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!

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 …

Look to the Sky – State Bald Eagle Survey Today!

Past photo of an adult bald eagle soaring over Manchaug Pond. Eagles are frequent visitors to Manchaug Pond.  We love seeing them soar, perch in the tall pines, and dive for fish. Eagle and other wildlife enthusiasts are out today across the state counting the state’s eagle population. This effort will include a concentrated survey of the major rivers, lakes, and reservoirs across the Commonwealth. If you have some time, get the binoculars and watch the skies of Manchaug Pond!  Organized by the Division of Fisheries and Wildlife (DFW) the survey will be conducted by agency staff and volunteers. Teams will be checking known eagle territories and exploring areas with potential eagle habitat to try to locate “new” eagle nests. If inclement weather prevents the survey on April 5, the backup date is April 12, 2013. Additionally, the Division encourages anyone to submit eagle sightings throughout the year by email to natural.heritage@state.ma.us or by postal service to “Eagle Survey“, MassWildlife, Natural Heritage & Endangered Species Program, 100 Hartwell Street, Suite 230, West Boylston, MA 01583.  The new spring Bald Eagle Survey will replace the Division’s long-standing Midwinter Bald Eagle Survey. “Although MassWildlife has participated in the winter eagle surveys for …

Lake Visitors

We may have some serious doubts that Spring is around the corner but this Hooded Merganser visiting Area 2 yesterday is a sure sign that the Spring migration has started and warm weather will soon follow!