Another Large Bird Takes to Manchaug Pond's Sky

Mid-morning, the lake is for our founding members and the retirees - no boats. A patriarch of the MPA sits on his porch taking in the sights and silence of the still lake. As our new "classic" speed boat, a 1967 Glastron V-156 Sportster, breaks that silence our patriarch give us the ritual greeting ring of the ship's bell as we pass by.

After a few minutes out in the middle, little did we know who we would meet out on the water....



... a large bird was seen flying low out of the west and coming toward us. Very large wings flapping - not a turkey vulture, not a heron - I immediately thought it was the eagle.

It flew high and directly above us seeming to check us out! But not the adult eagle seen this past week, and not an immature we suspected while viewing from the boat but



AN OSPREY!

Lake Singletary Gets the Treatment

The August 13th issue of the Millbury-Sutton Chronicle and the Lake Singletary Watershed Association website report Lake Singletary was closed yesterday, Tuesday August 18th, in order to receive two chemical treatments. One an algaecide for the control of nuisance algae blooms,



and the other an aquatic herbicide for the control of the invasive aquatic weed - milfoil.

The entire lake was closed after 2 p.m. to all activities from swimming, to waterskiing - anything involving contact with the water.

According to the article, the entire lake was to be treated with the algaecide and small coves and shoreline areas of Singletary treated with an aquatic herbicide.



Water use will be restricted for five days, until August 24th, with no drinking, irrigation and watering of pets and livestock allowed. Lake Singletary will re-open to boating and fishing today, August 19th. Warning posters around the shoreline alert users to the temporary water use restrictions.

More of the Manchaug Pond Eagle

Yesterday morning there were quite a few feathers scattered and floating down the channel.... I wondered if the eagle had anything to do with it...

The eagle was seen again on Sunday here at Manchaug Pond. How do you spot the great bird? How can you be alerted to its presence? Some have heard its cry here on Manchaug. More commonly the large bird is seen soaring off in the distance over the lake, swooping down to catch a fish, or eating its prize on Blueberry Island or on the old causeway. Adults have been seen perched in shoreline trees - its white head and tail prominent. Others note the movement of a small flock of birds in flight before the predator or seeing its large shadow on the ground as it circles above. If white head and tail are not present, you may be viewing a juvenile - immature bald eagle - as it takes 4 -6 years for the white feathers to come in. Two years ago, a mature eagle and 3 young were regularly seen here.

Thanks to our readers, Keith and Laura, campers at the Old Holdbrook Place we have the two photos below taken August 14th.



A bit blurry as it was taken with their small camera.... but they report having the SLR type with a mighty lens on hand so we are hopeful they will capture this majestic bird once again.



A few years ago, MassWildlife magazine published a story on eagles observed on the lower Merrimack River. The author, Steve Haydock, a retired Education Specialist with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service writes: "The bald eagle is not only the symbol of our nation, but a symbol of hope for the conservation of our wildlife resources. This species is recovering from the impact of chemical pesticides, habitat loss, and misunderstanding. Not long ago the bald eagle was downgraded from federally "endangered" to "threatened" in the contiguous United States, their numbers a testament to their resilience and the strength of human conviction."


To subscribe or buy a gift subscription visit : www.masswildlife.org. The $6.00 subscription price ($10 for 2 years) is one of the best gifts you can give yourself and your family and friends. Keep on learning!

For more info and photos on eagles raising their young: http://www.firstlightpower.com/eagles/default.asp

In Bloom on Manchaug's Shore: Cardinal Flower

My guess from a distance is Cardinal Flower - Lobelia cardinalis - a native herbaceous perennial plant which enjoys the rich moist soils and semi-shade offered along the woodland bank of a Manchaug Pond cove. It is a favorite of hummingbirds and a medicinal plant of the Native Peoples of days gone by.

Saturday: The Eagle and Cormorants Among the Boaters

Saturday the lake was a buzz with many recreational boaters. Many! The sun was shining and everyone from the campgrounds and the boat ramp seemed to be out. Blueberry Island's had many enjoying the sand - parking their boats, setting up lawn chairs, coolers and even a tent for a little shade.



But what was amazing to me was that the eagle was there with us in the midst of all the activity and noise. We watched the adult glide over the island, swoop down at the curve on Manchaug Road to come up again and fly back over Blueberry heading toward Stevens Pond. A short time later a camper from Old Holbrooks, who had seen the eagle a couple days before catch a fish and eat it at the island, reported seeing the majestic bird fly over west cove.





Also swimming amid the jetski, skiers, tubers and pontoon boaters was a pair of cormorants who came to rest on the causeway near the channel sign to get a little sun.



To encounter such wildlife, makes all our efforts to preserve this habitat so worthwhile. Try this link to hear the calls of an eagle:
http://soundboard.com/sb/Bald_Eagle_Sounds.aspx



Thank you to our readers and members for joining us in this effort.

Not on the Lake and Need a Place to Swim?

Feel like just cannonballing into a cool refreshing pond?!




Hot, humid weather is in the 5-day forecast. Don't have a place on the lake... not at a campground... want a place to swim?

How about the town beach in Sutton?
Marion's Camp on Lake Singletary. Just take Tuttle Road off of Singletary Ave up past the center of town. Here's the link:
http://www.suttonma.org/Pages/SuttonMA_Rec/beaches



The Sutton Town Beach at Marion's Camp is opened daily 12pm - 6pm.
Resident passes are $25.00 per household and non-resident passes are $50.00 per household. They are sold at the beach or the town hall. I don't know if they have a day rate.

If that doesn't work for you...

On Manchaug Pond, one campground offers day swimming and picnicking: the Old Holbrook Place. $4.00 each adult and $2.00 each child under 12, I believe. You can buy ice cream, candy, soda and chips at the store.

http://www.oldholbrookcamping.com/



Or you could get the tent and the kids and try camping at one of the other two campgrounds:

http://kingsfamilycampground.com/index.htm




http://www.lakemanchaugcamping.com/index.htm




And then again there is the campground at Aldrich Mill Pond just up the road: Sutton Falls Campging Area.



http://bradrand.com/suttonfalls/

King's and Sutton Falls have large camps stores with groceries, small toys, and camping accessories.

Personally I have not camped at all the campgrounds so I cannot give any recommendations. I can only let you know what is available! :)

(Photos taken from respective websites.)

Barefoot Skiers & Boating Hand Signals

The air temperature is 59F while the water temp. is 76F. Sunrise also finds a calm beauty on Manchaug Pond enjoyed by those with coffee mug in hand viewing from their porch or in the warmth of the house or for those in a wetsuit out on the lake for some barefoot skiing.








Here's a list of hand signals you can use while skiing or tubing to help communication between the boat's observer and the person at the end of the rope!

BASIC SIGNALS
1 Speed up the boat: Thumb up.

2 Slow down the boat: Thumb down.

3 Cut Motor/Stop (also used by driver or observer): Slashing motion over the neck.

4 Turn the boat (also used by driver): Circle motion with arms over-head then point in desired direction.

5 Return to dock: Pat on the head.

6 OK or signal understood: OK signal with hand.

7 Skier OK after falling: Hands clasped over head.


http://www.boatus.org/onlinecourse/ReviewPages/BoatUSF/Project/info7b.htm

Also take the online boating course promoted in the right hand margin!

For MPA Members, be sure to attend the MPA Annual Meeting to hear our speaker from the Worcester Sail and Power Squadron speak on Safe Boating!


Thank you to the MPA member/photographer for submiting today's photos and temperature readings!

Tonight... heading into paradise.

Telegram Reports on Secretary's Decision & Dam Ownership

On July 31st, we reported that Massachusetts Secretary of Energy and Environmental Affairs Ian Bowles released the decision on the dam owner's proposal to breach the Manchaug Pond dam thereby reducing the lake from 380 acres to 201 as "the proponent states in the ENF that, because the dam no longer serves its original purpose, it wished "to divest itself of any and all responsibility and liability for the ownership and operation of the dam." Read proposal for yourself - the link is to the right of this post under "For More Information." It will take you to the town link for the complete document Environmental Notification Form (ENF) #14435. or go to the state MEPA website: http://www.mass.gov/envir/mepa/secondlevelpages/currentissue.htm#rodcert

Today the Worcester Telegram further reports on Secretary Bowles decision, not his requirement that the dam owner prepare a full Environmental Impact Report (EIR) on the scope of their project, changes and loss which would occur if allowed, and mitigation and alternatives but a bold and innovative solution to the dam owner's problem. He states that the proponent (dam owner) "consider the collective costs it will be required to spend on the environmental impacts and including the resolution of any appeals that are taken. I ask that the proponent consider placing this money into an escrow fund for the maintenance and operation of the existing dam. This escrow fund could provide encouragement to a local municipality or nonprofit organization that may consider taking on the responsibility of maintaining and operating the Manchaug Pond Dam while allowing the proponent to divest itself of ownership and operation of the dam."


Further, the article interviews the Sutton Town Administrator James Smith, the dam owner's spokesman Wendy Porter, Douglas Selectman John Bombara, also of Whitin Reservoir Watershed District, and Selectman Scott Medeiros. Ms. Porter is reported in the Telegram as having four parties interested in the ownership of the dam with no "boundaries on what an offer should or should not contain." The article goes on to quote, "I am pleased that three entities have come forward and expressed interest in assuming ownership of the dam. We are optimistic that there will be an owner."

Back lakeside, yesterday found a gentleman approaching shoreline property owners asking many questions about the dam, the waterlevel, owner liability and the mood of lake front property owners, and if any lawsuits were pending. He left the impression he wanted to do "the right thing," generate electricity to fund the upkeep of the dam, and secure a tax write-off for his company. Talk is he's looking at receiving the dam as part of a package with a piece of land he is acquiring near the mill.

Here's the link to the Worcester Telegram article:
http://www.telegram.com/article/20090813/NEWS/908130622

Enjoy the read and the rumor. The lake is quiet with the gray skies of impending rain.

Skies of the Lake

With this hot weather, the lake becomes an even more popular place especially to homes and camps along the shore. The day is spent welcoming family and friends that come to swim and picnic at your home and Manchaug's shores - and being a grandparent can make you and your home even more popular especially with the younger crowd! Such was the case here, so I didn't get the blog entry finished. But yesterday evening's boat ride, and for those of you skiing and tubing and fishing, taking the evening tour around the lake offered a showcase of beautiful skies to view. Let me share a few with you...

The Results are in... Manchaug WON!

Manchaug Pond voted THE MOST SCENIC body of water!

In a recent poll conducted by the Millbury-Sutton Chronicle, 54% of the participants chose Manchaug Pond out of 7 lakes and 1 river!
















Thank you to all those of you who took the time to head over to the Millbury-Sutton Chronicle website to vote for our Manchaug Pond! and thank you to our 3 guest photographers for their submissions of scenic Manchaug Pond!

So What Do You Do Early Sunday Morning?

Sunday morning early before the fishermen arrive at the boat ramp, before the newspaper is delivered, before churches opene their doors... Manchaug Pond is alive!



The mist rolls across the water and the skiers do their barefoot thing.



An the sky changes as a kayaker glides on the calm, mirror-like lake....



and even a hot-air balloon is seen in the distant sky.

Saturday Evening's Sky

Today at Manchaug Pond... A little work, a little rest.

Today the Town of Sutton Highway Department put some time in at the State Public Access Boat Ramp working on the main gate. Seems with time it had settled making it difficult to line up, lock and unlock. They also put more topsoil on the pervious pavers with talk of reseeding in the fall. This neck of the woods sure has been getting a lot of attention!



And later in the evening, the wind died down with a beautiful red sunset finishing the day.

Manchaug's Big Birds -How about this one!

Do you know this one? A few days ago this big bird circled and flew in dipping close to the road in front then going up to land on a neighboring house. Sat on the roof quite awhile looking around and sunning its wings. All was silent in the area including that rooster we often hear in the distance, and the small flock of chickens here went inside their coop.



Look at that distinctive head to help you identify....

Manchaug Pond and Tuesday's Morning Fog

About 6:30 Tuesday morning a fog rolled in to Manchaug Pond and the shoreline neighborhoods were wrapped in white. The water was calm and quiet with no boats on the water. But I said to myself, "Jeez, I can't report that... there are "Those opposed" who would have a field day with us being put a fog!"



But the fog had rolled in and I knew first hand that the MPA had kept its head - stayed on course these past few years working toward a solution to the waterlevel issue and yet not losing sight of our overall mission and other goals and priorities. We are seeing our s.319 grant through - bringing new technology to the watershed to get at the root causes of weed growth and poor water quality. The findings to our latest weed study are in and we continue to broaden our efforts in the watershed with groups concerned about land conservation, coldwater fisheries, wetlands protection, invasives and the river system as well as Manchaug Pond. Stabilization of the waterlevel has been achieved and an awareness of our 380 acre lake exist within the user community, the two towns and at the state level.... and then Joe and Doreen's comment on yesterday's post came in, and the reminder from a friend of the words of a long ago loved poem by Rudyard Kiplings
http://www.everypoet.com/archive/poetry/Rudyard_Kipling/kipling_if.htm

... so let the fog come and settle for a while and let the rains pelt upon us ... we will still be here when it is all said and done and they are long gone.



We are learning a lot about lake, and the watershed and making solid advances for this Great Pond ensuring its preservation for ourselves, the Commonwealth and for future generations.



Future posts will include: controlling geese, results of the weed study, big birds of Manchaug Pond, boating safety, update on the boat ramp rain garden, and anything else that comes along... is there anything you would like to talk about?

Monday Evening on the Water...

Beautiful Day for a Bike Ride

It was finally a beautiful morning and a perfect day for the Pan Mass Challenge which over 5,000 people from around the U.S. participated in to raise money for cancer research. It is a two day ride that starts in Sturbridge and ends up in Provincetown, 192 miles in all. While I was taking my early AM "coffee cup Tour d'Manchaug" kayak trip I could hear people saying "WOW, beautiful lake!!!" or "WOW, nice view!" as they came down Manchaug Rd. Kudos to everyone who participated or volunteered for the challenge and we look forward to seeing you next year! Click on the title of this post to learn more.