So What is Going On?

To start, here's a photo shot from Area 2 by our VP.
Thank you for the contribution!

So what is going on?! Well, to put it mildly, PLENTY!
Besides the usual calls that the lake is too high or too low, and "I'm calling from Florida - is the lake up yet since the dam repairs?", and the calls from Fuddy, the caretaker with Interface, on how much the dam is open and closed, the rainfall and snowmelt, and news on the mill, etc....

.... the Stormdrain Grant is a definite! The Federal/State Government will fund $129,000 for the MPA to reimburse the Towns of Douglas and Sutton as well as the engineering firm CEI as we oversee a number of projects around the lake which will address aquatic weed growth by reducing pollutants/runoff into the lake. We have been busy reviewing project scope of work drafts, sending in vendor and affirmative action requirements, and the MPA President has become handy with the pen signing contracts with DEP and CEI on behalf of the MPA. Personally, I am thankful for the expertise we have on the MPA Board of Directors, ie. a real certified public accountant for a treasurer to ensure proper recordkeeping and management of those monie$! The project time-frame started this week and goes into 2010.

.... The District Initiative has been the object of many meetings with the residents around the lake, friends and MPA members, with the MPA Board of Directors, and with the Towns of Douglas and Sutton whose support we seek before we go to the state legislature. In an effort to secure the Towns blessing... At our first meeting before the Sutton Board, State Rep. Jennifer Callahan noted its merits as well as our efforts getting the grant. But both Towns still are working to understand how a watershed district can work within the Town. Douglas has verbally granted their support but Sutton is still talking and asking questions. MPA attorney for the project, Walter Jabs Jr. and COLAP Representative Dick Johnston of Cedar Meadows Watershed District have provided hours of information to the town administrators and Boards of Selectman on our behalf as well as the Town Administrators and officials in the towns of Leicester and Spencer which have a number of districts they work with, but the Towns continue to scratch their heads about it all. The Town of Sutton has decided to call a meeting of people around the lake to get everyone's opinion. Their public meeting has been scheduled for Thursday, March 15th at 7 p.m. at the Sutton Senior Center on Hough Road. I'll get a hard copy to everyone in the mail this week. The Selectman want to hear from you as to the benefits of the district, at this meeting, in writing or one of their public forums.

This week I have also been reading dam safety reports the MPA secured last year on the Manchaug Pond dam. The MPA President read them a few months ago. They go back to 1991 and give alot details on the maitenance performed on the dam. Good shape it is!

More to come!

Sunset from Area 2

Thanks to our VP photographer!

Lots is happening with the grant, newsletter, and district. I'll get you the details soon!

Tired of the Cold...

For those of you who are tired of the cold, not into snowmobiles, hockey and the like, don't have a warm firesplace to sit by on a wintery day like today... don't despair! spring is on the way! Here are some photos from last summer on Manchaug Pond!

Sunday Photos!

The ice was beautiful for skating but most of the action was on dirt bikes, four wheelers and snowmobiles especially near the causeway.







Fishermen report the ice to be about 14-16 inches thick!

Dam Closed with One Inch of Flow

The dam here at Manchaug Pond has been closed down this weekend to 1 inch by the dam caretaker. Prior to this, the dam was opened a couple inches to take the water down so the docks are not in the water/ice. The dam now can't be closed down more than an 1 inch as to maintain a flow for the creatures downstream :)

Today provided a beautiful day with CROWDS of people enjoying the ice!

Did you see that!?

Whoa! What was that about? Just as I was signing in to post a message, a huge plane just flew over, very low, over Manchaug Pond, over my house, and heading south. It was low, big and dark! Sorry for the lack of technical adjectives - my husband the Marine veteran of the Vietnam War was in the cellar and missed the whole thing! Those are the words of the wife with the degree in Plant and Soil Science, the 9 year old daughter and the 16 mos old grandson. It definitely looked military and it immediately brought to mind "The Bombing of Blueberry Island", an article written by a Founding Father of the MPA which appeared in the last MPA newsletter. I didn't have time to turn on the digital camera to get you a picture before it was gone. If you got a photo or have any info let me know!

Catching the Big Winner!

The state's top anglers will receive special honors on Feb. 10 at the Eastern Fishing and Outdoor Exposition at the DCU Center in Worcester. I didn't notice any winners from Manchaug Pond but I did notice that fish caught in our waters could have had a
chance. For instance the neighbor's grandson caught a 6lb + bass when he was 10 years old. For the youth pin a minimum weight of 4 lbs is required for a bass and who knows who will enter.

Every fish caught at our dock is a winner! Big or small it is a thrill. Fish
are named and thrown back in to lure out another day or in 5 minutes if
they are hungry :)) This fish was caught this summer. A beauty by any
standards!


Click the title of this post to get the list of winners, the requirements for the program, and the weight stations to
bring in your prize fish. And send me photos of your prize catch!

Super Bowl Sunday

Sunshine, but cold and breeezey.

Snow means Snowmobiles!

Finally snow! and on the lake, snow means SNOWMOBILES! and four, three and two wheelers!
Saturday, quite a few came from the boat ramp as well as the a few cottages around the lake.

How many snowmobiles does a trailer like that hold? Four?

Life on the Lake

Having raised 4 children on the lake, over the years I have to say I have never heard any of them say they were bored. The lake certainly is the center of activity no matter what the season! Here's more photos from Sunday:

How about 4 wheeling and a visit with neighbors!


or ice skating!


or snowmobiling!


or snowboarding!?


or ice fishing!


or cross-country ice skating!?


or your own fishing derby!


Whatever the fun, we are always a little sad when we have to go home!


Manchaug Pond, a great place to be!

Sunday a Great day on the Lake!

Great day on the lake today: Blue sky, sunshine, little wind, and good ice!
Area 1 (the homes before Holbrook') and the south cove of Areas 5 and 6 had plenty of socializing ice fishing and snowmobiling. The rest of the lake was quiet except for some ice skating & hockey at a couple homes in Area 7 & 8. I also saw the four wheeler of Area 8 riding along the shore.

Dam Still Open

The dam is open with the Interface dam caretaker watching our docks
so the ice does freeze around them. The dam is open 6" which
is more than the usual 2 inches at this of the year.

We have noticed a number of duck swimming and eating in the flow between Manchaug
and Steven's. I figure they are enjoying the peace of the water there
under the cover of the trees. Area 2 reports that the seagulls this
year are quite aggressive with a member witnessing an attack of a visiting merganser duck.

Ice Fisherman Hit the Lake

Manchaug Pond, with this cold spell, has a thin coat of ice on it - enough for the ice fisherman to be out on the lake in the area in front of the dam. Clearly not thick enough for me :)

Ice on the Lake

This just in from a photographer in Area 2! With this cold spell this week (morning temperatures in the teens), ice has finally been forming on the lake. Later in the day, the wind opened up this "river".

Email your photos - we'd love to see them! Remember we have members in 30 communities other than Douglas and Sutton and from 7 states with some "overwintering" in Florida. They love "seeing" how the lake looks each day.

Dam Owner Keeps Water Level High

Manchaug Pond is at high water levels for this time of year, with the gate repaired and low water a distant memory.


The dam owner called this week to give the MPA the inside info on how they're handling this unusual winter with no snow cover. (Of course, its snowing as I write this!) First of all, Fuddy, the caretaker will have you know that in his 23 years at this job that this is very unusual to have no snow by mid-January. The plan is to keep the water as high as possible, without ice damage to docks, in case we have a dry spring. Without snow cover we won't have a spring melt to bring us up.

In the meantime, we have been getting plenty of rain and a frozen ground that means plenty of run-off. The first week in January we recieved 2 inches of rain which brought the lake up 20 inches. In response, Fuddy had the gate opened 18 inches.

This week he had the gate back to two inches and was monitoring the weather channel for the possibility of rain - ready to open it up again. "No one watches the Weather Channel as much as I do! Its on all day!" Fuddy reports.

Look to the Sky... Eagles!

The sky above Manchaug Pond has been the focus the last few weeks with a number of eagles hunting our waters. A member from Area 2 reported spotting two immature eagles feeding at Blueberry Island and circling the other islands of the lake on Christmas Eve. Since then other members from Areas 2, 3 and 8 have reported seeing 2 immatures and 1 adult soaring, hunting, and perched high in the trees.

The giant and majestic adult pictured here was caught this week circling high over a chicken coop in Area 3. After about 5 minutes of checking out the coop, it headed toward Steven's Pond.



For a closer look at an adult Bald Eagle click on to the title of this entry and it will take you to the recent Worcester Telegram article on the recent count results held each year in Massachusetts.

Also if you have any photos you would like to share, email them to me at phyllis@abragraphics.net and I will post them here for all to see! Did anyone get a close-up shot or get a new camera lens for Christmas! :)

HAPPY NEW YEAR MANCHAUG POND!!

Happy New Year! 2007! Time sure does fly!


With 2007, the Manchaug Pond Association celebrates 40 years of service to the lake, the year-round and seasonal residents, and to the community. The MPA was formed in 1967 to "the promote the welfare and correct use of Manchaug Pond and the contiguous area."

2007 promises to be a full year for the MPA with two MAJOR projects to bring to fruition. First, to oversee the implementation of the federal EPA storm drain grant we secured in 2006. The project brings $129,000 to the MPA to build storm drains, catch basins and the like on the roads around Manchaug Pond and to develop educational materials and programs for residents and businesses operating in the watershed. The benefits are long-term with specific measures designed to reduce nuisance aquatic weed growth and improve water quality. The engineering firm of CEI (Comprehensive Environmental Inc.) will oversee the technical and reporting end of things, the Highway Departments of the towns of Douglas and Sutton will do the work on the roads and at the state boat ramp and MPA volunteers will work with CEI on the educational component.

Secondly, the MPA will continue the effort to form a municipal watershed district for the lake area. This will directly give the lake a stronger presence within the two towns, will empower us to act quickly and effectively on future issues, and will open doors for future grants monies available only to municipal entities. The MPA Board of Directors began in February of 2006 looking at the best options for the future of the lake and met again in May consulting the Congress of Lake and Pond Associations (COLAP) and the Cedar Meadow Lake Watershed Association. They voted unanimously to bring the municipal district option to the membership. Informational public meetings were held in June (with the District Clerk of Cedar Meadows Watershed District speaking to the pros and cons & ins and outs) and in August with the many in attendance voting unanimously at both meetings in support of the formation of a Manchaug Pond District. A third public meeting was held in December with the MPA President giving a PowerPoint presentation on the initiative and the attorney hired by the MPA to spearhead the process answered questions asked by those in attendence. The MPA also met in June with the newly formed Whitin Reservoir Association, who is also looking to form a district.

Again, 2007 promises to be an exciting year!

Dam closed to 1 inch - Water is high.

Fuddy reports closing the gate to 1 inch on Sunday. He has Whitins open 3 inches. He found this to be his easiest year yet with no hurricanes hitting the area.

On the sale of the mill and three dams, he hasn't heard anything new. He says the dam owner is still trying to find a buyer who wants the whole package. Machines are still being taken out of the mill. Four large heater units have been brought in to heat the mill so the pipes do freeze. The propane blowers are outside the building and are cheaper than hiring staff to fire up the boilers all winter.

On the dams, the Douglas Board of Selectman told the MPA, that while they are not interested in ownership of any of the dams, they do want a written agreement with the future owner(s) that the 16 cubic feet per second flow will be maintained for their town's sewerage treatment plant.

Watershed District Topic of Meeting Set for Thursday

This Thursday, December 14th at 7:00 p.m. all those interested in Manchaug Pond and the MPA's initiative to form a Watershed District are invited to the church hall at St. Anne's Church on Main St in Manchaug across from Bek's Fuels. The MPA President will make a PowerPoint presentation explaining the mission, goals and objectives of the MPA members' call to form the municipal district. Further he and the Treasurer, in working with the District Clerk of the long existing Cedar Meadow Lake Watershed District have worked up an initial budget for the first year and the estimated cost to the pond abutters and those with water rights. Attorney Walter Jabs, hired by the MPA to spearhead this effort, will attend outlining the draft legislation and bylaws which will set the framework for the district. This action is driven by the MPA membership who voted unanimously at two meetings earlier this year to pursue formation of the municipal district.

All interested are invited and encouraged to attend. Bring questions, concerns and thoughts, as the purpose of this meeting is to provide factual information to all.

This meeting is the rescheduled from November where a blackout in Manchaug and

Manchaug Pond Indian Artifacts in Museum

Do you like arrowheads? Did you find a few while the water level was down?

This week a long time member and resident of Manchaug Pond from Area 2 brought to our attention the fact that a large collection of Indian artifacts from Manchaug Pond are on exhibit at The Robbins Museum in Middleboro.

Here's the details this member provides to all of you:

"WHAT? Indian Artifacts from the Central Massachusetts collection of C.C. Ferguson

WHERE? Massachusetts Archaeological Society at the Robbins Museum of Archaeology 17 Jackson St., Middleboro, Mass. Weds. 9-4 and Sat. 10-2. (Click title for link or call 508-947-9005 for direction and information.)

WHEN? Now through Spring 07'

NOTE: The bulk of C.C. Fergusons's collection comes from Manchaug Pond and downstream along the Mumford River. His collecting done in the 1920's, 1930's and 1940's and is the most complete of Manchaug Pond ever put together.

C.C. was a graduate of Harvard College, an educator and many years Superintendent of Schools in Millbury Mass.

A must see for anyone interested in the antiquities of Manchaug Pond."

H.A.