For the preservation, protection, and maintenance of Lake St. Catherine
Good morning LSC.
We'd like to share some drone photos and video of the Little Lake that were taken on 9/1/21 - 10 weeks after the milfoil treatment on June 22nd. A sincere THANK YOU to VT Lake House for taking these photos for us!
Back on June 30th, we shared the first set of drone photos taken of Little Lake which were taken the morning after the treatment. You can see those photos and video by clicking here: Google Drive folder, Drone Photos - 6-23-2021.
Little Lake Drone Photo - 9/1/21, photos by VT Lake House
You can view all of the new 'after' images and video taken on September 1st here: Drone Photos - 9-1-2021.
We think you'll notice a dramatic difference!
As we've seen during our observations, and we've heard from happy Little Lake residents, the treatment was very successful. We are so happy to hear the stories of folks skiing and tubing, and seeing Little Lake looking great!
This was a large undertaking by the LSCA and LSCCF both in preparation work and funding. There was also incredible lake community support with contributions to the fundraiser (you can read more about that here) and by those who worked throughout the summer to get milfoil out of the lake to help 'stop the spread' by scooping floating milfoil out of the lake (you can read about those efforts here).
While we've had a FANTASTIC result this season, this is just year 1 of a 3 year plan. Your support will be needed as we continue our battle to keep milfoil under control in Little Lake and the whole of LSC. If you have not become a member of the LSCA for 2021, please do! You can learn about becoming a member here. Your membership dues help fund our import Lake programs to fulfill our mission of the preservation, protection and maintenance of Lake St. Catherine. We'll also be looking to the lake community for support for the year 2 fundraiser which will kickoff early next Spring when the 2022 milfoil plan is finalized.
Finally, at the end of the month, a comprehensive, lake-wide aquatic plant survey will take place which will outline the results of our LSC milfoil control efforts, and the state of other aquatic plants. You can view the past 17 aquatic plant survey reports by visiting our website's Links & Downloads section. We'll share this report with you as soon as it's available in early November.
Thanks again to VT Lake House for taking the 'before' and 'after' photos and video for us, and thank you to everyone in the lake community that helped make the year 1 treatment of Little Lake a success!
Let's all work together and have another successful year of milfoil control in 2022.
Thank you.
Last week, our Diver Assisted Suction Harvesting (DASH) crew completed their contracted hours for the season, and they have provided us their report.
Owen & Beck - Lake St. Catherine Association DASH crew
This season, 146 buckets (17.5 gallon) were harvested. In 2020, 132 buckets were harvested. In 2019, 1,293 buckets were harvested. The DASH crew picked up an additional 21 buckets (not included in the 146 total) as part of the Community Day cleanup in the Channel & Little Lake back in July.
The most amount of milfoil that was removed in one area was from area I, across from the State Park. The milfoil density was very high in this very small .9 acre area, and 53 buckets were removed here. Second was area D, Atwater Bay with 37 buckets from 13.6 acres. Third was area N, Sandy Beach with 24 buckets from 8.2 acres. These 3 areas accounted for approximately 78% of the bucket count this season.
Owen & Beck also report that the lake is looking great, and milfoil areas and densities remain low. They have already generated a preliminary map for 2022, which we'll reference as we perform the Spring survey next May.
Here is a short video taken this season showing how the milfoil is hand-pulled:
Thank you to Owen & Beck for their great work again this season!
Because of their hard work, the spot ProcellaCOR treatments (and the treatment in Little Lake), and the efforts of all of you to get milfoil out of the lake to help to stop the spread, we believe we'll see in our Fall survey that milfoil levels will be at the lowest level we've seen in 15 years (since the full lake treatment in 2004).
Let's all keep up the good work!
Finally, a quick note on milfoil identification. Throughout the season, we receive calls and emails to report milfoil sightings - which is great. We will always investigate and take a look to see if there is a milfoil issue in the area reported. What we've found is that folks are frequently seeing Illinois Pondweed (Potamogeton illinoensis) and not milfoil.
This is Illinois Pondweed, which is a native aquatic plant for LSC:
This plant had a particularly good growing year. This plant will grow to the surface and the tip of the plant will grow slightly above the surface and you'll see the 'flower' above the water.
Our DASH crew is not permitted to remove this or any other native plant - they can only hand-pull milfoil.
However, Illinois Pondweed - or other native plants - can certainly become a nuisance in your dock or swimming area. If they are, you may rake or hand-pull these plants in your area to remove them. If you do, you should do your best to remove them by the roots, and ALWAYS remove them from the lake and get them on shore. Let them dry out and dispose of them as you would yard waste.
This is milfoil:
This is an invasive weed that the DASH crew is permitted to remove.
Thanks again to everyone working hard and participating in this lake-wide Milfoil Control Program. Our collective efforts are making a significant and measurable difference in the milfoil level of Lake St. Catherine!
On Saturday, August 28th, the Lake St. Catherine Association held their fourth and final meeting of the 2021 season. Meeting minutes compiled by Kemi McShane.
Attendance: Jim Canders, Ed Laird, Elaine Bagley, John Belnavis, Mary Jo Teetor, Jerremy Jones, Frank Callahan, Bob Williams. Online/phone: Jeff Crandall, Martha Pofit, Nancy Liberatore, Lisa Micich, Kemi McShane. Absent: Michael Gay, Ken Abt, Rob Nesbit
Call to Order: President, Jim Canders called to order the meeting at 8:40 AM at the LSC CC.
Introduction: Jim Canders introduced Beck Sinclair to present on the work accomplished by the DASH team this 2021 season. Highest concentration of milfoil was at Location I, across from the State Park in the channel entering North Bay at Pine Point. North Bay had sparse density, and this area is projected for next year work, also Horseshoe Bay will be a priority. 92 acres in total was addressed by DASH. The maps used for location work areas will be provided to the Fall surveyors to help identify problem areas. 167 total buckets were removed - 53 in area I alone, 21 as part of the Community Clean Up Day. Less floating fragments this season as compared to the past. Noted not as much algae as well. It was requested that as the DASH team works around the Lake next season, to be aware of the roads, shorelines and run-off areas to help identify any areas that the Watershed Action Plan can potentially address. Many volunteers this year to scoop the weeds and pick up floaters to help contain the milfoil. Beck was thanked for the hard work that DASH performs for the lake.
Secretary's Report: motion made and second to accept the Secretary’s report as presented. Motion carried.
Treasurer’s Report: Discussion regarding the transition period as Elaine, our treasurer is retiring. A motion was made to accept the treasurer’s report as presented, second. Motion carried to accept the treasurer’s report.
LSCCF Annual Meeting Report: Jerremy gave a brief report on the meeting he attended last week. There was a general sense of contentment with the collaborative efforts of the 2 groups, and discussion of the success of the treatment. All of our joint initiatives were mentioned, Lake Wise, ProcellaCOR, Community Day weed cleanup. The LSCCF also discussed their individual efforts, finances, bylaws, etc. A motion was made to respond to the LSCCF’s request to include the LSCA in a letter to Misha and the DEC as a supporter of leaving the aeration system in place for ‘emergencies’. Misha sent a request to the LSCCF asking them to remove the system. After discussion, the board concluded that they wanted to remain neutral and consistent with our previous stance as the LSCCF went through the aeration permit process which was to remain neutral, to neither support or oppose the permit, and to accept the DEC's position when reached. A motion was made to that effect. Motion seconded, voted all in favor. Motion carried.
Milfoil: Jeff Crandall reports the herbicide treatment in the LL was very successful. He was told people were waterskiing in the LL again. 70 acres were treated in the LL. Discussion regarding where potential problem areas are around the locations where the Lake is spring feed, such as Endless Brook / Pine Point. Jerremy requested year end aquatic plant report to be available by first week of November.
Water Quality: Mary Jo reports no documented issues this summer, even with recent storms and runoffs. No identification of E Coli, but test kits are available if needed.
Greeter Program: John reports Greeters not seeing milfoil coming out of the Lake like in previous years. Tracking of hours for the survey to be sent to the State. Needs to track data for grants and payments. John noticed the statements of invasive species posted at the boat launch and questioned how to remove that information if not applicable today (water chestnuts)?
Publicity: Jerremy has the Fall newsletter to distribute and will post to our website for online access and email to members. Also available at Otto’s and WCS.
Lake Safety: Frank said the new buoys finally arrived in time for next year. Volunteers to place buoy in Halls Bay in place.
Nominating Committee: Bob Williams reports we have 13 active members. The Association needs 1 person for a 1-year term and 1 person for a 3-year term, to be appointed by Jim per the bylaws. Bob thanked our retiring Trustees: Kemi McShane, Elaine Bagley, and Ken Abt for their years of service to the board and LSC.
Membership: Elaine explained the different stages for the mailings for the membership committee to perform. February membership drive kickoff mailing, postcard reminders, online registration, maintaining and updating the data to keep members contact information current. Bookkeeping of the dues and donations. LSCA has 362 members to date. 40 members from last year have not rejoined, MJ stated this may be due to property transfers. Membership expires January first of each calendar year. A motion was made to have MJ and Jerremy handle the financial plan for bookkeeping and data process in the transitional period. The motion was second, with no further discussion, motion carried.
Grants: Martha reports that Lake Wise saw a lot of interest this summer season. Will be submitting a 3-year work plan for the Lake St. Catherine Watershed Action Plan in collaboration with the PMNCRD that will include, organizing, analyzing, identifying, goal setting, prioritizing with the LCBP and DEC on future projects around the Lake. A motion was made to have the president be able to call additional board meetings as need. It was seconded, voted on and motion carried.
Old Business: East Poultney Day was attended by Jim and Jerremy. Lots of support for the LSCA was received from the community.
New Business: The LSCA received notice of a potential land from the Warwicks. A $50.00 donation was received from them, and the offering of a parcel of land on the Lily Pond and a parcel of land in Poultney. Discussion ensued regarding acceptance of this generous donation. A motion was made to do our due diligence and review the legality, tax liability, marketability, etc. before accepting the donation of the land to the LSCA. The motion was seconded and without further discussion, motion carried. MJ, Nancy and Ed will work cooperatively on researching the necessary information.
Next scheduled Board meeting: May 28, 2022 at 8:30 to be held at LSCCC.
Election of Officers:
Recording Secretary - no one elected, position open
Treasurer - Mary Jo Teetor, motion, seconded, carried
Vice President - Martha Pofit, motion,seconded, carried
President - Jim Canders, motion, seconded, carried
Motion: Corporate resolution to amend the banking signature card to include, Jim Canders, Mary Jo Teetor, Jerremy Jones. Two signatures are required on a check written for any amount above $1,000.00. Seconded, carried
Motion for adjournment made, seconded, and carried.
Meeting adjourned at 11:07 AM
The Lake St. Catherine Association (LSCA) is pleased to announce grant funding from the Vermont Department of Environmental Conservation's Grant-in-Aid Program on two fronts for a total of $21,695.00. The Aquatic Invasive Species Grant-in-Aid is an important piece of funding that the LSCA utilizes to manage milfoil and educate the public on water quality issues and invasive species threatening the health and balance of the lake.
Our Greeter Program is stationed at the Fish and Wildlife boat access in Wells. Our greeters welcome boaters at the launch to inspect boats and trailers for any signs of invasive species, particularly the introduction of milfoil and zebra mussels. They also educate people on other threats that might be in other waters that could be transported if a boat was recently in another body of water. Boats are also inspected and any fragments of weeds are removed from boats and trailers so they will not be transported to other lakes. It is highly encouraged to wash your boat as well as clean, drain, and dry bilges and engine intakes before traveling from one lake to another. In addition, in partnership with the Lake St. Catherine State Park, our greeter station at the park is also operating this year as well. These important grant dollars make it possible for the LSCA to expand its program to monitor as many boats as possible coming and going from Lake St. Catherine.
A portion of the grant also contributes to support our Eurasian Watermilfoil (EWM) Control Program which focuses on the in-lake methods used to combat the invasive milfoil and monitor the water body for signs of any other threats of non-native species. The LSCA uses an integrated, multi-faceted approach to management which includes DASH (diver assisted suction harvesting), diver hand pulling, and spot herbicide treatment.
The most recent success of the program has led to a greatly reduced population of milfoil in the Little Lake. This expansion of the program is part of a 3-year program the Lake St. Catherine Association planned with participation from the Lake St. Catherine Conservation Fund (LSCCF) to focus on areas that have been unable to benefit from the treatment program over the past several years. The Little Lake program received support funds from the LSCA, LSCCF, and individual donations through a fundraising campaign, to successfully treat 40% of the Little Lake with ProcellaCOR.
We would like to thank the Town of Poultney and Wells, as well as the Poultney Mettowee Natural Resources Conservation District (PMNRCD) for their support and partnership in the successful application and administration of the grants as well as the peripheral programs that enhance the Lake St. Catherine environment for all to enjoy.
Hello LSC!
We'd like to let you know that the LSCA Fall 2021 newsletter is now available.
The Fall issue has an update on Little Lake, lots of recaps of events since the Spring issue - including the Boat Parade & Annual Membership Meeting & Dinner - and a large section is devoted to explaining the large grant we've received to create a Lake Watershed Action Plan for Lake St. Catherine.
In an effort to save on printing and mailing costs, we've decided to only print a short run of copies and distribute them to Otto's Cones Point General Store and the Wells Country Store. If you'd like a printed copy, please feel free to pick one up when you are out and about (available now). Thank you to Otto's and WCS!
Also, your LSCA Trustee neighbors will have printed copies available around the lake.
The digital version is now available online via our website through this link: Click here to view the Fall 2021 Newsletter, or click on the image below. When you click on the link for the newsletter, you will be able to view it on screen - and be able to zoom in or out using the controls in your browser window. Or, you can click the download button to save a copy to your computer to view with a PDF reader, and/or print a copy.
Have You Renewed Your Membership For 2021?
As we near the end of the season, we'd like to ask our members to check to see if they renewed their membership for 2021.
According to our records, we have over 40 members who were members last year that have not yet renewed for 2021.
You can renew or become a member on our website. If you were a member in 2020, click here to renew, or click here to become a new member - and you can pay your dues online with your credit card. If you were a member last year (whether you paid by check or online by credit card), the website has an account ready for you. If you don't remember your password, have never logged in, or if you have not logged into the new website launched in December, please click here to set or reset your password.
We'd also like to encourage you to check with your employer to see if they have an Employer Matching Gift Program for charitable donations. Many generous businesses will match donations made by their employees through these programs. So, take a look - you may be able to double your contribution!
Your membership and the dues and contributions we receive allows us to accomplish our work. Maintaining the lake costs approximately $125,000 annually. While we do receive annual grants from Poultney, Wells, and the State, membership dues and contributions make up the majority of our funding.
Thank you for your support of the LSCA!
On Saturday, July 28th, the Lake St. Catherine Association held their third meeting of the 2021 season. Meeting minutes compiled by Kemi McShane.
Attendance: Jim Canders, Nancy Liberatore, John Belvavis, Ed Laird, Mary Jo Teetor, Jerremy Jones, Frank Callahan, Bob Williams, Elaine Bagley, Martha Pofit, Ken Abt (online), Jeff Crandall (online). Absent: Rob Nesbit, Kemi McShane.
Call to Order: President Jim Canders called the meeting to order at 8:05 AM. Minutes compiled by Jerremy Jones.
Previous meeting minutes approved.
Annual Meeting, John: LSC CC can offer the same dinners as 2019 meeting, a buffet selection of chicken or fish with sides or a prime rib dinner. Jerremy will start working on the presentation, setting up RSVPs through the website.
Greeters, John: Program running well, Greeters doing a great job at boat launch and State Park. Greeters went around Little Lake for the Stop The Spread handout. Will also cover the rest of the lake.
Milfoil Control, Jeff: Got the F&W Greeter permit for the boat launch, one is not needed at the State Park. DASH - 92 acres, will start July 1st for full operations, currently hand-pulling. ProcellaCOR treatment occurred on June 22nd in Halls Bay, and in Little Lake.
Little Lake Meeting, Jerremy: Meeting on June 19 at Wells Lakeside Park. Members of LSCCF, LSCA, Wells Select Board, and members of the lake community attended. We detailed the 3 year plan and discussed the Stop The Spread handout. The meeting was mostly positive, then veered off of that positivity when the Q&A started. We did receive some nice feedback from some attendees. Jim offered a motion for $425 to cover the cost of the handouts, approved. Also discussed was a meeting called by the Wells Select Board on June 23rd, attended by Jim, Frank, and Jerremy. Members of the LSCCF were also in attendance. Topics discussed: the 3-year Little Lake milfoil control program, and the working relationship between the WSB, LSCA, and LSCCF.
Treasurer’s Report, Elaine: Financial report presented and approved. To date, 341 members. Donations coming in from happy users of the lake. 990 filed, motion to pay preparer, approved. Elaine summarized closure and setup of new accounts as was discussed last meeting.
Water Quality, Mary Jo: Lay monitoring taking place as usual. Will contact town to order E. coli testing kits.
Publicity, Jerremy: discussed recent coverage of the award of the watershed action grant in local papers, recent community volunteer events, website and Facebook always updated with latest lake and LSCA news.
Lake Safety, Frank: 2 upcoming boating license classes, many reservations for both, might add a third, TBD. Buoys and markers out, the one in Halls Bay went missing soon after it was placed. More have been ordered. Discussed reports of unsafe boating, extend an invite to our Game Warden to speak at annual meeting.
Grants, Martha: discussed kickoff of Lake Wise, LCBP’s State of the Lake report, and clean water funding, the Watershed Action Plan.
Nominating, Bob: 4 open spots, 1 to be appointed, 3 for election at annual meeting. Idea to create ‘Wanted’ posters to be used as ice-breakers to speak with residents about joining the LSCA. Current Trustees will canvas their areas to speak with potential candidates. Jerremy will create the poster and email to Trustees.
New Business: Sign up for East Poultney Day? Yes, Jerremy will get us signed up. Wells Variety Day, per Nora at Wells Town Hall, will not be happening.
Motion for adjournment, approved.
Hello LSC.
We got lucky with the weather, and the Milfoil Cleanup Community Day, organized by the LSCA and LSCCF was able to go ahead as scheduled for 9 AM this morning.
Multiple boats, kayaks & canoes were out there scooping up all the milfoil & floating weeds we could find in the Channel and Little Lake.
THANK YOU to all our volunteers!
After the collection was done, the LSCA's diver assisted suction harvesting (DASH) crew came down to pickup all the collected weeds so they could be hauled away for disposal.
They filled up 21 buckets (17.5 gallon) to take away!
Our DASH crew: Owen & Beck (and Arlo in the middle):
The guys picking up at the Little Lake drop-off point - thanks for volunteering your dock Karla & Mike:
Then it was off to clean up the floating dock:
Thanks again to Heather for loaning us this floating platform for this project.
The good news from today was that there was not a lot of floating milfoil to be found. While an occasional milfoil stem was found, the plants were almost all detached natives.
Since milfoil fragments can seed new milfoil growth, it was GREAT to see so little floating milfoil in the Channel and in Little Lake today.
The milfoil treatment in Little Lake was very successful, so we are off to a good start in year 1 of the 3 year plan. You can read more about the 3 year milfoil plan for Little Lake here: https://lakestcatherine.org/little-lake-milfoil-control
You can also read a brief 1 month post treatment report that was included in our presentation at the Annual Meeting & Dinner last evening. You can view that slide presentation here: https://lakestcatherine.org/blog/10773287
We'll do a cleanup day again next year, and we'll try to do it earlier in the season. Also, these 2 drop-off points will stay in place for the season, and will be monitored for pickups. So, please continue to use them!
Thank you to all involved!
Last evening, the LSCA held our 2021 Annual Meeting & Dinner at the Lake St. Catherine Country Club.
The LSCA Trustees gave their committee reports as part of the presentation, and then we had a great dinner!
Our presentation is attached below:
Thank you so much to our attendees (we had a full house!) - it was GREAT to see everyone in person.
We'd also like to thank the staff at the LSC CC who did a great job for us.
If you have any questions or comments about the presentation, we'd like to hear from you. Let us know at info@lakestcatherine.org.
Here's a photo gallery from the evening:
Click here to view all the photos in the gallery.
We hope you enjoyed the evening!
We have heard recent reports about unsafe boating issues around the lake, including speeding in the Channel and unsafe jet ski operation.
So, last Saturday, we invited the Lake St. Catherine Game Warden, Justin Turner, to a Meet & Greet with the lake community. We had a great turnout with a great mix of folks from all areas around LSC, including Rutland-Bennington state house district Representative Sally Achey.
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.
Some ideas that were discussed included:
Justin made it clear that he heard everyone's concerns.
Justin explained that he can't be here as often as he'd like, and that the Wardens are understaffed. Justin's coverage area includes 9 towns: Arlington, Sunderland, Sandgate, Manchester, Rupert, Dorset, Pawlet, Danby and Wells. Although his area does not include Poultney, he is responsible for all of Lake St. Catherine.
We thank Justin for his time to speak with us last weekend.
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.
In correspondence with Sergeant Carbo, he 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.
He also let us know that the idea of a hired citizen patrol with enforcement capabilities would not be possible. State statute, hiring, training requirements, insurance and liability concerns would make this idea prohibitive.
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.
If you witness unsafe boating, and would like to report it, please call Justin on his cell: 802-595-8754.
You can read more about LSC Lake Safety including Vermont and Lake St. Catherine specific boating rules on our website here: https://lakestcatherine.org/lake-safety
We'd like to announce a milfoil cleanup 'Community Day' in the Channel and Little Lake on Sunday, July 25th, and give you an update on our Milfoil Control efforts so far this season.
Milfoil Cleanup 'Community Day': Members of the LSCA and LSCCF have 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 to benefit the lake on Sunday, July 25th, beginning at 9 AM. We have been informed that neighbors in the Channel would like this to expand past a single day event, to become a season-long effort - which is FANTASTIC - and we have made arrangements to make this happen.
A very generous member of the lake community from West Lake Road (thanks Heather!) has loaned a floating platform so it can be used as an easily accessible drop-off point in the Channel. This platform was installed in the Channel this weekend:
If you are heading towards the Little Lake from the bridge, this platform is set up in front of the last camp on the left (thanks Dawn & Joel!) in the Channel before getting to Little Lake. That's Dawn on her kayak testing it out.
Also, very generous Little Lake residents on Clayton Tract (thanks Karla & Mike!) will make one of their docks available as a drop-off point in the Little Lake.
The orange dots on the map on the left indicate where the designated drop-off points are.
We'll be asking volunteers to get out on the Channel and on the Little Lake to collect all the floating milfoil they can find and deposit it on one of our 2 drop-off points. Then, the Lake St. Catherine Association's DASH team will come down and pickup the collected milfoil for disposal.
After this initial milfoil cleanup Community Day, the two drop-off points will stay in place, and weekly pickups will be made. The milfoil will be collected and delivered to the DASH team for disposal.
Thank you to all the volunteers who have gotten us this far - the project has been planned and a workflow is in place.
Now we need you!
So, we hope to see you out there on the lake in your kayak, on your boat or SUP, or in or on any other kind of floating craft you can bring to be ready to do some milfoil scooping!
We'll provide additional details as we get closer to the event. Mark your calendar for Sunday, July 25th! Thanks.
ProcellaCOR treatment: As you know, 3 areas were treated for milfoil this year: Halls Bay, a small area north of the Channel, and an area of Little Lake.
Based on the reports we've received from many of you, and our own observations, the treatment has been very effective. In Little Lake, you can actually see the line where the treatment area ends (see the map on the left).
This does not mean that the work is done for the season.
We still need your help to make sure these excellent results are not squandered.
It's up to all of us to stop the spread of milfoil.
We recently posted the document "What You Can Do To Help Stop The Spread Of Milfoil" which outlines the best practices that you can follow to help to stop the spread. The LSCA Boat Launch Greeters have also been handing this flyer out around the lake, so you may have already received a printed copy.
We hope you can follow these best practices which apply lake-wide. There are also Little Lake specific best practices for 2021:
Please help to do your part.
The treatment in Little Lake this season is part of a 3-year plan to help get milfoil under control there. In March, the LSCA and LSCCF reached out to the lake community and launched a fundraiser to help pay for this plan. Within just a few weeks, we reached our goal of $12,000, which covered a third of the $36,000 estimate. The LSCA and LSCCF each contributed $12,000 to cover the full amount of the year 1 treatment.
Donations have continued to come in, and we have currently raised over $5,000 to be used for year 2. You can contribute to the 3-year Little Lake plan, and read more about it by clicking here: https://lakestcatherine.org/little-lake-milfoil-control.
Soon, there will be a 1 month post treatment survey, and in late September, there will be a detailed lake-wide aquatic plant survey (you can see our 17 years of aquatic plant surveys on LSC by clicking here). Using the data and information collected from these surveys, a plan of action will be created for year 2.
Diver Assisted Suction Harvesting (DASH): As you can see in the flyer image above which includes the map of LSC, the areas highlighted in green are designated to be worked on by our DASH team. They hand pull the milfoil from the bottom of the lakebed by the roots and then suction the full plant to the surface for safe removal from the lake.
The divers started hand pulling milfoil in the designated areas in late June, and were able to begin full operations using the suction equipment on July 1st. They will continue working throughout the summer.
The DASH team is reporting that the milfoil they are seeing in their work areas on the Big Lake have low / sparse milfoil density, and plants are single strands with small root masses.
Each Monday, we'll post an update as to where the DASH team will be working during that week.
Thank you to everyone who has contributed to these milfoil control efforts this season. Many in our lake community have made donations, and many are putting in the work to get as much milfoil out of the lake as they can.
If we are all pitching in, we can collectively make a huge impact - please speak to your neighbors and help to get the word out.
Let's do this!
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