For the preservation, protection, and maintenance of Lake St. Catherine
The Lake St. Catherine Association would like to thank Cristin Ashmankas, Environmental Analyst with the State of Vermont’s Department of Environmental Conservation, Drinking Water & Groundwater Protection Division for her presentation to attendees at the 'Wastewater Workshop' on July 8 at the Lake St. Catherine Country Club.
Cristin talked about the basics of septic systems: how they work, why they are so important, how they fail, and how to properly maintain them. She also outlined how they are designed, and the many different types of systems that are available - including innovative and alternative systems that can be used in unique situations.
She also discussed the rules, where to get help, and why it is so important that systems be fully working around the lake.
All this great information can be found in her presentation, which is attached below:
Lake St. Catherine Wastewater Workshop - July 8, 2022
Also available are 2 handouts:
• The Guide To Failed Wastewater Systems • The Homeowners Guide To Wastewater Systems
If you have any septic system questions, please reach out to Cristin, she would be happy to help!
Cristin.Ashmankas@vermont.gov 802-522-3257
Thank you to our attendees - we hope you found this presentation helpful - and thank you to the Lake St. Catherine Country Club for hosting our meeting!
On Saturday, June 25th, the Lake St. Catherine Association held their second meeting of the 2022 season. Meeting minutes compiled by Kemi McShane Bostock
Attendance: Jim Canders, Martha Pofit, Jerremy Jones, Mary Jo Teetor, John Belnavis, Bob Williams, Lisa Micich, Nancy Liberatore, Kemi McShane, Frank Callahan, Mike Gay, Ed Laird, (Online) Jeff Crandall
Guests: Mike Shea, Kevin Smarz
Call to Order: President Jim Canders called the meeting to order at 8:40.
Public Comment: Introductions to and of guests
President’s Opening Comments: Jim Canders, President
Approval of Meeting Minutes: Minutes of May 28, 2022 posted and corrected and submitted by Jerremy Jones
Treasurer’s Report: Mary Jo Teetor, statement of activity, not many bills paid - waiting on Solitude, Libraries Love Lakes spending. Town of Wells paid last year's allocation. Corrected bank deposit error, budget is correct. Credit at Williams Hardware for any LSCA needed items. Volunteer logs for milfoil management / Greeters AIS grant, to include: 1. Administration, 2. Directly related to Greeter program, & mIlfoil program.
Jim asked for a motion to accept the Treasurer's report as presented. Lisa made a motion to accept, Ed seconded, all in favor, motion passed.
Milfoil Management: Jeff Crandall, treatment was on June 20, 2022 in Horseshoe Bay, Forest House Bay, Little Lake. No issues. DASH began hand-pulling, will start full operations on 7/1. Discussed needing better customer service from SOLitude. Discussed misinformation surrounding ProcellaCOR, milfoil control in general, will address misinformation at Annual Meeting.
Boat Launch Greeter Program: John Belnavis, short on greeters, concentrating on the State Boat Launch. Will advertise for Greeter positions. DEC on August 9, 2022 will be educating the public on AIS with a Vermont Invasive Patroller paddle launching from the Wells Lakeside Park at 10 AM.
Publicity / Membership: Jerremy Jones, membership numbers currently at 338 members, goal is 400, including individuals and business sponsors. 15 business sponsors, 58 new members. Already ahead of last year with dues and donations.
Lake Safety: Frank Callahan, markers in, Boat Safety course had 3 locations, but will only need 2. State Police Marine Division and Fish & Wildlife are in conflict regarding the testing, making it difficult to administer.
Nominating Committee: Bob WIlliams, 2 current openings. Kemi McShane appointed to the remaining term of Phil Pope (2022). Martha Pofit will be stepping down in August. Slate at Annual Meeting for membership vote: Frank Callahan, Ed Laird, Nancy Liberatore, Mary Jo Teetor, Kemi McShane 2023-2026. Jim asked for a motion, Frank made the motion, Lisa seconded, all in favor, motion passed. Nominating Committee set with Slate, but will still have 2 openings to fill - remaining term (2023) for Martha, and remaining term for Rob Goldman (2023).
Boat Parade: Jerrremy Jones, 15 boats registered so far, pictures will be posted online for voting. Set date is July 2, 2022 at 1:00pm. Fireworks set for July 2, 2022 at 10:00 PM on LSC sponsored by Rick Roberts.
Annual Meeting: John Belnavis, July 23, 2022, dinner at LSC CC, menu has 3 food choices and will have online RSVP and menu selection and payment. Jerremy will provide an updated slide presentation for the meeting, committees will report on their topic area. Meeting starts at 6:00 PM with dinner to follow. John handled arrangements with the CC. The LSCA will pay a facility fee to LSC CC for the use of the facility. Jim asked for a motion to pay an appropriation fee of $300.00, motion passed.
Grants: Martha Pofit, discussion regarding the Libraries Loves Lakes program held July 3, 2022 at the Wells Lake Park at 10:00 AM. Displays and presentations from the Wells and Poultney Libraries, LSCA, the Conservation Fund, Greeter Program, Castleton University, the Wells Historical Society, PMRNCD, and Eric Hanson from Vermont Ecostudies will take place. At 11:00 there will be 3 boats to take boat tours of the Lake. This is an educational grant from LCBP.
July 14, 2022 at 5:30 at the Wells Lakeside Park, the Watershed Action Plan will have a stakeholder outreach meeting & presentation.
LSCA is known to deliver on our responsibilities to the grants received, but have many more competitors. To secure a grant requires to file all documents, get contracts, oversee work, get it, manage it, and report it.
Old Business: Jerremy Jones, spoke about FOVLAP, and the transfer of lakestcatherine.com to the LSCA. On letter to F&W, board felt response received did not address our concerns, a reply was created to invite F&W to a meeting to discuss. Ed Laird reported on the land donation, moving forward, an appraiser has been secured to appraise the property.
New Business: Jerremy Jones, East Poultney Day mid August, proposed purchasing tent, banner, and table throw for events. Will follow up with board on costs.
Motion to adjourn meeting: 11:18 am
Next meeting: July 23, 2022 at 8:30 AM LSC CC.
Hello LSC.
We'd like to invite you to the 2022 Lake St. Catherine Association Annual Meeting & Dinner at the Lake St. Catherine Country Club on Saturday, July 23rd, beginning at 6 PM.
The LSCA Trustees will update you on lake issues, give you reports from their committees, and discuss current and future initiatives for the lake. The meeting will conclude with an open question and answer session, then we'll have a nice dinner with our lake neighbors.
We'll also have a special guest: loon biologist Eric Hanson from Vermont Ecostudies will be giving a presentation on loons!
We are looking forward to seeing you!
At approximately 7:30, dinner will be served. If you'd like to stay for dinner, the LSC CC has provided the menu below.
Dinner options:
- Includes cake and coffee.
Please RSVP for the meeting by clicking here to register. You will be able to indicate the selection of dinner(s) you'd like to reserve. You can pay online with a credit card or with cash at the door. Paying online adds $1 to each dinner to cover transaction fees. Thank you.
Hello LSC - we hope you are enjoying your 4th of July weekend!
This morning was the Libraries Love Lakes event at the Wells Lakeside Park.
We'd like to thank everyone who attended, volunteered, and contributed this great event!
Our presenters included:
Thank you also to our Pontoon Boat Captains Owen, Dawn and Mark for taking attendees on a quick tour of the lake, and thank you to the Town of Wells for the use of the park today.
The lake-related learning will continue at the Wells Village Library, as a new section of the library called the 'Lake St. Catherine Collection' will be open to the public soon. More details on this soon.
Finally, a big thank you to the Lake Champlain Basin Program (LCBP) for funding this day, and and the new section of the library through an Education & Outreach grant!
More photos from the day can be viewed on our Facebook page by clicking here.
Good evening LSC - here are your winners of the 10th Annual LSCA Boat Parade! (222 votes!)
Most Patriotic:
1st Place: Boat #6 - God Bless America - Adam Wunderlich
Runner up: Boat #18 - Patriotic - Ryan Bagley
Funniest:
1st Place: Boat #7 - Monster Mash - The Ramirez Family
Runner up: Boat #13 - Groovin On The Lake - Mike & Chris Gay
Most Original:
1st Place: Boat #12 - RMS Titanic - Goldman Family
Runner Up: Boat #10 - Lake Saint Catherine Fire Boat - Wysolmerski Family
Best Overall:
1st Place: Boat #3 - Moana - Megan Frueh
Runner Up: Boat #4 - Pirates Secret - Mary Papasso
Special ⭐️ to Boat #1 - Libraries Love Lakes!
Thank you to all who participated - what a great parade - we hope everyone enjoyed it!
We'll do it all again next year.
> Thank you to Karen Velsor for allowing us to use her photos to announce the winners!
We hope you enjoyed the 10th Annual LSCA Boat Parade! Vote for your favorites! https://forms.gle/phv7K16K4anMyXSF7 Poll will close at 8 PM. (Sorry, some of the photos are dark) If you have any photos from the parade, please post them! Thanks to everyone who participated, and all those that cheered them on!
We'd like to invite you to join us - the Lake St. Catherine Association (LSCA), and our partners the Poultney Mettowee Natural Resources Conservation District (PMNRD), Castleton University, and Fitzgerald Environmental Associates to a very important meeting to discuss the Lake St. Catherine Watershed Action Plan on Thursday, July 14th at 5:30 PM at the Wells Lakeside Park on Little Lake.
The Vermont Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) describes the purpose of a Watershed Action Plan as:
A Lake and Watershed Action Plan (LWAP) is designed to identify and communicate the problems and fixes within a lake watershed to best protect water quality, wildlife habitat, and the lake’s ecosystem health. These plans answer the questions 'what issues threaten the health of our lake the most?' and 'what can we do about them?'
After many years of successfully managing and participating in individual lake programs to protect Lake St. Catherine, which include: water testing (Lay Monitoring Program) in-lake invasive species control (Milfoil Control Program), invasive species prevention (Greeter Program), and stormwater management (Lake Wise Program, LSC Stormwater Master Plan), the LSCA is now poised to integrate these programs into a broader watershed plan with a focus on the prevention of pollutant loads (phosphorus, nitrogen, sediments) that enter into the Lake from sources outside the waterbody. The LSCA plans to use the success of these building blocks to expand its work in the watershed and focus on prevention for the future as part of a comprehensive long-term plan. The resulting plan will leverage current LSCA investments in water quality and pollution prevention, be driven by accepted best management practices, elevate under-assessed areas and gaps, and will identify issues, opportunities, and projects to guide locally-led water quality implementation work in the Lake St. Catherine watershed.
The findings from the creation of the LWAP will guide our long-term efforts to increase water quality, and projects identified can then feed into the DEC Watershed Projects Database and be considered for funding under the Clean Water Initiative Program (CWIP) and other sources.
One of the first steps in this 3-year process is to hold a meeting with Lake St. Catherine stakeholders to describe what LWAPs are, to outline our work plan, to discuss how the Lake St. Catherine watershed will be assessed, and to inform you on how you can help and participate in planning for the future of Lake St. Catherine.
We are proud to have earned this grant from the Lake Champlain Basin Program to fund the Lake St. Catherine LWAP, and we look forward to putting in the good, hard work it will take over the next 3 years and beyond.
For the preservation, protection and maintenance of our beautiful Lake St. Catherine - we hope you will join us.
Thank you!
On Saturday, May 28th, the Lake St. Catherine Association held their first meeting of the 2022 season. Meeting minutes compiled by Jerremy Jones.
Attendance: Jim Canders, Ed Laird, John Belnavis, Mary Jo Teetor, Jerremy Jones, Frank Callahan, Jeff Crandall, Martha Pofit, Nancy Liberatore. Online: Michael Gay, Rob Nesbit. Absent: Bob Williams, Lisa Micich.
Public Comments: None.
President’s Opening Comments: Jim discussed the amount of work needed to be completed this season, noting there are 2 current openings, and upcoming retirement from the board.
Approval of Meeting Minutes: A motion was made to accept the minutes of the last Board Meeting of the LSCA in August, 2021. Motion passed.
Treasurer’s Report: Mary Jo presented the 2022 budget. Discussion followed. A few budgeted items were updated from estimated costs to actual costs. A motion was made to accept the report. Motion passed.
Milfoil Management: Jeff Crandall, the herbicide treatment is Monday, June 20, 2022. 2 small sites on the Big Lake (~9 acres), 1 area in Little Lake (~35 acres), 13 sites for the DASH program. DASH cost will increase this season, budget adjusted. Mailed notifications were sent, postings were made on our website and social media pages, emails were sent, and posting of the notification signs was completed on May 20, 2022. The spring plant survey was completed on May 16, 2022 by SOLitude and our DASH team. A discrepancy on our contract with SOLitude, Jeff will follow up. Discussed the misinformation being posted online about LSC, ProcellaCOR and milfoil causing confusion as a result of the LBA applying for a permit. Concern about safety on treatment day were discussed. It was decided to reach out to the Game Warden to ask for coverage on the day of the treatment.
Boat Launch Greeter Program: John Belnavis reports that the Greeter Program is underway for the season at the boat launch in Wells and at the State Park in Poultney. A few of our Greeters from years past have moved away, so we are a few short this season. We’ll advertise that we have openings.
Publicity / Membership: Jerremy Jones, Newsletter available today - will be emailed to members and posted on our sites, printed copies to Wellsmere Farm, Trustees will take a stack to hand out. Constant communication with the lake community through website, Facebook, Front Porch Forum. Membership is strong, starting to pick up again as folks start heading back to the lake. Goal is 400 for 2022, at 314 currently.
Lake Safety: Frank Callahan, Placement of the markers & buoys for the season. Three boating courses scheduled in June and July. 24 signups so far.
Nominating Committee: 2 current openings can be appointed, one retirement in July. Looking for new potential Trustees.
Boat Parade: Jerremy Jones, Boat Parade is Saturday, July 2nd at 1 PM. Registration is open, a few folks have registered. We’ll follow the model from previous years, photos will be taken at the starting line, an online poll will be posted so folks can vote.
Annual Meeting: John will work with the LSCCC to arrange for the Annual Meeting on Saturday July 23, 2022 at 6 PM. Dinner options and costs TBD. Will discuss presentation at next meeting. Will start promotion when dinner options are available. Look at inviting speakers?
Grants: Martha Pofit, Outlined all the grants the LSCA is working on this year, Libraries Love Lakes, LSC Watershed Action Plan, Lake Wise, Stormwater Master Plan, will need help administering, as Martha is stepping down at the end of July.
Old Business: Jerremy Jones, Discussed his appointment to the board of the Federation of Lakes and Ponds (FOVLAP). He is currently working on the website committee as they are currently working to redo their website. Ed Laird, Outlined the land donation to the LSCA, working with owner and Nancy Liberator to sell the property. Motion made to have title search completed. Motion passed. Nancy donating her time to the sale.
New Business: Jerremy Jones, Discussed a draft of a proposed letter to be sent to Shawn Good at Vermont Fish & Wildlife to voice our concerns about descriptions of LSC, characterizations made about our milfoil control efforts, and conclusions made in a recent Bass report that he wrote about LSC. A motion to send the letter was made. Motion passed. The letter will be sent on Tuesday, May 31st.
Motion for adjournment 10:55 AM.
Next meeting: June 25, 2022 at 8:30 AM LSCCC.
Our 'Dockside Chats' program is back this season.
Back in 2020 when COVID canceled our Annual Meeting & Dinner, we started Dockside Chats to be able to have safe, face-to-face meetings with lake property owners so you can have an opportunity to discuss lake issues with the LSCA.
This program has been very popular over the last 2 years, so we are doing it again here in 2022.
An LSCA Trustee will hop on their boat or Sea•Doo, or their kayak or paddle board and head over to your dock so you, and possibly your invited neighbors can ask us questions, and we can tell you about all the important lake programs this season.
If you'd like to schedule a Dockside Chat, please email us at info@lakestcatherine.org and include some dates and times that would work for you. We'll get right back to you to set up your Dockside Chat.
We look forward to seeing you!
Septic systems are not usually a topic of polite conversation but we’re here to change that! Living around Lake St. Catherine, we understand the value of good water quality. As residents, there are many things that we can do to protect Lake St. Catherine, and proper maintenance of septic systems is one important way that homeowners can do just that.
Please join us for a "Wastewater Workshop" and learn about care and maintenance of your septic system on Friday, July 8th from 10 AM - 12 PM at the Lake St. Catherine Country Club.
State of Vermont, Department of Environmental Conservation Wastewater Workshop:
Discover how onsite wastewater systems work and the various kinds of systems installed in Vermont. Understand how to maintain a system and the regulatory framework for on-site wastewater systems and potable water supplies. Learn how to identify permit and approval issues particularly ones that may occur when buying and selling property. Become familiar with online resources for permits and property owners and answers to site-specific questions.
Our presenter:
Cristin Ashmankas, M.S.
Cristin Ashmankas is an Environmental Analyst with the State of Vermont’s Department of Environmental Conservation, Drinking Water & Groundwater Protection Division. In this role, she works with engineers, designers, and the public in permitting wastewater, potable water, and ensuring compliance. Prior to joining the State, she was a high school STEM teacher and a college professor of physical science. She has been a geological and environmental consultant for various organizations and governmental agencies. Cristin holds a M.S. from the University of Rhode Island in Geological Oceanography, specializing in climate change in the Arctic and natural disasters, and a B.S. from Eckerd College in Physics and Marine Geophysics, specializing in Baffin Bay hydrology. She grew up in Massachusetts, mainly Cape Cod, but has come to call the Northeast Kingdom of Vermont home.
We hope to see you there!
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