For the preservation, protection, and maintenance of Lake St. Catherine
Hello again LSC, we have another aquatic invasive species (AIS) related story to tell you about this afternoon, and this one is VERY concerning.
Yesterday, Arrowwood Environmental began the yearly plant survey of Lake St. Catherine. This is a multi-day cataloguing and observation of aquatic plants at 199 GPS points throughout the littoral zone of the lake that results in the yearly Aquatic Plant Survey Reports which you can find on our website.
Last evening, Arrowwood reported that a 20' patch of Water Chestnut had been discovered between 2 docks in the Channel south of the bridge. This fast growing invasive floating plant spreads quickly and cause great damage to the ecosystem. This is not an invasive plant that we want to get established in LSC.
We quickly mobilized to address this, and we are happy to report that morning, Beck and his DASH team, along with volunteer Toby Crispin, removed all the plants from this location. However, they also discovered some water chestnut on the side of the dock at the boat - but these plants were also removed.
These spots will need to be monitored for a reoccurrence throughout the rest of the season and in the spring after ice out. If additional plants are discovered, they will be removed.
So, please keep an eye out for this invasive plant, and please report any sightings to immediately at info@lakestcatherine.org.
Please join us in thanking everyone involved in the discovery and QUICK removal of this invasive from the lake! Great work all!
Hello LSC. We'd like to let you know about a Lake Champlain Basin Program funded project that made a stop at Lake St. Catherine this week. The good folks from Upstream Consulting & Evaluation reached out to the LSCA to inquire about setting up their 2 day project on a conveniently located parcel near the boat launch. We reached out to Catherine Oliverio of the Butternut Hill Community Association, as their lake property was the perfect spot, and Catherine not only agreed to allow the team to set up their project, but she also documented it with some photos and the article attached below! Thank you to Catherine, Melanie and her team from Upstream Consulting, and the DEC for their efforts for LSC. You can read about this aquatic invasive species (AIS) project, and the initial findings below in Catherine's article: Project CLAM (Champlain Aquatics Monitoring) By Catherine M. Oliverio Project CLAM is a research project that is led by Upstream Consulting & Evaluation, LLC. The project team commenced testing and surveys on Lake St. Catherine Aug. 24, 2026 and completed their study Aug. 25. The sampling was part of a research project that is funded by the Lake Champlain Basin program. The team collaborates with the invasives team at DEC, Vermont Department of Environmental Conservation, to prioritize sites for the research and share data. DEC’s mission is to preserve, enhance, restore and conserve Vermont’s natural resources and protect human health for the benefit of this and future generations. Jerremy Jones of the Lake St. Catherine Association and the Butternut Hill Community Association’s lake parcel afforded the Project CLAM team an ideal spot near the public launch to conduct their study. Team leader Melanie Giangreco, Olivia Walsh, and Rogan Poquette worked side by side setting crayfish traps and sifting through the muck for invasive banded mystery snails and native and invasive crayfish. While doing so they not only collected specimens but also documented and measured them. Anything found invasive has to be euthanized to avoid any further spreading and destruction to the habitat. Natural habitats include mollusks (snails, mussels, clams) and crustaceans (crayfish and some plankton). These species filter water, clean debris, bacteria, algae, and more. Unfortunately, other species are brought to our waterways and can be invasive causing ecological or economic harm. The invasive rusty crayfish outcompete the native crayfish destroying vegetation and displacing local populations. "We hope to learn more about invasive species and prevent them from spreading," stated Giangreco. "We want more healthy bodies of water." This three-year program goal is to visit 90 sites such as lakes, rivers, and streams that feed into the Lake Champlain Basin documenting habitat characteristics including rocks and vegetation on the bottom. She continued, "This is our second year of the project with 68 sites completed. Our current team began this summer and will complete the other sites next summer." The team does have assistance from scientists and advisors on board with data analysis. Poquette said, "We hope to make an impact and educate the public" "I’d like to piggyback on what Melanie and Rogan said," commented Walsh. "I want the younger kids to learn about the environment and be more interested in native species." Giangreco emphasized that no one should empty bait buckets into any body of water. Fortunately, the Lake St. Catherine Association takes the initiative to examine any and all boats for any signs of invasive species. Here is a summary of what was found:
Knowing your aquatic community is important to protect freshwater habitats leading to more enjoyable, swimming, fishing, hunting, viewing or photography in wildlife or simply being outdoors. Clean water and healthy ecosystems are key for such activities.
On Saturday, August 22nd, the Lake St. Catherine Association held their fourth and final meeting of the 2026 season.
Attendance: Jim Canders, Jerremy Jones, Ed Laird, Mike Gay, Mark Shea, Sue Williams, Jeff Crandall, Lisa Micich, Steve Mattison. Absent: Dan O’Connell, Nancy Liberatore, Mary Jo Teetor, Kemi McShane, Tim Mante. Guests: Beck Sinclair, Rich Kaiser
Meeting called to order at 8:00 AM.
Opening Comment Period: None
Recording Secretary’s Report: Minutes of the July 25, 2026 meeting accepted as presented. Approved.
Treasurer’s Report: The board reviewed Mary Jo's report, provided by email. Mary Jo outlined the few transactions since the last meeting, the 2025 990 is filed, will work to transition our checking from Citizen's to HFCU in the fall, awaiting Lake Wise 2024/2025 check from LCBP / NEIWPCC to pay PMNRCD, other upcoming payments include DASH and Arrowwood Environmental.
Membership Meeting: The membership meeting went well, and was well received.
Milfoil Control Program: Beck Sinclair gave a report on the work of the DASH team, outlining work completed at the DASH locations. Jerremy mentioned a dense area near the Lily Pond channel. Jeff mentioned that the treatment was less effective in Atwater Bay, as compared to the other areas. The board asked if Beck and the team could work additional days and be effective, he said yes. A motion was made to extend DASH an additional 2 days, all in favor, so moved.
Greeter Program: Jim mentioned a discussion with Missy about Greeters not approaching boaters one day, and Steve mentioned his experience. Missy is looking into it and will follow up with staff.
Publicity: Jerremy has the fall newsletter available for trustees to take copies of. A stack of newsletters are available at the Cluckin' Cafe and Wellsmere Farms.
Lake Safety: Mike said he will take out the buoys in October. He also mentioned that the property at the bottom of North Street on the right has agreed to allow the sign to be placed there, per Kemi.
Nominating Committee: Jim introduced Rich Kaiser who attended the meeting with an interest in joining the board. Rich told the board about himself and his history on the lake. With agreement of the board, Jim appointed Rich to the open trustee position.
Membership: Jerremy reported that there were currently at 364 members. He also reported that the website is being worked on, looking at a fall launch.
Government Relations: Jerremy reported that we had good attendance of state and local officials at the Annual Meeting, and all have been supportive and engaged.
Old Business: Jeff mentioned the yearly hedgehogging of the roadside on West Lake Road. It was suggested that we try to set up a meeting with the road crews from Wells and Poultney in the spring. Ed has reviewed the CWSP contract. A motion was made to approve Jerremy signing the contract on behalf of the LSCA. Jerremy reported that he responded to the Lily Pond property owner that contacted us. She indicated that she may like to speak to someone at the property. Based on the discussion of the dam at the last meeting, Jerremy reached out to F&W to try to set up a meeting. F&W responded, and we are awaiting the scheduling of a meeting.
New Business: Jerremy reported that the PMNRCD Lake Wise team would be out of hours for project implementation after completing the remaining assessments due to the program being popular this year. To maximize the $20k in available funds for materials for projects, Jerremy asked Jaden what she might need for funding outside the grant to complete projects. She estimated that they could complete 7 more projects for $3,010. Jerremy made a motion to provide the additional funding, all in favor, so moved.
Election of Officers: Motions were made, and all approved the re-election of Jim, Mike, Kemi, and Mary Jo as President, Vice President, Recording Secretary, and Treasurer respectively. Next meeting is May 22, 2027.
Jim called for the meeting adjournment, all in favor. Meeting adjourned at 9:30 AM.
Meeting minutes compiled by Jerremy Jones
The LSCA's Fall 2026 newsletter is now available with updates and recaps from the spring & summer.
Printed copies are available at Wellsmere Farm in Wells, and the Cones Point General Store / Cluckin' Cafe in Poultney. If you'd like a printed copy, please stop in at these local establishments to pick one up - they are available now!
Thank you to Michelle and Nicole for having them available!
Also, your LSCA Trustee neighbors will have printed copies available around the lake over the weekend, so stop by to say hi and pick one up.
The digital version is now available online via our website through this link: Click here to view the Fall 2026 Newsletter, or click on the image below. When you click on the link for the newsletter, you will be able to view it on screen - and be able to zoom in or out using the controls in your browser window. Or, you can click the download button to save a copy to your computer to view with a PDF reader, and/or print a copy.
The Federation of Vermont Lakes and Ponds Annual Meeting, entitled "New Tools for Lake Health", taking place at The Vermont History Center (and via Zoom) on September 10th, 2026 from 9:30 AM – 2:45 PM.
After a short FOVLAP business session, the meeting will consist of:
You can read more about the Annual Meeting and RSVP to attend in-person or via Zoom here:
https://vermontlakes.org/event/2026-fovlap-annual-meeting/
This will be an interesting event - we hope to see you there!
We'd like to take a moment to thank everyone who helped create a great evening at the Lake St. Catherine Country Club for the LSCA's 2026 Annual Meeting & Dinner last night!
We hope everyone who attended enjoyed our presentation, the dinner, and the time spent with your lake neighbors. It was great to see a full house - and we appreciate your interest and involvement!
Thank you to our members, our state and local officials, and our partners for your dedication in helping to preserve and protect the lake that we all love.
Also, a special thank you to the Lake St. Catherine Country Club staff for a wonderful dinner.
Attached below are a few photos from the evening, and a YouTube video of the presentation. If you have any questions or comments, please let us know at info@lakestcatehrine.org. Thank you!
Just a quick THANK YOU to everyone who came out this morning to the Wells Lakeside Park to help with the shoreline cleanup! We had a few less people than the first cleanup, but I think we ended up with more debris in the trailer this time. We seem to be getting better at it
Everyone put in some great work today
Also, a special thank you to Dom who volunteered his time today as part of working towards becoming an Eagle Scout.
Plans are to keep this up, and do it again next year.
Great job all!
- Laurel Gilman
You can see more images from the cleanup on our Facebook Page.
We want to make you aware of a very close call involving the safety of the DASH team on the lake yesterday - and also to use this as an opportunity to remind folks of Vermont's 200 foot rule.
Despite the DASH team having multiple buoys in the water, the diver down flag deployed, and the topside team member yelling and waving his arms, a speeding boat came WAY TOO CLOSE to the diver. Thankfully, everyone was OK.
The 200 foot rule basically states that boats cannot travel at a speed greater than 5MPH within 200 feet of shore, the “Shoreline Safety Zone”, or closer than 200 feet from a person, another water vessel in the water, or a diver down flag (or maintaining a buffer of 500 feet if operating a wake boat in wake sport mode). You can read Vermont's Use of Public Water Rules here: https://dec.vermont.gov/.../Use_of_Public_Waters_Rules.pdf
Please look out for each other on the lake.
Thank you.
On Saturday, July 25th, the Lake St. Catherine Association held their third meeting of the 2026 season.
Attendance: Jim Canders, Kemi McShane, Jerremy Jones, Ed Laird, Mary Jo Teetor, Tim Mante, Mike Gay, Mark Shea, Sue Williams, Lisa Micich, Dan O’Connell. Absent: Nancy Liberatore, Steve Mattison, Bob Williams, Jeff Crandall. Guests: Dave Williams
Meeting called to order at 8:30 AM.
Opening Comment Period: Dave Williams from Idylwild Bay expressed his concern about the cannons firing from 2 separate properties on the lake.
Recording Secretary’s Report: Minutes of the June 29, 2026 meeting accepted as presented. Approved.
Treasurer’s Report: Mary Jo presented her report, and detailed the recent banking changes that were made per approval of the board at the June meeting. An account was opened at Arrow Bank, with $170k placed into a 6 month CD, and $30k placed in a money market account. MJ will prepare YTD numbers for the Annual Meeting slides.
Membership Meeting: Plans for the meeting were discussed, including an update on RSVPs. The slides will be discussed later in the meeting.
Milfoil Control Program: Jeff reported on the DASH team’s progress, and made a motion to extend their contact by a week, all in favor, so moved.
Water Quality and Testing: Mary Jo reported that the water is looking clear, water sampling continues.
Publicity: Jerremy mentioned that he had started working on the newsletter, and he’d have printed copies ready for the next meeting in August.
Lake Safety: Mike talked about getting quotes for the sign, and the possibility of making a mask to sandblast it.
Nominating Committee: There is a slide in the presentation for the election of 4 trustees, Jim, Sue, Jeff & Jerremy. We have one opening.
Membership: Jerremy reported that there were currently at 360 members.
Government Relations: Jerremy spoke about the state and local officials that have RSVP’d for the Annual Meeting.
Old Business: Jerremy spoke about a recent discussion at the FOVLAP Dam Discussion Group. There is a concern that if a dam fails, the state would not allow a repair or replacement. With the age of the dam at Lakes End, and that it is owned by Fish & Wildlife, it was decided that we reach out to them to discuss the dam.
New Business: There was a discussion about outreach from someone in Lily Pond, her question was discussed and Jerremy will reply. Jerremy mentioned that a member with a camp on the Halls Bay Channel is interested in working to coordinate raising funds to hydrorake the channel, and he asked if we could inform the community. We’ll add it to the newsletter. The slides for the Annual Meeting were presented, and updates were made to the slides.
Next meeting is the Annual Meeting & Dinner on August 8th.
Jim called for the meeting adjournment, all in favor. Meeting adjourned at 10:30 AM.
In recognition of Lakes Appreciation Month, board members of the Federation of Vermont Lakes and Ponds submitted a commentary highlighting some of the amazing things happening under the surface of our lakes and ponds (including here at Lake St. Catherine!)
While we've all been appreciating this year's very visible eaglets and loon chicks, other interesting things are happening beneath the surface of the lake. This commentary focuses in on a few of those fascinating organisms that you may not be familiar with that are thriving and contributing to a healthy lake ecosystem, including: the fresh-water sponge, native bladderwort, and the eastern elliptio mussel.
You can read the commentary in the Rutland Herald here:
Experience the Magic of Vermont Lakes
Photo: Eastern Elliptio, Vermont Center for Ecostudies
Search lakestcatherine.org:
Follow us on:
