For the preservation, protection, and maintenance of Lake St. Catherine
Hello Lake St. Catherine fans,
We are posting this message and sending letters to you today to inform you about a significant budget shortfall we are projecting for 2019.
Each year, the Lake St. Catherine Association works to raise money for our seasonal projects by securing grants from the State of Vermont, the Towns of Wells & Poultney and from environmental groups. We also reach out to lake property owners and the lake community to collect membership dues and donations.
This year, we are projecting taking in $111,112 in grants, membership dues and donations, and projecting $141,273 in expenses. This will result in a $30,000+ deficit, greatly reducing our savings from approximately $70,000 to $40,000. Please see the pie charts below for the breakdown of our income and expense projections for 2019.
While we’ve been steadily increasing in both the number of members - and the total amount collected from membership dues, support from state and local governments has been decreasing. For example, in 2019, we will receive approximately $7,000 less from the State of Vermont and $5,000 less from the Town of Poultney.
As of this writing, we have 302 paid members who have made contributions from $35 to $5,000, totalling $48,600. That’s an average contribution of $161. 85 members contributed more than the base $100. Thank you to all who have contributed to help support our mission to preserve, protect and maintain Lake St. Catherine.
However, consider that there are approximately 700 properties on the lake. That means that less than half (43%) of the lake property owners are contributing to help fund our collective efforts for the lake. If these 400 potential members joined with a $100 contribution, we’d be able to cover our budget shortfall in 2019. Although we will keep trying to reach out to those 400 potential members, we realize that it’s unrealistic to think we could get every one of them all to join.
Maybe you are one of these 400, and you have decided to not support the LSCA. Maybe you don’t like that we spot treat the milfoil with herbicide each year, or maybe you have another reason. Well, as part of our milfoil control program, we also employ a very dedicated and hard-working dive team that swims down to the lake bottom to hand pull milfoil and remove it from the lake (this is called DASH, diver assisted suction harvesting). As part of our long term plan, and as we have for several years, we’ve been increasing our acres of suction harvesting and decreasing the acres of herbicide spot treatments. Support our dive team and help support the lake.
We also employ a dedicated team of young adults that work in our Greeter Program at the Lake St. Catherine boat launch. Lakes within driving distance of LSC contain invasive species that we DO NOT want to be introduced into our lake. These include: zebra mussels, spiny waterflea, starry stonewort and asian clams. The Greeters inspect boats entering and leaving LSC, educating boaters on these invasive species and how to make sure their boat or trailer does not carry an invasive hitchhiker to another lake. Support our Greeters and help support the lake.
We test the water for E coli and water clarity, we offer two free boating safety courses each season so boaters can get their license, we purchase and maintain navigation and shore line protection buoys throughout the lake, we organize the annual boat parade, we work with environmental groups to work on runoff issues around the lake, we share lake news with the community through our website and Facebook pages - and we collect membership dues and write and apply for grants to help fund all these projects.
If you love Lake St. Catherine as we do, we hope you can find at least one of these initiatives that you can support, and you’ll become a member, make an additional contribution for 2019 or make a donation.
More Information:
Why are you writing to me?
This posting is an appeal to the lake community to help us reduce the projected $30,000 deficit for the 2019 season.
We will continue to spread the word about what we do for the lake and try to reach the 400 property owners that we wrote about on the previous page. They are all potential members. If you are one of them, please join us!
But, we are also appealing to our current members. Can you help us by making an additional contribution this year?
What other means does the LSCA have to raise funds other than membership dues and donations?
Last year, we wrote 4 grants to apply for funds totalling $50,000 from the Lake Champlain Basin program. Although we were not awarded any of the grants, we learned a lot about the process and we’ll be ready to apply for them again this year with a better understanding of what will be needed to earn them.
We are also searching for additional grants from other agencies and organizations that we can apply for.
Why is there such a large projected budget shortfall this year?
Our state and local government support has been declining each year. As state and local budgets decrease, these decreases get passed down to supported organizations. We mentioned some examples of these decreases on the previous page for 2019, but here are a few more: in 2016, the State of Vermont granted us $50,000. This year, it will be $27,000. In years past, the Town of Wells granted us $20,000, now it’s $12,000.
We are certainly very thankful for the continued support from the State of Vermont and the Towns of Wells and Poultney, their budget crunches have an impact on us. We need to work to raise additional funds to cover these cuts or we will not be able to maintain the standard of milfoil control that we’ve set over the past 15 years. We cannot let that happen.
Also, costs have increased.
This year, we will be using a new, highly effective and milfoil targeted herbicide called ProcellaCOR. As compared to the herbicide we have used for the past five years (Renovate), with ProcellaCOR, we’ll use 200x to 400x less herbicide, the recommended water restrictions for recreation and household use are just limited to the day of treatment and may resume the next day, and lake water may be used for irrigation after 1 week (it was 90 days) - and it will be more effective in taking out problem areas of milfoil. However, it’s more expensive.
We also want to keep our dive team in the lake, removing as much milfoil as they can throughout the season.
What can I do to help?
If you are not a member, please become one. See the below on how to do that.
If you are already a member this year, please consider making an additional contribution to us this season.
Please, spread the word about the Lake St. Catherine Association. Speak to your neighbors - ask them if they are members. Tell them about all the good work we do for the lake, and ask them to support us like you do.
Become A Member:
To become a member (or renew your membership), you can join on our website by filling out the form on our Become A Member page, using a credit card. Or, you can fill in this 2019 Membership Application and Donation Appeal form and mail it in with a check.
Make An Additional Donation In 2019:
There are a few ways you can make a donation to the LSCA. You can visit the Donation Page on our website, or click on the blue Donate button at the top of our Facebook page to make your donation by credit card. Or, you can fill in this 2019 Membership Application and Donation Appeal form and mail it in with a check.
Projected 2019 Income:
Projected 2019 Expenses:
Thank you for your continued support of the Lake St. Catherine Association.
UPDATE: All 2019 recommended water use restrictions have been lifted. - 7/18/19
In cooperation with Misha Cetner from the Vermont Department Of Environmental Conservation and SOLitude Lake Management (SLM), the Lake St. Catherine Association would like to inform the community that the lake will be treated for milfoil on Wednesday, July 10th, 2019.
On May 16th, biologists from SLM and our DASH suction harvesting team visited the lake to perform a milfoil survey. They have identified areas to be treated with the aquatic herbicide ProcellaCOR and areas to be suction harvested.
This season, the LSCA needed to apply for a new 5 year permit for milfoil treatment, which we did in December of 2018. This new permit was not approved by the state until 5/10/19. There was then a 30 day comment period, then a 30 day notice period, which set the treatment date at July 10th. We did all we could to try to maintain the schedule that we've had in the past, but that was unable to happen this year because of the approval delay.
5 areas, totaling 38.1 acres will be treated with the new herbicide: ProcellaCOR. As compared to the previous herbicide, Renovate, ProcellaCOR is highly selective to milfoil, much less is used during the application, and the water use restrictions are significantly reduced.
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:
Wednesday, July 10, 2019, beginning at 9 am
• Swimming/wading, boating, fishing and domestic (household) use may resume on:
Thursday, July 11, 2019, 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, July 17, 2019, 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, 15 areas, totaling up to 65.8 acres 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 and DASH:
Treatment Notice:
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.
Links:
- LSCA Permit Application - Draft Permit - SePRO ProcellaCOR® EC Specimen Label - SePRO ProcellaCOR® EC Safety Data Sheet
If you have any questions about the upcoming milfoil treatment, please email us at info@lakestcatherine.org.
Nicely done LSC - you did it again! Another creative and fun boat parade!
...and we were able to just sneak it in before that quick but powerful thunderstorm came through.
We had 22 boats registered this year, but there were a few no-shows and a few cancellations (probably due to the weather) - so we had 15 boats parading around the lake this year.
Thank you to all who participated, all who volunteered, all of our sponsors - and to everyone cheering from their boats or from the shore. We hope you all enjoyed the parade!
Now, let's get to the winners... The judges cards have been tallied, and here are the results:
Best Overall:
1st place: Boat #4 - Loon Pontoon, the Tardie family
2nd place: Boat #3 - The Water Wagon Returns, the O’Connell family
Most Original:
1st place: Boat #19 - Harry Potter Hogwarts, the Roth family
2nd place: Boat #6 - Gilligan’s Island, the Copeland family
Funniest:
1st place: Boat #9 - Let’s Get Flocked Up, the Dunbar family
2nd place: Boat #22 - LSC Floating Zoo, the Bagley family
Most Patriotic:
1st place: Boat #18 - Patriotic Boat, the Caswell family
2nd place: Boat #10 - 4th of July Fun on LSC boat number 10, the Bergner family
Boat Parade Video:
Again, thank you to all involved - we hope everyone enjoyed the parade this year!
Our sponsors:
Hello LSC.
We'd like to let you know about an upcoming workshop on installing infiltration steps at your lakeshore property. Infiltration steps minimize the potential for erosion and runoff. As a result, they prevent excess nutrients, sediments, and other pollutants from entering the lake.
On Wednesday, July 10th 2019, Poultney Mettowee Natural Resources Conservation District will be partnering with Vermont Youth Conservation Corps (VYCC) for an educational opportunity on infiltration step installation.
Photo Credit: awwatersheds.org
Justin Giebel, coordinator of the VYCC will be leading the installation and education of PMNRCD staff and any other interested parties.
This workshop will be taking place at 396 Cones Point Road, Poultney, VT at 9:30AM.
If interested in attending or installing steps through the PMNRCD LEAP Program, please contact Ashley Leemans, LEAP Coordinator at ashleemans@gmail.com.
You can learn more by reading this Vermont DEC Lake Wise publication on infiltration steps.
We'd like to invite you to the 2019 Lake St. Catherine Association Annual Meeting & Dinner at the Lake St. Catherine Country Club on Saturday, July 27th, 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'd like to hear from 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:
• $16.00 per person: Chicken Francaise, Baked Haddock, Pasta Dish, Cake, Coffee
• $26.00 per person: Prime Rib Dinner
Please RSVP for Dinner to get numbers for the chef: call Mary Jo Teetor, 802-287-5836 or ferncliff@comcast.net
We hope to see you there!
Good Sunday to you LSC fans.
We are less than two weeks away from the 7th Annual Boat Parade - and we are looking to register more boats to participate!
We'd like to thank our sponsors that have donated some EXCELLENT prizes for the winners this season.
Prizes have been donated by:
WOW!
Thank you to these local businesses for supporting the Boat Parade!
If you'd like to participate in the parade - and get your chance win one of these great prizes, please contact Kemi Mcshane at 802-342-8065 or k.mcshane56@gmail.com to register your boat.
The Town of Poultney's Summer Recreation program has a lot of activities to offer kids of all ages this year.
Activities include: outside adventures, nature exploration, craft camps, sports camps, theatre & make believe and kinder camp.
You can read all about the available activities on the Poultney Recreation website, or in their Poultney Summer Rec 2019 PDF brochure.
Also in the brochure, they are promoting events and activities for all ages taking place in Poultney this summer. Activities include events at the Poultney Public Library, at the Poultney Historical Society, on Lake St. Catherine and at Stone Valley Arts - and many more.
Finally, check out the all-day 4th of July celebration, beginning at 8AM on Thursday, July 4th with the Martin Devlin Memorial Fun Run and ending with fireworks at dusk. See the flyer below for more info.
Registration is underway for the Lake St. Catherine Association's 7th Annual Boat Parade!
Saturday, July 6th at 1 PM.
Sure, its fun to watch the Boat Parade... but it's even more fun to be in it!
[Overall 1st Place winner 2018: Lake St. Catherine Welcomes Back The 'Bald" Eagles - Pofit Family]
It's time to come up with some creative ideas for your boat theme or decorations... and your creativity will be rewarded.
How?
Fabulous prizes, of course!
Prizes are awarded for the top 2 boats in each of these categories:
Plus, all kids that participate get a free ice cream coupon from Stewart's Shops!
To join in on the parade, please contact Kemi Mcshane at k.mcshane56@gmail.com, or call her at 802-342-8065 to register your boat today.
On Saturday, May 26th, the Lake St. Catherine Association held their first meeting of the 2019 season.
The Trustees gave their reports on many topics - Click here to see the full meeting agenda. Meeting minutes compiled by Kemi Mcshane.
May 25th 2019 Meeting of the Lake St. Catherine Board of Trustees
Lake St. Catherine Country Club, 8:30 AM
Meeting called to order by President Jim Canders at 8:32AM.
Present: Jim Canders, Mary Jo Teetor, Elaine Bagley, Kemi McShane, John Belnavis, Frank Callahan, Jeff Crandall, Jerremy Jones, Ed Laird, Martha Pofit, Bob Wiliiams.
Absent: Ken Abt, Rob Goldman, Rob Nesbit, Phil Pope.
Guest speaker, Owen Teetor reported the present status of the Lake, Jeff distributed a survey map of the Lake with the proposed locations for the ProcellaCOR treatment sites. The divers have not gone in the water but did a search of the areas and there is sporadic growth; stated better than 6 years ago. The Sunken Island is targeted for treatment. The red highlighted areas on the survey map will be the designated treatment spots. Concentrating on these areas to monitor the growth. The divers plan to get into the water soon for a accurate reading of these areas. Jeff spoke of a fixed contract with Owen and Beck so have a fixed schedule and fixed cost. Have to manage the costs as we have a budget for treating the Lake. The divers know the Lake and the problem areas and can identify the species located in the areas. Martha questioned how to measure the number of weeds harvested and Frank questioned the approval of the permit. Jeff stated the permit is on file and we have a tentative approval for the permit, have a waiting period to receive the permit form the State. Discussion followed regarding the increased amount of run offs from the roads and driveways this Spring. The run off has makes the Lake murky, delaying the weed growth, but will produce algae. Jerremy requested pictures of the suction harvesting to advertise the work that the suction harvesting crew is doing. Martha spoke of the Lake’s score card and how LSC is ranked in the State. It is important to improve the ranking by identifying the number of plant species are in the Lake. The Greeters are identifying other plants and Solitude is recording their findings as well.
Hilary from PMNRCD spoke on the benefits of buffer gardens and infiltration steps so water can flow through them. A Lakewise workshop in July will cover septic, storm waters, the water shed and erosion issues that impact the water quality, and buffer planting. A committee or group of neighborhood leaders to provide outreach for the Lake would increase the knowledge base and educate people on the programs and projects that are addressed at the Lake. Frank raised the issue of property owners putting in a culvert with no permit and septic issues and running into the storm drains. Association can organize a group to work with Hilary. LEAP has funding to provide plantings. The transition for is difficult as a result of GMC closing. There is no contract in place between LSCA and LEAF. Ed proposed work forward in “good faith” finish the work, as backlog of getting contract out with a stop in cash flow. Martha numbers shows trend going in the other direction. More groups are applying for more money and there is more money going out and the groups are being awarded less money. MJ reiterated the programs LSC has is 20% matched as opposed to the 50% funding we used to receive from the State. Getting deliverables in the past. Kim told are behind, contract out late. Josh left and not replacing personnel and business office is having trouble. Jim stated to get together and move forward with the troubled areas. Martha discussed the clean water funding and the relationship with Hilary. VT required 2.3 billion over 20 years. More money to positioning our Lake to get money from the government proposal. It passed both houses, advocate together to get ourselves a full partnership to get the money. Hilary all funding to regional planning committee strong group working region. Capacity to use the funds for storm water projects. DEC 200-300 projects in watershed to keep sediment out of the Lake. Little Lake would be a good spot to concentrate on. Capacity up for people to implement work and apply for funds. Need a point person to oversee the work. Everyone is over worked. There is no funding for private roads or driveways and these are major problems. Conservation issues- no one helps with driveways. Need technical assistance, must keep trying with prevention treatments in focus on storm water projects. Pervious asphalt view on it versus hard pack material. More work on maintaining – engineers working on pervious. Jerremy stated funding 6% rooms and meals tax, 7 million the last page of Martha’s repot. Martha storm water project locked into it being the roll of the municipality to address- the municipality can get funds if do the work. 3 billion dollars distributed to different projects. 2 day application, get contract need help oversight and the LSCA can help coordinate.
Business meeting called to order at 9:24.
Boat Parade: need someone to manage the boat parade, slated for July 6,2019.
Saturday, July 6, the fireworks will be held. Rick Roberts asking for contributions.
Wells Day: July 13 – Frank sets up will need assistance manning the booth.
East Poultney Day: August 10,
Nominating Frank, Ed, Rob, Mary Jo, Phil for re-nomination for the position of trustees. Lake residents were recommended for trustees.
Adjournment- 11:06 Meeting called for adjournment by President, motion made by Frank and second by Jeff. All in favor
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