We'd like to invite you to the 2021 Lake St. Catherine Association Annual Meeting & Dinner at the Lake St. Catherine Country Club on Saturday, July 24th, beginning at 6 PM.

The LSCA Trustees will update you on lake issues, give you reports from their committees, and discuss current and future initiatives for the lake. The meeting will conclude with an open question and answer session.

We are looking forward to seeing you!

At approximately 7:30, dinner will be served. If you'd like to stay for dinner, the LSC CC has provided the menu below.

Dinner options:

• $18.00 per person: Buffet Dinner to include Chicken Francaise, Baked Haddock, and sides.
• $30.00 per person: Prime Rib Dinner.

- Includes cake and coffee.

Please RSVP for the meeting so the chef can be prepared for the number of meals to prepare by clicking here to register. You will be able to indicate the selection of dinner(s) you'd like to reserve. You can pay online with a credit card or with cash at the door. Paying online adds $1 to each dinner to cover transaction fees. Thank you. Please email us at info@lakestcatherine.org with any questions.

Click here to RSVP!

Good afternoon LSC.

We'd like to share some drone photos and video of the Little Lake that were taken on 6/23/21, the morning after the milfoil treatment. A sincere THANK YOU to VT Lake House for taking these photos for us.

These photos show us both the beauty of Little Lake and the dense milfoil cover under the surface.

In late August, we'll revisit these areas with the drone to see the effect of the milfoil treatment from this arial perspective. We'll also have a 1 month survey performed in mid-July, and there will be a comprehensive, lake-wide aquatic plant survey that will take place in September (you can view the past 17 aquatic plant survey reports by visiting our website's Links & Downloads section. We'll share these reports with you as soon as they are available.

We also hope that you are helping to do your part as well. 

We recently posted "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. You can view that here: https://lakestcatherine.org/blog/10670190

If we are all pitching in, we can make our lake-wide milfoil control efforts a success.

To view the full set of photos and the video, please click here to go to the Google Drive folder, Drone Photos - 6-23-2021.

Thank you!

On Saturday, June 26th, the Lake St. Catherine Association held their second meeting of the 2021 season. Meeting minutes compiled by Jerremy Jones.

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.

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'd like to take a moment to thank our 2021 Business Sponsors:

	Merritt Environmental Consulting Environmental consulting and oil tank services. Phone: (718) 344-0768 Email: cgm@merrittec.com		Lake St. Catherine Cottages Cottage Rentals 70 West Lake Road Phone: (802) 773-0100 Phone: (802) 645-0093
	Lake St. Catherine Country Club Golfing, Pro Shop, Bar & Grill Dinner Specials Fri & Sat Phone: (802) 287-9341 Email: lsccc@comcast.net		Lake Hill Compost LSC's local food scrap collection and composting service. Phone: (518) 955-0466 Email: gregobrienvt@gmail.com
	Williams Hardware Hardware, Housewares, Paint, Lumber, Rentals & More Since 1946 Phone: (802) 287-5791 Email: williamshardware@truevalue.net		VT Lakehouse Experience amazing lakefront views Daily and weekly rentals available FB: https://fb.me/vtlakehouse Email: info@vt-lakehouse.com
	New England Lakeside Realty Helping Families Find Their New Homes In Vermont's Lakes Region Phone: (802) 645-9001 Email: vtlakeside@comcast.net		Woodard Marine Boating, Service, Rentals Located on Lake Bomoseen. Phone: (802) 265-3690 Email: info@woodardmarine.com
	Lakes & Homes Real Estate Offering years of expertise in Rutland County Phone: (802) 671-8042 Email: lakesandhomesre@gmail.com		Haun Welding Supply Household Propane and Cylinder Gas Delivery Phone: (518) 743-8944 Email: glensfalls@thehaunedge.com

All have made a $200 contribution to the Lake St. Catherine Association for the 2021 season - thank you for your support!

You can find them listed on the Sponsors page our our website, and they are listed in our Spring and Fall newsletters.

If your business would like to be a Business Sponsor, you can fill out our online membership form here: Become A Member, or you can print and mail in this 2021 Membership Form.

Thanks again to our 2021 Business Sponsors - and all who have contributed this season to help us fulfill our mission to preserve, protect and maintain Lake St. Catherine.

Good morning LSC.

The milfoil treatment was successfully applied yesterday.

Recreational and household use can resume today. Using the lake water for irrigation can resume next Tuesday.

Our DASH crew has started hand-pulling, and will begin full DASH operations on July 1st.

To view the DASH and ProcellaCOR areas, please click here to view the map.

Now, we are asking you to help make these efforts a success by following these best practices to stop the spread of milfoil:

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

Little Lake specific tips:

1. We ask that you voluntarily avoid boating through the untreated and unharvested area of section H.
2. Please use the navigation channels that will be created by the combination of the treatment and harvesting - indicated by the green arrows in the image below.

Please check out our "Stop The Spread Of Milfoil" flyer for more detailed information.

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!

Thank you.

Hello good folks of LSC.

Each season, the LSCA outlines our plan to control the invasive weed Eurasian Watermilfoil (milfoil) in LSC. Milfoil is a non-native plant that grows very quickly, at at rate much faster than our native aquatic plants, crowding them out. It spreads very easily via fragmentation, and small pieces can seed new plants. Large patches of milfoil impair recreational activities, and can constrict water flow.

As many of you know, for over a year, the Lake St. Catherine Association (LSCA) and the Lake St. Catherine Conservation (LSCCF) have been working on a 3-Year Milfoil Control Plan for Little Lake. 

In early March, we announced the plan, and kicked off a fundraiser. We launched this webpage (https://lakestcatherine.org/little-lake-milfoil-control) to tell you about the plan and collect donations. Just a few weeks after the fundraiser was launched, we had reached our $12,000 goal, and have collected an additional $5,200 which will be applied to year 2. The LSCA and LSCCF are both contributing $12,000 each in year 1 to fully cover the $36,000 estimate for the 2021 treatment of Little Lake. Please keep an eye on the website linked above as it will be updated with information as we evaluate the treatment's effectiveness throughout the season.

The treatment will take place this Tuesday, June 22nd. You can read more about the 2021 treatment by clicking here.

Thank you to all who contributed, and who continue to contribute. Fundraising will be very important to help fund year 2.

LSCA & LSCCF Meeting At The Wells Town Park

Today, both groups held a meeting at the Wells Town Park to discuss the plan, and to kick off our outreach and education plan to boaters and property owners to outline actions you can take to stop the spread of milfoil.

Thank you to all who attended, the Presidents and board members of both the LSCA and LSCCF, and the Wells Select Board. We also thank the Delaney Committee for the use of the Wells Town Park.

This document, "Stop The Spread Of Milfoil" was handed out and discussed at the meeting. Click the link to download a copy.

The handout includes a description of what milfoil is, specific things you can do to help stop the spread of milfoil, lake-wide milfoil control efforts, and Little Lake specific recommendations for 2021.

Help To Stop The Spread Of Milfoil

Here are the things YOU CAN DO to help stop the spread of milfoil, which are all applicable lake-wide. All require a bit of elbow grease on your part, but if we are all contributing, it can make a big difference around the lake.

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

Little Lake Specific Best Practices For 2021

1. We ask that you voluntarily avoid boating through the untreated and unharvested area of section H.
2. Please use the navigation channels that will be created by the combination of the treatment and harvesting - indicated by the green arrows in the image on the left.
3. Throughout the summer, in addition to maintaining the navigational channels, the LSCCF’s harvesting crew will also be working diligently from the bridge south to collect floating milfoil

The volunteers that make up the LSCA and LSCCF can only do so much. We have invested many hours in the planning, and we now are investing lots of money funded by the generous contributions of the towns and from our members to execute the plan.

So, we are now asking for your help to stop the spread of milfoil by following the best practices listed above.

This needs to be a lake-wide effort with everyone pitching in.

Let's do this!

Thank you.

If you have any questions, please email us at info@lakestcatherine.org.

Good afternoon LSC. 2 reminders for you today.

1) We are 1 week away from the milfoil treatment which will take place next Tuesday (June 22nd). 

During and after the treatment, please be aware of the following lake water use restriction recommendations:

• NO USE of Lake St. Catherine waters and water from the outlet stream FOR ANY PURPOSE including boating, fishing, swimming, domestic (household) use or irrigation, the day of treatment on:

Tuesday, June 22, 2021, beginning at 9 am

• Swimming/wading, boating, fishing and domestic (household) use may resume on:

Wednesday, June 23, 2021, beginning at 9 am

• USE of water from Lake St. Catherine FOR IRRIGATION PURPOSES including for watering lawns, trees, or other plants may resume on:

Wednesday, June 29, 2021, beginning at 9 am or earlier based on sampling results, please refer to the website below for results

Please refer to www.solitudelakemanagement.com/vermont for additional information and updated water use advisories and recommendations.

Along with the herbicide treatment, areas have been selected for DASH. DASH is an acronym for Diver Assisted Suction Harvesting. This process involves scuba divers using suction hoses powered by a surface compressor to selectively remove milfoil from the lake bottom. They will be working throughout the season to remove milfoil by the roots in these designated areas.

Here is a map of the treatment areas for ProcellaCOR (red & blue) and DASH (green):

2) The LSCA and LSCCF will be holding a Milfoil Control Meeting At The Wells Town Park this Saturday at 10AM to discuss our joint milfoil control plans for Little Lake - and milfoil control efforts lake-wide. We'll outline what we are doing, what *YOU CAN DO* to help to stop the spread of milfoil, and we'll take your 

Finally, we are still accepting donations for the joint LSCA and LSCCF 3-year milfoil control plan to help fund year 2. You can view information about the 3-year plan and make a donation on this page: https://lakestcatherine.org/little-lake-milfoil-control

We hope to see you Saturday at the Wells Town Park at 10AM!

Earlier in the week, we sent out a request for volunteers to meet up on Saturday the 12th to help clean up debris caught on top of the dam at Lake's End.

It was so great to see folks from all around the lake come together to pitch in. We made quick work of the cleanup, and all the lake neighbors got to meet and exchange stories about how much we love LSC. What a fun morning.

THANK YOU to all our volunteers!

Check out the full photo gallery on Facebook.

- Shannon Rangecroft

The LSCA and LSCCF will be holding a lake community meeting at the Wells Town Park on Saturday, June 19th at 10AM.

Representatives from both organizations will discuss the joint plan for Little Lake, which will include a treatment with ProcellaCOR and mechanical harvesting.

We'll also discuss lake-wide milfoil control efforts, answer your questions, and outline what you can do to help maximize prospects for success.

If you'd like to learn more about this joint project (or make a donation), please visit: https://lakestcatherine.org/little-lake-milfoil-control

We hope to see you there!

Get your boating license!

The Lake St. Catherine Association is pleased to provide two FREE boating safety courses this season.

The first will be held on June 28th and 29th from 4:30 PM to 8:30 PM at the Modern Woodmen of America Hall, 10 Main Street in Wells.

The second will be held on July 5th and 6th from 4:30 PM to 8:30 PM at the Mettawee Community School, 5788 VT-153 in West Pawlet.

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, will be conducting the courses.

Space is limited to 24 attendees, so please call 802-645-9136 or email Frank at frank.callahan@lakestcatherine.org to register. In 2019, both classes filled up to capacity very quickly, so please call to schedule as soon as you can.

For additional information about boating in Vermont, check out the online Handbook of Vermont Boating laws and Responsibilities.

Are you a member yet? 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. We are a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization and any contribution that you make is tax deductible.