Full Moon in the Morning Sky in the Watershed

Yesterday Morning Photos

Yesterday morning saw a temperature of 16 degrees F, freezing the water which flows from the ledge of the watershed. Today is a bit warmer at 24, but still cold enough to put a skim of ice on the open water going through the Old Causeway.



The waterlevel remains high, even with the dam open, twisting our docks out of shape. The high level will also give us very little weed control this summer.

Another Dam in the News!

http://helpsavethelake.com/photos.php

http://www.wickedlocal.com/tauntongazette/obituaries/x1288316308

Yesterday's Blue Sky

Snow Cover + Warm Temperatures + Rain = Runoff Problems

Manchaug Pond is fed by runoff from the watershed - not by springs. This means that the waterlevel of the pond goes up with precipitation and from the water that drains in from the surrounding yards, forests and hillsides. Today's warm temperatures caused most of the 2 inch snowcover in the watershed to melt. With frozen and saturated ground and heavy rains, this brought a lot of water into the lake from the watershed.

Of concern to the MPA are the problems which arise from this stormwater runoff: flooded roads, erosion, non-point source pollution of sediment, organic matter, road salt, etc. Our 319 grant will address 5 such problem sites around the lake.

These photos taken today show just 2 out of over 20 non-point source pollution problem areas identified around Manchaug Pond.



The 319 grant will address pipes such as this which go directly into the lake to be replaced with retention pools, stormdrains and other designs which will filter the stormwater before it gets to the lake. Eliminating these sources of pollution will greatly reduce aquatic weed growth and improve the quality of the waters of Manchaug Pond.




Thanks to our 1st Vice President and 319 Grant Coordinator for the photos!

Lunar Eclipse on Weds., Feb 20th

While this photo was taken of a full moon over the YMCA Camp Blanchard on Manchaug Pond the evening of January 21st, this Wednesday will give us all plenty of opportunity - actual 3 hours and 26 minutes - to view and capture photos of a lunar eclipse. The eclipse will begin at 8:43 p.m. in eastern North America with totality or mid-eclipse being reached at 10:26 p.m. The moon travels west to east and is very visible in the evening/night sky from Manchaug Pond, especially in the early evening from areas 5,6,7, 8 and 1. Below are a couple of links from NASA which will aid your viewing - even instructions on photographing. Mid-eclipse can be particularly spectacular as the moon can take on a very vibrant red-orange glow.

http://www.mreclipse.com/Special/LEprimer.html

http://sunearth.gsfc.nasa.gov/eclipse/LEmono/TLE2008Feb21/TLE2008Feb21.html

If you do take a photo - please email it to me and I'll share it with our readers.

Dam Open as Rain and Snow Continue

Pictures taken this morning as the dam was open has it has been this past week sending more white water out of Manchaug Pond and flooding the area below the dam.

What's for Dinner?

During dinner, he looked out the window toward the lake and said, "We could have had goose!"

Turkey for a Manchaug Pond Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving!



While turkey maybe on the menu in most parts of the US, here on Manchaug Pond they are the guests! Do you see them?! In area 3, a flock of over 20 frequently visits a number of homes along Manchaug and Torrey Roads. As you are driving, watch for them and our female deer and her three young ones born this spring.

Preserving open space is another reason to form a watershed district. As property comes up for sale, conservation grants are available to secure this land to maintain wildlife corridors and protect endangered species common to our watershed.

Sutton Conservation Commission to Hold Mtg on Docks

The Sutton Conservation Commission is holding another meeting to discuss lakes and ponds on Wednesday, November 14th at 7:00 p.m. in the Sutton Town Hall.

Dock regulations have been the topic of recent board discussions. Public attendence at those meetings has been by non-lake residents as well as residents from ponds with and without public access. In September of this year, Sutton Conservation Commission enacted "non-dock regulations on 300 ft. abutters notification, 2 1/2" tree replacement (less if due to poor access) for trees felled in the jurisdiction greater than 5", and the requirement to use 20-0-10 (or comparable), zero-phosphate, slow-release fertilizer w/in 200' of any waterbody, wetlands or stream."

As in the past, the MPA will continue to take a strong role in educating Manchaug Pond lake abutters, watershed friends of Manchaug Pond, and others as to current state and local regulations and concrete ways to minimize and eliminate negative impacts to the lake. New docks have not been an big issue on Manchaug Pond as we have had just a couple new docks in the past few years with the sale of a couple old homes/summer cottage - the state Dep and local Sutton permit notices are posted in the local newspaper for Sutton, the "Millbury-Sutton Chronicle", if you are interested in tracking! MPA is into educating and letting the officials do the policing/enforcing. We have seen existing docks around the lake receive regular maintenance to ensure homeowner and public safety. This author's own shared/neighborhood dock received new eye bolts and replacement boards after ice damage this past spring. So the old, abandoned dock issue thing doesn't exist here either.

MPA's current Non-point Source Pollution Improvement Project will go far in bringing the latest information on Best Management Practices and Low Impact Development to property owners in and around our towns' lakes. Stay tuned!

(Check out the links on the right - Conservation Commission - that site has town bylaws concerning ponds by town. Suttons big bylaw is listed.)

How Perfect is That Autumn Sky!

Autumn on Manchaug Pond seen in tonight's night sky!

Clean up a Great Success!

On this beautiful sun filled fall day, Manchaug Pond and the roadsides around the lake saw numerous volunteers participate in the annual cleanup.

Here's a shot of the total haul! Thanks to the Mark Brigham, Highway Superintendent for the Town of Sutton for providing the town truck!



The trash came by scouts! ...



The trash came by boat! ...





and the trash came by pick-up trucks, trailer, and wheelbarrow! ...





as volunteers reported a lot of dumping and litter at the boat ramp, Blueberry Island, the Sutton Conservation Commission land, and roadsides around the lake.


Volunteers also included Cub Scout Pack 143 from Sutton: the Webelos and Bear Den scouts, their leaders, and families. Thank you for joining us!



Great Job Everyone!

Will you join us! ..... Manchaug Pond Fall Cleanup

The Manchaug Pond Fall Cleanup has been scheduled for Sunday, October 28, 2007 from 10 a.m.- 2 p.m.

The shoreline and coves which especially accumulate litter will be targeted first as well as the boat ramp. If time, energy and volunteers permit we can do some roadsides such as Manchaug, Torrey, Holt and the dam area down Parker Road, Sutton.

The Boat Ramp on Torrey Road will serve as a meeting point for volunteers as well as the drop off point for all trash collected. As in past years, area reps and other volunteers can collect the rubbish by boat and bring to the ramp. We will also have a pickup truck available to shuttle from the roadsides or shoreline. Please provide the items you will need for the day, such as gloves, waders, whatever. Garbage bags will be available at the ramp and the Town of Sutton is providing the truck to haul away the trash collected.

Weather permitting, the educational display will be set up providing participants with educational material on septic system maintenance, healthy lawns, etc. as part of our outreach with the s. 319 grant project.

Special thanks to our 1st Vice President for organizing the event and coordinating with the town of Sutton.

See you there!

"Everything in the Known Universe about Manchaug Pond Association!"

Well, the MPA blog has been found and rated by the blogging world. How did we measure up? My opinion is ... We did good! We made the list! They found us! That is an accomplishment in itself! Out of today's 107.9 million blogs, the MPA ranked 3,915,745! I know that is not in the top 10, or top 100 or the top 1,000 even but we are ahead of about 104 million other blogs! I'm impressed. :))

AND to add to that success (He! He!) we were also check out and given a "vote of approval" by:

"Water Words That Work
http://waterwordsthatwork.com
Authority: 33
Rank: 189,691
A multimedia blog to help nature protection and pollution control experts make a splash when speaking or writing for the general public."

Soo..check out the TECHNORATI site to see for yourself! :)
http://technorati.com/blogs/manchaugpondassociation.blogspot.com


"Welcome to Technorati

Currently tracking 107.9 million blogs and over 250 million pieces of tagged social media.

Technorati is the recognized authority on what's happening on the World Live Web, right now. The Live Web is the dynamic and always-updating portion of the Web. We search, surface, and organize blogs and the other forms of independent, user-generated content (photos, videos, voting, etc.) increasingly referred to as “citizen media.”

But it all started with blogs. A blog, or weblog, is a regularly updated journal published on the web. Some blogs are intended for a small audience; others vie for readership with national newspapers. Blogs are influential, personal, or both, and they reflect as many topics and opinions as there are people writing them.

Blogs are powerful because they allow millions of people to easily publish and share their ideas, and millions more to read and respond. They engage the writer and reader in an open conversation, and are shifting the Internet paradigm as we know it.

On the World Live Web, bloggers frequently link to and comment on other blogs, creating the type of immediate connection one would have in a conversation. Technorati tracks these links, and thus the relative relevance of blogs, photos, videos etc. We rapidly index tens of thousands of updates every hour, and so we monitor these live communities and the conversations they foster.

The World Live Web is incredibly active, and according to Technorati data, there are over 175,000 new blogs (that’s just blogs) every day. Bloggers update their blogs regularly to the tune of over 1.6 million posts per day, or over 18 updates a second.

Technorati. Who's saying what. Right now."

Migrating Monarchs Visit Manchaug Pond

Saturday afternoon before that microburst hit Manchaug Pond, in the beautiful warmth and sunshine at least 30 monarch butterflies stopped in their yearly migration to drink the nector of four plants in my and my neighbor's perennial flower garden. Sedum Autumn Joy is the plant that drew them to our neighborhood. To see the large orange and black beauties slowly flutter at eye level to land in clutters on the flowers was exciting.


Check out the following links to view beautiful photos, to learn more about Monarch Butterflies as well as the citizens' tagging program to monitor the migration:

http://www.naba.org/chapters/nabambc/construct-species-page.asp?sp=Danaus-plexippus
http://massaudubon.org/butterflyatlas/index.php?id=116
www.monarchwatch.org

Press Release Announces Grant Award

The following press release and two photos taken by the MPA 1st Vice President is starting to be picked up by local newspapers. The September 20th issue of the Millbury-Sutton Chronicle published the grant announcement with the view of Manchaug Pond from Waters Farm photo. The press release was written largely by the environmental engineer at CEI and edited by the MPA President, 1st Vice President/Grant Coordinator and Corresponding Secretary and reviewed by the MPA Board of Directors...

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: David Schmidt, President Manchaug Pond Association (508) 476-7804
Eileen Pannetier, President Comprehensive Environmental Inc. 603-424-8444 x301

Local Watershed Group Awarded $130,000 State Grant for Pond Improvements


Douglas/Sutton, MA – September 15, 2007 – Over 40 years ago, 35 families with a common interest to protect a pond banned together to form the Manchaug Pond Association (MPA). Forty years later, the group now boasts a membership of over 100 member families along with several businesses and a nonprofit group. With an 18 member volunteer Board of Directors, the group celebrates their 40th anniversary with energy, optimism and an impressive grant awarded to them by the MA Department of Environmental Protection (MassDEP).

A picturesque area, the 360acre Manchaug Pond lies within Douglas and Sutton and has been slowly degrading over the past few decades. Likely a result of increased development pressures and various nonpoint source pollution inputs, residents have seen a rise in algal blooms and invasive aquatic plants and a decrease in water quality. The MPA lead by Mr. David Schmidt, President and Ms. Marty Jo Henry Vice-President, worked with Comprehensive Environmental, Inc. (CEI), a Milford based engineering and science firm to develop conceptual designs and a successful grant application for funds to help improve the water quality of the pond.

The MassDEP s.319 Nonpoint Source Pollution Grant will provide the MPA with almost $130,000 in funds to be spent on stormwater improvements utilizing Low Impact Development (LID) techniques within the watershed and citizen education on issues such as septic system maintenance and other residential LID techniques such as landscaping with buffer zones and rain gardens to limit runoff of fertilizer nutrients and animal wastes. The grant also includes storm drain management improvements that will be implemented by the towns. The group will provide a 40% grant match with volunteer hours as well as in-kind staff hours to be provided by the Towns of Sutton and Douglas. CEI is currently developing engineering designs for construction with work expected to begin this summer for completion sometime in 2008.



The MPA is a non-profit organization made up of volunteer property owners within the Manchaug Pond Watershed whose mission is “to promote the welfare and correct use of Manchaug Pond and the contiguous area.” Online at www.manchaugpondassociation.org

CEI is a local employee-owned civil and environmental engineering and science firm serving the New England area with a focus on comprehensive stormwater, wastewater, water supply engineering, planning and design. Online at www.ceiengineers.com
###

Directions to Singing Dam

Shi Chian has left a new comment on your post "Dams in the News: A Sutton Dam No One Wants!":

Hi,

Would you happen to have directions to get to the singing dam from Worcester, MA? Or if you have the address of the approximate location of this dam? Thank you.


Hello Shi Chian! Thanks for visiting! Singing dam is located in the village of Wilkinsonville in the Town of Sutton. The straightest route from Worcester would be to take Rte. 146 south. At the intersection at Boston Road (Tony's Pizza is on the right!), take a left onto Boston Road and follow to the stop sign. Take a left on to Rte 122A heading toward Millbury. On 122A after you go under a railroad bridge, take a right on to Blackstone Street and Singing Dam and the future park and canoe launch to the Blackstone River is just up the street! Enjoy and glad to be off service!

Microburst Hits Manchaug Pond

A microburst hit Manchaug Pond early Sunday morning leaving a wake of destruction. Hitting at 3:30 a.m., the eight minute storm brought high wind, heavy rain, thunder, lightening and hail. Residents in areas 2, 3 and 4 were hard especially hit, waking up to lawns and driveways littered with branches and leaves, ripped off roof shingles and ridge vents, upturned and broken lawn furniture, overturned and sunken small boats and jetskis, a few twisted or submerged docks not to mention over a dozen large trees uprooted and laying on scenic Manchaug Road and Torrey Road.

This severe, quick hitting storm - Force 10 at least on the Beaufort (wind speed) Scale - had to have had wind speeds of at least 60 miles/hour to cause this damage.

The sound of chain saws and leaf blowers continues to fill the air!


More info on Microbursts:
http://ww2010.atmos.uiuc.edu/(Gh)/guides/mtr/svr/comp/out/micro/anat.rxml

To check out the Beaufort Scale (wind speed):
http://www.unc.edu/~rowlett/units/scales/beaufort.html

A site on weather for the kids:
http://www.srh.noaa.gov/epz/kids/kidswx.shtml

New Links for Boating Laws and Online Course

A weekend in early August, the Environmental Police boat hit the waters of Manchaug Pond for a little "educating!"

Recently we received the following comment and update from Kathy at boat-ed.com:

"Thank you for providing links on your blog to the official Massachusetts boating safety handbook and online course. Could the Corresponding Secretary please update the links so that they land on the appropriate pages?

Boat Massachusetts Boating Laws Handbook: http://www.boat-ed.com/ma/handbook/index.htm

Boat Massachusetts Online Course: http://www.boat-ed.com/ma/index.htm

Many thanks, and safe boating!"


Don't wait until the police boat is talking to you to find out it is against the law to pull a skier or tube behind a jetski! Get the facts and know the law before you hop on!