This Morning's Heavy Rains Filtered by 319 Grant Work

Heavy rains hit the area this morning bringing rivers of water down the roads and from the watershed hillsides into Manchaug Pond. Let's take a look at the completed site work made possible by the s.319 NonPoint Pollution Grant to filter all this stormwater:

On Manchaug Road in Sutton, the first site - a GABION WEIR.


Site 2 - LEACHING CATCH BASIN- complete with small boulders to keep people from parking in the area.


Site 3 built in the existing ditch - CHECK DAM WITH FILTRATION POOL.


Site 4 - CHECK DAM - breaking the flow in that same roadside ditch.


State Public Access Ramp: Site 5-1 - Grass Paver Infiltration System


Site 5-2 - Nutrient Filtration System


5-3 - Rain Garden Area before planting


5-4 - Catch Basin Upgrade


In Douglas on Oak Street, Site 6 & 7 - Gabion Dam with Filtration Purge Pool





This site work has been done to filter the stormwater of nutrients to improve your Manchaug Pond resource!

The project is funded by the EPA and MassDEP, spearheaded and administered by the Manchaug Pond Association, written with the help of engineers and environmental scientist at CEI, Inc, and matched with work performed cooperatively by MPA, and the Towns of Sutton and Douglas Highway Departments and Conservation Commissions.

Data was based on a watershed survey and water quality testing paid for by the Manchaug Pond Association and performed by CEI, Inc and Lycott Environmental Inc. for the MPA.

One more task to complete! We remain On Target, Below Budget and On Schedule!

Ramshorn Pond Preparing for Drawdown

Waters Farm Days - Tractor Pull Held!

Although Waters Farm Days Fall Festival was cancelled this weekend due to the heavy rains, the tractor pull was held this morning at 10 am.






Thanks to our MPA Board Member from Area 1 for the photos!

Yes, good weather for waterfowl!

Rain is dancing on the lake...


the flock of geese are cruising on the water and the seagulls are in the air.



But, with the rain, the Manchaug Pond Association exhibit will be at Waters Farm tomorrow (weather permitting!) to participate in the 30th annual Waters Farm Days Fall Festival. Since we have an outdoor location for our booth, weather is critical to its success and the health of volunteers! (I personally had the first shift and didn't want the end of my time with a cold to develop into pnemonia.)



Hope to see you after the weather clears!

Waters Farm Days Saturday and Sunday, Oct. 3 & 4

Today, October 2nd


Last year, October 13, 2008


See you this weekend at the 30th Annual Waters Farm Days Fall Festival! If the weather holds out, the Manchaug Pond Association will have it's educational exhibit over by the house at the overview to the lake. See you there!

http://www.watersfarm.com/

MPA Annual Meeting 2009: The Chowda Continued...

Well Capt'n Gray Beard,

I did speak with the Annual Meeting Chef, Capt'n Paul, and this is what he had to say:

"Wow, can't have pillaging and plundering, can we!"

He reports that he has yet to reveal, to anyone, "the exact method of cooking recipe."

HE WILL divulge that this special seafood "chowda" contains chopped clams, baby clams, shrimp, real crab, krab (faux crab), faux lobster, oysters, conch (if available), sea scallops, and white fish (can be haddock, cod, pollock, cusk, or striped bass) in it.
It also has chopped onion and minced garlic, non-alcoholic beer, clam broth, potatoes, fat free half and half, salt and pepper.

So, you'll just have to attend every annual Manchaug Pond Association meeting to get your fill! Don't bother doing any searches or questioning the dynamic MPA kitchen crew.... no photos of the chowder were taken and it was made off-site before the crew arrived.

Thanks for asking! See you at the next Annual Meeting.

MPA Annual Meeting 2009: The Chowda!

Capt'n Dick The Gray Beard said...

Aye, Matey...
'Tis gettin' crisp on the water as we be enjoyin' the foliage.
Me was thinkin' that a great way to warm up after a cruise would be with a bowl of Capt'n Paul's Seafood Chowda that we tasted at the MPA Annual Meeting!
But me cook ain't got no recipe.
Me thinks you aught to post his recipe or we'll be pillagin' an' plunderin' 'till we get some more of that wonderful grub.
Thank you!
September 25, 2009 10:33 AM



Seems we have pirates in our midst with our Annual Meeting Seafood Chowder being our greatest treasure!

Cormorant Found Dead!

This cormorant was found by a neighbor last night along the shore.



Cause of death unknown.



Here are photos taken last month of a pair, alive and well:

Saturday's Cleanup Event a Success!

While Weed Cleanup volunteers shed a bit of mud, sweat, and laughter on the shoreline of Manchaug Pond Saturday, the day provided beautiful weather for those enjoying the water!



Our first WEED Cleanup Event brought together 18 MPA volunteers from 9 households (waterfront/waterrights property owners) to "hand harvest" emergent invasive weed species from the north and east shorelines of the lake. With pitch forks and shovels in hand, the group worked from before 9 to 1:30 removing two dump trucks loads of harmful weeds.



Right off, the MPA extends a huge thanks to the Town of Sutton Highway Department and Transfer Station staff and Conservation Commission for their unending support and work on our 319 Non-Point Pollution Grant Project and another huge thank you to Tom Berkowitz for the use of his dump truck during this event.



Our coordinator educated participants in identifying problem plants to be removed from the native sedges and rushes which were to remain. He explained how in his home town in upstate NY, the invasives took over acres and acres of his 5 mile long pond. The weeds crowded out the native plants which are more desirable as a food source for wildlife, and replaced the water with huge bog-like areas thick with vegetation.









We thank all those who worked the event. We were able to clear 3 long stretches of shoreline. We'll save the smaller areas for another day.... Job WELL DONE!



A pleasure to work with all of you!

Weed Cleanup Today! 9 to 11

Blue skies, golden sunrise, no wind, low 40's = great day for this first WEED Cleanup!

So get your MPA hooded sweatshirt or MPA fleece vest, a pair of work gloves and boots and a sharp shovel or pitch fork and meet Jim, Ted, Ray, Linda, David and the rest of the crew down at the boat ramp! Come by boat or vehicle. If you don't know what to do, don't worry - come anyway. If you don't think we need you, you're wrong we want YOU there!

Target: new infestations of common reeds, cattails, canary reed grass, and purple loosestrife growing along the shoreline... and if we think the floating waterlillies and watershield are getting to thick we can do some thinning there too! Jim has a truck lined up to haul it all away.

See you there!

In the news: Invasives a Problem for Lakes and Users

Invasive aquatic species have been the big topic this week, in news papers, mailings and MPAction!

~ The Central Mass chapter of the Congress of Lake and Pond Association (MaCOLAP), in this week's mailing for membership renewal gave a News Alert!! of the Laurel Lake zebra mussel discovery and noted the MaCOLAP directors are supporting the proposed Senate Bill 2113.

Bill 2113 looks to protect our lakes and ponds but realistically I question whether it could ever be successful. In essence, the bill makes it a criminal offense to put a contaminated boat in a lake or river in the Commonweath. That means if your boat or trailer has any weeds -invasive species -not only zebra mussels but a piece of milfoil or fanwort or Asian Clam, you could be fined or imprisoned.



Take a look at the bill for yourself:
http://www.mass.gov/legis/bills/senate/186/st02/st02113.htm

An Act protecting lakes and ponds.

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court assembled, and by the authority of the same, as follows:

Section 1. Chapter 90B of the 2008 official edition of the Massachusetts General Laws is hereby amended by inserting the following section:-

Section 5D. No one shall place a vessel that is contaminated with an invasive species or that has been exposed to contaminated waters in the last thirty days and has not been properly decontaminated upon the inland waters of the commonwealth. For the purposes of this section, invasive species is defined as an alien species whose introduction does or is likely to cause economic or environmental harm or harm to human health.

Section 2. Notwithstanding section 14 of chapter 90B of the Massachusetts General Laws, whoever violates this section shall be punished by a fine of not less than fifty dollars nor more than three hundred dollars, or by imprisonment in a jail or house of correction for not more than sixty days or both.


How would this be monitored and enforced. Most of the time our public access ramps are open and unattended. Environmental police, desperately needed for boating safety, are already in short supply. A criminal offense... imprisonment for 60 days!

I would rather see the bill focus on expanding the current DCR Lakes and Ponds Program Boat Ramp Monitoring Program - train boat ramp monitors and gatekeepers, work with towns and lake associations to expand current outreach and successes to educate boaters. Set up boat wash stations making it easy and obvious what boaters need to do to prevent the spread. Educate!

~ This week's Telegram article talks about the burden of lake associations and lakeshore property owners who bear the brunt of taking care of our lakes and ponds: monitor weeds and funding studies, spending man-hours mapping and harvesting, paying and raising the funds to keep invasives at a minimuim.

http://www.telegram.com/article/20090923/NEWS/909230394/1003/SUBURBS

Thankfully, for years the MPA had the dam caretaker's cooperation in addressing our weed issue with a successful lake level drawdown program. With that being lost the past few years we are seeing a huge surge in weeds on Manchaug.

This summer the MPA hired professionals to do another weed study of Manchaug Pond ($800 I believe was the price tag.) Conservation Commission had asked for updated information last fall when the waterlevel and drawdown was an issue. MPA had to present documentation from a previous study that fanwort is present as it is an invasive successfully controlled by lakelevel drawdown. In our study this summer, the "subsequent vegetation management options" calls for yearly monitoring, hand harvesting of some and if drawdown isn't an option recommends chemical management at a price tag of $95,000 every other year for the fanwort and $10,000 to $15,000 every year for the Variable Milfoil. Manchaug has never been chemically treated, and MPA continues to work to minimize the causes and promote other effective tools such as hand harvesting of new infestations and proper lake-level drawdown.



~ Further, the study states "due to the apparent favorable conditions for invasive species, and traffic from non-resident boaters, the lake has the potential to contract other even more aggressive species." Hydrilla to be specific. Swell! Asian Clam was brought in last fall at the boat ramp.

Try this article in section B, page 5 of today's Blackstone Valley News Tribune.
http://www.blackstonevalleytribune.com/118975.113119body.lasso?publication=BLA
Section B, Page 5

~And THEN, with all that... I'll see you all at the Boat Ramp as we hand pull those emergent aquatic invasives - common reed, loosestrife, canary reed grass, etc.

See you there!

Fall Foliage Appearing on Manchaug Pond

Fall in the air! Time for cleanups.

Nighttime temps may be in the 40's with the beginning of the autumn season, but the days remain lovely on Manchaug with sunshine and temperatures in the 70's. This is good weather for cleaning up boats and putting stuff away for the winter season.




If you are looking to do any work along the shoreline or put in a new dock, be sure to check out the local regulation. The MPA will be sending to all members an informational flyer put together by the Douglas Conservation Commission. This flyer was also available at our Spring Social, Annual Meeting and as part of the grant exhibit. You can check the town conservation websites for specific regulations:
http://www.douglasma.org/cdd/concom/regs.htm

http://www.suttonma.org/Pages/SuttonMA_BComm/wet/index

MPA has two cleanups scheduled: This Saturday, September 26th for emergent aquatic weeds and October 17th for trash along the shoreline and area roads and the boat ramp.

All MPA members, campers, and Manchaug Pond users are invited to join us for both events. We will meet at the Public Access Boat Ramp at 9 am and fan out from there. If you can't join us until later, come along and look for the work groups along the shore, roads and at the ramp!

The Weed Cleanup is a new event targeting two new infestations of reeds/cattail beds and on the look out for more purple loosestrife. Our weed survey conducted July 2009 by Lycott Environmental recommends hand harvesting is best with these "pioneer" infestations.



Forecast looks great for Saturday - see you then! Bring gloves, boots, sharp shovels and anything else you may need! Questions? contact us at infoMPA@charter.net and I'll put you in touch with Jim the event coordinator.

Traveling to a distant shore... a new, magical land... and new boats!

This evening as the cool air settles in and the wind dies down, the lake takes on a magical glow


in the distance... traveling to another shore in a far off land


- Australian to be exact... we can visit the movie set of the latest Narnia film thanks to "Aussie Annie" and her children.


boats on the set...


and the magnificant Dawn Treader!






http://www.narniaweb.com/

Aussie Annie's blog:
http://starrymantle.blogspot.com/2009/08/set-from-voyage-of-dawn-treader.html


I would also like to note that today's newspaper reports the passing of an MPA member from Area 6. Grant him eternal rest, O Lord, and may perpetual light shine on him.

Sawyer Beetle NOT Asian Longhorn!

This photo taken on a home in the Manchaug Pond watershed features the native Sawyer Pine Beetle, NOT the dreaded Asian Longhorn Beetle from China which is now plaguing areas of Worcester, Holden, etc.



The whitespotted Sawyer Pine Beetle (Monochamus scutellatus)is a "native beetle that attacks diseased and damaged pine trees, emerges from trees earlier in the season than ALB, which is not expected to be seen in Massachusetts until July."

http://massnrc.org/pests/alb/

MPA Annual Meeting 2009: You! Volunteer Opportunities.

One of our readers wrote:

Anonymous said...

Well said!!!

I would like to hear about upcoming opportunities to volunteer, opportunities where people can join in and help make a difference!
September 02, 2009 6:29 AM

All right Manchaug Pond fans! The lake needs YOU! Here are two opportunities where you can join with other lake lovers to make a difference, a big difference!

The first is new to the MPA but recommended this year by environmental scientist at Lycott Environmental in their 2009 survey of Manchaug Pond. So here we go!

Sept. 26th ~ INVASIVE WEED CLEANUP! 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Meet at the State Boat Ramp and spread out from there! This time we are after a new villian in our cleanup- not trash but INVASIVE PLANTS!



A weed, by definition, is a plant out-of-place, unwanted! Invasive tells us it will take over - pushing out the native plants and with our shallow lake, replace acres of water with thick and high reeds, cattails and loosestrife. These plants came in this spring - "hand harvesting... is best used for pioneer infestations. Pulling and cutting is labor intensive and must be done at a time when plants are not producing seeds," the report states. So we will hit the shoreline and start digging and pulling!



Bring your gloves, boots, pitch forks, ice picks and shovels or whatever you like. Jim, our event Coordinator knows first hand what these plants can do to a lake! He is calling for your help..."We need as many able bodied men and women as we can get!" Don't disappoint! See you there!

Second opportunity is our Annual Fall Cleanup scheduled for Saturday morning, October 17th. The MPA organizes this effort, hitting the roadside and shoreline in and around Manchaug Pond to remove trash and debris left from the summer season. Meet at the State Boat Ramp with your gloves. MPA provides the trash bags. See you again!