Hello LSC property owners. 

We are gearing up for the 2022 Lake Wise Program around Lake St. Catherine - and we are looking for property owners to sign up to participate this season.

In late January, we were informed by the Lake Champlain Basin Program that we had earned a grant in the amount of $24,970 for the 2022 Lake St. Catherine Lake Wise Program.

Lake Wise is a program 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.

This year's project is entitled: “Creating a Critical Mass of Lake Stewards on Lake St. Catherine”, and will be implemented in partnership with the LSCA, the Poultney Mettowee Natural Resource Conservation District (PMNRCD) and new partner Castleton University.

Stormwater has a widespread environmental impact which makes it a growing concern in Vermont and Lake St. Catherine. In a statewide effort, towns and local organizations are working to implement large scale projects to help clean stormwater before it enters water bodies. Work is being done from the headwaters all the way down to the stream outlets. Excess nutrients in the water contribute to problems which affect both human and wildlife health including; lower oxygen levels in the water, toxic algae blooms, and excessive plant growth.

Shoreline property owners have the access and the ability to control what is happening directly at the lake's edge.

While small-scale improvements on individual properties may not seem like they have much impact, collectively the implementation of many small projects will have a positive benefit on the water quality in the lake and the surrounding watershed.

In fact, after this season, Lake St. Catherine will be close earning the Gold Lake Wise Award. Lakes that have 15% of their lakeshore properties as participants in the Lake Wise Program will earn the Gold Lake Wise Award.

Last year, Lake Wise focused on properties on Little Lake, and we had great participation and results. This year, we are focusing on "high impact properties". While all property owners on Lake St. Catherine are eligible to sign up for Lake Wise, this year, we are particularly looking for properties where Lake Wise could have a significant impact with the help of the program.

If you have a property with any of the following characteristics - WE WANT YOU:

• A large amount of shoreline frontage
• Your lawn goes right down to the lake
• You have large areas of non-permeable surfaces 
• You're on the west side of the lake in zones of highest slope
• You're the Channel and experiencing shoreline erosion
• You live in zones where your neighbors are Lake Wise properties and can help us create entire Lake Wise neighborhoods

Enroll this month in the Lake Wise Program to receive complementary services, which could include: native buffer plantings, rain gardens, infiltration steps, erosion help, and other stormwater mitigation interventions this summer. These efforts help us all protect the lake from excessive nutrients that run across your property and into the lake which fuel milfoil growth and affect water quality.

Please contact us at info@lakestcatherine.org to sign up!

Together, we can maintain the pristine nature of Lake St. Catherine for years to come. Thank you for your stewardship and commitment.

Sincerely,

The Board of Trustees of the Lake St. Catherine Association

Good evening LSC. We're calling it...

Most of the ice on the Big Lake went out on Saturday, and on the Little Lake more than a week before that.

The last of the stubborn ice disappeared early this afternoon in Lily Pond and Oxbow Bay, so we have checked your predictions, and we have a winner!

Your 2022 LSC Ice Out Champion is: Mary-Sue Reed.

Congrats Mary-Sue!

Honorable mentions to: Mary, Hannah, Kyle, Andrew, Owen (Jr & Sr), Autumn, Suzanne, and Wellsmere Farm who also guessed today.

Thanks to all 108 people who entered a guess - and thank you to all our Ice Spotters for sending in reports!

Finally, a quick mention about our membership drive - we hope you can support us this season! To become a member, or to renew your membership, please visit our website: https://lakestcatherine.org/become-a-member

We have membership levels for everyone who loves LSC.

Thank you!

The LSCA was happy to sign on and support this funding request by Vermont’s Natural Resource Conservation Districts to the Vermont Legislature for the FY2023 state budget:

As is noted in the request:

"Conservation Districts are an unseen force that connects people, organizations and resources to steward our land and water resources for the future. District Managers are rooted in the communities they serve, and your favorite place has likely benefited from the work of the Conservation Districts. The work that Conservation Districts do in every corner of the state is becoming increasingly important, especially in light of the state’s clean water goals and Vermont’s Climate Action Plan. Their FY23 funding requests are critical for advancing state conservation goals.

Because of the important role Conservation Districts play, we want to ensure that all land owners and stewards and communities in Vermont have access to the technical assistance, project implementation and other critical support that Conservation Districts provide."

As you may know, the Poultney Mettowee Natural Resources Conservation District (PMNRCD) has been doing fantastic work around Lake St. Catherine over the years, and they have been a great partner for the LSCA as we work together on the Lake Wise Program, the Lake St. Catherine Stormwater Master Plan, and the upcoming Lake St. Catherine Watershed Action Plan.  

We appreciate the work our Conservation Districts do throughout Vermont, and we especially appreciate the work the PMNRCD does for Lake St. Catherine. We urge the Vermont Legislature to include the requested appropriation.

Thank you. 

Hello good folks of LSC.

As you may recall, back in July 2021, the LSCA and LSCCF organized a Milfoil Cleanup Community Day in the Channel & Little Lake.

Volunteers from all areas of Lake St. Catherine joined in on the kick-off day to collect all the detached and floating milfoil (and other detached and floating plants) to get them out of the lake and on to one of our 2 drop off points. At the end of the day, the LSCA’s Diver Assisted Suction Harvesting (DASH) crew collected it all - 21 buckets (17.5 gallon) worth - and hauled it away. The collection points were left in place for the rest of the season, and Channel & Little Lake residents continued to deposit the milfoil. The LSCCF’s mechanical harvesting crew performed the subsequent pickups for the remainder of the season.

This effort was very successful in both removing detached milfoil and other detached plants from the lake, and in educating boaters and property owners on best practices to limit the spread of milfoil. You can read a summary of last year’s Milfoil Community Day here: https://lakestcatherine.org/blog/10774108, and a summary of the season-long effort here: https://lakestcatherine.org/blog/11122034.

We are now making plans for 2022, and we need your help.

We are looking to the lake community for a donation or loan of 2 floating platforms that can be used as drop off points.

If you can loan or donate a floating platform that you will not be using this season, please reach out to us at info@lakestcatherine.org.

Preliminary plans for this season include a kick-off of Milfoil Cleanup Community Day on Sunday, June 5th at the Wells Lakeside Park (so save the date!). We’ll get together to talk about the program, and then head out on the lake and get to work! We do hope to get the platforms in place before June 5th so full-time LSC residents can get started volunteering as soon as they’d like. We’re sure the Channel Kayak Crew will be out there as soon as we can get the platforms set up.   

So, mark your calendars, and please help us spread the word about our need for floating platforms for this program. If you can help us out, please let us know at info@lakestcatherine.org.

Thank you!

Hello LSC.

We'd like to let you know that the LSCA has written and sent a letter to Secretary Moore at the Agency of Natural Resources, State officials, and our representatives and senators to voice our concern that the position of the Lake Wise Coordinator in the Vermont Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) is being held open to accrue “vacancy savings”.

Back in December, the creator of the Lake Wise Program at Vermont Lakes and Ponds, Amy Picotte, retired after 31 years of service to Vermont and all of its lakes and ponds. You can read more about Amy's work on Lake Wise by clicking here.

We respectfully add our voice to request that the Lake Wise function at the state level be fully funded and receive continued investment.

Over the past three years, the Lake Wise Program on Lake St. Catherine has been extremely successful at both educating property owners about best practices for the lake's shoreline, and implementing stormwater mitigation projects on their properties. We have also seen a dramatic shift in interest in the preservation and protection of our shorelines to increase water quality by shoreline property owners. Property owners are reaching out to us for help at their shoreline, informing us of potential issues after storms, and inquiring about complying with the Shoreland Protection Act.

Photo Credit: PMNRCD

The 2021 Lake Wise Program at Lake St. Catherine resulted in:

• 24 property owners signing up for Lake Wise
• 20 assessments were completed
• 89 written recommendations were made to property owners
• 22 projects were implemented, including: vegetated buffer plantings, infiltration step installation, culvert stabilization efforts, and rain garden construction
• 340 feet of shoreline buffers were installed
• 412 native plants planted
• 40 live stake cuttings planted
• 4 Lake Wise Award winners (bringing our total on LSC to 16)

You can read the full text of our letter below. 

If you'd like to participate in the Lake Wise Program this year, please email us at info@lakestcatherine.org to add your name to the list.

Thank you for reading.

Dear Secretary Moore:

The Lake St. Catherine Association is deeply concerned that the position of the Lake Wise Coordinator in the Vermont Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) is being held open to accrue “vacancy savings”, particularly at a time when federal resources coming into Vermont are providing substantial financial support to be able to efficiently continue funding the Lake Wise Program at DEC.

The Lake St. Catherine Association has assembled a series of important building blocks as a springboard to prepare us to be successful in launching our Watershed Action Plan over the next three years. These include: a state of the art herbicide program with dramatic results towards AIS reduction; a mature and robust Diver Assisted Suction Harvesting Program; a joint planning effort for AIS control and prevention; a Greeter boat inspection program with the highest standards and training, recently expanded for high traffic events; a valued partnership with the Lake St. Catherine State Park and a second site for education and inspections; a wildly successful Lake Wise program for pollution prevention with expansion in 2022; an emerging strategic partnership focused on Little Lake; a collaborative and healthy relationship with the Lakes and Ponds leaders at Vermont DEC.

The Lake Wise program at our Lake had been operated since 2019 in collaboration with the Poultney Mettowee Natural Resources Conservation District and has enjoyed three years of support from the Lake Champlain Basin Program. We have close to 60 properties that have undergone Lake Wise assessments and project implementation. In 2021 we had a targeted effort to help Little Lake and in 2022, we have a bold program to recruit the highest impact properties throughout the basin, as we seek to reduce phosphorus load via runoff across homeowner properties. We are thrilled that a new partner, the Natural Sciences Dept. at Castleton University will provide interns and program oversight and evaluation as we pursue gold level status for Lake Wise.

It is not an overstatement to note that none of this highly valuable work could have been achieved without the leadership of Amy Picotte and the commitment of Lakes and Ponds Division of DEC in encouraging Lakes such as ours to develop best management practices. The Lake Wise office has always been available to us, as we have matured in our understanding of pollution prevention. Amy met with us systematically to review our processes and protocols and we benefitted greatly from her insight as we elevated our performance in recruitment, program implementation and evaluation.

The return on investment of the Lake Wise program is clear to us now and we can ill-afford to have the program less than fully funded at DEC. We are leveraging its success to maximize our chances at developing a Watershed Action Plan over these next three years that we hope to be a template worthy of emulation. Each strategy must pull together whether water quality testing, tributary analyses, storm event evaluation, road protocols, patency of culverts, evaluation of forestry and wetlands. We recognize how much we need a liaison at the state level to teach us the best practices, lessons learned, mistakes and mid-course corrections essential to maximizing the contribution of Lake Wise to our overall watershed.

We respectfully add our voice to sincerely request that the Lake Wise function at the state level be fully funded and receive continued investment to experience growth to keep up with the need to look at the causal effects of both in-lake and watershed interventions. We rely on it and we thank you in advance for advocating for its support, as we work hard at the local level to make the most difference in distinguishing Vermont in addressing nonpoint source pollution.

Hello LSC fans!

With the crazy weather we've been having the last few days, it seems like a good time to ask: When will the ice go out on Lake St. Catherine in 2022?

...and who is ready for Spring, and preparing to have an excellent season at Lake St. Catherine this year?

It's time to start up #IceWatch2022!

Let's have some little fun and make some predictions for when the ice will go out.

Click here to make your guess.

- In 2021, with his guess of April 2nd at 2:30 AM, the 2021 LSC Ice Out Champion was Walter Huss.

- In 2020, with his guess of March 23rd at 3 PM, the 2020 LSC Ice Out Champion was Melvin Ohl.

-  In 2019, with her guess of April 15th at 6 AM, the 2019 LSC Ice Out Champion was Judy Cummings.

The winner will be crowned "LSC 2022 Ice Out Champion" and will have bragging rights all year!

Make your guess - and good luck!

Note: By ice out, we mean when the Lake will be clear of ice. The ice in the bays can be stubborn! We'll be relying on our Ice Spotters around the lake for up-to-date reports on conditions - and we'll use those to make the call.

On Tuesday, March 1st, 2022, the residents of Wells and Poultney voted to provide $12,000 and $15,000, respectively, in support of the Lake St. Catherine Association's mission of the preservation, protection and maintenance of Lake St. Catherine.

We'd like to thank the good folks of both towns for their continued support.

These funds, along with membership dues and contributions, will help us direct and fund important programs that include (but are not limited to): keeping invasive species out of LSC (boat launch Greeter Program), Water Testing, our Milfoil Control Program, phosphorous, sediment, and pollution mitigation (Lake Wise Program, LSC Stormwater Master Plan), Lake Safety, and most importantly, the creation of the Lake St. Catherine Watershed Action Plan.

You can read more about all that the LSCA does for the benefit of Lake St. Catherine on our website.

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.

It's going to be A Big Year For Lake St. Catherine in 2022, we hope to earn your support.

Thanks again to the residents of Wells and Poultney!

Hello LSC fans. 

We'd like to take a moment to outline the work the Lake St. Catherine Association (LSCA) will be undertaking over the next three years as we continue our efforts to preserve, protect, and maintain our beautiful lake. 

2022 will be a big year for Lake St. Catherine as HUGE water quality investments are made, future funding is planned for, and LSC's watershed is studied as never before.

Lake Watershed Action Plan

This past May, the Lake Champlain Basin Program (LCBP) awarded the LSCA, in partnership with the Poultney Mettowee Natural Resources Conservation District

 (PMNRCD), a 3-year grant to develop a Lake Watershed Action Plan (LWAP) for Lake St. Catherine.

The Vermont Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) describes a Lake 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?'

The $38,224 awarded by the grant will allow the LSCA to hire and partner with lake experts to perform various in-lake and watershed based measurements, testing, and studies to identify current or potential future issues and design a comprehensive, long-term plan to address them. 

Our Project Team will include a panel of water and lake experts, including: Poultney Mettowee Natural Resources Conservation District (PMNRCD), Fitzgerald Environmental Associates, Castleton University, and a limnologist.

This exhaustive study will assess areas around Lake St. Catherine including its: shorelines, roadways, tributaries, forests, wetlands, and in-lake.

The findings from the creation of the Lake Watershed Action Plan will guide our long term efforts to increase water quality in the lake, and will position Lake St. Catherine to secure future grants and Clean Water Funding to implement projects to benefit the lake.

Current & Future Water Quality Testing

Previous to beginning work on the LWAP, the LSCA and our partners have been involved in water testing in LSC for many years.

Lay Monitoring: For almost 40 years, the LSCA has been collecting data on LSC as part of the Vermont DEC's Lay Monitoring Program. Each week, from Memorial Day to Labor Day, the LSCA collects a water sample from the Big Lake and Little Lake to be tested for phosphorus (nutrient) concentration, and chlorophyll-a (algae and cyanobacteria) concentration. A Secchi depth (water clarity) measurement is also taken. 

LaRosa Partnership Program: The LaRosa Partnership Program helps watershed organizations and monitoring groups across Vermont implement new and/or ongoing monitoring projects for surface waters in need of water quality assessment by helping to alleviate the financial burden of laboratory analysis costs. In early December, in support of the upcoming LWAP, seven sites in the LSC watershed were nominated to participate in this program. The PMNRCD will be monitoring these sites which are in tributaries that flow into LSC. They will be working with Castleton University to analyze the data.

Next Generation Lake Assessment: The Next Generation Lake Assessment, a Vermont DEC program, is a comprehensive, quantitative survey of a lake's condition which began in 2010. A suite of physical, chemical and biological parameters are sampled at three areas: the deep open water ‘index site’, ten randomly distributed shoreland and littoral habitat sites, and the inlets and outlet. LSC was added to the 2023 list of lakes to be assessed.

Here are the parameters assessed as part of this program:

But that's not all. The Project Team has also discussed increasing testing by adding areas, increasing the frequency, and adding more parameters like chloride, dissolved oxygen, sediment testing, and exploring phosphorus budgets.

You can read more about the Lake St. Catherine Watershed Action Plan here on our LWAP page.

As a result of all these activities, the lake, and Lake St. Catherine watershed, will be studied at a level it never has before. 

Lake St. Catherine Stormwater Master Plan

In 2018 and 2019, extensive field work by the PMNRCD and Fitzgerald Environmental Associates took place in the LSC watershed. The goal was to identify sources of increased stormwater runoff and associated sediments and nutrients flowing into the lake. 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. This resulted in the creation of the Lake St. Catherine Stormwater Master Plan (SWMP).

50 potential sites were identified, and as of today, 4 projects have been implemented, and 2 others have been designed and are awaiting installation. Projects have recently been completed on North Street, Ferncliff Road, the boat launch in Wells, and at the Wells Lakeside Park. That leaves 44 others that need to be evaluated, designed, and implemented.

This winter, in partnership with the Poultney Mettowee Natural Resource Conservation District (PMNRCD), the LSCA applied with the Lake Champlain Basin Program (LCBP) for a "Clean Water and Healthy Ecosystems Projects Planning Grant" to fund the planning, prioritization, outreach, design, and budgeting of projects identified in the Lake St. Catherine Stormwater Master Plan (SWMP).

In early January, we were informed that we had earned part of a $100k grant being administered by the PMNRCD. $50,000 of this grant will be used directly for Lake St. Catherine to design Stormwater Master Plan Projects on LSC.

The goal of our approved grant in 2022 is to develop 10-12 projects identified in the Lake St Catherine Stormwater Master Plan to be ready for implementation during the first round of Clean Water Service Provider formula grant funds in 2023 and thereafter. Our Project Team, consisting of the LSCA, PMNRCD, local partners, and the selected consultant, will identify a list of high and medium priority projects and develop 30% conceptual designs for those that rank within the top 10-12. Included with the conceptual designs will be detailed budget estimates, anticipated permitting needs, and preliminary landowner agreements or letters of interest.

You can read more about the SWMP, and view an interactive map with the identified sites by visiting our Stormwater Master Plan page. 

Lake Wise

In late January, we were informed by the Lake Champlain Basin Program that we had earned a grant in the amount of $24,970 for the 2022 Lake St. Catherine Lake Wise Program.

This year's project is entitled: “Creating a Critical Mass of Lake Stewards on Lake St. Catherine”, and will be implemented in partnership with the LSCA, the Poultney Mettowee Natural Resource Conservation District and new partner Castleton University.

Lake Wise is a program 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.

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."

Stormwater has a widespread environmental impact which makes it a growing concern in Vermont. In a statewide effort, towns and local organizations are working to implement large scale projects to help clean stormwater before it enters water bodies. Work is being done from the headwaters all the way down to the stream outlets. Excess nutrients in the water contribute to problems which affect both human and wildlife health including; lower oxygen levels in the water, toxic algae blooms, and excessive plant growth.

Shoreline property owners have the access and the ability to control what is happening directly at the water's edge.

While small-scale improvements on individual properties may not seem like they have much impact, collectively the implementation of many small projects will have a positive benefit on the water quality in the lake and the surrounding watershed.

Actions now will promote a healthy lake environment that will continue to support swimming, fishing, boating, and wildlife viewing in the future.

This is such an important program for long term health of Lake St. Catherine, and we can all pitch in to make a difference.

If you are a LSC property owner who would like to be part of this program, please contact us at info@lakestcatherine.org so we can add you to our 2022 list. We’ll then contact you in the spring to set up an appointment.

Just these projects alone total over $113,000 in water quality investments for Lake St. Catherine for 2022. These investments will lead to water quality improvements for LSC, and future funding for projects identified during the creation of the LWAP.

We'll also administer our recurring yearly projects & initiatives, including: our boat launch monitoring Greeter Program, teaching two free boating license classes, placement and maintenance of the buoys and markers around the lake (Lake Safety), our Milfoil Control Program, organization of volunteer opportunities around the lake like Green Up Vermont Day and Milfoil Cleanup Community Day, the annual LSCA Boat Parade, and Dockside Chats with LSCA Trustees.

Education & Outreach

Finally, we’d like to highlight one additional fun project for 2022, which is a great partnership with our local community. Gina from the Wells Village Library reached out to the LSCA and LSCCF to discuss organizing a 'Libraries Love Lakes' event for Lake St. Catherine. Libraries Love Lakes is an outreach project which pairs public libraries with lake scientists to provide collaborative programming emphasizing the importance of lakes in our everyday lives.

Gina provided a detailed outline of her ideas for the event, and using this outline, we submitted a comprehensive proposal for a grant with the Lake Champlain Basin Program, which we are happy to report, has just been awarded.

Pending planning and approvals, preliminary ideas include the event taking place in July at the Wells Lakeside Park. This family-friendly event will include fun activities, presentations, and boat tours related to all aspects of the lake. The grant also includes additional funding for continuing lake-related learning at the Wells Village Library. Gina has identified a wide variety of books to launch this new section of the library. We’ll announce details of this inaugural Libraries Love Lakes event when they are finalized.

2022 Is Going To Be A Big Year For Lake St. Catherine

We hope you find our efforts for the benefit of Lake St. Catherine worthy, and we hope to earn your support this year! 

Please join us.

Click here to renew or become a member of the LSCA.

Thank you.

More exciting news to share with you LSC!

The LSCA has been notified that we have earned 2 more grants from the Lake Champlain Basin Program (LCBP) which will benefit Lake St. Catherine.

Education and Outreach

Back in June of 2021, Gina Ellis, Librarian at the Wells Village Library reached out to the LSCA and LSCCF to discuss organizing a 'Libraries Love Lakes' event for Lake St. Catherine. 

From their website, Libraries Love Lakes:

"...is an outreach project which pairs school and public libraries with lake scientists to provide collaborative programming emphasizing the importance of lakes in our everyday lives."

After an initial meeting, and numerous email exchanges, it was decided that we'd collectively work to put together a Libraries Love Lakes event at the lake in 2022.

Later in November, the LCBP announced an "Education and Outreach" implementation grant, which we thought would be very helpful to support the fun and educational Libraries Love Lakes event at the lake. 

Gina provided a detailed outline of her ideas for the event, which included books, and numerous activities for the day. Using this outline, we were able to craft our grant application and submit a comprehensive proposal.

We are very excited to announce that we have earned this Education and Outreach grant of $9,191 which will fund this fun-filled, family friendly, Libraries Love Lakes event at the lake!

The LCBP informed us that our proposal "received strong peer reviews" and that the "reviewers were supportive of funding this project which provides some interesting deliverables including the unique Libraries Love Lakes approach."

Pending planning and approvals, preliminary ideas include the event taking place in July at the Wells Lakeside Park. The event would include fun activities, presentations, and boat tours related to all aspects of the lake. Children will receive kits containing books, and science based activities for the day. 

After the event, the educational opportunities will continue at the Wells Village Library. Gina will be dedicating a section of the library for the LSCA with pertinent information and activities to further advance lake-related learning. Gina has identified a wide variety of lake-related books to launch this section of the library which we will be able to purchase via the grant.

This event also coincides with the 50th Anniversary of the the Clean Water Act, and supports the LCBP's Opportunities for Action: An Evolving Plan for the Future of the Lake Champlain Basin.

We'll let you know when we have the full details of the event and when the date is scheduled.

We are very excited to have earned this grant to support Gina's vision for the Libraries Love Lakes event - which we hope will become a yearly event! 

Organizational Support

We were also happy to learn that we have earned an Organizational Support grant to help fund the subscription to cloud-based project management software. 

The LSCA will be managing numerous projects in 2022, most importantly, the creation of the Lake St. Catherine Watershed Action Plan. This software will allow us to manage these important lake projects and collaborate with our parters on tasks, timelines, and documents, keeping us organized and on schedule.

Thank you LCBP!

We are very thankful for our partnership with the Lake Champlain Basin Program. This year, we will be working on projects related to 5 grants earned from LCBP, including: The Education and Outreach and Organizational Support grants mentioned above, the Lake St. Catherine Watershed Action Plan, the Lake St. Catherine Lake Wise Program, and a Clean Water and Healthy Ecosystems Projects Planning grant which will be used to design projects around the lake in support of the Lake St. Catherine Stormwater Master Plan.

We'll keep you up-to-date on all these projects throughout the year.

We are excited to report that the Lake Champlain Basin Program (LCBP) has awarded the Lake St. Catherine Association (LSCA) a grant in the amount of $24,970 for the 2022 Lake St. Catherine Lake Wise Program!

This year's project is entitled: “Creating a Critical Mass of Lake Stewards on Lake St. Catherine”, and will be implemented in partnership with the LSCA, the Poultney Mettowee Natural Resource Conservation District (PMNRCD) and new partner Castleton University (CU).

Lake Wise is a program 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.

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."

Stormwater has a widespread environmental impact which makes it a growing concern in Vermont. In a statewide effort, towns and local organizations are working to implement large scale projects to help clean stormwater before it enters water bodies. Work is being done from the headwaters all the way down to the stream outlets. Excess nutrients in the water contribute to problems which affect both human and wildlife health including; lower oxygen levels in the water, toxic algae blooms, and excessive plant growth.

As a shoreline property owner, you have the access and the ability to control what is happening directly at the water's edge.

While small-scale improvements on individual properties may not seem like they have much impact, collectively the implementation of many small projects will have a positive benefit on the water quality in the lake and the surrounding watershed.

Actions now will promote a healthy lake environment that will continue to support swimming, fishing, boating, and wildlife viewing in the future.

This is such an important program for long term health of Lake St. Catherine, and we can all pitch in to make a difference.

If you are a LSC property owner who would like to be part of this program, please contact us at info@lakestcatherine.org so we can add you to our 2022 list. We’ll then contact you in the spring to set up an appointment. If you’d like to be part of the Lake Wise program, we want to hear from you.

- You can read more about the Lake Wise Program on Lake St. Catherine by clicking here. This page includes a map of the Lake Wise Award winning properties on Lake St. Catherine.

In 2021, the LSCA earned the same grant from LCBP to perform Lake Wise assessments, and to help property owners with projects on their land to mitigate stormwater runoff into the lake. In 2021, four properties won the Lake Wise Award! You can read about the 4 properties that earned the Lake Wise Award in 2021 by clicking here. This brings the total Lake Wise Award winning properties on LSC up to 16!

Property owners that participated in Lake Wise but did not qualify for the Award can continue to work on their shorelines with the LSCA and PMNRCD to raise their assessment score. Three of the four award winners in 2021 had their initial assessment done in 2020. After some projects were implemented this year, their properties qualified, and they are now award winners. To date, 57 properties have participated in the Lake Wise Program, and have at least received an initial assessment.

Some stats from the 2021 program:

• 24 property owners signed up for Lake Wise
• 20 assessments were completed (some assessments are awaiting property owner input)
• 89 written recommendations were made to property owners by PMNRCD staff
• 22 projects were implemented, including: vegetated buffer plantings, infiltration step installation, culvert stabilization efforts, and rain garden construction
• 340 feet of shoreline buffers were installed
• 412 native plants planted
• 40 live stake cuttings planted
• 4 Lake Wise Award winners!

...and we are ready to do it again this year! 

The LSCA would like to help all Lake St. Catherine property owners implement best practices to mitigate stormwater on their properties, and help them to earn the Lake Wise award. If you would like to have your property assessed, please email us at info@lakestcatherine.org.