Hello LSC.

We'd like to tell you about a loon rescue that took place on Wednesday on Lake St. Catherine.

Last weekend, a loon that appeared in distress was seen in North Bay. It was initially thought that the loons legs were tangled with weeds, and Loon Biologist Eric Hanson from the Vermont Center for Ecostudies was contacted.

On Monday afternoon, the loon was seen again, and fishing line and a fishing lure (4" or so) could be seen wrapped around its legs impairing its ability to do normal activities. Eric was contacted again with an update, and our Vermont Fish & Wildlife Game Warden Justin Turner was called.

On Tuesday, Justin and his partner attempted to capture the loon, but were unsuccessful. Although its legs were tangled, it was still able to elude their attempts to safely capture it.

On Wednesday, Eric came down from Craftsbury, VT to attempt to capture the loon. When he arrived, the loon was was located near shore and appeared exhausted. Thankfully, Eric was able to safely capture it:

You can see how the line had tangled around its legs:

Eric was then able to transport the loon to the Vermont Institute of Natural Science Center (VINS) in Quechee, VT. We had called ahead to make sure someone would be there to receive the loon. 

Later that evening, Eric sent us an update. He explained that he met the lead rehab person at VINS and they were able to remove the line and all of the hooks that had hooked into its feet. Unfortunately, it was determined that the loon has a broken toe, and infection is a concern. Eric noted that if the loon was able to elude the Wardens while impaired, it may be strong enough to survive at 90% at the ocean this winter.

We will keep you up-to-date as we learn more about its progress at VINS. Keep your fingers crossed!

We'd like to thank the Lake St. Catherine residents who noticed and reported the loon in distress, our Game Warden Justin Turner and his partner, Eric Hanson from VCE and the folks at VINS for their efforts to give this loon a chance. 

Great work by everyone involved.

If you'd like to support the efforts of VCE and VINS, you can make a donation to them on their websites.

- Donate to the Vermont Center for Ecostudies (VCE): https://vtecostudies.org/give/

- Donate to the Vermont Institute of Natural Science Center (VINS): https://vinsweb.org/donate/

We are so happy that the loon population has been increasing over the years, and as we've heard from discussions and online postings from you, we all love seeing and hearing them on the lake.

So, here are some tips to keep the loons safe and healthy from VCS and their publication, Vermont's Common Loon: A Guide For Boaters:

Respect: Enjoy loons from a distance through binoculars. When paddling, never pursue loons for a photo or closer look. A loon constantly swimming away from you is a stressed loon.

Avoid Nesting Areas: Not all nest sites are signed. Be aware of potential nests in marshes and on islands; be ready to paddle slowly away from a loon sitting on shore. If a loon leaves its nest, depart the area immediately; the loon will return once it feels safe.

Slow Down: Loon chicks can be difficult to see. If boating at high speeds, note where the loon family is and avoid that area. Please observe the “no wake speed” law within 200 feet of shorelines. Wakes from boats can flood shoreline nests and dislodge eggs, while speeding boats have been known to run over loons, injuring or killing them.

Get the Lead Out: Fish responsibly. Loons, like many birds, ingest small pebbles in order to help digest their food. Unfortunately, if the material they collect contains lead from sinkers or jigs, poisoning and death may result.

Reel In When Loons are Diving Nearby: Loons will take live bait and lures. Nearly 50% of loon deaths are caused by ingesting lead fishing gear or injury from fishing line entanglement and hooks.

Take Action: It is against the Federal Migratory Bird Treaty Act to harass migratory birds in the U.S. Please report any loon harassment to your local game warden or state police.

Plant Native Vegetation: If you own shoreline, let your lawn grow wild to create wildlife habitat. Leave woody debris and underwater plants for aquatic insects, fish, and loons. If you need a mowed area, keep it 15-20 feet from shore.

Enjoy: Vermont’s lakes and ponds can be home to both people and loons, if we treat loons with respect and are good stewards of forested shorelines and underwater habitat.

Thanks again for everyone involved in this effort. We are hopeful that the loon will be able to recover and make its way to the ocean for the winter, and we'll see it again at ice out in 2022. 

Good afternoon LSC.

We'd like to tell you about some grants we have submitted to bring funds to Lake St. Catherine for the 2022 season, and a few other that we will be applying for soon.

Today, we applied for 2 grants through the Lake Champlain Basin Program (LCBP) totaling over $74,000 in potential funding:

Clean Water and Healthy Ecosystems Projects
Small Implementation Grant: Lake Wise

In partnership with the Poultney Mettowee Natural Resource Conservation District (PMNRCD) and Castleton University (CU), the LSCA applied for funding to continue our very successful Lake Wise Program on Lake St. Catherine. 

The Vermont DEC’s Lake Wise Program encourages landowners to voluntarily implement lake-friendly practices on their property.

The Lake Wise Program was developed by Vermont’s Lakes and Ponds Program to recognize outstanding efforts by homeowners who live along a lakeshore to protect the water quality and habitat along the shoreline and within the near-shore area of the lake. Four categories are assessed: The driveway and parking area, the structure (which includes roof, drainage, and septic), the recreation area (the lawn/footprint of non-natural, high-use yard areas), and the shoreline buffer area. All categories are scored on their ability to slow, infiltrate and filter stormwater runoff which carries nutrients like phosphorus & nitrogen, sediments, and pollution into the Lake.

The goal of the Lake Wise program, from the Lake Wise website:

"The goal of Lake Wise is to establish a new normal, a new culture of lakeshore landscaping that is proven to help protect the lake. A property that earns the Lake Wise Award will represent a 'model' shoreland property. The Lake Wise Award certifies a property is well managed, using shoreland Best Management Practices, and is maintained to care for the lake."

Lakeshore properties that exemplify thoughtful, ecologically-minded development are proudly awarded a Lake Wise Award. The Lake Wise Award certifies that a property is managed in a manner that preserves fish and wildlife habitat, protects water quality, and maintains a shoreline's natural stability. 

Currently, 12 properties on LSC have earned the Lake Wise Award, with 1 award in 2019, and 11 in 2020. 

24 new properties were assessed in 2021, and many stormwater infiltration projects were installed. The results of the assessments and the implementations are still being tabulated, but we are hopeful to be able to announce some awards soon!

The Lake Wise Program not only educates property owners around the lake about the issues stormwater can cause (carrying phosphorus, sediment, and pollutants into the lake), but it also implements stormwater infiltration projects on individual properties with native plantings, rain gardens, infiltration steps, etc.

This is a fantastic program that we hope to continue each season.

Clean Water and Healthy Ecosystems Projects
Planning Grant: LSC Stormwater Master Plan Project Design

In partnership with the Poultney Mettowee Natural Resource Conservation District (PMNRCD), the LSCA applied for funding for the planning, prioritization, outreach, design, and budgeting of projects identified in the Lake St. Catherine Stormwater Master Plan (SWMP).

In 2018 and 2019, extensive field work by the PMNRCD and Fitzgerald Environmental Associates (FEA) took place in the LSC watershed. The goal was to identify sources of increased stormwater runoff and associated sediments and nutrients. Phosphorus reducing projects are of particular importance given the water quality concerns within the watershed. The work involved identifying sources of stormwater, prioritizing sources based on various environmental, economic, and social criteria, and designing projects to mitigate those sources.

While the previously mentioned Lake Wise projects are focused on individual properties on the parcel level, SWMP projects can involve larger areas that may include a combination of public and private lands.

50 sites were identified, and as of today, 4 have been implemented, and 2 others have been designed and are awaiting installation. Projects have recently been completed on North Street, Ferncliff, the boat launch in Wells, and at the Wells Lakeside Park. That leaves 44 others that need to be designed. This grant will allow us to hire a consultant to design these projects to prepare them for funding and implementation.

In the coming months, we will be applying for multiple aquatic invasive species (AIS) grants through the LCBP and the Vermont DEC to help fund our Boat Launch Greeter and Milfoil Control Programs.

We'll keep working for LSC over the fall & winter, and we'll keep you up-to-date with all the latest news.

Thank you for your support!

We hope you find our efforts worthy and we can earn your support - are you a member for 2021? Maintaining the lake costs approximately $125,000 annually. Grants, membership dues and contributions make up the majority of our funding. If you'd like to help, please consider becoming a member or making a donation. The LSCA is a 501 (c)(3) non-profit organization and any contribution that you make may be tax deductible.

A good brisk morning to you LSC.

We'd like to do a quick recap of the floating weed cleanup efforts in the Channel & Little Lake this summer, say a few thank yous, and talk about keeping these efforts going next season.

In early July, as part of our milfoil control efforts, the LSCA and LSCCF announced that they had been planning for a 'Community Day' in the Channel and Little Lake areas to organize volunteers to collect all the floating milfoil they can find as an educational and hands-on 'Stop The Spread' event. Lake neighbors in the Channel informed us that they would like this effort to continue for the whole season, so arrangements were made to make this happen.

As we know, floating milfoil fragments will seed new plants - so it's very important to remove them from the lake. We also worked to educate residents on how they could help to 'Stop The Spread':

1. As a general rule, get as much milfoil out of the lake as possible. Let it dry out on land and dispose of it as you would yard waste.
2. Don’t drive through milfoil patches with your boat which will create fragments which can float away and seed new plants.
3. If you have milfoil on your prop, don’t just reverse and drive away, please remove it from the lake.
4. If you have milfoil growing in your dock or swimming area, pull it out by the roots and remove it from the lake.
5. If you see milfoil floating anywhere in the lake, near your dock, or along your shoreline, remove it from the lake.
6. Obey boating regulations by travelling at no-wake, 5 MPH speeds within 200’ of the shoreline.

Two weed drop-off points were set up, one in the Channel, and one in Little Lake. Volunteers were asked to scoop up and collect detached floating weeds and deposit them at one of the two drop-off points so they could be collected for disposal.

The kickoff event took place on Sunday, July 25th. That morning, volunteers from all around the lake came down to participate, filling up both drop-off points with weeds:

Drop-off point in the Channel

Drop-off point in Little Lake

Later that day, the LSCA's diver assisted suction harvesting (DASH) crew filled 21 buckets (17.5 gallon) full of weeds to haul away!

We are happy to report that these efforts continued throughout the season! Channel & Little Lake residents kept at it by loading up the drop-off points with weeds, and assisting the LSCCF's harvesting crew as they made regular pickups.

We have a lot of folks to thank for helping to make this project as success.

A sincere thank you to:

• Heather from West Lake Road for loaning her float to be used as a drop-off point in the channel - her float was returned last weekend
• Dawn and Joel for allowing the float to be anchored in front of their camp
• Karla and Mike for allowing their dock in the Little Lake to be used as a drop-off point
• The LSCA's DASH crew, Owen & Beck for the initial pickup on Community Day
• The LSCCF's harvesting crew for the subsequent pickups through the Summer
• The volunteers from Community Day, and the volunteers and Channel & Little Lake residents that worked all throughout the season to collect the weeds

This project was very successful, and we hope to continue, and expand it next year by starting it much earlier in the season.

If you can help by donating or loaning a float next season, please contact us at info@lakestcatherine.org.

We are very happy with our lake-wide milfoil control efforts for 2021, and we hope you are too. Our DASH team did great work again this year (read about that here), and year one of the 3-year milfoil control plan for Little Lake yielded excellent results. You can check out 'before' and 'after' drone photos by clicking those links (thank you to VT Lake House for taking these photos!).

Next Spring, we'll be reaching out to the lake community for donations to help fund year 2 of the plan which will be developed over the Winter and early Spring. We hope we can earn your support for the plan. You can read more about the 3-year plan and our 2021 fundraising efforts here: https://lakestcatherine.org/little-lake-milfoil-control

Soon, a comprehensive lake-wide aquatic plant survey will take place, and we'll have a full report to share with you in early November. 

Thanks again to everyone working hard and participating in this lake-wide Milfoil Control Program. Our collective efforts are making a significant and measurable difference in the milfoil level of Lake St. Catherine!

Let's all plan on working even harder next year!

Thank you!

We hope you find our Milfoil Control efforts worthy and we can earn your support - are you a member for 2021? Maintaining the lake costs approximately $125,000 annually. Grants, membership dues and contributions make up the majority of our funding. If you'd like to help, please consider becoming a member or making a donation. The LSCA is a 501 (c)(3) non-profit organization and any contribution that you make may be tax deductible.

Good morning LSC.

We'd like to share some drone photos and video of the Little Lake that were taken on 9/1/21 - 10 weeks after the milfoil treatment on June 22nd. A sincere THANK YOU to VT Lake House for taking these photos for us!

Back on June 30th, we shared the first set of drone photos taken of Little Lake which were taken the morning after the treatment. You can see those photos and video by clicking here: Google Drive folder, Drone Photos - 6-23-2021.

Little Lake Drone Photo - 9/1/21, photos by VT Lake House

You can view all of the new 'after' images and video taken on September 1st here: Drone Photos - 9-1-2021.

We think you'll notice a dramatic difference! 

As we've seen during our observations, and we've heard from happy Little Lake residents, the treatment was very successful. We are so happy to hear the stories of folks skiing and tubing, and seeing Little Lake looking great!

This was a large undertaking by the LSCA and LSCCF both in preparation work and funding. There was also incredible lake community support with contributions to the fundraiser (you can read more about that here) and by those who worked throughout the summer to get milfoil out of the lake to help 'stop the spread' by scooping floating milfoil out of the lake (you can read about those efforts here).

While we've had a FANTASTIC result this season, this is just year 1 of a 3 year plan. Your support will be needed as we continue our battle to keep milfoil under control in Little Lake and the whole of LSC. If you have not become a member of the LSCA for 2021, please do! You can learn about becoming a member here. Your membership dues help fund our import Lake programs to fulfill our mission of the preservation, protection and maintenance of Lake St. Catherine. We'll also be looking to the lake community for support for the year 2 fundraiser which will kickoff early next Spring when the 2022 milfoil plan is finalized.

Finally, at the end of the month, a comprehensive, lake-wide aquatic plant survey will take place which will outline the results of our LSC milfoil control efforts, and the state of other aquatic plants. You can view the past 17 aquatic plant survey reports by visiting our website's Links & Downloads section. We'll share this report with you as soon as it's available in early November.

Thanks again to VT Lake House for taking the 'before' and 'after' photos and video for us, and thank you to everyone in the lake community that helped make the year 1 treatment of Little Lake a success!

Let's all work together and have another successful year of milfoil control in 2022.

Thank you.

Last week, our Diver Assisted Suction Harvesting (DASH) crew completed their contracted hours for the season, and they have provided us their report.

Owen & Beck - Lake St. Catherine Association DASH crew

This season, 146 buckets (17.5 gallon) were harvested. In 2020, 132 buckets were harvested. In 2019, 1,293 buckets were harvested. The DASH crew picked up an additional 21 buckets (not included in the 146 total) as part of the Community Day cleanup in the Channel & Little Lake back in July.

The most amount of milfoil that was removed in one area was from area I, across from the State Park. The milfoil density was very high in this very small .9 acre area, and 53 buckets were removed here. Second was area D, Atwater Bay with 37 buckets from 13.6 acres. Third was area N, Sandy Beach with 24 buckets from 8.2 acres. These 3 areas accounted for approximately 78% of the bucket count this season.

Owen & Beck also report that the lake is looking great, and milfoil areas and densities remain low. They have already generated a preliminary map for 2022, which we'll reference as we perform the Spring survey next May.

Here is a short video taken this season showing how the milfoil is hand-pulled:

Thank you to Owen & Beck for their great work again this season!

Because of their hard work, the spot ProcellaCOR treatments (and the treatment in Little Lake), and the efforts of all of you to get milfoil out of the lake to help to stop the spread, we believe we'll see in our Fall survey that milfoil levels will be at the lowest level we've seen in 15 years (since the full lake treatment in 2004). 

Let's all keep up the good work!

Finally, a quick note on milfoil identification. Throughout the season, we receive calls and emails to report milfoil sightings - which is great. We will always investigate and take a look to see if there is a milfoil issue in the area reported. What we've found is that folks are frequently seeing Illinois Pondweed (Potamogeton illinoensis) and not milfoil.

This is Illinois Pondweed, which is a native aquatic plant for LSC:

This plant had a particularly good growing year. This plant will grow to the surface and the tip of the plant will grow slightly above the surface and you'll see the 'flower' above the water. 

Our DASH crew is not permitted to remove this or any other native plant - they can only hand-pull milfoil.

However, Illinois Pondweed - or other native plants - can certainly become a nuisance in your dock or swimming area. If they are, you may rake or hand-pull these plants in your area to remove them. If you do, you should do your best to remove them by the roots, and ALWAYS remove them from the lake and get them on shore. Let them dry out and dispose of them as you would yard waste. 

This is milfoil:

This is an invasive weed that the DASH crew is permitted to remove.

Thanks again to everyone working hard and participating in this lake-wide Milfoil Control Program. Our collective efforts are making a significant and measurable difference in the milfoil level of Lake St. Catherine!

We hope you find our Milfoil Control efforts worthy and we can earn your support - are you a member for 2021? Maintaining the lake costs approximately $125,000 annually. Grants, membership dues and contributions make up the majority of our funding. If you'd like to help, please consider becoming a member or making a donation. The LSCA is a 501 (c)(3) non-profit organization and any contribution that you make may be tax deductible.

On Saturday, August 28th, the Lake St. Catherine Association held their fourth and final meeting of the 2021 season. Meeting minutes compiled by Kemi McShane.

Attendance: Jim Canders, Ed Laird, Elaine Bagley, John Belnavis, Mary Jo Teetor, Jerremy Jones, Frank Callahan, Bob Williams. Online/phone: Jeff Crandall, Martha Pofit, Nancy Liberatore, Lisa Micich, Kemi McShane. Absent: Michael Gay, Ken Abt, Rob Nesbit

Call to Order: President, Jim Canders called to order the meeting at 8:40 AM at the LSC CC.

Introduction: Jim Canders introduced Beck Sinclair to present on the work accomplished by the DASH team this 2021 season. Highest concentration of milfoil was at Location I, across from the State Park in the channel entering North Bay at Pine Point. North Bay had sparse density, and this area is projected for next year work, also Horseshoe Bay will be a priority. 92 acres in total was addressed by DASH. The maps used for location work areas will be provided to the Fall surveyors to help identify problem areas. 167 total buckets were removed - 53 in area I alone, 21 as part of the Community Clean Up Day. Less floating fragments this season as compared to the past. Noted not as much algae as well. It was requested that as the DASH team works around the Lake next season, to be aware of the roads, shorelines and run-off areas to help identify any areas that the Watershed Action Plan can potentially address. Many volunteers this year to scoop the weeds and pick up floaters to help contain the milfoil. Beck was thanked for the hard work that DASH performs for the lake.

Secretary's Report: motion made and second to accept the Secretary’s report as presented. Motion carried.

Treasurer’s Report: Discussion regarding the transition period as Elaine, our treasurer is retiring. A motion was made to accept the treasurer’s report as presented, second. Motion carried to accept the treasurer’s report.

LSCCF Annual Meeting Report: Jerremy gave a brief report on the meeting he attended last week. There was a general sense of contentment with the collaborative efforts of the 2 groups, and discussion of the success of the treatment. All of our joint initiatives were mentioned, Lake Wise, ProcellaCOR, Community Day weed cleanup. The LSCCF also discussed their individual efforts, finances, bylaws, etc. A motion was made to respond to the LSCCF’s request to include the LSCA in a letter to Misha and the DEC as a supporter of leaving the aeration system in place for ‘emergencies’. Misha sent a request to the LSCCF asking them to remove the system. After discussion, the board concluded that they wanted to remain neutral and consistent with our previous stance as the LSCCF went through the aeration permit process which was to remain neutral, to neither support or oppose the permit, and to accept the DEC's position when reached. A motion was made to that effect. Motion seconded, voted all in favor. Motion carried.

Milfoil: Jeff Crandall reports the herbicide treatment in the LL was very successful. He was told people were waterskiing in the LL again. 70 acres were treated in the LL. Discussion regarding where potential problem areas are around the locations where the Lake is spring feed, such as Endless Brook / Pine Point. Jerremy requested year end aquatic plant report to be available by first week of November.

Water Quality: Mary Jo reports no documented issues this summer, even with recent storms and runoffs. No identification of E Coli, but test kits are available if needed.

Greeter Program: John reports Greeters not seeing milfoil coming out of the Lake like in previous years. Tracking of hours for the survey to be sent to the State. Needs to track data for grants and payments. John noticed the statements of invasive species posted at the boat launch and questioned how to remove that information if not applicable today (water chestnuts)?

Publicity: Jerremy has the Fall newsletter to distribute and will post to our website for online access and email to members. Also available at Otto’s and WCS.

Lake Safety: Frank said the new buoys finally arrived in time for next year. Volunteers to place buoy in Halls Bay in place.

Nominating Committee: Bob Williams reports we have 13 active members. The Association needs 1 person for a 1-year term and 1 person for a 3-year term, to be appointed by Jim per the bylaws. Bob thanked our retiring Trustees: Kemi McShane, Elaine Bagley, and Ken Abt for their years of service to the board and LSC.

Membership: Elaine explained the different stages for the mailings for the membership committee to perform. February membership drive kickoff mailing, postcard reminders, online registration, maintaining and updating the data to keep members contact information current. Bookkeeping of the dues and donations. LSCA has 362 members to date. 40 members from last year have not rejoined, MJ stated this may be due to property transfers. Membership expires January first of each calendar year. A motion was made to have MJ and Jerremy handle the financial plan for bookkeeping and data process in the transitional period. The motion was second, with no further discussion, motion carried.

Grants: Martha reports that Lake Wise saw a lot of interest this summer season. Will be submitting a 3-year work plan for the Lake St. Catherine Watershed Action Plan in collaboration with the PMNCRD that will include, organizing, analyzing, identifying, goal setting, prioritizing with the LCBP and DEC on future projects around the Lake. A motion was made to have the president be able to call additional board meetings as need. It was seconded, voted on and motion carried.

Old Business: East Poultney Day was attended by Jim and Jerremy. Lots of support for the LSCA was received from the community.

New Business: The LSCA received notice of a potential land from the Warwicks. A $50.00 donation was received from them, and the offering of a parcel of land on the Lily Pond and a parcel of land in Poultney. Discussion ensued regarding acceptance of this generous donation. A motion was made to do our due diligence and review the legality, tax liability, marketability, etc. before accepting the donation of the land to the LSCA. The motion was seconded and without further discussion, motion carried. MJ, Nancy and Ed will work cooperatively on researching the necessary information.

Next scheduled Board meeting: May 28, 2022 at 8:30 to be held at LSCCC.

Election of Officers:

Recording Secretary - no one elected, position open

Treasurer - Mary Jo Teetor, motion, seconded, carried

Vice President - Martha Pofit, motion,seconded, carried

President - Jim Canders, motion, seconded, carried

Motion: Corporate resolution to amend the banking signature card to include, Jim Canders, Mary Jo Teetor, Jerremy Jones. Two signatures are required on a check written for any amount above $1,000.00. Seconded, carried

Motion for adjournment made, seconded, and carried.

Meeting adjourned at 11:07 AM

The Lake St. Catherine Association (LSCA) is pleased to announce grant funding from the Vermont Department of Environmental Conservation's Grant-in-Aid Program on two fronts for a total of $21,695.00. The Aquatic Invasive Species Grant-in-Aid is an important piece of funding that the LSCA utilizes to manage milfoil and educate the public on water quality issues and invasive species threatening the health and balance of the lake.

Our Greeter Program is stationed at the Fish and Wildlife boat access in Wells. Our greeters welcome boaters at the launch to inspect boats and trailers for any signs of invasive species, particularly the introduction of milfoil and zebra mussels. They also educate people on other threats that might be in other waters that could be transported if a boat was recently in another body of water. Boats are also inspected and any fragments of weeds are removed from boats and trailers so they will not be transported to other lakes. It is highly encouraged to wash your boat as well as clean, drain, and dry bilges and engine intakes before traveling from one lake to another. In addition, in partnership with the Lake St. Catherine State Park, our greeter station at the park is also operating this year as well. These important grant dollars make it possible for the LSCA to expand its program to monitor as many boats as possible coming and going from Lake St. Catherine.

A portion of the grant also contributes to support our Eurasian Watermilfoil (EWM) Control Program which focuses on the in-lake methods used to combat the invasive milfoil and monitor the water body for signs of any other threats of non-native species. The LSCA uses an integrated, multi-faceted approach to management which includes DASH (diver assisted suction harvesting), diver hand pulling, and spot herbicide treatment.

The most recent success of the program has led to a greatly reduced population of milfoil in the Little Lake. This expansion of the program is part of a 3-year program the Lake St. Catherine Association planned with participation from the Lake St. Catherine Conservation Fund (LSCCF) to focus on areas that have been unable to benefit from the treatment program over the past several years. The Little Lake program received support funds from the LSCA, LSCCF, and individual donations through a fundraising campaign, to successfully treat 40% of the Little Lake with ProcellaCOR.

We would like to thank the Town of Poultney and Wells, as well as the Poultney Mettowee Natural Resources Conservation District (PMNRCD) for their support and partnership in the successful application and administration of the grants as well as the peripheral programs that enhance the Lake St. Catherine environment for all to enjoy.

Hello LSC!

We'd like to let you know that the LSCA Fall 2021 newsletter is now available.

The Fall issue has an update on Little Lake, lots of recaps of events since the Spring issue - including the Boat Parade & Annual Membership Meeting & Dinner - and a large section is devoted to explaining the large grant we've received to create a Lake Watershed Action Plan for Lake St. Catherine.

In an effort to save on printing and mailing costs, we've decided to only print a short run of copies and distribute them to Otto's Cones Point General Store and the Wells Country Store. If you'd like a printed copy, please feel free to pick one up when you are out and about (available now). Thank you to Otto's and WCS!

Also, your LSCA Trustee neighbors will have printed copies available around the lake.

The digital version is now available online via our website through this link: Click here to view the Fall 2021 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.

Have You Renewed Your Membership For 2021?

As we near the end of the season, we'd like to ask our members to check to see if they renewed their membership for 2021. 

According to our records, we have over 40 members who were members last year that have not yet renewed for 2021.

You can renew or become a member on our website. If you were a member in 2020, click here to renew, or click here to become a new member - and you can pay your dues online with your credit card. If you were a member last year (whether you paid by check or online by credit card), the website has an account ready for you. If you don't remember your password, have never logged in, or if you have not logged into the new website launched in December, please click here to set or reset your password.

We'd also like to encourage you to check with your employer to see if they have an Employer Matching Gift Program for charitable donations. Many generous businesses will match donations made by their employees through these programs. So, take a look - you may be able to double your contribution!

Your membership and the dues and contributions we receive allows us to accomplish our work. Maintaining the lake costs approximately $125,000 annually. While we do receive annual grants from Poultney, Wells, and the State, membership dues and contributions make up the majority of our funding.

Thank you for your support of the LSCA!

On Saturday, July 28th, the Lake St. Catherine Association held their third meeting of the 2021 season. Meeting minutes compiled by Kemi McShane.

Attendance: Jim Canders, Nancy Liberatore, John Belvavis, Ed Laird, Mary Jo Teetor, Jerremy Jones, Frank Callahan, Bob Williams, Elaine Bagley, Martha Pofit, Ken Abt (online), Jeff Crandall (online). Absent: Rob Nesbit, Kemi McShane.

Call to Order: President Jim Canders called the meeting to order at 8:05 AM. Minutes compiled by Jerremy Jones.

Previous meeting minutes approved.

Annual Meeting, John: LSC CC can offer the same dinners as 2019 meeting, a buffet selection of chicken or fish with sides or a prime rib dinner. Jerremy will start working on the presentation, setting up RSVPs through the website.

Greeters, John: Program running well, Greeters doing a great job at boat launch and State Park. Greeters went around Little Lake for the Stop The Spread handout. Will also cover the rest of the lake.

Milfoil Control, Jeff: Got the F&W Greeter permit for the boat launch, one is not needed at the State Park. DASH - 92 acres, will start July 1st for full operations, currently hand-pulling. ProcellaCOR treatment occurred on June 22nd in Halls Bay, and in Little Lake.

Little Lake Meeting, Jerremy: Meeting on June 19 at Wells Lakeside Park. Members of LSCCF, LSCA, Wells Select Board, and members of the lake community attended. We detailed the 3 year plan and discussed the Stop The Spread handout. The meeting was mostly positive, then veered off of that positivity when the Q&A started. We did receive some nice feedback from some attendees. Jim offered a motion for $425 to cover the cost of the handouts, approved. Also discussed was a meeting called by the Wells Select Board on June 23rd, attended by Jim, Frank, and Jerremy. Members of the LSCCF were also in attendance. Topics discussed: the 3-year Little Lake milfoil control program, and the working relationship between the WSB, LSCA, and LSCCF.

Treasurer’s Report, Elaine: Financial report presented and approved. To date, 341 members. Donations coming in from happy users of the lake. 990 filed, motion to pay preparer, approved. Elaine summarized closure and setup of new accounts as was discussed last meeting.

Water Quality, Mary Jo: Lay monitoring taking place as usual. Will contact town to order E. coli testing kits.

Publicity, Jerremy: discussed recent coverage of the award of the watershed action grant in local papers, recent community volunteer events, website and Facebook always updated with latest lake and LSCA news.

Lake Safety, Frank: 2 upcoming boating license classes, many reservations for both, might add a third, TBD. Buoys and markers out, the one in Halls Bay went missing soon after it was placed. More have been ordered. Discussed reports of unsafe boating, extend an invite to our Game Warden to speak at annual meeting.

Grants, Martha: discussed kickoff of Lake Wise, LCBP’s State of the Lake report, and clean water funding, the Watershed Action Plan.

Nominating, Bob: 4 open spots, 1 to be appointed, 3 for election at annual meeting. Idea to create ‘Wanted’ posters to be used as ice-breakers to speak with residents about joining the LSCA. Current Trustees will canvas their areas to speak with potential candidates. Jerremy will create the poster and email to Trustees.

New Business: Sign up for East Poultney Day? Yes, Jerremy will get us signed up. Wells Variety Day, per Nora at Wells Town Hall, will not be happening.

Motion for adjournment, approved.

Hello LSC.

We got lucky with the weather, and the Milfoil Cleanup Community Day, organized by the LSCA and LSCCF was able to go ahead as scheduled for 9 AM this morning. 

Multiple boats, kayaks & canoes were out there scooping up all the milfoil & floating weeds we could find in the Channel and Little Lake. 

THANK YOU to all our volunteers!

After the collection was done, the LSCA's diver assisted suction harvesting (DASH) crew came down to pickup all the collected weeds so they could be hauled away for disposal.

They filled up 21 buckets (17.5 gallon) to take away!

Our DASH crew: Owen & Beck (and Arlo in the middle):

The guys picking up at the Little Lake drop-off point - thanks for volunteering your dock Karla & Mike:

Then it was off to clean up the floating dock:

Thanks again to Heather for loaning us this floating platform for this project.

The good news from today was that there was not a lot of floating milfoil to be found. While an occasional milfoil stem was found, the plants were almost all detached natives.

Since milfoil fragments can seed new milfoil growth, it was GREAT to see so little floating milfoil in the Channel and in Little Lake today. 

The milfoil treatment in Little Lake was very successful, so we are off to a good start in year 1 of the 3 year plan. You can read more about the 3 year milfoil plan for Little Lake here: https://lakestcatherine.org/little-lake-milfoil-control

You can also read a brief 1 month post treatment report that was included in our presentation at the Annual Meeting & Dinner last evening. You can view that slide presentation here: https://lakestcatherine.org/blog/10773287

We'll do a cleanup day again next year, and we'll try to do it earlier in the season. Also, these 2 drop-off points will stay in place for the season, and will be monitored for pickups. So, please continue to use them!

Thank you to all involved!