A beautiful evening to kayak around the lake.This mother and daughter from Douglas access the lake from our State Boat Ramp for a trip around the lake after supper.
Lake Views from the Board Meeting
A recent Board meeting held on the Douglas shore provided these views for those attending. What a peaceful cove! Also, we are in need of an area representative from Area 3 to serve on the Board of Directors. The husband and wife team who served this area recently sold their home on the lake. If you are interested in taking a more active role, learning more of the details effecting our lake and the association and could spare a Thursday evening now and then let me know!
Salute! Yesterday was Flag Day!
Flags fly high and proud on Manchaug Pond! Makes me think to look ahead, as in less than a month we will celebrate our nation’s birth on July 4th. Decorate your boat, your home, or both! We’ll post photos! Also mark your calendar for the lighting of flares around the shore will take place on July 3rd with flares available at the area campground stores or from your area representatives. Also mark down the Annual Meeting scheduled for Saturday, August 18th. The menu, speaker and other details are being worked out. At the last board meeting, it was actually brought up that we should forget about the brownies from Helen’s bakery and go with ice cream! Another individual suggested, since our chef sold her home on the lake, that we have grinders from a local pizza place rather than our traditional hamburgers, hotdogs and corn on the cob! 40 years of success and now a suggestion to change the menu! Radical, don’t you think! ACTUALLY, email your suggestions right here and we’ll get them to the Board of Directors!! (I need to figure out how to put one of those survey/polls on the blog!)
Lake Quiet!
The lake remains quiet except for the roar of the bass boats on weekend mornings. Why the quiet, well the weather is cool and the children are still in school so families are not yet camping and down at their summer homes. Jetski accidents on Indian Lake and Lake Quinsigamond have been the recent buzz in the newspapers. Inexperienced and young operators are often sighted as the reason for the crashes. We have the potential for the same sort of thing here on Manchaug Pond with new operators coming off the boat ramp. Generally the operators living on the lake have years of experience with boats, the layout of the lake and those rocks and walls, and the traffic patterns and busy areas. Click this link or the title of this post to review boat safety regulations in Massachusetts or to take the FREE online Boat Safety Test/Certificate! http://www.boaterexam.com/usa/massachusetts/
Why Did the Snapper Cross the Road?
… to get back to the lake!This beauty was crossing Parker Road in Sutton this afternoon headed down the bank to the area just after the dam between Manchaug and Stevens Ponds. I suspect this is a female who has laid her eggs in the lawn of the first home on the left as you are heading to the village of Manchaug. The previous owner was a friend who would call us each year to watch the young snappers emerge from the sand at the edge of the lawn and run down her driveway heading for water. If you read your latest issue of Massachusetts Wildlife you would know that “snappers rarely leave the water except to lay their eggs or to move between wetlands.” The article reports the findings of a recent study conducted in Grafton, Massachusetts on turtle road mortality. Click the title of this post to be linked to www.masswildlife.org. It is a great publication – beautiful photographs and interesting articles – also one of the editors is a regular here at Manchaug Pond. My husband met him one sunny winter day ice fishing.
View of Manchaug Pond from Space :)
Click the link (the title of this post) for a satellite view of Manchaug Pond. This is the watershed which feeds water into our lake. Note the islands, and the sandbar which is all that is left to Blueberry Island. Remember that years ago back to the original level of the lake, that the island/sandbar was part of the mainland! What highwater can do! If you zoom in you can find your house but you won’t be able to see if someone is in your driveway as the photo is not from today – no leaves on the trees! :)) Zoom out for a better view of Stevens Pond or even further yet of Whitin Reservoir and beyond!
Healthy Lawns and Landscapes in Your Watershed
May 16th or so, our MPA 1st Vice President attended a MA Department of Environmental Protection workshop in Marlboro titled Healthy Lawn and Landscapes in Your Watershed. She brought back a lot of information which the MPA will be bring to you – basics on “how to improve water quality, preserve water supply and save time and money on your yard.” Specifically you will receive helpful info on caring for your lawn, effective alternatives to pesticides and chemical fertilizers, composting, plantings of grasses, shrubs and trees to eliminate run-off and more, more, more. Here’s a sample of a few basic tips on MOWING YOUR LAWN: ~Mow only when the grass is dry to get a clean cut and minimize the spread of disease. ~Mow grass to a height of 2 1/2-3 inches (3″ is best!) as the longer the grass, the more water is retained and the longer the roots of your lawn will be making it stronger and more tolerant. Keeping you grass longer also may allow it to outcompete weeds thus reducing the need for herbicides. Hand pick dandelions and other broadleaf weed from your lawn as you spot them – No need for costly weed killers! ~Sharpen …
Wildflowers, Owls and the Old Snapping Turtle in Area 7
Area 7 boasts an owl, a massive old snapping turtle swimming, as well as wildflowers along the roadsides. Here’s a few of the flowers to be seen. Can you name them?
Found!
A sign at the Manchaug Pond Public Boat Ramp still advertises the finding of a 14 K gold man’s wedding ring. Give the inscription and it is yours!
Massachusetts Safe Boating Week May 19-25
Manchaug Pond has been quiet this week. Did you know it is Safe Boating Week in Massachusetts. Here’s the official press release! State Officials Urge Bay Staters to Observe Boat Safety Rules May 19-25 is Massachusetts Safe Boating Week BOSTON – With Memorial Day and the start of the summer recreation season fast approaching, Energy and Environmental Affairs Secretary Ian Bowles and the Massachusetts Environmental Police (MEP) kicked off Safe Boating Week by urging Massachusetts residents to wear life jackets and observe other boating laws and guidelines. “While it is a great form of recreation, boating can be risky if precautionary measures are not taken to protect oneself, family and friends…We encourage all boaters to ‘Boat Smart from the Start,’” states a proclamation signed by Gov. Deval Patrick to declare May 19-25 Safe Boating Week in Massachusetts. In addition to wearing life jackets, officials urged boaters to take a safety course, stay sober while boating, and make sure their boats are reliable and in good repair. “As an avid boater myself, I know people are eager to get onto the Commonwealth’s waterways at this time of year. By taking a few important precautions, boaters can have fun but also stay …
So What’s Happening? The Non-Point Source Pollution Grant Project and Sutton Election
Hello All! Life has been busy both on the personal front and with the MPA so I haven’t had much time for blog entries. Let me get you up to date on our Grant Project: Four of our Board members attended a Start-up Meeting kicking off the s.319 Nonpoint Source Pollution Grant Project. This award is made possible under Section 319 of the Clean Water Act to address prevention, control and abatement of nonpoint source poolution. The April 9th meeting was held at the Milford office of CEI (Comprehensive Enviromental Incorporated) with two engineers assigned to our Manchaug Pond Improvement Project. CEI will provide $56,000 in consulting design and engineering services to the MPA and the Towns of Douglas and Sutton over the course of the 3 year project. All services from CEI will be paid for by federal funds. This spring is slated for the engineering and design of the stormwater best management practices (BMP) at the 7 priority locations identified around the lake. These include 5 in Sutton on Manchaug Road and the Public Boat Ramp and 2 in Douglas on Oak Street. Specifically, 3 locations on Manchaug Road will see vegetative swale restabilization and plunge pools designed …