Manchaug Pond Foundation Photo

“Moss Animals” Visit from Over the Falls!

Our visitor from over the dam at Sutton Falls is called a “moss animal” or bryozoan with a Latin name of Pectinatella magnifica. Brotozoans were first photographed last year in Manchaug Pond. These two photos were taken on the east side of the channel. Brotozoa are living colonies which attach themselves to rocks, branches and docks. My summer neighbor brought them to my attention as he noticed these “growths” on the rocks in the water in front of his cottage. He said in his 50+ years on the lake he had never seen anything like it. He thought they were masses of fish eggs but when handled they did not separate into individual egg cells. Fisheries Biologist, Richard Hartley of MassWildlife confirmed last year’s finding/identification and reported to us in an email: “what you have at the pond are bryozoans. They fool the bestof folks when you see them for the first time. When I first encounteredthem doing pond surveys I thought they were an egg mass of some kind.They are actually colonies of thousands of individuals that cometogether to form a colony much like coral in the ocean. I have sometechnical information I can send you, but if you …

Telegram Reports MRC Still Trying to Sell Dam

The Telegram must be selling papers on this issue to have printed a 7th article in just over a month’s time on the effort of the dam owner to sell the Manchaug Pond dam. Again – read for yourself. The photo is accurate for those into photography. Still no price has been set and Lake Manchaug Camping owner Karen Staruk gets a mention by the correspondent.Saturday, July 25, 2009 Manchaug Pond Dam at issue The Manchaug Pond Dam is at the center of a controversy over dam safety versus wetlands protection. (T&G Staff/MARK C. IDE) By Ruth Vecchione CORRESPONDENT We’re caught in a predicament. We’ve triedto get the two agencies to sitdown together.— Wendy Porter, MANCHAUG RESERVOIR CORP. SUTTON — The owners of the Manchaug Pond Dam are caught between choosing dam safety or wetlands protection. So far, they’ve chosen dam safety. “The safe operation, liability and responsibility rest with the dam owner,” Wendy Porter of Manchaug Reservoir Corp. said this week. Changes in the requirements of the state Office of Dam Safety in October 2007 prompted the company to lower the water level last year by about 3 feet. The state Department of Environmental Protection earlier this year, however, …

A Time For Every Purpose Under Heaven … A Time to Bail!

The nor’easter has brought nearly 5 inches of rain to Manchaug Pond raising the water level considerably overnight and bringing in strong winds to add to the mix. This is the scene this morning on Manchaug Pond as rain and waves fill and sink boats, wind unfurled sails and ….. I’m still writing and loading pictures so tune in again…

A time to Bail! … continued…

My neighbor said he thought about it last night – put the bow of the boat to the wind – but didn’t get to it. The waves would have splashed off. Putting the motor to the lake allowed the water from last night’s/today’s nor’easter to come right in. When you don’t live on the lake, but have water rights – daily trips to the lake to check on things is necessary. Two “Captains” head to the lake early this morning to man the bailers! 5 gallon buckets are not traditionally used as bailers but in this situation quite necessary. At a recent Sutton Conservation Commission meeting I watched on Sutton TV Online, a new lake resident spoke about his experience living on a lake – all new to him were the unexpected strong winds, visiting geese and the weeds and debris that wash up on the beach. I remember telling his cousin last year to tell the newcomer to close his tabletop umbrellas as the wind would love to catch them. With the majority of Manchaug Pond property owners season summer camps and cottages – it is a good policy to secure everything from boats to umbrellas to beach toys …

Testimony – Mass Bass Federation!

(Last night’s sunset) Before we continue with Part 2 of our dam photos, lets look at the testimony submitted on behalf of Manchaug Pond : This one from the Mass Bass Federation, an umbrella organization representing 30 fishing clubs who in turn speak for a total of 600 anglers submitted the following testimony to Secretary Ian Bowles, Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs as part of the MEPA filing:My name is Erik Kaplan, I am the Conservation/Natural Resource Director for the Massachusetts Bass Federation. I speak for the approximately 600 anglers throughout the Commonwealth when I say we vehemently oppose this project. Many of our fishing clubs hold tournaments on this Great Pond throughout the year and this beautiful pond is an asset to the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. There have been fish kills on this Great Pond in recent years due to low water levels instituted by the Manchaug Reservoir Corp and their parent company Interface Global, Inc.. Breaching of the Manchaug Pond dam would completely decimate this great fishery. The breaching of the dam would endanger the Core Habitat on the shores of Manchaug Pond. The Core Habitat has been fount to have several endangered, imperiled, threatened and …

Yes, Telegram File Photo Incorrect

Yes, yes! You are correct. The T & G file photo appearing on the front page of the local section of the Sunday Telegram is NOT on, in or near Manchaug Pond. See for yourself: Captioned: “The old dam sits in the middle of Manchaug Pond.” With all those trees, and other green leafy growth, it makes you wonder if the reporter and editor have ever been in the middle of a 380 acre pond. Usually when you are in the middle of a pond you are surrounded by water… … but then there are 17 dams in the town of Sutton alone so it could be difficult choosing a file photo of the correct dam. Our next post will look at photos of the dams on this end of the Mumford River including photos of Manchaug Pond’s dam. I’ll see if I can find the old dam that sits in the middle of the pond.

Telegram Release Two More Articles on Manchaug Dam

The Worcester Telegram again features the Manchaug Pond dam and the continued plight of the dam owner to find a buyer for the dam property. The Telegram took a position on Friday in an editorial and on Sunday the reporter quoted MassDEP testimony in the MEPA process the dam owner has opened up. Mass DEP is quoted repeatedly as it aims to preserve the lake ecosystem and public access rights by maintaining “the status quo”, protect the water bodies up and downstream, protect downstream users such as the Douglas Wastewater Treatment Facility, and protect or provide mitigation for the private water supply wells within a half mile radius of the pond. Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs Secretary Ian Bowles will have a decision, Environmental Impact Report on the matter by July 24th. Here’s a link to Friday’s editorial:http://www.telegram.com/article/20090717/NEWS/907170337 and Sunday’s front page local news article:http://www.telegram.com/article/20090719/NEWS/907190380/1101 Here’s a list of the other articles:Search resultsYour search for manchaug pond dam resulted in 6 articles. The water isnt over the damThe company that wants to breach the dam on Manchaug Pond appears to have a long regulatory road ahead of it.Published on 07/19/09 in the category News The deed to the …

Manchaug Pond Foundation Water Quality

Blob Travels over Falls to Manchaug Pond

Can you identify this one? A camper found it this weekend on the shoreline at the inlet. Manchaug Pond property owners reported in a recent survey seeing it last summer… Do you know it? Take a guess! and then I’ll tell you more…

A Day at the Lake…

Yesterday proved to be a beautiful day! Sunshine, a nice breeze and not too much fast traffic on the water. Talk with anyone who grew up on a lake and you will find endless stories of memories filled with family, friends and wonderfully adventurous, simple fun! I was recently given a copy of the little 1955 booklet, “The Land Without a Sunday” written by Maria Von Trapp where a country had adopted a staggered work week schedule where all had a different day off. With the loss of the traditional Sunday, the society, community and family had loss the opportunity to come together in play and worship. Today, I understand Manchaug Pond will serve a grander role … its waters will be used in the baptism of a child. Baptisms have long been held at Manchaug Pond with my own former neighbor bringing his congregation from the West Sutton First Baptist Church to her shores for such events.

Nightime Storms Brings Rain and Morning Fog

Last night’s thunderstorms, three perhaps, brought an inch of rain to the rain gauge and left the lake surrounded in a morning fog. A check of the Mass Office of Fishing and Boating Access website (see link under FOR MORE INFORMATION!) tells us it was the American Bass Anglers Couples counting off loud and clear as they left the ramp and channel for the main part of the lake early this morning. The MPA advises caution to all lake users as the waterlevel continues to go down and boat safety is a concern! Sunday evening 2 boats hit the wall and a third hit a rock when going through the causeway with a fourth boat hitting during the week. The many new users from the access boat ramp and at the campgrounds are not aware of the dam owner’s new lowering of the lake in mid-summer bringing the many large rocks and walls just under the water’s surface. The MPA Board of Directors is lining up a number of boating safety education initiatives for Manchaug Pond’s visitors and MPA members. Details to come! Sun is shining – the fog has burnt off! BE SAFE!

Zebra Mussels and Public Access

The entry of the invasive zebra mussel has caused the temporary closing of 10+ public access boat ramps in western Massachusetts in an effort to stop their spread and now Quabbin is added to the list to rightly protect Boston’s drinking water supply. Here on Manchaug Pond we know the problem of other aquatic invasives plants such as fanwort and variable milfoil and we will soon learn more now that the dam owner is no longer cooperating with us to employ lake level drawdown – the successful method we have used since 1991 – and with the introduction of Asian Clam last fall at Manchaug’s public access ramp and purple loosestrife in the watershed. With the dam owner’s new lower waterlevels the past two years, we are seeing new invasives, especially reed canary grass, fill the shoreline. Hopefully the high water mandated by MassDEP and achieved the beginning of July will help eliminate these populations. On to Quabbin! (photo courtesy of MassDCR) Try this link for the Quabbin Cam! for actual footage: http://www.mwra.com/qcam.html Here’s the story as reported by the Boston Globe:Quabbin Reservoir closed to boaters amid zebra mussel concernsBy Milton J. ValenciaGlobe Staff / July 15, 2009 The menacing …