On Saturday, August 29th, the Lake St. Catherine Association held their fourth and final meeting of the 2020 season.

The Trustees gave their reports on many topics - Click here to see the full meeting agenda. Meeting minutes compiled by Kemi McShane Bostock.

August 29th 2020 Meeting of the Lake St. Catherine Board of Trustees

Google Meet - Online Meeting, 8:30 AM

Meeting Called to Order by President, Jim Canders at 8:35 AM.

Attendance: Jim Canders, Jeff Crandall, Elaine Bagley, Ken Abt, John Belnavis, Martha Pofit, Frank Callahan, Bob Williams, Kemi McShane, Ed Laird, Nancy Liberatore, Jerremy Jones, Mary Jo Teetor

Absent: Rob Nesbit

Meeting Called to Order at 8:35 AM

Opening statement by President, Jim Canders. President Canders thanks Owen and Beck for the DASH work for this season, and the Greeters from the Boat Launch and State Park Greeter Program.

Beck Sinclair reports on the 2020 season for the DASH season at LSC. He stated that he emailed a map of the final treatment to the trustees. He provided a financial invoice and stated not completed all the work in Halls Bay and thanked the Board for the 7-day extension to complete the work in Bay. Beck and Owen have worked the DASH program for the past 7 years and he believes the lake is in the best shape that he has seen it. He is seeing little milfoil and believes this is from the balanced approach of DASH, herbicide and due diligence from the lake residents. The collection of milfoil buckets is down 90% - they collected 132 buckets in total.

Jeff Crandall stated the future treatment map may contain Halls Bay, along Route 30, the Sunken Island and the Channel as milfoil is coming from LL into those areas.

Beck: not seeing any growth in Atwater Bay, Oxbow Bay and Horseshoe Bay.

Jeff: last year floating milfoil fragments saw a lot of them and not seeing any this season.

Beck: North Bay is mostly seeing native plants

Martha: thanked the DASH team for all their hard work, important message to address the Channel, and remind the LL that all the hard work and strides in the Big Lake can be compromised because milfoil is traveling up the Channel and into the Big Lake. It is a cause and effect situation and compromises our success and has a direct impact on the work already done.

Beck: he can provide pictures and videos of the diving work to show milfoil collected around a raft in the Channel and how the DASH team saw lots of floating milfoil there. The wind, boats, and water currents bring large mats of floating milfoil up into the Channel and then it flows into the Big Lake.

Martha needs this information to show evidence to support the grant writing that she is involved in.

Jeff: wants all this information included in final report to document the progress for the 2020 season.

Beck: can provide maps and pictures

Martha: for grant writing purposes need entire buckets collected, time spent, and square footage and density of time spent working the lake. This contribution is valuable to support the grant.

Beck: the final report is 132 buckets in 2020. Will calculate the square footage as the hose line extension and covering the area DASHed.

Beck explained how the DASH team did hand picking in the low dispersed areas. It allowed them to move quickly as opposed to dragging the hose and moving the boat within a 50-foot radius. Would hand pull and place into a bag and bring to boat. Helpful in Channel and allowed them to cover more area.

Martha: The Greeters program shows data that more milfoil is leaving LSC than is entering the lake. Not a good position to be in.

Beck: Recommends signage and awareness pamphlets to distribute to educate people. Overall, the DASH team is well received and residents like the work that is being done by the DASH team.

Martha: Any sighting of Zebra Mussels? (Beck: no) Lake Dunmore has them at the boat launch and LSC needs to be in the prevention mode. Working on a grant and need a baseline established. Due to COVID, state did not allow informational pamphlets to be distributed, but have them ready for nest year.

Beck: Owen and Beck available to remove the buoys as made a GPS map for finding the markers and anchors.

Frank- appreciates the extra help in this Fall. The buoys are kept at people’s property for easy removal and installation. Some are stored at Frank’s.

Beck- will collect and store where wanted.

Jim: Harry and Sylvia Bingham initiated the buoy program. Jim thanked Beck for the in-depth report and excellent work on the Lake this 2020 season.

Beck: asked about the contract for the next 2021 season?

Jeff: need to have the Fall survey to determine the sights to be treated. And based on this year’s final report.

Discussion took place regarding the joint meeting between the LSCA and the LSCCF on Tuesday, August 25, 2020. Present at this virtual / recorded meeting were: 5 LSCA trustees, 6 board members of the LSCCF, 4 VT DEC members, Dr. Jennifer Jones and moderator, Gary Kupferer. Jerremy outlined the follow up plan from this meeting. The DEC will meet with the LSCCF in the next few weeks to discuss the permits that the LL wants to put in place. Jerremy discussed with Rick on a plan to get back in touch with the LSCCF to help the LL next year. It will be necessary for the LSCA to have financial support from the LSCCF to treat the LL with ProcellaCOR. Jerremy believes this was a positive meeting, moving forward to collaborate with the LSCCF. The LSCA will write a grant to help LL and also use the tools the LSCA already has in place for assistance: such as The Lake Champlain Basin watershed funding, The Lake Wise project, as they can focus on the LL. This program help educate LL residents (and all LSC residents) to see how shoreline and property management contributes to storm water run-off that contributes to sedimentation. Concern was voiced about the sedimentation issue in the LL. THE LSCCF was promoting the scientist, Jennifer Jones for the aeration project.

Discussed ongoing concerns over the use of harvesting and the efficacy and safety of aeration.

Jerremy discussed a future meeting with the LSCCF after they meet with the DEC in early September.

Business meeting began at 9:42

1. Recording secretary’s Report: correction of trustees in attendance for the July 25, 2020 virtual meeting. Motion made to accept the report as presented, seconded and so moved.
2. Treasurer’s Report: Report posted; Elaine Bagley stated that the insurance was paid for the year. Pay checks are in good order. Has sent multiple reminders to outstanding members, with no response. 34 non-paying members from last year. John requested that the Greeter’s program manager, Marsha Baker McNally be reimbursed for the purchases totaling $300.00 for supplies for the Greeters. Jim asked for a motion to reimburse Marsha, Elaine made a motion to allocate the money and Martha seconded it. Motion carried to pay Marsha. Jerremy outlined projected income and expenses. Jerremy asked if it was appropriate to purchase a gift in recognition of the joint meeting moderator, Gary Kupferer. There were 4 meetings prior to the Tuesday night joint meeting. It was discussed that it would not be appropriate to give him a gift card without the LSCCF involved in it as well. Jerremy will contact Rick from the LSCCF and see if they too would like to contribute and thank Gary for his time. Motion was made to accept the Treasurer’s report, approved.
3. Milfoil Control: Jeff Crandall reported the 3 sites were treated with ProcellaCOR, Lily Pond, North Bay and South of the bridge in the Channel. DASH program addressed all sites. The team requested an extension to complete the work in Halls Bay. Referred to the map, main presence is in Halls Bay, Forest House Bay and up from the Channel to the Sunken Island. Milfoil fragments are floating up from the LL and rerooting/regrowth. Next year 2021 SOLitude survey may not need to treat in the Big Lake and the focus can be the LL. Next year 2021, LSCA can keep the DASH program busy in the main lake. DASH can not work in the LL as it is difficult to see what the team is doing. Discussion about how well ProcellaCOR has worked in combination with DASH over the past 2 seasons.
4. Greeter Program: John Belnavis reported that at the State boat launch there is a bulletin board for signage and information to be distributed to the public. It needs to be updated. The State Park opened late this season and at that time the LSCA did not have the funds to support the second Greeter site there. Money was allocated and we did in fact establish the Greeter Program at the State Park. August 14, the grant for funding the Greeter’s was received and the Greeter’s work hours and increased days of the week was increased. The State Park closes on Labor Day. John will breakdown the hours worked at each location and the staff will be returning next year. The State Park staff reported the numbers are down at the State Park this year. Discussed any evidence of the freshwater jellyfish in LSC as has been seen in Lake Bomoseen. John reported that last 2 years, average of 150 boats leaving LSC with milfoil, most likely because of location of boat launch to LL. Need to get these numbers down.
5. Publicity: Jerremy Jones reports that the Fall Newsletter will be completed and distributed for the Labor Day weekend. To date the LSCA has 343 paid members. Discussion about creating a calendar for next year to sell to generate monies for the LSCA. A local photographer has offered to supply the photos and the LSCA would produce the calendars. They could be purchased from the website, from local stores. We would include the business sponsor on the calendar. Another idea was to make postcards from the photos to sell. It was the general consensus that these would sell and benefit the Association.
6. Lake Safety- Frank Callahan: He thanked everyone for all the help this 2020 season. He was disappointed that he was not able to hold the classes for the boating safety. He was restricted to class size due to the COVID virus.
7. Nominating Committee- Bob Williams: LSCA has 14 trustees. It is a strong hard-working group. One position is open and actively looking for someone to join the Board. Discuss inviting folks to sit in on a meeting so can get a sense of the dynamics of the LSCA work.
8. Boat Parade- Kemi McShane : looking forward to next year’s parade. Ideas to consider: Parade leader to lead procession around lake. Keep voting on-line for a community vote. Poll regarding soliciting prizes, enter a boat in the Poultney 4th of July Parade. Ask the local photographers to take pictures to post. Music onboard the lead boat to announce the parade. Request Stewart’s ice cream cards for children. If do have sponsors for parade, will Nancy elicit these from our local sponsors? Open to ideas and suggestions regarding the boat parade.
9. Annual Membership Meeting- July 25,2020 Our first virtual meeting. Takes advanced planning and hoping can meet in person next year 2021. 200 people watched on YouTube and 150 people watched on Facebook. Will record the meeting regardless as it was well received.
10. Grants- Martha Hicks Pofit: Lake Champlain Basin Program will host a workshop in September. Lake Wise- 32 people contacted us for assessment, 23 assessments done on properties, 11 properties received the Lake Wise award. The grant for 2021 will be focused on property with a wide-open lawn- will be a big outreach program. VT DEC LSCA overall watershed improvement plan to take advantage, involved parties will be the Highway department, DASH, Lake Wise, and the Stormwater Master Plan.
11. Old Business: 1. FOVLAP- benefit of working with them supported by the State water quality. Conflict of interest policy- Ed Laird with current trustees to review and sign, 501C3 organization language from the IRS, LSCA has to follow. MJ questioned if we need to sign in May? Ed- stated the minutes to reflect a review of the funding sources / the grant sources. The board satisfied with the Conflict of Interest Policy. Great visibility with the State, LSCA seen as stewards of the lake.
12. New Business: Elaine requested a vote to purchase can koozies to be the gift for membership next year. Frank made motion was made to purchase the can koozies, Ed seconded the motion, all in favor- the motion was passed. A comment was made on a sewer issue on the Lake and the Public Health Officer will be reviewing the situation. The election of officers was presented and a motion was made to elect the following officers: Recording Secretary- Kemi McShane, Treasurer- Elaine Bagley, Vice President- Martha Hicks Pofit, President- Jim Canders. A motion was made and seconded to accept the slate of officers. President Jim Canders thanked everyone for the hard work that was done this 2020 season. He called for the Adjournment of the meeting, a motion was made and seconded. All in favor to adjourn the meeting at 11:03 AM

Respectfully submitted, Kemi McShane Bostock, Recording Secretary

WOW - what a day on the Lake!

This morning, members of the Poultney Mettowee Natural Resources Conservation District (PMNRCD) and the Lake St. Catherine Association (LSCA) visited all the 2020 Lake Wise Award winners to recognize this outstanding achievement for their lakeshore properties.

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. Then, the LSCA partnered with the PMNRCD on this project and began the outreach to the lake community.

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

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

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

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

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

So, without further ado, our 2020 Lake Wise Award winners are:

The Herricks - Cones Point

The Conines - Cones Point

The O'Connells - West Lake Road (south)

The Pofits - West Lake Road (south)

The Liberatores - Oxbow Bay

The Crandalls - West Lake Road (west) + 2 other properties

The Michels - Ferncliff Road, North Bay

The Dankowskis - Ferncliff Road, North Bay

The Smith-Pliners - Parks Drive, lower Channel

Thank you to all the winners for the work they have put into their property to become Lake Wise. Their properties represent a model of what all LSC lakeshore owners should strive for, as they 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.

This brings the total Lake Wise properties on LSC up to 12 (the Binghams were awarded it last year).

The LSCA and the PMNRCD would like to help other Lake St. Catherine property owners 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!

Hello good folks of the Lake St. Catherine community.

We'd like to let you know that the LSCA Fall 2020 newsletter is now available.

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. 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!

Also, keep an eye out for our Boat Launch Greeters on Saturday... They will be walking around the lake handing out printed copies of the newsletters.

The digital version is now available online via our website through this link: Click here to view the Fall 2020 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 on the bottom of the screen. Or, you can click the download button in the top right corner to save a copy to your computer to view with a PDF reader or print a copy.

We hope you'll enjoy this edition of the LSCA newsletter.

We welcome your comments: info@lakestcatherine.org.

Thank you for your support!

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.

In other news...

- On Tuesday, August 25th, the LSCA, the LSCCF, Dr. Jennifer Jones of Restorative Lake Sciences and the Vermont DEC held a meeting to discuss potential solutions to address Eurasian Watermilfoil (EWM) and sediment levels in the Little Lake. The recording of that meeting is now available to view on YouTube by clicking here. Our two groups will post our thoughts and comments about the meeting soon, but we'd like to give you the opportunity to view the video first. Both the LSCA and the LSCCF welcome your comments.

- Have you watched the recording of our Virtual Annual Meeting? You can view it on YouTube by clicking here.

- For all the latest news on Lake St. Catherine, please follow us on Facebook, or keep an eye here on our Blog. Thank you!

On Tuesday, August 25th, the LSCA, the LSCCF, Dr. Jennifer Jones of Restorative Lake Sciences and the Vermont DEC held a meeting to discuss potential solutions to address Eurasian Watermilfoil (EWM) and sediment levels in the Little Lake.

The recording of that meeting is now available to view on YouTube here:

Our two groups will post our thoughts and comments about the meeting soon, but we'd like to give you the opportunity to view the video first.

Both the LSCA and the LSCCF welcome your comments.

We'd like to thank all the panelists for their participation, our moderator Gary Kupferer, and the Town of Wells for hosting some of our participants.

Finally, we'd like to let the lake community know that the LSCA and the LSCCF have plans to meet soon to discuss this meeting and the next steps for implementing solutions to help Little Lake. We will discuss your comments or questions at that time, so please feel free to send them in to us or post them here.

Thank you.

Jim Canders, President, Lake St. Catherine Association
David Emmons, President, Lake St. Catherine Conservation Fund

On Saturday, July 25th, the Lake St. Catherine Association held their third meeting of the 2020 season.

The Trustees gave their reports on many topics - Click here to see the full meeting agenda. Meeting minutes compiled by Kemi McShane Bostock.

July 25th 2020 Meeting of the Lake St. Catherine Board of Trustees

Google Meet - Online Meeting, 8:30 AM

Meeting Called to Order by President, Jim Canders at 8:32 AM.

Attendance: Jim Canders, Elaine Bagley, Jeff Crandall, Bob Williams, Jerremy Jones, Ken Abt, Ed Laird, Kemi McShane, Mary Jo Teetor, Martha Hicks Pofit, John Belnavis, Nancy Liberatore

Absent: Frank Callahan

Jerremy Jones commented on his recent discussion with the LSCCF representative, Rick Newell, regarding the progress on the talks for the joint meeting Tuesday 8/25/20. This will be a virtual meeting. Gary Kupferer will moderate the joint meeting. An announcement went out. Four representatives from the DEC will attend. RLS limnologist Jennifer Jones will present her position on aeration. The panels will present their findings, there will be a question and answer period.

Mary Jo discussed the meeting with Oliver regarding the Clean Water Act. Grant for roads, stormwater projects. Grant tied into the watershed for the Lake. Rutland Regional Planning Commission involved. 50 projects identified by the PMNRCD as potential storm water projects around LSC. Grant received for $27,696 for the Greeters program & milfoil control.

1. Recording Secretary’s report - Kemi McShane Bostock - June 27, 2020. Minutes posted on screen. Motion to accept the minutes as submitted - second, Elaine. All approved the minutes.
2. Treasurer’s Report- Elaine Bagley - 332 members, 114 paid over the $100.00 amount. Martha explained the Pollution Grant - outreach Like Wise. Money came in and paid Martha, donating back to LSCA, net positive. $60,000.00 in membership dues. 5,000.00 short of projections this year and hope that the General membership meeting will stimulate increase in membership. Motion made to accept the Treasurer's report - second - all in favor - Treasurer's report approved as submitted. Ken asked the question “how many members are residents of the Little Lake?” 20 LL members not including the Channel.
3. DASH Program & Herbicide Treatment: 6-24-20 - Jeff Crandall: Big Lake in great condition - DASH - 10 sites. Large patches of milfoil from the Little Lake drifting into the Channel where we treated. Estimated cost to treat the LL with ProcellaCOR in year 1, $32,000. Allowable treatment area, 40%. Have a 3-year plan. Need the backing of and the financial support from the LL property owners. The Greeter program has a record of the milfoil on the boat props leaving the lake at the boat launch.
4. Greeter’s Program: John Belnavis- Fish and Game Boat Launch - Seeing increase in milfoil coming out of the Lake - not so much coming into the Lake. 1,300 boats inspected this season. 2020 State Park greeter’s program opened this year. LSCA has a great relationship with the State Park. Projected to inspect 300 boats this year. 7 more weekends left. State Park opened late this year due to the COVID virus. Boat launch: 1800 boats last year, projecting 2200 boats this year - 22% increase this year. Sat/Sun 4th of July 180 boats compared to last year was 132 boats. 6 more fishing derbies.
5. Publicity- Newsletter/Membership- Jerremy Jones- Preparation for the General Membership Meeting as it is set up as a virtual meeting.

The meeting was adjourned to prepare for the annual meeting recording.

Minutes respectfully submitted by the recording Secretary, Kemi McShane Bostock

Hello LSC.

We'd like to give you an update from our DASH team on their progress as they hand pull milfoil in our control areas.

The DASH team continues to report the lack of milfoil seen in our control areas. To illustrate this observation, the DASH crew has harvested 53 buckets (buckets are 17.5 gallons) of milfoil from the completed areas (B, C, D, F, G, H, I). Last year, 1293 buckets were harvested. This is excellent news, and an amazing statistic.

The LSCA DASH team at work

Currently, the DASH team is working in the Channel, north of the bridge. After completing the Channel, they will move on to complete the remaining areas: K & L, and J (Halls Bay).

Before beginning their work in the Channel, they conducted a survey to look for milfoil and they also scanned the lake bed for zebra mussels. No zebra mussels were found. Here is a quick video they recorded so you can see what they see as they work:

The divers also help us during the season to move, place and repair safety buoys around the lake.

A big THANK YOU to our DASH team for their continued good work for LSC!

Hello LSC.

We'd like to take a moment to thank our 2020 Business Sponsors:

	Bear Construction New Construction, Renovations, Siding, Roofing, and Decks Phone: (802) 688-6112 Email: bearconstruction1315@gmail.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		Temblor Creative Group A Full Service, Full Energy Marketing & Design Agency Phone: (802) 558-7507 Email: web@temblorcreative.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 2020 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 2020 Membership Form.

Thanks again to our 2020 Business Sponsors - and all who have contributed this season to help us fulfill our mission to preserve, protect and maintain Lake St. Catherine.

After a long delay due to pandemic and funding concerns the Lake Association is pleased to announce the finalizing of grant funding from the Department of Environmental Conservation Grant-In-Aid on two fronts. The Aquatic Invasive Species Grant in Aid is an important piece of funding that the Lake St. Catherine Association utilizes to manage milfoil and educate the public on water quality issues and invasive species threatening the health and balance of the lake.

At total of $27,696.00 for two programs has been awarded for the 2020 season.

The first grant is for the Greeter Program stationed at 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 we are happy to have the opportunity this summer to open a new station in partnership with the Lake St. Catherine State Park this year as well. These important grant dollars make it possible for the Lake Association to expand its program to monitor as many boats as possible coming and going from Lake St. Catherine.

The second grant if for Eurasian Watermilfoil Management. This grant supports the in lake methods used to combat the invasive Eurasian Water Milfoil and monitor the water body for signs of any other threats of non-native species. The association uses an integrated multi-faceted approach to management which includes DASH (diver assisted suction harvesting), hand pulling, and spot herbicide treatment. The most recent success of the program has led to a greatly reduced population of milfoil in the main lake. The expansion of this program is planned for 2021 to focus on areas that have been unable to benefit from the program.

We would like to thank the Town of Poultney and the Town of Wells as well as the Poultney Mettowee Natural Resources Conservation District for their support and partnership 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.

A few weeks ago, we let you know that the 2020 LSCA annual meeting would be going 'virtual' due to the current COVID-19 situation.

We thoroughly enjoy getting the membership together to talk about the lake and then share a nice dinner together. But, our first priority has to be the safety of all involved. This was a disappointing decision, but it was the right one.

This morning, we recorded the Annual Meeting, and it's now available for you to watch on YouTube.

We hope you'll sit down and watch at your convenience.

It's chock full of information about LSC, our work for the lake this season, and a few flubs we hope you can endure.

All the Trustees did a great job on their reports - we hope you can take some time to watch the video.

Another important part of the Annual Meeting is the election of trustees. This has traditionally been done by our Nominating Committee Chair Bob Williams announcing the slate of candidates and the assembled membership gives a collective “aye”. Since we cannot do that this year, we have posted an online ballot so you can cast your vote. To vote, you need to be a member in good standing, so the ballot will ask for your name and email address. The candidates being put forth by the Nominating Committee are: Jim Canders, Jeff Crandall, Jerremy Jones, Martha Pofit, Bob Williams.

Click here to vote: https://forms.gle/bY5ih6uuGsmWqmr46

The vote will be open until 8/8/2020 at 5 PM.

After watching the Annual Meeting recording, please let us know if you have any questions by emailing us at info@lakestcatherine.org.

Finally, we'd still like to have safe face-to-face interactions with our membership this season. We have started a program called “Dockside Chats”. A LSCA trustee would schedule a time to meet you (and possibly your neighbors) at your dock to have a quick chat about the lake. Email us at info@lakestcatherine.org to schedule a Dockside Chat.

Thank you for your support of the Lake St. Catherine Association!

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. The LSCA is a 501 (c)(3) non-profit organization and any contribution that you make is tax deductible.

If you prefer contributing by check, our 2020 Membership form can be downloaded here.

The Lake St. Catherine Association (LSCA) and the Lake St. Catherine Conservation Fund (LSCCF) would like to inform the lake community about a joint board meeting meeting to discuss issues and opportunities, as well as a path forward, to address Eurasian Watermilfoil (EWM) and sediment levels in the Little Lake St. Catherine. These two problems in Little Lake are significant.

Our goal for this meeting is to reach clarity about the problems and to find the best solutions so we can quickly take action to remediate them.

Meeting Details

On Tuesday, August 25th at 6 PM, a virtual, joint meeting will take place between the LSCA, the LSCCF, limnologist Jennifer Jermalowicz-Jones from Restorative Lake Sciences in Michigan, and Misha Cetner, Laura Dlugolecki, Oliver Pierson, and Zapata Courage from the Vermont DEC. This panel discussion will be led by professional moderator Gary Kupferer.

The format for this meeting and discussion will be:

• Opening statements by the LSCA and LSCCF
• A 20 minute presentation by Jennifer Jermalowicz-Jones
• A 20 minute presentation by the Vermont DEC
• A 60 minute question and answer session between all panelists
• Closing statements by the LSCA and LSCCF

During the 60 minute Q&A, panelists and board members will take turns asking questions of each other. The first 20 minutes of the meeting will be dedicated to allowing the invited scientists to ask each other questions. The LSCA and the LSCCF will also be soliciting questions from the lake community that will be asked during the final 40 minutes of the Q&A.

Meeting Topic

There is a debate amongst the parties on the best course of action to reduce excess vegetation including EWM and organic sediments in Little Lake, and the efficacy of the tools proposed to achieve this. These tools include aeration with bioaugmentation (enzymes), herbicides, mechanical harvesting, diver assisted suction harvesting (DASH) and watershed management.

The LSCCF has invited limnologist Jennifer Jermalowicz-Jones from Restorative Lake Sciences who is a proponent of aeration with bioaugmentation (introducing enzymes to the lake) to discuss installations and the results of installing these systems in lakes.

The LSCA has asked the DEC to participate to discuss the findings in their 2019 paper entitled “Aeration As A Lake Management Tool And Its Use in Vermont” which concluded that the scientific literature does not support or recommend the use of aeration as a tool for managing muck or aquatic plants.

Jennifer Jermalowicz-Jones and the DEC representatives will each make a presentation, and then engage in a discussion about aeration and other lake management tools and topics.

We believe this exchange of ideas, scientific facts and real world experience shared by the parties in this meeting will advance our goal to get the right treatments in the Little Lake as quickly as possible for the betterment of the entire lake system. We will have the right leaders in the room representing the interests of the lake communities and noted experts in reversing the impact of invasive aquatic species and other lake encroachments.

How You Can Participate

This meeting will take place online via online meeting software on August 25th at 6 PM. The discussion will be recorded and then posted, in its entirety, to YouTube for the lake community to view at your convenience.

Although you will not be able to participate live in this discussion, we do want to hear from you so your questions can be answered during this discussion.

We have set up this online form for you to submit a question to be asked during the meeting. You can access that form by visiting this link: https://forms.gle/KX14jvzU2Vnidw1v8

Commitment of the LSCA & the LSCCF Boards

We are endeavoring to work together to help Little Lake. This meeting is a step forward towards that shared goal. Our hope is that this meeting will bring some clarity to the situation in Little Lake, and that it will set the stage for our two organizations to work together on solutions.