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 …

Water Quality sampling equipment

Virtual Training for Cyanobacteria/Algae Water Quality Monitors

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A virtual training will take place Wednesday, April 17th at 6:30 p.m. for cyanobacteria monitoring volunteers.  We invite all to join this informative presentation and the Manchaug/Stevens team offered by the Worcester Cyanobacteria Monitoring Collaborative (WCMC). While volunteers are needed at Manchaug Pond, you may attend to just learn more about our efforts in water quality.  All are welcome and no experience is necessary. Contact us to volunteer and click here to register! Manchaug Pond Foundation enters the 4th year of monitoring with the WCMC giving tremendous baseline data and as one component to our organizations overall water quality program!  While Manchaug Pond and Stevens Pond do NOT have an algae or cyanobacteria problem, with past levels either at “not detected” or extremely low levels, we do monitor in order to learning more about the waters and the ecology of our lakes and to protect the health and safety of this water resource and all who enjoy. Worcester Cyanobacteria Monitoring Collaborative: The Collaborative is a group of citizen science volunteers who work to better understand the diversity of algae and cyanobacteria in the lakes and ponds of Worcester County under the guidance of the City of Worcester.  Visit their website …

June Events

Posted June 4, 2022 Hello everyone!  June is here bringing in the summer season to Manchaug Pond! A reminder of our events and fundraisers offered this month by the Manchaug Pond Foundation is below.  Be sure to visit www.ManchaugPond.org for a full calendar listing and details. _______ First up, and this morning, is our Vessel Safety Check, June 4, 2022, promoting safe boating at the state boat ramp on Torrey Rd, Sutton from 9 AM to Noon. Both new and seasoned boaters find this annual event of value to get all safe and legal on Manchaug Pond.  There is no enforcement component and no police onsite, only educational, informative, one-on-one assistance from a certified examiner. This event is free, open to the public, and all vessels from motor boats to jetskis to paddle boards can participate.  Safe boating information, Vessel Safety Check decal, If Found stickers, and paddle reflectors are available for free. Also we have a few gently-used life jackets a member is offering for the taking. If interested, stop in at the ramp. _______   For the month of June, Manchaug Pond Foundation has been chosen for the Hannaford’s Bloomin’ 4 Good Program! All month, Hannaford’s Supermarkets will …

On the lookout for cyanobacteria

Posted January 20, 2022 Join us this evening at 6:30 p.m. for a virtual water quality event presented by the Worcester Cyanobacteria Monitoring Collaborative.  Manchaug Pond Foundation joined the collaborative last year for the 2021 monitoring season. Our volunteers took monthly samples with the goal of learning more about Manchaug Pond and about the algae found naturally in the lake. Tonight program data on Worcester and participating area lakes will be highlighted.  Manchaug Pond’s results were superb! What contributes to algae blooms and cyanobacteria occurrences in lakes and ponds?  Negative impacts to our water quality occur when nutrients and sediment flow into our water resources either directly or through watershed streams and runoff. Nutrient-rich lawn and landscape fertilizer,  pet and other animal waste, and malfunctioning septic systems can all be major threats to our blue spaces.  Excessive nutrients promote aquatic plant growth and increase algae which can cause widespread algae blooms. Special thanks to our volunteers and to the City of Worcester Parks & Recreation Department Blue Spaces team for this effort.  Watch for more information on our efforts to protect Manchaug Pond’s water!