Our Spectators are the Best! in the 2012 Boat Decorating Contest

Our Manchaug Pond spectators were spectacular!

From the shore came salutes and thumbs-up to the lead boat,  more than one Yabba Dabba Doo!, blasts on the air horns, and the D.J. at King's announcing there was a shark in the water!

Here's a few photos of our spectators:

Floating dock at the Old Holbrook's Campground

Holdbrook's Campground and the Bathtime entry.

The floating dock at King's Family Campground.

They loved all the entries and we loved all the enthusiasm!

3rd Annual Boat Decorating Contest 2012

Our 3rd Annual Boat Decorating Contest was another real crowd-pleaser!

The judges have made their decision..

1st Place goes to JAWS!  

The screaming, flailing, "bleeding" victim won the judges with her extraordinary and continuous performance!

JAWS!

JAWS! seen later in the day...

2nd Place goes to Christmas in July with Santa sleigh pulled by two red jetski reindeers!

Christmas in July

Christmas in July

and 3rd Place to Breast Cancer Awareness

Breast Cancer Awareness

and the other great entries...

 beginning with the 28 ft lead boat, Support Our Troops Flag Ship

Support Our Troops Flag Ship

Bath Time

The Flintstones

Blueberry Island Cruise Ship

Chaug Vegas with Elvis

Construction

Patriotic Bentley with Sports!

Stay tuned... judges comments and more details to come  :)

What's your theme? 2012 Boat Decorating Contest - Saturday, June 30th, 2pm

What are you thinking.....  maybe something...

with the flag for the 4th?

  Patriotic?

or a bit nautical and nasty -  like Pirates?

 

Sports related ?

how about a Party theme?

educational or about watershed wildlife?

or let's relive the 60's? or the 70's or some other time?

how about lake-related issues?

Tell us what you are thinking.  Register today!
boat.decorating.contest@gmail.com
Include Captain's name, theme and boat make and model.

Annual Spring Social is ON for Saturday Morning!

Calling all members and friends of Manchaug Pond Foundation!

 

 Come together this Saturday morning at 10:30 am for our Annual Spring Social!

meet old and new lake neighbors and friends;

get an update on MPF issues/action from the waterlevel and dam to the new water quality grant app

and on upcoming events from the Boat Decorating Contest to the Weed Id Training;  

elect the Board of Directors, purchase flares and t-shirts

 and all over a cup or two of coffee and pastry!

Meeting will be held at the YMCA Camp Blanchard Dining Hall, Manchaug Road, Sutton.

Old members and friend may renew their membership while new, may join at this time. :)

See you there!

2012 Boat Decorating Contest

3RD ANNUAL 
BOAT DECORATING CONTEST

Saturday, JUNE 30th at 2:00PM 

Join in on the fun!! 

Get creative and decorate your vessel, big or small! 


All boats are welcome to participate; kayak, canoe, pedal boat, bow rider, pontoon, you got it -- decorate it!


This is turning out to be a competitive, fun lake favorite for participants and spectators alike. Hope you, your family and friends will join in the procession! It'll be interesting to see the decorating themes entered in this year's contest. Competition is imaginative and fierce!


Register your boat to qualify for prizes,
email: boat.decorating.contest@gmail.com or
call: 508.234.9239.

SATURDAY - Vessel Safety Check!

Saturday,   June 9th      VESSEL SAFETY CHECK 

Free, educational and all are welcome!

Does your boat have this sticker?

Bring your vessel(s) - canoe or kayak, sail or motorboat- for a free inspection by the Worcester County Sail and Power Squadron.

Receive your official sticker certifying your vessel is safe.

Manchaug Pond state Boat Ramp on Saturday, 9 June from 9:00 A.M. to around noon.

Boats can be on trailers or in the water. Bring one or bring them all!

The ramp is located on Torrey Road in Sutton MA.

42* 05.473' N

71* 46.118' W

Program brought to you by:
the Manchaug Pond Foundation and the Worcester County Sail and Power Squadron

Hope you'll join us!  Guaranteed to have a good time!

Friday,   May 18th            ROCKIN' SPRING FLING

8 pm to Midnight, Live music featuring FINAL NOTICE

Dudley-Gendron Post 414, 156 Boston Road, Sutton

Live Band,   Dancing,   Cash Bar,   Snacks,  lots of Raffles

Admission $10/pp. For tickets email MPFSpringFling@gmail.com

All Proceeds benefit Manchaug Pond   

Join in for the Annual Spring Cleanup!

Saturday, May 5th          SPRING CLEANUP

 of Boat Ramp, Roadsides and Shoreline

Join the Board of Directors for this annual event in preparation for the summer season!  

Take pride in Manchaug Pond!  

Give a hoot! Don't pollute!

9 am to noon

Garbage bags and gloves provided. 
Meet at the state boat ramp on Torrey Rd. 

Your time will be used toward the MPF's match requirement for future s. #319 Stormwater Grant

Sacred Sunday - Fishing and Flashboards

Gate Closed: Let the melting begin.

Where the cool cats hang out on Manchaug Pond!

 

Thanks to the photographer who sent this in!

Sacred Sunday - A lake not frozen

Never mind the groundhog! Look at last winter at this time...

Manchaug Boat Ramp on Town Agenda

An agreement concerning the Manchaug Pond state boat ramp has been worked out between MassWildlife and the town of Sutton.  January 17, 2012 the Sutton Board of Selectman reviewed and approved the details as follows:

1. Fee structure of $6 for in state and $12 for out of state users. (no change)
2. User fees collected 24/7 (new- expands from seasonal weekends to daily, year round)
3. Lockbox/honor system for collection (new)
4. Police patrols, with fines for non-payment.

Discussion noted the fees as another revenue source for not only the maintainance of the ramp and quality of the lake but for the maintenance of the dam.  "No dam, no need for the ramp."

The Manchaug Pond Foundation is continuing to work closely with the town on this new arrangement.

Snowfall

Why Did the Turkey Cross the Road?

Why did the turkeys cross Manchaug Road?

..... to get to the Y basketball courts at Camp Blanchard!

Ice Forming

Ice is seriously forming on Manchaug Pond as seen from Area 1 off Manchaug Road at the big rock.

Many are dreaming of ice fishing, hockey, snowmobiling, snowshoe, crosscountry skiing, 4 wheeling and more...

The big picture - Mass Bass Federation Conservation Director Speaks Out

Of interest is the following editorial appearing in the Worcester Telegram written by a friend of Manchaug Pond, Eric Kaplan the Conservation Director of the Mass Bass Federation:

Tuesday, January 10, 2012
 AS I SEE IT

A win for the environment

By Erik Kaplan

The problem is serious. More than 500 power plants in the U.S. belch 48 tons of mercury pollution each year.

During the recent holiday season, most Americans were busy making their lists and checking them twice, and weren’t paying attention to whether Congress was being naughty or nice. Fortunately, President Obama and the Environmental Protection Agency gave us a big dose of holiday cheer — new limits on mercury and other toxic air pollutants that spew out of coal and oil-fired power plants.

Some in Congress are still preparing to deliver the proverbial “lump of coal” not just to our stockings, but to our lungs, to our airways and, most frighteningly, to our children’s brains, by blocking clean air safeguards against harmful air pollution from mercury and other pollutants. But the Obama administration’s action will make it a bit harder for polluters and their allies to threaten our health.

The problem is serious. More than 500 power plants in the U.S. belch 48 tons of mercury pollution each year. That mercury falls into our waterways through rain and snow, washes off the land and builds up in fish and the animals that consume fish — other fish, black ducks, loons, eagles and humans.

Mercury is a potent neurotoxin that is especially dangerous to children and pregnant women. Mercury exposure affects a child’s ability to walk, talk, read, write and learn. Until now, there were no national limits to how much toxic mercury pollution a coal plant could pump into the air. The mercury contamination problem in the U.S. is so widespread that up to one in ten women of childbearing age is likely to have mercury levels in her blood high enough to put her baby at risk for mercury poisoning.

Every angler and hunter knows that a successful outdoor experience depends on a healthy environment. Yet every state has a fish consumption advisory for mercury. Almost half of U. S. lakes and reservoirs have mercury amounts exceeding safe levels. Massachusetts has 125 bodies of water where the fish can’t be eaten at all, or can be eaten only in small amounts and infrequently. Nearly all fish and shellfish contain traces of mercury, according to EPA. Who wants to take home a mercury-laden fish for dinner?

The new limits will cut mercury emissions from power plants by 91 percent, acid gas pollution by 91 percent, and particulate matter by 30 percent. These reductions, combined with the forthcoming “cross-state” rule, will translate into $340 billion in reduced health care costs and healthier lives. In addition to mercury and arsenic, power plants emit lead, other heavy metals, dioxin and acid gases that threaten public health. Even in small amounts these pollutants are linked to cancer, heart disease, neurological damage, birth defects, asthma attacks and premature death.

This could prevent up to 11,000 heart attacks and 120,000 asthma attacks a year and save more than 17,000 lives over the next year alone. In fact, the health benefits associated with these updated standards are $59 billion to $140 billion in 2016. This means that for every dollar spent to reduce pollution from power plants, we get $5 to $13 in health benefits.

The truth is simple: Industry leaders and their Washington lobbyists don’t care about our kids; they only care about their bottom line. But for me and for parents everywhere, the bottom line is the health and safety of our kids. We need to protect the clean air and public health policies that work for our families and protect our kids. We need to do everything we can to reduce harmful air pollution from toxics like mercury and arsenic and oppose the big polluters who say our kids aren’t worth the cost of reducing these dangerous emissions. I applaud the Obama administration for taking bold steps to do just that.

Erik Kaplan is the President of the Massachusetts Bass Federation.

 

Sacred Sunday

Ring-necked Ducks visiting Manchaug Pond on New Year's Eve

Ringed-neck Pheasant on Manchaug Pond

You never know what, or who, you will see when you look our your window here in the watershed of Manchaug Pond! Today, walking casually down the road, was a new bird this writer had yet to see this close to the lake:  a ringed-neck pheasant!

He walked down the road, across a neighbors lawn, along the shore to the water's edge, stood on a rock to look around, and then flew across the channel over to the other side.

 

Here's a close up:

Did you know their feathers are used in fly tying!

Winner of Patriots Raffle Has A "Very Good Time"

Our recent fundraiser, the Patriots Ticket Raffle, not only brought in needed funds for our effort to preserve our water level, but also great excitement for those buying and selling tickets as well as the winner and his guests!

4 tickets were presented to the holder of winning ticket # 200 (the last ticket printed!)

Thank you to all who participated and to the Patriots for winning this game!