For the preservation, protection, and maintenance of Lake St. Catherine
Hello good folks of LSC.
Greetings from a frozen Lake St. Catherine & Happy New Year!
It's that time of year again... As the Lake St. Catherine Association heads into its 69th year, we are asking for your support for the 2022 season.
What does the LSCA do? Well, you can start here by checking out our 2021 Year In Review.
Your membership dues and contributions help to fund many of the services provided by the LSCA:
There are two easy ways to renew or become a member of the LSCA.
Soon, you will be receiving a mailing from us that contains the 2022 Membership Form. You can also download a copy by clicking here: 2022 LSCA Membership Form PDF. Just print and fill out the form, then mail it in with your check to:
Lake St. Catherine Association PO Box 631 Wells, VT 05774
[Please note: our long time treasurer Elaine Bagley retired from the board last year. Please be sure to send all correspondence to our PO Box address. We thank Elaine for her years of service to the LSCA & Lake St. Catherine!]
Or, you can renew or become a member on our website. If you were a member in 2021, 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, or have never logged in, 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!
If you are a business in the Lake St. Catherine community, we have a Business Sponsor Membership we'd like to tell you about. The Business Sponsor Membership includes:
Thank you to our Business Sponsors! Please click on the Sponsors page of our website to check them out.
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.
Upon receiving your membership contribution, we will mail you your receipt, a '2022 Member' sticker for your LSCA window card (or a card & sticker for new members), and a 4" x 4" LSC sticker for your car. We will also continue Elaine's practice of including handwritten thank you notes in your membership package.
We are happy to report that in 2021, we had 372 paid members, which includes 10 Business Sponsors. The average contribution of our members was $202 - THANK YOU! Your membership dues and additional contributions over and above our base $100 membership level are crucial to funding our important lake programs. As always, we ask you to help us to spread the word by discussing the LSCA with your neighbors. We are hoping to get our membership to over 400 this year.
We will continue to work hard for Lake St. Catherine to earn your support.
Thank you for your support of the LSCA!
- The Trustees of the Lake St. Catherine Association
If you ever have any questions about your membership or Lake St. Catherine, please email us at info@lakestcatherine.org.
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).
We are very happy to report that as part of a $100k grant being administered by the PMNRCD, $50k of this grant will be used directly for Lake St. Catherine to design Stormwater Master Plan Projects on LSC.
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 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.
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.
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.
Below is a map of the Stormwater Master Plan locations. Orange check icons indicate a completed project, green construction icons indicate a project that has been designed and implementation is underway or about to begin, and yellow dot icons indicate potential future project locations. Use the + / - on the map to zoom in and out. Click on an icon to see a description of the issue, the proposed intervention, and a photo of the area.
All of the Lake St. Catherine Stormwater Master Plan documents can be viewed by clicking here, and you can read more about the SWMP for Lake St. Catherine by click here to view our Stormwater Master Plan webpage.
While we'll continue to work with lakeshore property owners on Lake Wise projects which 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.
The goal of these SWMP projects are to limit stormwater carrying phosphorus, nutrients, sediments, and pollutants into the lake as we work to continue to improve water quality.
In the coming months, we'll get to work setting up public meetings will be set up to discuss what projects should be prioritized and designed, and partnering with an engineering firm to design the projects. We'll keep you up-to-date as meetings are scheduled.
Hello LSC.
At the end of each season, we like to take some time to present a recap of the work performed by the LSCA for Lake St. Catherine on behalf of the lake community and our membership. What you’ll read below are summaries of the projects and activities. We encourage you to read through our website Blog to read the detailed accounts.
It was another busy year! We’ll do our best to recount the year chronologically for you.
Are you sitting comfortably?
Here is our 2021 Year In Review.
Membership
First, a sincere THANK YOU to everyone who was able to contribute to the LSCA and become a member this year. We are all still dealing with the impact of the pandemic in our daily lives, so we truly appreciate your support again this year.
We had a great membership drive this year. As of this writing, we have 372 members who contributed $75,186, giving us an average donation of $202.12. These stats represent the highest number of members and dollars contributed that we’ve received in many years.
Can we reach 400 members next year? This will be our ambitious goal as we continue to reach out to LSC property owners, and hope to expand our reach with membership levels for family members of property owners, renters, and those who use the lake for recreation.
We’d also like to take this opportunity to thank long-time LSCA Treasurer and Membership Committee member Elaine Bagley who retired from the board in August. Our members know Elaine would send you your membership package when you renewed each year, including her very popular hand-written thank you notes. The new Membership Committee members will work to continue this practice. Please note that all correspondence with the LSCA, including contributions and membership dues should be mailed to PO Box 631, Wells, VT 05774.
We hope to earn your support in 2022 as we launch our Membership Drive in early February of 2022.
Little Lake Fundraiser
Throughout 2020, the LSCA and LSCCF had been working together to discuss the best ways to mitigate the persistent and intensifying problem caused by the invasive weed Eurasian Watermilfoil (EWM, milfoil). This resulted in a 3-year plan to get milfoil under control in Little Lake.
In mid March, the LSCA and the LSCCF launched a fundraiser in support of this plan. Year 1 of the plan included a 70 acre milfoil treatment in Little Lake using the herbicide ProcellaCOR which was estimated to cost $36,000. The LSCA and LSCCF each agreed to contribute $12,000 for a total of $24,000. This left $12,000 to cover the full cost of the treatment.
The lake community immediately stepped up to support this plan, and in just over a week, we exceeded the $12,000 goal in donations. In fact, we raised $17,200! At that time, this meant that we had $5,200 already collected to support year 2. However, after the final costs came in, it was determined that the Little Lake treatment cost $31,240. This means that we actually have $6,786.67 in reserve to support year 2. You can view the project page here (it will be updated soon).
The treatment was very successful, and we were so happy to see and hear the comments about how good Little Lake looked this summer. All the details about the Little Lake treatment and our lake-wide milfoil control efforts are included below in the Milfoil Control section.
Thank you for your support of this plan for Little Lake! The LSCA and the LSCCF will begin work on year 2 soon. We’ll keep you up-to-date on the plans as they become available.
Little Lake Webinar
Just over a week after the Little Lake fundraiser launched, the LSCA and LSCCF hosted a webinar for the lake community to discuss the 3-year milfoil control plan for Little Lake, and to introduce the expansion of the Lake Wise Program into Little Lake. Representatives from both groups presented the plans for both projects and fielded questions from the attendees. We were also able to announce the great news that year 1 of the 3-year milfoil control plan had been fully funded. This webinar was recorded and can be viewed on our website Blog.
Volunteering Around LSC: Green Up Vermont Day, Lake’s End Dam Cleanup, Milfoil Cleanup Community Day
We’d like to thank all of the volunteers that participated in the various lake related activities this season! Here is a quick summary of the volunteer opportunities around Lake St. Catherine this year.
Green Up Vermont Day: Green Up Vermont Day is a state-wide volunteer cleanup day of Vermont's roads and waterways which takes place on May 1st. As Green Up Vermont's website says: "We know it isn’t your litter but Vermont needs our help to be beautiful!". We reached out to the lake community asking for volunteers to help clean up around LSC - and you stepped up! Teams and individuals volunteered to clean up sections around the lake, and with the exception of a stretch of Rt 30, the whole lake was covered! There were numerous filled green bags all around the lake when the day was done. Thank you to the town crews from Wells and Poultney for picking up the bags. We’ll do it again in May! Read the recap here.
Lake’s End Dam Cleanup: In early June, a resident from Wells sent in an email to the LSCA commenting on a large amount of debris being caught on the top of the dam. We sent out a note to the lake community asking for volunteers to meet at the dam on Saturday, June 13th to help get it cleaned up. It was so great to see folks from all around the lake come together to pitch in. We made quick work of the cleanup - with a truck loaded up to take to the transfer station, and all the lake neighbors got to meet and exchange stories about how much we love LSC. What a fun morning! We were also happy to see that volunteers continued to keep the dam clear of debris for the rest of the year! Read the recap here.
Milfoil Cleanup Community Day: 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. On Sunday, July 25th, 2 drop-off points were set up so volunteers could collect milfoil by boat, kayak, or canoe and deposit the collected weeds at convenient locations. We then arranged for our diver assisted suction harvesting (DASH) crew to collect the weeds from the drop-off points for disposal. It was quite a haul - they filled (21) 17.5 gallon buckets! The drop-off points remained in place for the rest of the season, and volunteers continued to collect the floating weeds - and the LSCCF harvesting crew handled the pickups. Thank you to all the volunteers involved in this project! We hope to do it again in 2022 and start it much earlier in the season. Read the recap here.
The Lake Wise Program
It was another great season for Lake Wise on Lake St. Catherine!
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.
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.
This season, the LSCA earned a grant from the Lake Champlain Basin Program (LCBP) to perform Lake Wise assessments, and to help property owners with projects on their land to mitigate stormwater runoff into the lake. The LSCA was happy to again partner with the Poultney Mettowee Natural Resources Conservation District (PMNRCD) on this project.
Although the Lake Wise Program is open to all LSC property owners, we decided that the 2021 program would focus on properties on Little Lake. In cooperation with the LSCCF, we began the outreach to the lake community to get folks excited and signed up for Lake Wise. On May 20th, the LSCA, the LSCCF and the PMNRCD held an informational Zoom meeting to discuss the Lake Wise Program on Lake St. Catherine. This webinar was recorded and can be viewed on our website Blog.
The PMNRCD crew completed a tremendous amount of work in support of the Lake Wise Program this season. They were also able to leverage their Lake Education Action Program (LEAP) program, which pairs student and community lake education with the implementation of small planting projects for shoreline owners to increase the amount of projects completed.
Some statistics for 2021:
Our 2021 Lake Wise Award winners are:
Congratulations to this year’s Lake Wise Award winners! This brings the total Lake Wise Award winning properties on LSC up to 16.
Thank you to all the winners and Lake Wise participants for the work they have put into their property in an effort to become Lake Wise. This work represents a model of what all LSC lakeshore owners should strive for, as these projects are both beautiful and lake friendly.
All winners will be receiving the Lake Wise Award plaque that they can proudly display on their shoreline. Keep an eye out for them as you cruise around the lake next season.
The LSCA would like to help other Lake St. Catherine property owners implement best practices to mitigate stormwater on their properties, and help them to earn the Lake Wise award. To date, 57 properties have participated in the Lake Wise Program, and have at least received an initial assessment. If you would like to have your property assessed, please email us at info@lakestcatherine.org.
Watershed Action Plan
In our 2020 Year In Review, we told you about a grant that we applied for with the LCBP to help fund the creation of a Watershed Action Plan for Lake St. Catherine. In late May, we were thrilled to announce that our grant application had been accepted, and we began the process of creating a work plan.
From the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), a Watershed Action Plan is described as:
“Watershed planning helps address water quality problems in a holistic manner by fully assessing the potential contributing causes and sources of pollution, then prioritizing restoration and protection strategies to address these problems.”
In partnership with the PMNRCD, the LSCA will use this 3-year grant to create a Watershed Action Plan for Lake St. Catherine. 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. 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.
After many years of successfully managing individual lake programs which include: in-lake invasive species control (Milfoil Control Program), invasive species prevention (Greeter Program), and stormwater management (Lake Wise Program), 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.
A Project Team led by Trustees of the Association will engage the following partners:
Using the data and information collected about the Lake St. Catherine Watershed, the Project Team will create the Lake St. Catherine Watershed Action Plan by the end of the grant period in 2024. This plan will identify “Opportunities For Action” and the strategies, interventions, and projects to best address them.
Subsequent grants will be requested to implement as many projects as possible and create a culture worthy of emulation that positions Lake St. Catherine for future funding that rewards water quality improvements including phosphorus load reduction. These efforts will continue for the balance of the decade and be the most important contribution all those who love being at Lake St. Catherine can do to distinguish its future beauty and health.
Read more about the LSC Watershed Action Plan here on our website.
Work will begin in January!
Greeter Program - Boat Launch Monitoring
Our Greeter Program is very important to the health of Lake St. Catherine. Our Greeters have been trained to identify aquatic invasive species (AIS) - like spiny waterflea, asian clams, water chestnut, starry stonewort and zebra mussels - to stop them from entering LSC at the boat launch in Wells and the State Park in Poultney.
They also educate boaters about the importance of looking for these invasives on their boat or trailer so they are not spread to LSC or another lake. Each year, they do a fantastic job checking vessels and educating the lake community on the dangers of invasive species for Lake St. Catherine. They are on duty from Memorial Day through Labor Day - working on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. They also cover holidays and fishing tournaments.
Although we expanded monitoring hours at both the Fish & Wildlife boat launch in Wells, and at the State Park in Poultney, our Greeters inspected far fewer boats in 2021 as compared to 2020. We believe a number of factors led to the decrease. 2020 represented an all-time high in boat inspections, most likely due to the huge increase in folks looking to outdoor activities for fun. Also, as you may recall, many weekends experienced rainy weather, which limited the amount of boats being launched.
An interesting stat in the Greeter data this season was that the percentage of boats retrieved from the lake that had milfoil present dropped from 13% to 6% of boats. This was most likely due to the milfoil treatment in Little Lake and the work of the cleanup volunteers throughout the summer.
Our Greeter Program is partially funded by a grant from the Vermont DEC and contributions from our membership.
Thank you to our Greeter team! They work hard each season to keep AIS out of Lake St. Catherine.
Milfoil Control Program
Each season, the LSCA implements a Milfoil Control Program to keep milfoil in check in Lake St. Catherine using a combination of spot herbicide treatments and DASH (Diver Assisted Suction Harvesting).
This year, we expanded our program to include:
These efforts led to another successful year of milfoil control on Lake St. Catherine.
In late September, our contractor SOLitude Lake Management performed a comprehensive, 2 day lake-wide aquatic vegetation survey to both evaluate the performance of our milfoil control efforts, and to assess the overall state of aquatic plants in Lake St. Catherine.
Back in 2001, 199 GPS points were plotted throughout Lake St. Catherine, and these points are evaluated for aquatic plants during each report. This is the 18th consecutive year a plant survey has been performed on Lake St. Catherine. You can see all the previous reports, dating back to 2004 in our Links & Downloads section.
The full report can be read here: 2021 - Aquatic Vegetation Management Report. We encourage you to take a few moments to read through the whole report.
Some information from the report:
Based on the data, and the results we've all seen throughout the whole of Lake St. Catherine, our Milfoil Control Program had a very successful year. The ProcellaCOR treatments were highly effective, our DASH team did another great job this year (read about the 2021 DASH efforts here), and you got involved as well by participating and volunteering to collect floating milfoil from July to September as part of our Milfoil Cleanup Community Day. We also heard numerous reports throughout the season of folks removing milfoil from their props, their shorelines, and if it happened to float by their dock.
For 2022, we hope to expand the volunteer milfoil cleanup program by beginning much earlier in the season. We have also applied for a grant which could fund the purchase of floating drop-off platforms and other equipment that would assist our volunteers. We should hear about this grant soon!
In early May, the lake will again be surveyed for milfoil growth. At that point, a final treatment map will be created which will show proposed spot treatment and DASH locations.
Drone Photos
On June 23rd and September 1st, a member of the LSCA took drone photos and video of Little Lake. The June photos were taken the morning after the treatment, and they showed us both the beauty of Little Lake and the dense milfoil cover under the surface. The September photos, taken 10 weeks after the June photos, showed us a dramatic difference in milfoil cover in Little Lake. You can view the photos and video on our website Blog here: June | September. Thank you to Andrew for your efforts to provide these photos for the lake community!
Sponsor Spotlight
We’d like to thank the 10 local businesses who were LSCA Business Sponsors in 2021!
Our $200 Business Sponsor membership includes a listing on the Sponsors page of our website, a listing in our spring and fall newsletters, and a Sponsor Spotlight in June on our website and Facebook pages.
Thank you: Haun Welding Supply, Lake Hill Compost, Lake St. Catherine Cottages, Lake St. Catherine Country Club, Lakes & Homes Real Estate, Merritt Environmental Consulting, New England Lakeside Realty, VT Lakehouse, Williams Hardware, Woodard Marine.
If you’d like to become a Business Sponsor in 2022, please let us know!
Meet & Greet With Our Game Warden Justin Turner
Early in the season, we were receiving reports of unsafe boating around the lake. So, we reached out to our Game Warden, Justin Turner and invited him to a Meet & Greet with lake residents. On Saturday, July 10th, Justin hosted a meeting at the Wells Lakeside Park.
Justin listened to everyone's concerns, and answered everyone's questions.
Residents described boaters speeding through the Channel causing potential safety issues with children swimming nearby and shoreline erosion. Also discussed were reports of jet skis being operated at high speeds too close to other boaters, and operating after sundown.
Justin explained that he can't be here as often as he'd like, and that the Wardens are understaffed. He informed the attendees that if they witnessed unsafe boating, and would like to report it, the could call him on his cell: 802-595-8754.
As a followup to this meeting with Justin, we reached out to Sergeant Trevor Carbo of the Vermont State Police who is in Special Operations, Recreation Enforcement with the attendees' concerns. Sergeant Carbo indicated that his department is also experiencing staffing issues. He noted that they are seeing an increase in reports of unsafe boating on all bodies of water in the state, fueled by a combination of increased interest in outdoor activities and inexperienced boaters. Sergeant Carbo stated that he would share our concerns with Fish & Wildlife, and that he'd also share our concerns with his department in the Rutland office so they can focus on these issues when they are here.
You can read more about LSC Lake Safety including Vermont and Lake St. Catherine specific boating rules on our Lake Safety page.
The 9th Annual LSCA Boat Parade
We had another great boat parade this year! It was a rainy day, but we were able to get the parade completed before the storms hit.
23 boats registered, 17 participated, and 185 people voted online for their favorite boats in our 4 categories: most patriotic, funniest, most original, best overall.
Our winners were:
Most Patriotic:
Boat #19 - Laura Frost - Liberty
Funniest:
Boat #12 - Sarah Conine - Horsing Around With The Cows
Most Original:
Boat #2 - The Roth Family - Scooby Doo Mystery Machine
Best Overall:
Boat #10 - Tonia and Paul Ramirez - Sponge Bob
Thank you to all who participated, to those who cheered from their boat and from the shore, and to everyone who voted! We are looking forward to our 10th year in 2022!
Boating Safety Classes
The LSCA was happy to be able to again provide free boating safety classes for those in the lake community who wanted to get their boating license. Anyone born after January 1st, 1974 must successfully complete an approved boating safety education course to legally operate any motorized vessel - including personal watercraft.
Frank Callahan, Trustee in charge of Boating Safety, conducted the 2 free courses - the first in late June in Wells, the second in early July in West Pawlet. 24 lake community members earned their license this year. We hope to be able to offer these classes again in 2022. Keep an eye out for an announcement in the spring.
Annual Meeting
On July 24th, the LSCA was so happy to be able to host an in-person Annual Meeting at the LSC Country Club this year. It was great to see everyone!
The LSCA Trustees gave their committee reports as part of the presentation, and then we had a great dinner with our lake neighbors.
You can see photos from the evening and view the full presentation here on our website Blog.
Dockside Chats
Dockside Chats began last year as a way to have safe, face-to-face interactions with members around the lake. We invited lake residents to schedule a Dockside Chat with a LSCA Trustee who would meet you at your dock to chat about the lake. These were very popular in 2020, so we continued the program this year. 10 Dockside Chats were scheduled this year. Let us know if you’d like to get a chat scheduled for next season by emailing us at info@lakestcatherine.org.
LSCA Newsletters
Our traditional Spring and Fall newsletters were posted digitally on our website, and printed copies were made available at Otto’s and the Wells Country Store. If you missed them when they were released, you can read them here:
Spring Newsletter
Fall Newsletter
Keeping You Up-To-Date Via Our Website & Facebook Pages
As soon as we have Lake St. Catherine news, we like to inform the lake community as soon as possible by posting it on our website Blog, and on our Facebook page. So, keep an eye on these sites for all the latest information on LSC. We also send out news summaries via email updates to our members who have shared their email with us - so please be sure to provide your email address when you become a member!
Grants
In May, when we were notified that we had earned the $38,224 grant to create a Watershed Action Plan for Lake St. Catherine, it was the largest grant the LSCA had ever received.
We are happy to report that we have just been informed that we have been awarded a $49,000 Clean Water and Healthy Ecosystems Projects Planning grant from the LCBP which will be used to fund 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.
Other 2022 grants we have applied for:
We have been working hard over the fall to bring grant funds to Lake St. Catherine for 2022!
Thank You For Your Support
Thank you to everyone who supported us this year. We hope you have found our efforts in 2021 for Lake St. Catherine to be worthy.
2022 is going to be a busy year, and we cannot wait to get started!
We hope to earn your support again in 2022. Be on the lookout for our Membership Drive which will begin in early February.
Please keep yourself healthy and be well. We’ll see you at the lake soon,
- The Trustees of The Lake St. Catherine Association
This weekend, the Poultney Mettowee Natural Resources Conservation District (PMNRCD) notified the four 2021 Lake Wise Award winners, congratulating them on this outstanding achievement for their lakeshore properties.
What is Lake Wise?
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."
This season, the LSCA earned a grant from the Lake Champlain Basin Program (LCBP) to perform Lake Wise assessments, and to help property owners with projects on their land to mitigate stormwater runoff into the lake. The LSCA was happy to again partner with the PMNRCD on this project.
Although the Lake Wise Program is open to all LSC property owners, we decided that the 2021 program would focus on properties on Little Lake. In cooperation with the Lake St. Catherine Conservation Fund (LSCCF), we began the outreach to the lake community to get folks excited and signed up for Lake Wise.
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.
Lake Wise Awards
So, without further ado, our 2021 Lake Wise Award winners are:
Congratulations to this year’s Lake Wise Award winners!
Lake Wise Program work continued late into the fall, so we were unfortunately unable to give the awards to the winners before the end of the season. We’ll reach out to winners in the spring to schedule the presentation of their award and to take a photo!
Lake Wise Work Completed On LSC In 2021
Photo: PMNRCD
Property owners that did not qualify for the Lake Wise Award this season can continue to work on their shorelines with the LSCA and PMNRCD to raise their assessment score. Three of the four award winners this year 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.
In Conclusion
This brings the total Lake Wise Award winning properties on LSC up to 16!
In October, we applied for a $25,000 Clean Water and Healthy Ecosystems Projects grant from the LCBP which we hope to earn to help fund the Lake Wise Program for 2022.
The LSCA would like to help other 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.
Make a positive impact on the lake and be Lake Wise!
Hi LSC.
Poultney resident Janice B. Edwards recently researched a painting of Lake St. Catherine, and the artist Frances E. Wilson who painted it. Reproduced below with Janice's permission is the story - we think you'll enjoy it.
History: Beautiful Lake Saint Catherine in Poultney and Wells, Rutland County, Vermont - An Artist’s View Painted by Frances E. Wilson by Janice B. Edwards, December 7, 2021
Beautiful Lake St. Catherine located in both Poultney and Wells, Rutland County, Vermont is, and has been for centuries, an artist’s haven. It has been the inspiration of many artists through creative expressions with oil and water color paintings, pencil sketches, black and white as well as color photographs, music, poetry and written articles. And, in the 21st century, with digital photographs in websites and shared in many social media sources.
As a Vermont history buff, this researcher / writer’s article about Lake Saint Catherine focuses on Mrs. Frances E. Wilson, who created an artistic painting of this lake. This research began as a request from David Adams, a lake resident, who has obtained a painting entitled, “Lake Saint Catherine Near Poultney, Vermont Painted by Mrs. Frances E. Wilson”. David and his family’s interest is in confirming the location the painting’s view is of; to learn more about the artist who was believed to have been Mrs. Frances E. Wilson; and to try to determine the year the painting may have been created.
David and his family include multi-generational residents of Poultney and seasonal residents of Lake St. Catherine. This researcher / writer’s family does as well.
The painting’s location view:
David and his family have studied the painting’s view, and they have talked with other lake residents about it. They feel that the painting’s view is from the Ferncliff Road near the cottages named Ferncliff and Whippoorwill, which are located on the west side of the lake’s north end. The view’s focus is to the southeast across the lake towards the lands currently home to the Lake St. Catherine State Park as well as towards multiple Cones Point properties.
Together, we each would enjoy hearing from others who may own paintings by Mrs. Frances E. Wilson, as well as from the community with your thoughts about the location of the painting’s view.
This is the only identification on the back side of the painting.
This recent photo view by David’s family is of the area believed to be in the painting created by Mrs. Frances E. Wilson.
Mrs. Frances E. Wilson (1842 - 1914)
Mrs. Frances E. Wilson was Frances Elizabeth Herbert, born one hundred seventy nine years ago on July 10, 1842 in nearby Whitehall in Washington County, New York. Her parents were Robert and Hannah (nee Searl) Herbert, who were both also born in New York State. Frances had several brothers and sisters.
Historical records indicate that Frances could read and write, however, she did not have formal school education. Her father was a farmer and from her birth until 1863 Frances lived with them in Whitehall. The home was apparently near Hampton in Washington County because their postal address was Hampton.
On March 10, 1863, Frances married Ashley Wilson who was also born in Whitehall, New York. He was born April 19, 1839, the son of Squire and Rebecca Wilson. By 1870, Frances and Ashley Wilson were residents in Poultney. Throughout their married life, Frances was keeping house and her husband
worked as a carpenter. The couple did not have any children, however, in 1880, four-year old Mable was living with them. Mable was their adopted daughter.
On June 28, 1898, Mable married to Mr. Perry B. Wolcott. The marriage occurred at her parents’ home. The service was officiated by The Reverend E. H. Randall, pastor of St. John’s Episcopal Church. The wedding party consisted of a few friends. A news account relates that it was “… one of those pleasant affairs which we take delight in publishing, as indicating that this generation like all that have been before it has a just sense of the sacredness and importance of marriage vows, and recognizes wedded life to be an institution ordained of God.” The news account further stated that the wedding was “… arranged with respect to utmost simplicity [and that] there was none of that conventional formality which sometimes destroys the meaning of the occasion.” Following the 10 o’clock service, the couple took a train for Fair Haven, and there connected with a south-bound train of the D. & H.R.R.
Between 1863 and 1900, Ashley and France Wilson’s residences changed a few times, yet it appears they primarily lived in the west village area. By 1900, Ashley was then referred to as an architect, yet he also did not have any formal education.
In 1910 their home was on College Street about five structures northeast of the Mahar home. The Mahar home was the historic red brick house on the east side of College Street facing Moses Hall. It is between two white wooden houses. In 2021, the white house located on the corner of Main and College Streets is known as the Two Editor’s Inn. For many years, it was Carrigan’s Funeral Home. In 1910, Ashley and Frances Wilson have six roomers resident with them, each between the ages of 19 and 26 years. The roomers work in the shirt factory. The shirt factory was within easy walking distance of the College Street home in which they were roomers. The factory was located on the corner of Main and Maple Streets. In 2021, that factory property is occupied by the Stewart’s Bread & Butter Shop and its gas pumps. That corner property was originally site of the beautiful three-story Joslin Hall and the very fine F.B. Barrett & Co. store, a department store.
Mr. & Mrs. Ashley Wilson celebrated their golden wedding anniversary after having lived in Poultney forty-nine years. Throughout their lives, they were members of the Methodist Church, Hampton. The Methodist Church was a wooden structure located on the south side of Greenfield Lane in Hampton village near the road’s intersection with Route 22A across from County Route 18. Neither the church building nor the Greenfield Lane / Route 22A intersection mentioned exist in 2021.
Ashley Wilson died October 3rd, 1913, four months before his wife. His obituary provides significant insight into his life in the community, and because of that obituary details are shared herein.
The obituary stated that Mr. Wilson’s death “… was not unexpected as he had been in feeble health for several months, and was seldom seen on the street; but the passing of such a man as he could not be without a distinct feeling of loss not alone to his family, but to his neighbors and many friends as well. In his quiet and unassuming way he filled out his long life in works abundant and had a prominent place among men of affairs. In his chosen vocation of architect and builder he was foremost in the communities in which he moved, and the fruit of his endeavor survives him in many a structure, public and private, which do credit to his ability and good taste – notably the dwelling houses of E. R. Norton in Granville, and George Stannard in West Haven, Vt.
Mr. Wilson was self-made and yet well made. Chiefly from his own unaided effort came whatever success attended his earthly career. While a man of industry, he was never too busy to give a word of friendly advice or helpful suggestion to any who sought it; and in his employment of men he asked nothing from them that he would not require of himself. Faithfulness to this rule of action doubtless laid the foundation of many infirmities that vexed his declining years. It was his nature to do whatever needed to be done regardless of the difficulties that might stand in the way. He loved his business, and went about it with whole-hearted purpose and cheerful endeavor. His kindly disposition won for him numberless friends, and secured for him the respect of all who knew him. We sorrow for him yet hopefully; the righteous man shall doubtless receive a righteous man’s reward.”
Mr. Wilson’s funeral was largely attended by local people as well as many from other regions. Six nephews acted as bearers including Seymour Burdick of Rutland, Archie Burdick of Pawlet, Ashley S. Wilson of Middle Granville, and Ira, Chester and Warren Wilson of Poultney. He was buried at the Methodist Church’s Brick Church Cemetery, County Route 18 in Whitehall, New York.
Mrs. Frances E. Wilson died four months after her husband’s passing. She died at her College Street home after an illness of only a few days on February 23, 1914. Her cause of death was pneumonia. Her funeral was held at the home officiated by the Reverend E. H. Randall, assisted by H. P. Scratchley. The bearers were Warren Wilson, Ashley Wilson, Chester Wilson and Ira Wilson, nephews of her late husband. She was buried with her husband at the Methodist Church’s Brick Church Cemetery, Whitehall. She was survived by three grandchildren, two boys and a girl, the orphaned children of the couple’s adopted daughter. Mabel Wilson Wolcott died in North Dakota several years before her father’s death.
This 2021 researcher / writer has found an 1899 article about the inauguration of the Ferncliff property which was then owned and managed by Mr. N. Burdick. At the inauguration event, a largely attended concert and hop provided music by a seven piece orchestra from Albany, New York. Tables were laid for twelve people at each, and a splendid meal was consumed at midnight which everyone took part in.
Conclusion:
It appears to this researcher / writer that Mrs. Frances E. Wilson was a talented, self-taught artist, and that the painting in question is certainly the Ferncliff Road property previously discussed. It also appears from the obituary information that her husband’s Burdick relative was owner of that property in the end of the 1890’s / early 1900’s. Therefore, it is likely that Mrs. Wilson had many opportunities to visit it, to be inspired by the beauty and the time to create her views.
It is now one hundred seven years since the death of Mrs. Frances E. Wilson. Again, David Adams and this researcher / writer each would enjoy hearing from others who may own paintings created by the artist, Mrs. Frances E. Wilson. Should anyone have comments, please be in touch with Janice c/o email to – Cartreftaid@yahoo.com. Thank you very much.
Based on the data, and the results we've all seen throughout the whole of Lake St. Catherine, our Milfoil Control Program had a very successful year. The ProcellaCOR treatments were highly effective, our DASH team did another great job this year (read about that by clicking here), and you got involved as well by participating and volunteering to collect floating milfoil from July to September as part of our Milfoil Cleanup Community Day (read about that by clicking here). We also heard numerous reports throughout the season of folks removing milfoil from their props, their shorelines, and if it happened to float by their dock.
We'll be sure to keep you up-to-date on our 2022 efforts as work continues over the winter and into the spring.
If you have any questions, please get in touch at info@lakestcatherine.org.
Thank you for your continued financial and volunteer support as we work to keep milfoil under control in Lake St. Catherine! Let's keep working together!
Back in mid October, we let you know about an injured loon that was captured in North Bay by Loon Biologist Eric Hanson from the Vermont Center for Ecostudies (VCE) and was brought to Vermont Institute of Natural Science Center (VINS) in Quechee, VT.
The loon had been caught up in fishing line, and the hooks from a large lure had punctured her feet.
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.
A week later, we heard from Eric that he took the loon to Avian Haven in Maine for surgery on her feet. The surgery was performed, and Eric provided the following update from the folks at Avian Haven:
"We put her in the pool for about a half hour first thing this morning; she promptly swam underwater laps, seemingly with the same ease as previously. So far, so good!"
Eric noted that parts of 2 of her toes and some webbing had to be removed during the surgery (you can see in the photo below). Even if she can swim at 70-80%, she may be OK to release. If so, she'll receive a USFWS band. But, they'll need to see how the following week would play out for her.
We've just received a new update from Eric, and he's told us that the loon in now healthy enough to release! She will be banded and released next week.
Finally, Eric noted that this is a good educational opportunity to spread the word to reel in when loons are nearby.
Thank you to everyone involved to help give this loon a chance.
If you'd like to support Eric and the VCE for their outstanding efforts efforts, you can:
-Donate to the Vermont Center for Ecostudies (VCE): https://vtecostudies.org/give/, or
- Purchase one of their Vermont Loon Conservation Project shirts, which you can see here: https://www.bonfire.com/vermont-loon-conservation-project/
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.
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.
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.
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 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':
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:
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.
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