Salute! Yesterday was Flag Day!

Flags fly high and proud on Manchaug Pond!

Makes me think to look ahead, as in less than a month we will celebrate our nation's birth on July 4th. Decorate your boat, your home, or both! We'll post photos! Also mark your calendar for the lighting of flares around the shore will take place on July 3rd with flares available at the area campground stores or from your area representatives.

Also mark down the Annual Meeting scheduled for Saturday, August 18th. The menu, speaker and other details are being worked out. At the last board meeting, it was actually brought up that we should forget about the brownies from Helen's bakery and go with ice cream! Another individual suggested, since our chef sold her home on the lake, that we have grinders from a local pizza place rather than our traditional hamburgers, hotdogs and corn on the cob! 40 years of success and now a suggestion to change the menu! Radical, don't you think!

ACTUALLY, email your suggestions right here and we'll get them to the Board of Directors!!

(I need to figure out how to put one of those survey/polls on the blog!)

Lake Quiet!

The lake remains quiet except for the roar of the bass boats on weekend mornings. Why the quiet, well the weather is cool and the children are still in school so families are not yet camping and down at their summer homes.

Jetski accidents on Indian Lake and Lake Quinsigamond have been the recent buzz in the newspapers. Inexperienced and young operators are often sighted as the reason for the crashes. We have the potential for the same sort of thing here on Manchaug Pond with new operators coming off the boat ramp. Generally the operators living on the lake have years of experience with boats, the layout of the lake and those rocks and walls, and the traffic patterns and busy areas.

Click this link or the title of this post to review boat safety regulations in Massachusetts or to take the FREE online Boat Safety Test/Certificate!

http://www.boaterexam.com/usa/massachusetts/

Why Did the Snapper Cross the Road?

... to get back to the lake!

This beauty was crossing Parker Road in Sutton this afternoon headed down the bank to the area just after the dam between Manchaug and Stevens Ponds. I suspect this is a female who has laid her eggs in the lawn of the first home on the left as you are heading to the village of Manchaug. The previous owner was a friend who would call us each year to watch the young snappers emerge from the sand at the edge of the lawn and run down her driveway heading for water.

If you read your latest issue of Massachusetts Wildlife you would know that "snappers rarely leave the water except to lay their eggs or to move between wetlands." The article reports the findings of a recent study conducted in Grafton, Massachusetts on turtle road mortality.

Click the title of this post to be linked to www.masswildlife.org. It is a great publication - beautiful photographs and interesting articles - also one of the editors is a regular here at Manchaug Pond. My husband met him one sunny winter day ice fishing.

View of Manchaug Pond from Space :)

Click the link (the title of this post) for a satellite view of Manchaug Pond. This is the watershed which feeds water into our lake. Note the islands, and the sandbar which is all that is left to Blueberry Island. Remember that years ago back to the original level of the lake, that the island/sandbar was part of the mainland! What highwater can do!

If you zoom in you can find your house but you won't be able to see if someone is in your driveway as the photo is not from today - no leaves on the trees! :))

Zoom out for a better view of Stevens Pond or even further yet of Whitin Reservoir and beyond!

Healthy Lawns and Landscapes in Your Watershed

May 16th or so, our MPA 1st Vice President attended a MA Department of Environmental Protection workshop in Marlboro titled Healthy Lawn and Landscapes in Your Watershed.

She brought back a lot of information which the MPA will be bring to you - basics on "how to improve water quality, preserve water supply and save time and money on your yard." Specifically you will receive helpful info on caring for your lawn, effective alternatives to pesticides and chemical fertilizers, composting, plantings of grasses, shrubs and trees to eliminate run-off and more, more, more.

Here's a sample of a few basic tips on
MOWING YOUR LAWN:

~Mow only when the grass is dry to get a clean cut and minimize the spread of disease.

~Mow grass to a height of 2 1/2-3 inches (3" is best!) as the longer the grass, the more water is retained and the longer the roots of your lawn will be making it stronger and more tolerant. Keeping you grass longer also may allow it to outcompete weeds thus reducing the need for herbicides. Hand pick dandelions and other broadleaf weed from your lawn as you spot them - No need for costly weed killers!

~Sharpen mower blades every year to avoid damaging individual grass blades. A clean cut helps prevent disease in the lawn.

~Do NOT dispose of grass clippings in or near the lake. The clippings will break down and encourage the growth of algae which depletes the oxygen in the water and impacts fish and other aquatic species. Leave clippings on the lawn or compost them.

This is all brought to you as part of the Manchaug Pond Nonpoint Source Pollution Improvement Poject courtesy of your MPA and the Mass DEP under a 319 s. Non Point Source Pollution Grant Award.

Wildflowers, Owls and the Old Snapping Turtle in Area 7

Area 7 boasts an owl, a massive old snapping turtle swimming, as well as wildflowers along the roadsides. Here's a few of the flowers to be seen.

Can you name them?

Found!

A sign at the Manchaug Pond Public Boat Ramp still advertises the finding of a 14 K gold man's wedding ring. Give the inscription and it is yours!

Friday's Calm Before the Weekend!

Massachusetts Safe Boating Week May 19-25

Manchaug Pond has been quiet this week. Did you know it is Safe Boating Week in Massachusetts. Here's the official press release!



State Officials Urge Bay Staters to Observe Boat Safety Rules May 19-25 is Massachusetts Safe Boating Week

BOSTON – With Memorial Day and the start of the summer recreation season fast approaching, Energy and Environmental Affairs Secretary Ian Bowles and the Massachusetts Environmental Police (MEP) kicked off Safe Boating Week by urging Massachusetts residents to wear life jackets and observe other boating laws and guidelines.

“While it is a great form of recreation, boating can be risky if precautionary measures are not taken to protect oneself, family and friends…We encourage all boaters to ‘Boat Smart from the Start,’” states a proclamation signed by Gov. Deval Patrick to declare May 19-25 Safe Boating Week in Massachusetts.

In addition to wearing life jackets, officials urged boaters to take a safety course, stay sober while boating, and make sure their boats are reliable and in good repair.

“As an avid boater myself, I know people are eager to get onto the Commonwealth’s waterways at this time of year. By taking a few important precautions, boaters can have fun but also stay safe,” Secretary Bowles said.

According to MEP Director James Hanlon, there were nine fatalities from boating accidents in Massachusetts last year. Eight were drownings and none of the victims wore a life jacket. Nationally, hundreds of people drown in boating-related accidents each year, and eight out of every ten victims were not wearing life jackets. In Massachusetts, the past decade has seen 95 boating fatalities. Hanlon said this is a one-third reduction from the previous ten-year period – an improvement attributed to expansion of boater education and marine enforcement, and safer boats and related equipment.

“Wearing a life jacket is the most important factor between life and death in many boating accidents,” said Hanlon.

Massachusetts law requires children under age 12 and all jet-ski riders and water-skiers to wear approved life jackets when boats are under way. The Commonwealth’s boating laws also prohibit anyone under age 12 from operating a motorboat unless accompanied and directly supervised by a competent person 18 years of age or older. Youths aged 12 through 15 must complete an approved basic boating course before operating a motorboat without adult supervision. Operating any vessel under the influence of alcohol or drugs is prohibited.

The Environmental Police encourage boaters of all ages to take a safe boating course. For a schedule of state-run boating courses, as well as links to state- and nationally-approved course providers and other safe boating organizations, visit www.state.ma.us/dfwele/dle/dlecours.htm.
###

So What's Happening? The Non-Point Source Pollution Grant Project and Sutton Election

Hello All!

Life has been busy both on the personal front and with the MPA so I haven't had much time for blog entries.

Let me get you up to date on our Grant Project:

Four of our Board members attended a Start-up Meeting kicking off the s.319 Nonpoint Source Pollution Grant Project. This award is made possible under Section 319 of the Clean Water Act to address prevention, control and abatement of nonpoint source poolution. The April 9th meeting was held at the Milford office of CEI (Comprehensive Enviromental Incorporated) with two engineers assigned to our Manchaug Pond Improvement Project. CEI will provide $56,000 in consulting design and engineering services to the MPA and the Towns of Douglas and Sutton over the course of the 3 year project. All services from CEI will be paid for by federal funds.

This spring is slated for the engineering and design of the stormwater best management practices (BMP) at the 7 priority locations identified around the lake. These include 5 in Sutton on Manchaug Road and the Public Boat Ramp and 2 in Douglas on Oak Street. Specifically, 3 locations on Manchaug Road will see vegetative swale restabilization and plunge pools designed to prevent erosion and filter nutrient carrying water from the watershed before entering the lake. Another Manchaug Road site will see 2 leaching catch basins with a crushed stone bed. The fifth Sutton site, the Public Boat Ramp, will see a bioretention area (a special designed shrub garden to collect run off waters before they reach the lake), 2 leaching catch basins, a plunge pools and a vegetated swale with a gabion check dam. Sounds impressive doesn't it! A ride through the boat ramp shows the steep, paved slope of the parking lot, and the area which drains it all into the lake. The two Douglas sites will include plow pull-off restabilization, 2 plunge pools and vegetated swale restablization.

Summer and Fall of 2007 and into 2008 is slated for the construction of these BMPs by the Douglas and Sutton Town Highway Departments. This grant is bringing in over $64,000 in funds to the towns for construction materials. The towns'existing staff's labor and equipment will be used to complete this part of the project and as part of our matching component.


On another note: tomorrow, May 22nd, is an election day in Sutton. Don't forget to get out there and vote. A proposition 2 1/2 override is on the ballot as well as a question to require the town to once again plow ALL town roads. My road is actually one which will be effected by the outcome of this vote - plowed and graded by the town for decades, two years ago Sutton decided not to plow certain private roads - mine included. I can't tell you how important this one is! My grandson who lives on a private road on the Douglas side of the lake was taken one evening to the hospital - I thank the Town of Douglas for plowing those snowy roads making it possible for the ambulance to get through!

Also on the ballot is a Board of Selectman election. Retired Police Chief John Hebert is running against incumbent Bob Kneeland. You'll remember Chief Hebert attended past MPA Annual Meetings with then Town Administrator Pat Nedorosik. Mrs. Nedorosik worked with us to get the Town's okay on this Grant and Chief Hebert has supported the lake Boat Patrol Program and changed the Public Boat Ramp's opening hours from 6 a.m. to 7 a.m. A change we greatly appreciate on the Sat. and Sunday morning as bass boats roar out of the channel!

Enjoy this sunshine! Talk to you tomorrow!

Photo of Manchaug Pond a Winner!

If you didn't receive a complimentary issue of the NEW AND IMPROVED Millbury-Sutton Chronicle, check it out online by clicking the title of this post and turn to page 31 for a beautiful photo of the lake taken by one of our members!

Titled "Drawdown on Lake Manchaug", the photo was submitted as part of the Bi-Community Amateur Photo Contest presented by the Millbury and Sutton Cultural Councils.

Great!

Good Morning Manchaug Pond!

I'm back and spring is here in full force! Manchaug Pond's signs of spring: high water, the weekend roar of bass boats announcing 7 a.m., temperatures in the 80's, the spring peepers singing around the lake their nightly songs, marsh marigolds providing the bright yellow along side the skunk cabbage in the watershed, and the simple white blooms of wild dogwood flowering along the road/woodsides... not to mention more company, my children & grandchildren swimming every day and sand on the kitchen floor which needs to be swept twice a day!

Also, my neighbor reports the first boat of the season hit the wall this morning.

Waterlevel Stablizes at 3 '' Over Full

Here's an update on the water level for those of you who can't just look out the window!

As of yesterday we are 3 inches over full but the height of the water on Manchaug Pond had leveled off, with no change reported in a 24 hour period.

Last Saturday morning while the sun was shining and before the rains came, the low flow gate was opened to the max. It remained open as the rains came down bringing 5 inches or more to the area. The significant run-off from a saturated soil of the watershed accounts for heavy water running into the lake and the considerable increase in the level. With the lake on a steady rise and an over full level, flooding was the concern. - some homeowners already reporting damage to docks and sunk boats. Weds morning a board was taken out of the spillway to further arrest the rising waters. Thursday morning's reading showed success with no increase in the water level.

Driving around the lake earlier in the week, on Manchaug Road in Sutton and on Oak Street, Douglas, I could see how the storm drain grant will not only benefit the lake but also the roadways where large puddles form and streams of water slow traffic and make for ice conditions in cooler temperatures.

Blue skys, warmer temperatures, and no rain are in sight for the weekend. Last evening I watched an eagle circle and glide high above the treetops over Torrey Road for quite a while and then head across the lake toward Area 8. Seems this magestic bird was also enjoying the spring sunshine.

Bald Eagle Preliminary Count

MassWildlifeNEWS
Released January 29, 2007
BALD EAGLE PRELIMINARY COUNT FIGURES

"Preliminary eagle count reports from a concentrated surveying effort on January 5, 2007, by MassWildlife staff and volunteer observers resulted in 49 American Bald Eagles and 1 Golden Eagle. This event was part of a two week nationwide Midwinter Bald Eagle Survey conducted annually in January. Sightings from observers and other interested citizens are still coming into the office. These reports will be compiled and analyzed at a later date.

A tally of eagle sightings by area from the January 5th survey are as follows: 21 --Quabbin Reservoir (16 adults, 5 immature); 11 -- CT River (adults); 2 -- Westfield River (adults); 1 -- Sandisfield (adult); 1 -- Blandford (adult); 2-- Wachusett Reservoir (adults); 3 -- Merrimack River (adults); 6 -- Lakeville/Middleboro area (4 adults, 2 immature); 2 -- Watuppa Pond, Fall River (adults); 1 -- Westport River, Westport (adult); 1 -- Great Herring Pond, Plymouth (adult). The Golden eagle and two new eagle nests were seen at the Quabbin Reservoir. As of 2006, there were at least 25 known nesting territories in the state with successful fledging of 16 eaglets.

Eagle restoration efforts have been funded over the years from a number of sources; funding has come from the former Bank of Boston, and hunting and fishing license fees (Massachusetts' Inland Fish & Game Fund), the Natural Heritage & Endangered Species Fund, as well as support from National Grid, federal aid from the US Fish and Wildlife Service and the Massachusetts Audubon Society. Citizens who wish to contribute to other protection and restoration efforts for important rare wildlife and their habitat can donate directly to the Natural Heritage & Endangered Species Fund or contribute on the "endangered wildlife conservation" line on your Massachusetts income tax form with all such contributions being deposited into the Fund. To those who have donated over the years: Thank You! For those who haven't, please join us in supporting this important wildlife conservation effort."

http://www.masslive.com/weblogs/print.ssf?/mtlogs/mass_therepublican/archives/print222338.html



http://www.firstlightpower.com/eagles/default.asp

Water Over the Causeway

The waterlevel is up! The two inches plus of rain and the inch of snow
cover has the water level up so that the causeway wall is under water
and the Big Rock at the other end of the lake as of yesterday only had
about 6 inches showing. The water is roaring out of the Manchaug dam but
the dam at Sutton Falls is also roaring. The water coming in, rain, snow melt and runoff from the watershed is bringing us ever closer to full! (Remember Lycott Environmental told us our lake was fed by runoff from the watershed not spring fed.)

Also the spring newsletter is in the making. If you would like to submit an
article, historical piece, question to the Skipper or an editorial, children's piece,
classified advertisement or announcement - all are welcome! I did have two individuals ask if their name could be left off their submission. Fine by me, but please be sure to credit original authors, or references for historical pieces, and quotes.

Why the Grant for a Non-point Source Pollution Project?

Many may think the lake is in great shape but those who have enjoyed it's waters for 20, 30 or more years tell a different story. "You could see the bottom clearly!" and less weeds!

Today's Telegram and Gazette ran an article about new EPA regulations and the Route 20 sewage treatment plant. "Environmental officials have attributed low oxygen levels in the bay (Narragansett Bay in Rhodes Island) to the Blackstone River, and in part to the wastewater treatment facility and to companies that border the river," the article reports. There is some debate whether or not the treatment plant is really to blame. The concern is the "release of nitrogen and phosphorus nutrients which increase algae and other plant life that, when the die, reduce oxygen in the water."

What does this have to do with Manchaug Pond, you ask? Well, let me quote a description from our grant project: "The Pond (Manchaug) is 303d listed impaired by organic enrichment, low dissolved oxygen, and noxious aquatic plants and exotic species. Manchaug Pond directly feeds the Mumford River, which leads to the Blackstone River, both rivers are also 303d waterbodies." Now clearly the Route 20 facility has nothing to do with us, but our lake is suffering similar problems and feeds both the Blackstone and the Bay. The grant project directly targets the primary causes of water quality problems in the pond. The first component of the project identifies seven prioritized sites, 5 in Sutton and 2 in Douglas, where roadway runoff will be controlled and filtered. This will reduce nutrients, sediments and erosion.

Three other components of the project will use education as a means of reducing and or eliminating other nonpoint pollution stemming from homeowner practices and horsekeeping activies.

A spokesman for the EPA was quoted in the Telegram as saying of the Blackstone and the Bay, "It's a less healthy ecosystem. It's not able to sustain the eco-life and fish and water systems that you would want to see."

The MPA continues to fulfill its mission statement: "To promote the welfare and correct use of Manchaug Pond and the contiguous area."

A Boat Ramp in the News

Manchaug Pond Public Boat Ramp Winter 2007


Today I found an interesting article in the Worcester Telegram which
tells of an effort to build a boat launch at South Meadow Pond in
Clinton. What I found interesting is that the state Office of Fishing
and Boating is supporting a small ramp which allows "only boats that
can be brought in on top of cars, such as canoes and kayaks."
Fishermen, the neighboring property owner and the Town - Selectman,
Department Heads and a subcommittee - support a larger ramp which
would allow the parking of cars with trailers. Mr. Jack Sheppard,
Director of the state Department of Fish and Game, which encompasses the
fishing and boating access office, believes "the pond size, wetland
considerations and financial factors dictate that a car-top access is
most appropriate for this location."

The Manchaug Pond boat ramp is also a ramp under the jurisdiction of the Department of Fish and Game, presently managed by the Town of Sutton. Previously it was managed by the DEM. Overuse, illegal parking of the Torrey Road and neighbors' property, dumping on Blueberry Island are among the reasons the MPA asked for town management which include a gate, port-o-let and a gatekeeper on weekends during the season.


For more info:
This site offers maps of state ponds by town and then if you click the site you get a topographical view.
http://maps.massgis.state.ma.us/PAB/viewer.htm

For a list of all the Public Access Boat Ramps visit this site of the Dept.
of Fish and Game. Click the numbers to the far right for their list of
fish prevalent at each pond.
http://www.mass.gov/dfwele/pab/pab_facilities.htm

Eagle Spotted in Area 7

Just received a call that the eagle was sighted twice this afternoon in Area 7. I sure would love a photo if someone can get the camera out fast enough!

Check my past post on eagles for the link to the eagle cam to see adults nesting, laying their eggs, hatching and raising their young.

Keep your head up!
:-)

Spring Blooms, Snow Melt and Higher Water

Spring is here! The ice and snow are history and my daughter looking forward to her first swim! Here the snowdrops are blooming in the yard once again having made their first appearance in January.


With a good snow cover in the watershed and the lake covered in ice, the high temperature and strong winds caused a tremendous melt which brought the lake up quick. I haven't heard how much the lake went up but the gate had been opened 12" and then closed down to 8" and then this week to 6". This retain more of the melt and bringing us closer to the level Interface considers as "full". What usually isn't in the equation this time of the year is the ice. This month the lake was totally covered with ice! Damage looks to have hit only a few docks and the channel markers. The markers are bent back toward the south as the ice flow was thick and strong. The camera battery is charging so I'll get you a photo later.

A nearby dock took on a wacky Z shape as the ice flow pressed on. It was amazing as the front legs of the dock was only in a couple inches of water before the wind started breaking up the ice and never was damaged in past years. Splintering the front sectionin half and pushing the legs down, it is a sight. A dock across the lake has the crooked leg syndrome, otherwise I haven't heard of any other damage. The rock of the channel blocked the ice flow preventing damage in the area beyond and then most of the coves offered protection.

Wind + Ice = Damage

Let me tell you, check your dock and anything else you may have in or a few feet away from the lake! If you don't live on the lake, it is worth taking a ride down. My neighbor was kind enough to give us a heads up! The flag is out straight as the wind is incredible! It is blowing across the lake toward the channel and has broken up the ice and sent it crashing into the shore bringing anything in its path with it!