MPA Talks With Governor Deval Patrick

Who cares about Manchaug Pond today? Who cares about our low water level? Who cares that some property owners around the lake still can't get their motorboat in the water? Who cares Manchaug had a major fish kill with over 200 dead fish counted in three locations? Who cares that the spring peepers are gone from one of our coves because it is dry? Who cares that the yearly routine maintenance on the dam didn't happen last year and hasn't happen yet this year? Who cares that gate receipts at the state ramp are down as visitors don't like low water, hitting rocks and broken props?

Who cares?

The MPA cares! 100 members strong, with over 40 years of stewardship, the MPA continues telling others why they need to care about Manchaug Pond.

Rep. Kujawski suggested to a couple MPA members who live in his district that they attend the Governor's Town Meeting Tour in Webster to talk about Manchaug Pond.

Rep. Kujawski cares about Manchaug Pond.




Last Wednesday, the MPA came face to face with Governor Deval Patrick!
Right there at Bartlett High School in Webster the MPA spoke for you to the Governor.

Wait! First... tell me what you would say if you had a chance to put one question before our Governor - up close and personal like!? Think a minute... you're at the mic... this is your moment... the floor is all yours.... everyone is quiet and waiting! What would you ask Governor Deval Patrick for Manchaug Pond? Tell us!

The MPA President Dave Schmidt asked the Governor the "big" Manchaug Pond question! and you know...

The Governor already knew about Manchaug Pond. The Governor cares!





Comment below with your question! Tells us what you think the MPA President should have said!

Read about the Governor's tour at http://www.telegram.com/article/20080724/NEWS/807240581/1153/SUBURBS
(The Telegram didn't care about Manchaug Pond and our question but they did care about the Governor visiting our district. :))

(Thanks to MPA 1st Vice President Marty Jo Henry for her photos!)

MPA continues to built sound relationships around town, around the county and around the state and a network of allies for Manchaug Pond.

(Do you want to hear the MPA question?! Let us hear your's first!)

From Sunday to Sunday - 10 inches of rain!

From last Sunday to today we have had numerous thunderstorms bring us a total of over 10 inches of rain by the little garden rain gauge!


This photo of the flash boards taken on Friday showed 4 1/2 boards out of 7 still exposed. The waterlevel should continue to go up as runoff water flows in from the watershed and of course with more rain in the forecast.



Tonight's sunset was exceptionally beautiful after the thunderstorm. And my husband reports the old 28ft pontoon boat is finally floating - front and back!

Clouds were building for this much needed rain!

When I took the photos of the contrails, the clouds were building for the much needed rain we are now finally receiving. With the warm weather, the lake was going down further and further reaching a point where many of us were loosing the couple inches of water that made it possible to get our boats out on the lake. Worcester County has been receiving rain but not here on Manchaug Pond. As a neighbor put it "There's an umbrella over Manchaug with storms all around us!" I'd receive phone calls during the day from board members who work in Westboro, Northbridge and other areas of Worcester County, all excited to report the 2 inches of rain they were receiving to have me report dry conditions lake side. Well that is over as this week the skies have opened up on Manchaug Pond! Sunday afternoon brought almost an inch, Sunday night saw winds of 23.7 miles per hour with more rain to bring the total by Tuesday to over 2 1/2. Keep it coming!!

Skies the day of the contrails:




Area 2 looks like the Golden City!

Contrails

Couple photos taken the beginning of the week:

Whitin Reservoir Watershed District in the news

Wednesday, July 16, 2008
Whitin Reservoir district gets ready to buy dam

Waterfront property owners pursue control

By Steven H. Foskett Jr. TELEGRAM & GAZETTE STAFF
sfoskett@telegram.com


DOUGLAS— Residents who live or own property along Whitin Reservoir are moving along with plans to buy a dam that controls the water level.

The Whitin Reservoir Association recently completed all of the steps necessary to be able to call itself the Whitin Reservoir Watershed District.

The designation allows the group to act in many ways as a municipality; residents who started the push for the designation have made no secret that the main reason for forming the district was to allow them to buy a dam owned by Interface Fabrics, which operated the former Guilford of Maine plant on Gilboa Street until 2006.

The company has been looking to sell off assets in the area. Property owners on the reservoir have said that Interface was a good custodian of the dam, but they were nervous about what type of arrangement might be forced upon them if the ownership of the dam changed hands.

The group received support from selectmen for forming the watershed district, and in the spring the Legislature passed a special act establishing it.

Donald Virostek, a board member of the old association, helped guide it through the process of becoming a district.

He said the association met June 16 to formally establish itself as a watershed district and voted in a management committee. Mr. Virostek said 146 property owners live within the district and the vote to establish the district passed by a vote of 105-5.

Selectman John P. Bombara was elected chairman of the management committee. Larry Bombara, Thomas Anderson, and former Selectman Ronald Forget were also elected to the committee.

Selectmen voted to appoint Selectman Michael Hughes as the town’s representative on the committee. District voters also approved Mr. Virostek’s wife, Joyce Virostek, as district clerk, and Louise Anderson as district treasurer.

Mr. Virostek said the clerk and treasurer positions will be put up for election by the district yearly; he said the management committee positions will be staggered to avoid full turnover after elections.

Now that it is a district, the group will be able to raise money by imposing a tax on residents in the district separate from what residents pay in normal property tax to the town.

At the June 16 meeting, the district voted to appropriate $30,000 for appraisal fees, legal fees, and office expenses associated with a possible purchase of the dam.

John Bombara said he was glad to finally have the watershed district up and running. He said that besides the negotiations with Interface, there are no immediate plans to use the watershed district for anything else, such as raising money to keep invasive plant species out of the lake.

“It took two years to get to where we are,” Mr. Bombara said. “We haven’t discussed doing anything else, and with the plants, it hasn’t been too much of a problem for us here.”

Mr. Virostek said Interface Fabrics owns the land underneath the reservoir in addition to the dam that controls its water level. He said company officials have been cooperative and a lawyer representing the company at the June 16 meeting voted in favor of establishing the district. He said the two sides simply need to agree on a price.

The town has assessed the land at more than $1 million, but Mr. Virostek said that is basically a meaningless number and it’s not really a point of reference in the negotiations. He said Interface realizes the dam is not worth that much.

He said the district hopes to have an appraisal done on the property by the start of the fall and hopes to close on the deal by the end of the fall.

He said the water level is lower than usual this summer. Property owners along Manchaug Pond, which also has dams owned by Interface, are concerned about the water levels being too low. But Mr. Virostek said Whitin Reservoir, at least, is deep enough for recreational boating.

“It is as high as it can go,” Mr. Virostek said.

July 4th Weekend

What a weekend! The sights, sounds and smiles had to be experienced! My Canon PowerShot S100 digital elph fails to capture the moments of a great weekend.

The holiday started on the 3rd, Thursday evening, with a couple boats decorated with red, white and blue lights, our nation's flag, patriotic music to be joined by others in a parade around the lake - cut short all too soon by the sounds of fireworks and a few cottages beginning the holiday weekend with the traditional lighting of the shoreline with flares.


Friday the 4th was overcast but the rain never came as cookouts brought family and friends to the shores of Manchaug Pond. Out on the lake that evening a number of boats stayed out in the middle to have the best view of the flares lining the shore. Joining them, we had a boat come along side to ask when the town would begin the fireworks display! That was a good one! As neither Douglas nor Sutton had advertised fireworks this year and I doubt that Manchaug Pond would ever be chosen as a prefered location!

Saturday brought 3/4 of an inch of rain - badly needed on this lake. Every little bit makes it a little easier to push that pontoon boat off the rocks and into the lake! And there are still plenty of residents with boats high and dry1

Sunday ended the weekend with a bang as plenty of sunshine and no wind brought the most visitors the lake has seen this season. The lake was calm in the early morning hours with the old causeway a place of renewed interest making for a great fishing spot as well as providing a "beach" area to land a canoe or kayak from the ramp and swim off the wall or nearby rocks. I have to say it does make me nervous to watch kids swim in the channel when the big ski boats are approaching.



Blueberry Island, no longer the favorite spot to pick blueberries saw alot of activity yesterday as boat ramp visitors hauled coolers, tents, chairs and friends in tubes behind their jetski to claim their beach for the day. Others from the campgrounds and the ramp used the island to start their skiiers or just to walk the sandbar.



More fireworks are predicted in the form of big thunderstorms for today. Let's hope they bring the level of the lake higher.

Getting Ready for the 4th?

July 4th is big on Manchaug Pond. The plans and preparations are in the works for it all: decorated boats for the parade, the lighting of the shore the night before at 9:00 p.m. with flares, campfires, cookouts with family and friends, and fireworks here and there.

Be sure to hang those flags properly and with respect. On a pole - the US flag is on top. On a building - union or field of stars hung first on left. This site will give more details: http://www.ushistory.org/betsy/flagetiq.html


For the lighting of the shoreline: purchase your flares from your MPA Area Representative or at the campground store at the Old Holbrook Place campground or King's Campground. Price is $3.00 a piece or 2 for $5. These flares are obtained for the MPA from the town police department at cost.

Fireworks: They are illegal in Massachusetts but a number of Manchaug Pond property owners have hired a professional to put on great displays over the lake. Be safe!

The parade usually just starts up! This year we will have to do a little circle in the middle to avoid the rocks exposed by the low waterlevel in the coves. Sorry in advance to the residents down the causeway and to the campers at King's - I don't think a nighttime patriotic cruise would be wise this year in the shallows.

I promise pictures! Let us know how your celebration goes! Email photos I can post: infoMPA@charter.net

(And Kristen - hope you and your family have a wonderful homecoming on Manchaug Pond! I am sure you will have a blast even with the low water! :))

Massachusetts Outdoor Recreation Map

More tourism talk in the news! June 27th, the day after my last post, I received a news advisory from Mass Wildlife announcing the release of the Massachusetts Outdoor Recreation Map, a directory of what the state has to offer in outdoor attractions and activities.

Ian Bowles, Secretary of Energy and Environmental Affairs (EEA), will release the map as part of Governor Patrick’s dedication to enhancing local tourism at a press conference July 1 at the Waldon Pond State Boat Ramp. The state explains that the "informational guide is a great resource and tool for visitors as well as residents. The guide features outdoor safety tips and ethics and helpful information such as locations of state parks, forests, reservations, beaches, and wildlife areas. The updated map is a collaboration between two EEA agencies: the Department of Fish and Game (DFG) and Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR)." The map features Fishing & Boating Access Boat Launching Sites with our own Manchaug Pond ramp listed!( And No, there are no caution/warnings notes about Manchaug's low waterlevel!!) You'll also see on the list in the Western District the ramps of 3 Great Ponds who have protected their lakes with a Watershed District: Cheshire Lake, Lake Buel and Goose Pond. (I couldn't resist that bit of trivia!)

This two sided map is an extremely detailed, attractive brochure, listing every state facility in the Commonwealth. A great way to promote tourism - I can see it at all the State rest stops and information centers on the highways!


To view the map and directory:
www.mass.gov/dfwele/dfw/recreation/publications/recreation_map.pdf -

To subscribe to MassWildlife News, a free electronic monthly newsletter updating you on research, events, new laws and other agency activities. All you need to do is send an email to: Join-MassWildlife.news@listserv.state.ma.us

"Massachusetts It's all here" even at Manchaug Pond!

Have you ever thought of Manchaug Pond's economic contribution to the area?!



Massachusetts' tourism website for the central part of the state highlights Lake Manchaug in it's boasting opening paragraph!

See for yourself:
Hit the slopes at Wachusett Mountain. Take in the Worcester Sharks, AHL affiliates of the San Jose Sharks. Hang out with Mother Nature at Lake Manchaug and go camping, fishing or boating. Spend the day hiking or snowshoeing, amongst the trees at Otter River State Forest or Wells State Park. Or, kayak along the Blackstone River and know what it really means to "get your adrenaline pumping." With a wide range of forests, ponds and trails easily accessible, Central Massachusetts is home to all of the things you love to do — indoors and out.

here's the link: http://www.massvacation.com/centralMass/outdoor-activities.php

Now check out the $$$ economic contribution in dollar$ that the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers sees as the Value to the Nation of Oxford's Hodges Village natural resource area on the French River for 2006 at this link:

http://www.vtn.iwr.usace.army.mil/recreation/reports/lake.asp?ID=184


"107,012 visits per year resulted in:

* $1.94 million in visitor spending within 30 miles of the Corps lake.
* 63%of the spending was captured by local economy as direct sales effects.

With multiplier effects, visitor trip spending resulted in:

* $2.10million in total sales.
* $1.15 million in value added (wages & salaries, payroll benefits, profits and rents and indirect business taxes).
* Supported 27 jobs in the local community surrounding the lake."

If we did the math for Manchaug Pond, our numbers would be higher than Hodges as we have more overnight campgrounds and sites with the 4 campgrounds, camp stores.... Trails? Yes, we too have the Mid-State Trail in our watershed. Boat Ramp? Yes, we also have one. We also have day swimmers at the campgrounds and we have day campers at the YMCA facility not to mention the activities at living history museum of Waters Farm.

Interesting isn't it! I happened to speak to a retired couple yesterday who have been at the same campground on Manchaug for 30 years. They were asking about the low waterlevel as they had not seen it like this in all their years! Campers love our lake - do a search and find how many times it is mentioned in blogs! And they will tell you they are regular patrons at Tony's Pizza and other neighboring resturants and coffee shops, they attend our churches, our library, buy food from our stores... How about those fisherman who love Manchaug! They must stop for a coffee on the way in or out...more economic contribution.... hmmm.

Fierce Summer Storms Cause Flooding - but not on Manchaug Pond

Torrential downpours. Dime-size hail. Flash flooding.

But not on Manchaug Pond. The rain gauge recorded only 1 inch of rain.

Spotted again! Pileated Woodpecker

Early this morning this woodpecker could be heard on the shores of the lake tapping methodically along checking out dead wood for insects. My husband spotted him about 7:30 a.m. in an oak tree along the shore of Manchaug Pond. With the limits of my camera, I was able to get closer and get a picture of him. My husband says it is about time for a new camera with a good zoom lens. This bird is good size - about the size of a crow and the sound of it tapping quite loud. A few years ago these birds nested in the cavity of a very large tree which has since come down in a storm.

Tonight we could hear 3 birds calling to each other from across the channel.





http://www.birds.cornell.edu/AllAboutBirds/BirdGuide/Pileated_Woodpecker_dtl.html
Check out the link to learn more. I also logged him in as being observed here on Manchaug Pond with the eBird site with Cornell Univerity's Ornithology

On the lake - more activity!

Today saw more activity on the lake. The Boat Ramp reports receipts have been down as visitors are asking to have a look at the waterlevel before they pay. The inch of rain a few days ago brought the lake up about an inch and residents are getting creative - pulling docks closer to the water and pushing pontoon boats across the mud to the water. Here's a little look at blue skies and sunshine on the water!

The Baltimores Vacationing on Manchaug Pond

Baltimore orioles are visiting feeders around the lake.
These photos are from Area 2.





Just a note: MASS Wildlife recommends taking down suet feeders in early spring to deter bears. I did report on a bear earlier who I later found had been seen first in Sutton before going to Northbridge.

Monster Size Fish Head!

MPA Board Meetings... never boring... never know what can be brought up under "New Business!"

Last night a new board member brought a huge fish head to the meeting. It had washed ashore three days ago. He put it in the freezer just so he could show all of us! The picture doesn't do it justice as it was huge!

Too bad DEP didn't get a look at this one. Actually they were looking for live fish for the fish sampling survey yesterday as they went around Manchaug's shore. I heard from another board member they were looking for contaminants. Routine sampling and testing. As lakes go we are clean. We have seen the lake water quality decrease over the years with increased use. Our 319 Nonpoint Source Pollution grant from DEP directly addresses pollutants from stormwater through the construction of 5 new designs - stormdrains, filtering swales, and catch basins along Manchaug Road and Holt Road and at the State Boat Ramp along with a rain garden and pervious paving.

Another major component to the grant is an educational program aimed at homeowners and livestock owners to keep household, landscape and barn pollutants out of the lake. We have already held the DEP Healthy Lawns Workshop and the Blackstone River Coalition presentation this spring. But more information from those presentations later... we'll let this old fish have it day! It was huge!

Arrowheads the Topic Tomorrow at Museum

Manchaug Pond and arrowheads - ask any seasoned resident here on the lake to see his or her collection. My brother-in-law whose Swedish parents had been here way back when, had a collection he mounted in two frames. There must have been over 50 arrow heads in all shapes and sizes. I have even found a few myself! When the lake was down for the 2006 repairs to our gate, plenty of visitors came to search our shores for remnants of the first native settlers around Manchaug Pond. Perhaps this summer with the waterlevel down more will be found.

Interesting too is that Manchaug is named after the Native peoples who lived and fished along her shores. Other area lakes and pond's are named after white men who came later to tame their waters or who owned the property around their shores: Aldrich, Stevens, Singletary, Tucker and Whitin's.

Once again the Robbins Museum in Middleton is offering an educational program of interest to us on Manchaug. Last spring an exhibit of arrowheads collected on our shores was highlighted. Perhaps it is time we paid them a visit!




June 21, 2008 10:30-11:30
Robbins Museum, Middleboro, MA

Is this an arrowhead? That is a question that as a professional archaeologist who enjoys working with the public, I have heard a thousand times from professionals and novices alike. By being introduced to the fine art of flint knapping-the production of stone tools- participants will get the chance to learn to answer that question for themselves. I'll teach you how to make a stone tool and how to use them as well. Band-aids and safety goggles will be provided as needed.

Archaeologist, Craig Chartier, Director of the Massachusetts Archaeological Professionals (MAP) will be offering educational programs for children 6-12 years of age on the third Saturday of every month from 10:30-11:30 at the Robbins Museum of Archaeology in Middleboro, Massachusetts. These programs, which include topics in archaeology, history, and science, consist of a variety of engaging hands-on activities, lively discussions, and useful handouts to further the educational experience. A fee of $7.50 for the first child and $6.00 for each additional child includes all supplies, handouts and museum admission. Parents and siblings are invited to visit the museum and enjoy MAP’s Jr. Explorers area during class time. Preregistration is required as space is limited. For more information or to preregister, visit www.parp4kids.com or contact Craig Chartier at 774-488-2095.

Whitin Reservoir Watershed District

103 in favor. 5 opposed. It is final: the property owners of Whitin Reservoir voted last night to form a watershed district - their own municipality within a municipality. The meeting took place in the auditorium of the Douglas high School.



Within one hour's time, the property owners had asked and answered questions and fears concerning the district's future, appointed a temporary clerk, amended and adopted by-laws, approved a budget, and elected a Board of Directors for their association which will continue as a social organization.

Specifically, Douglas Selectman Michael Hughes had opened the meeting with the Pledge of Allegiance, next a tally of those in attendance was completed to ensure a quorum was present and then swore in the newly elected temporary clerk. Two gentlemen involved in the 2 year effort (we try not to mention too many names on this blog to ensure privacy!) along with a professional moderator versed in Robert's Rules took the group of over 100 through each article, making motions and voting to set the organizational structure of the district.



As invited guests, 4 members of the MPA Board of Directors attended and observed an extremely professional, organized and well run first meeting. Our sincerest congratulations go out to the people of Whitin Reservoir!

The MPA pursued the watershed district initiative in concert with Whitin but needed two town's support which did not happen. The MPA saw a district as a means to give the pond a strong unified voice, simplify administrative tasks associated with our 319 grant, open doors for other grants aimed at land conservation, and position ourselves to act on water level and dam issues in a stronger manner as the majority of the membership saw fit. This district idea came at the recommendation of COLAP, LAPA-West, and other private and Great Ponds which have successfully established watershed districts of their own.

A thunderstorm erupted during the meeting eventually bringing an inch of much needed rain to the very low Manchaug Pond.

Saturday Meeting of MPA Minds!

Did you miss the MPA Spring Social? Too bad! The day began with coffee and juice and freshly made donuts and danish from N & J's of Oxford's as well as some mudslide brownies and other fancy pastries from BJ's Wholesale Club and lots of smiles and greetings in the Dining Hall of the YMCA Camp Blanchard facility.

This year the Social took a serious tone with less talk and more learning about the steps the MPA took this spring to get our dam closed with the flashboards put in May 13th - two months later than usual. The President reported on the conversations, emails and meetings between the officers and directors and with the dam owner, state agencies and officials and the Town Administrators and other town department heads and personnel.

The members in attendance were also asked to look at the long term - a ballot vote was taken as to the next option we would formally pursue to avoid low waterlevels in the future.

To end the meeting, Donna Williams of the Blackstone River Coalition spoke of the groups initiatives, Manchaug Ponds's water test results as a tributary feeding the Blackstone and ways towns and individuals can help clean up our waterways.

Also, MPA clothing was on sale with the 40th anniversary hats still available. There is talk of ordering more products! Any requests? Personnally my hooded sweatshirt with the large MPA on the back is beat and the fleece vests sold before I purchased one!

More on the Fish Kill and the Negative Impacts of Low Waterlevel

The MPA spoke again with the biologist, Richard Hartley, from Mass Fish and Game as property owners around the lake report dead fish continue to wash ashore.

Specifically, he said we can expect this to take several weeks to run its course. No need to report more dead fish as they have record of the kill. We should call Mass Wildlife if we observe something new or a change in the composition of the kill - for example: all ages of fish not just adults and/or a majority of another species other than bluegills.

He also said that this summer we may see smaller kills as our waterlevel is low and shallow areas have great weed growth (The dam owner kept the water exceptionally high this winter failing to do the lake level drawdown for aquatic weed control which they have done for years) which will mean depressed O2 levels in the early morning hours in the cove areas.

In addition to more fish kills, other amphibians are in jeopardy as is evident with our spring peepers. These tiny frogs reproduce in the cove areas which act as vernal pools (wet in spring and dry in summer). Having been dry this summer - no peepers in two of our coves and a reduced population in a roadside wetlands.

Next our state biologist predicts terrestrial/land plants filling in beach/shore areas which are usually underwater.


A huge thanks to our state's Dept. of Fish and Game: their biologists who are on call and provide expert advice, their monthly epublication MASSWildlife, and the dept. willingness to get involved, serve as a resource and document what is going on here on Manchaug Pond. THANKS!

Wednesday Night's Storm

Manchaug Pond was not hard hit - very little rain here with other towns getting downpours and suffering loss of electricity from downed trees and limbs and lightening strikes from the thunderstorm which rolled in during the night.


Don S. of Area 5 reported in on Wednesday with an exact reading from his wind gauge that we had hit 39.5 mph at midnight as the storm blasted by. That registers us as an 8 on the Beaufort Scale - a "Fresh Gale!" Further, Don explained that the wind speed during the day on the lake is about 12 mph and the most he has seen at his home in Paxton is 22.5 mph. The storm brought us up to 39.5 with very little rain and some lightening.

Check out the Beaufort Scale yourself. It even lists the type of damage you can expect at the various wind speeds. For example 55 mph would up root trees and cause "considerable structural damage."
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beaufort_scale

The uprooted tree pictured is seen near Camp Blanchard and is from a previous storm. It's shallow root system on the rocky shore is very visible.


Don't forget the Spring Social at Camp Blanchard tomorrow morning!

Fish Kill Numbers over 150

It has been a busy week with litle time for blog posting but lots to talk about and report.

On the fish kill - Our 1st Vice President walked the end of Area 1 which extends from Bachand's cottage to Bronson's - the stretch on Manchaug Road next to the lake where there are no houses and is the location of "the big rock." 116 fish. She also saw 3 at the boat ramp and 4 at her home.

I walked the Sutton side of the old causeway to find 18 fish (14 bluegills, 1 calico bass, 1 white perch and a yellow perch) The yellow perch was upside down and still breathing but I counted him as he did not look long for this world.

Wednesday- 3 on the beach including the first horn'd pout I see to add to the original 8 and 3 more the next day, the neighbor's 9, my daughter's 2 on the opposite shore, the President's 3 in the opposite cove.

That brings my total up to 169 plus what you might have picked up. The wind had been blowing to this shore so by far their are more on the eastern shores.

Our 1st VP reported speaking to another biologist at Mass Fish and Wildlife, Richard Hartley, who reitereated the info provided Sunday by Todd Richards that this was the result of the pressure of the lake being low, the fluxuation in the water temperature and spawning. He did recommend informing local government, suggesting local control is recommended and would continue to serve as a resource to us.

To report a fish kill Mondays through Fridays between 8:00 am and 4:30 pm, contact Richard Hartley of Mass Wildlife at 508/389-6330.

The dead fish I gathered from the shore were buried near the raspberry plants - good old fertilizer Native American style. But far too many and far too smelly.