The Town of Sutton Conservation Commission has scheduled a meeting November 14th @ 7:00 pm at the Sutton Town Hall, 4 Uxbridge Road “to discuss lakes and ponds strategies.” Dock regulations, as well as fertilizer use and tree cutting around the lake shore and in the watershed are planned for the agenda.
Clean up a Great Success!
On this beautiful sun filled fall day, Manchaug Pond and the roadsides around the lake saw numerous volunteers participate in the annual cleanup. Here’s a shot of the total haul! Thanks to the Mark Brigham, Highway Superintendent for the Town of Sutton for providing the town truck! The trash came by scouts! … The trash came by boat! … and the trash came by pick-up trucks, trailer, and wheelbarrow! … as volunteers reported a lot of dumping and litter at the boat ramp, Blueberry Island, the Sutton Conservation Commission land, and roadsides around the lake. Volunteers also included Cub Scout Pack 143 from Sutton: the Webelos and Bear Den scouts, their leaders, and families. Thank you for joining us! Great Job Everyone!
Will you join us! ….. Manchaug Pond Fall Cleanup
The Manchaug Pond Fall Cleanup has been scheduled for Sunday, October 28, 2007 from 10 a.m.- 2 p.m. The shoreline and coves which especially accumulate litter will be targeted first as well as the boat ramp. If time, energy and volunteers permit we can do some roadsides such as Manchaug, Torrey, Holt and the dam area down Parker Road, Sutton. The Boat Ramp on Torrey Road will serve as a meeting point for volunteers as well as the drop off point for all trash collected. As in past years, area reps and other volunteers can collect the rubbish by boat and bring to the ramp. We will also have a pickup truck available to shuttle from the roadsides or shoreline. Please provide the items you will need for the day, such as gloves, waders, whatever. Garbage bags will be available at the ramp and the Town of Sutton is providing the truck to haul away the trash collected. Weather permitting, the educational display will be set up providing participants with educational material on septic system maintenance, healthy lawns, etc. as part of our outreach with the s. 319 grant project. Special thanks to our 1st Vice President for organizing the …
“Everything in the Known Universe about Manchaug Pond Association!”
Well, the MPA blog has been found and rated by the blogging world. How did we measure up? My opinion is … We did good! We made the list! They found us! That is an accomplishment in itself! Out of today’s 107.9 million blogs, the MPA ranked 3,915,745! I know that is not in the top 10, or top 100 or the top 1,000 even but we are ahead of about 104 million other blogs! I’m impressed. :)) AND to add to that success (He! He!) we were also check out and given a “vote of approval” by: “Water Words That Workhttp://waterwordsthatwork.comAuthority: 33Rank: 189,691A multimedia blog to help nature protection and pollution control experts make a splash when speaking or writing for the general public.” Soo..check out the TECHNORATI site to see for yourself! 🙂http://technorati.com/blogs/manchaugpondassociation.blogspot.com “Welcome to Technorati Currently tracking 107.9 million blogs and over 250 million pieces of tagged social media. Technorati is the recognized authority on what’s happening on the World Live Web, right now. The Live Web is the dynamic and always-updating portion of the Web. We search, surface, and organize blogs and the other forms of independent, user-generated content (photos, videos, voting, etc.) increasingly referred to …
Migrating Monarchs Visit Manchaug Pond
Saturday afternoon before that microburst hit Manchaug Pond, in the beautiful warmth and sunshine at least 30 monarch butterflies stopped in their yearly migration to drink the nector of four plants in my and my neighbor’s perennial flower garden. Sedum Autumn Joy is the plant that drew them to our neighborhood. To see the large orange and black beauties slowly flutter at eye level to land in clutters on the flowers was exciting. Check out the following links to view beautiful photos, to learn more about Monarch Butterflies as well as the citizens’ tagging program to monitor the migration: http://www.naba.org/chapters/nabambc/construct-species-page.asp?sp=Danaus-plexippushttp://massaudubon.org/butterflyatlas/index.php?id=116www.monarchwatch.org
Press Release Announces Grant Award
The following press release and two photos taken by the MPA 1st Vice President is starting to be picked up by local newspapers. The September 20th issue of the Millbury-Sutton Chronicle published the grant announcement with the view of Manchaug Pond from Waters Farm photo. The press release was written largely by the environmental engineer at CEI and edited by the MPA President, 1st Vice President/Grant Coordinator and Corresponding Secretary and reviewed by the MPA Board of Directors… FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: David Schmidt, President Manchaug Pond Association (508) 476-7804 Eileen Pannetier, President Comprehensive Environmental Inc. 603-424-8444 x301Local Watershed Group Awarded $130,000 State Grant for Pond Improvements Douglas/Sutton, MA – September 15, 2007 – Over 40 years ago, 35 families with a common interest to protect a pond banned together to form the Manchaug Pond Association (MPA). Forty years later, the group now boasts a membership of over 100 member families along with several businesses and a nonprofit group. With an 18 member volunteer Board of Directors, the group celebrates their 40th anniversary with energy, optimism and an impressive grant awarded to them by the MA Department of Environmental Protection (MassDEP). A picturesque area, the 360acre Manchaug Pond lies within …
Directions to Singing Dam
Shi Chian has left a new comment on your post “Dams in the News: A Sutton Dam No One Wants!”: Hi, Would you happen to have directions to get to the singing dam from Worcester, MA? Or if you have the address of the approximate location of this dam? Thank you. Hello Shi Chian! Thanks for visiting! Singing dam is located in the village of Wilkinsonville in the Town of Sutton. The straightest route from Worcester would be to take Rte. 146 south. At the intersection at Boston Road (Tony’s Pizza is on the right!), take a left onto Boston Road and follow to the stop sign. Take a left on to Rte 122A heading toward Millbury. On 122A after you go under a railroad bridge, take a right on to Blackstone Street and Singing Dam and the future park and canoe launch to the Blackstone River is just up the street! Enjoy and glad to be off service!
Microburst Hits Manchaug Pond
A microburst hit Manchaug Pond early Sunday morning leaving a wake of destruction. Hitting at 3:30 a.m., the eight minute storm brought high wind, heavy rain, thunder, lightening and hail. Residents in areas 2, 3 and 4 were hard especially hit, waking up to lawns and driveways littered with branches and leaves, ripped off roof shingles and ridge vents, upturned and broken lawn furniture, overturned and sunken small boats and jetskis, a few twisted or submerged docks not to mention over a dozen large trees uprooted and laying on scenic Manchaug Road and Torrey Road. This severe, quick hitting storm – Force 10 at least on the Beaufort (wind speed) Scale – had to have had wind speeds of at least 60 miles/hour to cause this damage. The sound of chain saws and leaf blowers continues to fill the air! More info on Microbursts:http://ww2010.atmos.uiuc.edu/(Gh)/guides/mtr/svr/comp/out/micro/anat.rxml To check out the Beaufort Scale (wind speed):http://www.unc.edu/~rowlett/units/scales/beaufort.html A site on weather for the kids:http://www.srh.noaa.gov/epz/kids/kidswx.shtml
New Links for Boating Laws and Online Course
A weekend in early August, the Environmental Police boat hit the waters of Manchaug Pond for a little “educating!” Recently we received the following comment and update from Kathy at boat-ed.com: “Thank you for providing links on your blog to the official Massachusetts boating safety handbook and online course. Could the Corresponding Secretary please update the links so that they land on the appropriate pages? Boat Massachusetts Boating Laws Handbook: http://www.boat-ed.com/ma/handbook/index.htm Boat Massachusetts Online Course: http://www.boat-ed.com/ma/index.htm Many thanks, and safe boating!” Don’t wait until the police boat is talking to you to find out it is against the law to pull a skier or tube behind a jetski! Get the facts and know the law before you hop on!
Sutton Public Hearing on DOCK REGS – Last Night!
Sorry to report this after the fact but I didn’t know about the Hearinguntil it was too late! I guess I need to subscribe to the Millbury-Sutton Chronicle to get the Public Hearing announcements. The Sutton Conservation Commission held a public hearing last night as partof their agenda to accept comments on new, more stringent changes theyare proposing to current state dock regulations. The hearing began at8:00 p.m. with 45 people attending in the room and more flowing into the hall.Discussion was lively and pointed with those speaking identifying themselvesfrom Lake Singletary. The outcome seemed to be that the Conservation Commission wants people to voluntarily come to them – they do not want to be strict enforcers. It was decided that the public hearing was continued to November 7th with time to be posted in the Town Hall, and an October 10th workshop of a small group (not identified at this time) would be held to discuss this informally was scheduled to work on the language. The next Conservation Commission would discuss proposed regulations ontrees,abutter notification and fertilizer use. Co-chairman Mark Briggs carried the hearing with the following changes presented as a handout: “Sutton Conservation Commission Policy on New Docks …
Douglas Selectman SUPPORT Creation of District!!
YES! 5-0! Unanimous! It was like winning the World Series! Manchaug Pond Nation! A year and a half of research, meetings, setbacks, more meetings, more facts, more meetings and finally the vote… Last night the Town of Douglas Board of Selectman voted unanimously to support “the creation of a watershed district for Manchaug Pond!” The MPA was allowed to present all our information: the numbers, the support, the reasons and benefits, existing precedents of existing districts preserving “Great Ponds”, and our intent and direction. A good number of people from around the pond – Douglas and Sutton alike – were allowed to speak from the heart about their love of the lake and desire to protect this “gem” of a resource. Douglas Selectman would like us to continue our work with Sutton before the exact language of the Act is reviewed. As the District Clerk of Cedar Meadows Lake Watershed District advised us early on: “Educate, educate, educate!” Our work continues…. http://www.douglasma.org/cable/online_programs.phpThis is the link to view the Selectman’s meeting on your home computer… See foryourself! Watch the August 21st meeting and wait for the posting of last night’s Sept. 4th meeting. They did have video problems and the Selectman …
Tuesday, Sept 4th, DouglasTown Hall 7:00 p.m
ONE MORE MEETING – See you there! Tomorrow night, Tuesday, September 4th at 7:00 p.m. the MPA will go before the Board of Selectman in Douglas asking for their support of our effort to form a watershed district for Manchaug Pond. The Douglas Board recently voted to support the formation of a watershed district for Whitin Reservoir and now is considering the same legislation for Manchaug Pond. We expected a ruling at their last meeting but…. the vote was delayed until tomorrow night to review what a Sutton resident handed to the Board in opposition. (Check out the August 22nd post.) Also of concern to all is that the Sutton Board of Selectman did not want to participate in the District and would not even consider the new changes made at the request of Douglas legal counsel to limit eminent domain powers and secure a voting seat for the Town. Douglas Selectman voiced concern as to how the district would function without Sutton’s participation seeing a need for two willing participants with lake property owners. While the relocation of the Guilford mill and the pending sale of the dam are definitely what got us doing our homework, the dam and …