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 …

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 …

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 …

Tomorrow! Social & Volunteer Open House

Start the season on Manchaug Pond with the Social & Volunteer Open House! Catch up with lake neighbors and friends over a cup of coffee and pastry. Families, new friends, neighbors and lake users are welcome. As usual, we’ll come together in the Dining Hall of the YMCA Camp Blanchard facility on Manchaug Pond from 9:30 to about 11:00 a.m. or so on Saturday, June 17th. Over coffee and pastry catch up with lake friends and neighbors. Learn more about our lastest efforts for Manchaug Pond and the watershed. Our Vice President and s.319 Non-point Source Pollution Grant Coordinator will have an detail display of our roadside and ramp work. Bring the family as activities for children will be offered including Facepainting with Christine Z from 10-11. Check out MPF Logo Gear on sale which includes a wide variety of apparel and Manchaug Pond themed items from cribbage boards to baseball hats, tee shirts to fleece … lake photos,  wood Lake Art to order, playing cards, mugs, and more! Purchase your flares for the Lighting of the Shoreline, July 3rd at 9:00 p.m. or as Safe Boating equipment for your vessel. Register, sponsor, and volunteer for this year’s The DAM …

Manchaug Pond Foundation History

Manchaug Pond Indigenous People and Arrowheads in Tonight’s Sutton Historical Society Presentation

Posted April 4, 2023 Sharing this Sutton Historical Society event notice received this morning by a member of the Manchaug Pond Foundation.  At the event, the Society will display a collection of arrowheads from Harry Anderson, a longtime Manchaug Pond resident, historian, and member of our organization. Information about Manchaug Pond history, maps, and an article from Mr. Anderson are also featured on our About the Lake page. Here’s the Sutton Historical Society email notice: Tonight, Tuesday, April 4, 2023, at 7 pm, the Sutton Historical Society will host a presentation entitled Lithic Studies – Native Americans in Southern New England with speaker Joe Iamartino, President, Thompson Historical Society. The presentation will be held in the Sanctuary of the First Congregational Church, 307 Boston Road, Sutton, MA. Mr. Iamartino has been suddenly called out of town.  The powerpoint will be shown in the Sanctuary with Mr. Iamartino calling in to present his powerpoint.  There is not a ZOOM component to this presentation, and it will not be recorded. Additionally, the Society will have on display a collection of Native American arrowheads found by Harry Anderson over many years along the Manchaug Pond Shores, and past newsletters containing articles about the indigenous peoples …