Saturday Morning Events for You!

posted June 6, 2025 ~ Attention Boaters! Free VESSEL SAFETY CHECK, Saturday, June 7th from 9:00 a.m. to noon!  Stop in for your  Vessel Safety Check at the Manchaug Pond boat ramp. Come by land or lake – with any size vessel, motorized, paddled, pedaled or sail – our certified examiner will help you get your boat safe and legal for the season. Pass and you can display your hull decal for all to see. For more information visit our website event page. In case of rain/poor weather conditions, check our website/Facebook feed for cancellation.       Start your day on a peaceful note with our Kayak and Coffee event—where adventure meets relaxation! Join fellow outdoor enthusiasts for a morning paddle on the water, get your kayak, bring your coffee, and enjoy good conversation. Whether you’re an experienced kayaker or a first-timer, this is the perfect way to connect with nature, meet new people, and kickstart your day with a calm mind and a warm cup. Meet at Blueberry Island or join the group as we pass your waterfront. Also stop in to the Vessel Safety Check at the state boat ramp  to get your kayak, canoe or other …

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 …

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 …