hatches, and shad runs. That news is temporarily on hold for a much more urgent matter. A Sutton wildlife treasure is on the precipice of development. It’s the bottom of the ninth for Beaton Farm. Without immediate intervention — i.e., $1.325 million — we’re going to lose it forever. July 16 is D-Day. Without someone coming to the rescue and having all formalities completed by that date, Holy Cross stands ready to take over the land — and build on it. In lieu of what could or should have been done long before now, we need a deus ex machina — a wealthy benefactor or a conservation rescue team from the DCR, MassWildlife, MassAudubon, the Nature Conservancy, a land trust or Trustees of Reservations — to again step in at the proverbial last minute, as some have done so many times in the past. …
Attention Sutton Voters: Manchaug Pond needs you!
Sutton voters! Manchaug Pond needs you to attend tonight’s town meeting, Monday, May 13th at 7:30 PM at the Early Learning Center. Vote YES on the warrant article that splits the boat excise tax revenue between the two Sutton public lakes – Manchaug Pond and Lake Singletary. See you there and bring a friend! UPDATE: Passed unanimously!
Manchaug Pond comes alive!
The warm weather brought out fisherman, campers and seasonal residents back to camp and the lake!
Local Newspaper Headline: Beaton Property goes to Manchaug Pond Foundation…for now
Beaton Farm homestead overlooking Manchaug Pond. Yes, you read it right! The ball is in our court! We have the once in a lifetime opportunity to preserve up to 100 acres directly abutting Manchaug Pond! The Beaton Farm Property is the most significant parcel of property in our watershed, after the dam, to Manchaug Pond and the area. Check out the Millbury-Sutton Chronicle’s April 25th report of the public hearing: the developer’s proposal, testimony from the neighborhood, the MPF, and the unanimous vote of the Sutton Board of Selectman to assign a right to purchase to the community. Beaton Property goes to Manchaug Pond Foundationn…for now Millbury-Sutton Chronicle, April 25, 2013 Beaton property goes to Manchaug Pond Foundation…for now BY TOM REILLY The Board of Selectmen unanimously voted at their April 16 meeting to assign dozens of acres a right of first refusal to the Manchaug Pond Foundation (MPF).A public hearing under Massachusetts General Law 61A was held to discuss whether or not the town would act to purchase the Beaton property, located on Waters Road adjacent to Waters Farm, assign those rights to a qualified third party or else allow the land to be purchased by The College of …
Can you identify? Found in the Manchaug Pond watershed.
Take a guess! Do you know what these white blobs are? They’re in our watershed! This photo was sent in by a friend of Manchaug Pond from a walk last weekend. Our next post will take you there and give you all the details! UPDATE:Not frog eggs. Not your neighbor’s golf balls. But the egg mass of the SPOTTED SALAMANDER! This is an egg mass of the Spotted Salamander, Ambystoma maxulatum, taken in a vernal pool in the watershed of Manchaug Pond. The photographer reported seeing “about 80″ masses this year. The spotted salamander is a very large amphibian (4.5-8” long) which is black in color with yellow spots. Adults spend their lives in forested areas within a half mile of a vernal pool, tunneling under logs or in the crevices of stone walls. Feeding at night, they are seldom seen except on rainy early spring nights when migrating to vernal poos to breed. The egg masses are firm in texture and may be attached to twigs or leaves in the vernal pool. Laid in mid-March through May they will begin hatching from mid-May onward. The larvae, the stage between egg and adult, live in the water of the vernal …
Today’s Earth Day. Do Something Meaningful!
Resident raccoon, Beaton Property on Manchaug Pond Yes, it’s Earth Day… Want to do something meaningful?… Something of benefit where you live, work and play?… Something right here, for right now?Make a donation to MPF for the Beaton Property.Protect 875 ft of shoreline and 100 areas of significant wildlife habitat. Please do it today! Paypal or to MPF, P.O. Box 154, Manchaug, MA 01526 Thanks to our resident photographer who captured this perfect photo of a Beaton Property resident raccoon! All donations are fully tax-deductible. Make them in memory or in honor of someone you love. A letter recognizing your contribution will be sent upon receipt. Thank you!
100 acre Beaton Property can be saved! Town assigns “right of first refusal” to MPF
At an April 16th Public Hearing, the Sutton Board of Selectman voted to assign their “right of first refusal” on 73 acres of agricultural lands protected under Chapter 61A to the Manchaug Pond Foundation. Chairman Michael Chizy called the property “a jewel of Sutton” noting its beauty as seen from the property’s edge on Waters Road as it overlooks the 100 acres of rolling pasture, forested land, and the abutting Manchaug Pond. WHAT? A purchase and sales agreement signed with Holy Cross College for the entire near 100 acres, the horse barns, and family homestead looks to remove the main barn and training rink with preliminary plans to construct a 30,000 sq. foot building complex to house faculty, students and staff for overnight retreat events. (Watch the video of Holy Cross’ presentation) WHY? The action taken by the Board of Selectman looks to protect one, if not THE most significant parcels, for Manchaug Pond from sale and development: the 73 acres of agricultural land used primarily as an equestrian training center and a miniature horse rescue stable is part of a larger piece totaling about 100 acres in Sutton and Douglas. Of importance to the mission of the MPF in …