For the preservation, protection, and maintenance of Lake St. Catherine
In cooperation with Misha Cetner from the Vermont Department Of Environmental Conservation and Marc Bellaud from 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 June 14th, 2017.
On May 10th, biologists from SLM visited the lake to perform a milfoil survey. They have identified areas to be treated with aquatic herbicide Renovate in Accordance with the Aquatic Nuisance Control Permit #2014-C01.
During and after the treatment, please be aware of the following lake water use restrictions:
• There shall be NO USE of Lake St. Catherine, Lily Pond and Little Lake FOR ANY PURPOSE, including boating, fishing, swimming, domestic (household) use or irrigation, on the day of and the entire day after the treatment
• Swimming/wading, boating, fishing and domestic use (except drinking or for food or drink preparation) may resume the beginning of the second day following treatment.
• Use of water from Lake St. Catherine, Lily Pond and Little Lake for drinking or for food or drink preparation shall not resume until water sample analyses reveal that the active ingredient in Renovate (triclopyr) is at or below 75 parts per billion by laboratory analysis.
• Use of water from Lake St. Catherine, Lily Pond and Little Lake for irrigation, including use for watering lawns, trees, shrubs or plants, shall not resume for 120 days or until water sample analyses reveal that triclopyr is at or below 1.0 part per billion by laboratory analysis, whichever comes first.
Representatives of the LSCA also surveyed the lake during the week of May 8th. Based on their observations, and in consultation with SLM, 14 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 Renovate and DASH:
Are you a member yet? Maintaining the lake costs approximately $100,000 annually - and milfoil treatment is the largest expense. 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 have any questions about the upcoming milfoil treatment, please email us at info@lakestcatherine.org.
The Lake St. Catherine Association has applied for a permit to remove sediment and organic debris from the center of the channel between the Lily Pond and the North Bay of Lake St. Catherine to restore the connectivity, increase water movement, improve water quality, enhance open water habitat and control invasive/nuisance vegetation.
From the Department of Environmental Conservation / Lake Encroachment & Shoreland Permitting:
"A request for a Lake Encroachment Permit required pursuant to provisions in accordance with 29 V.S.A. Chapter 11, Management of Lakes and Ponds, has been received from Lake Saint Catherine Association on 4/25/2017 requesting approval for the use of a hydro-rake (paddle-wheel driven floating backhoe). Sediment and organic debris will be placed on a floating barge that will be pushed to the designated shoreline off-loading location on the northwest shoreline of Lily Pond. Collected material will be removed from the barge with an excavator and will be placed on shore temporarily to dewater. Once it is dewatered, the material will be loaded and trucked to a nearby composting operation, located within the public waters of Lake St. Catherine in Poultney, VT."
Copies of the application are available for review at the Vermont Lakes & Ponds Management and Protection Program office in Montpelier, or on the Agency of Natural Resources website.
Public comments or requests for a public information meeting regarding this project must be received no later than 6/5/17. Please mail or email your comments or meeting request to:
Laura Dlugolecki Lake Encroachment & Shoreland Permitting 1 National Life Drive, Main 2 Montpelier, VT 05620-3522 802-490-6133
Laura.Dlugolecki@vermont.gov
Looking for a gorgeous bird’s eye view of the Stone Valley? Climb Haystack Mountain in nearby Pawlet (not to be confused with Haystack Mountain in Wilmington, VT.)
Haystack is southernmost mountain of "three sisters", visible from Lake St Catherine. Middle and Bald Mountain complete the trio that forms the centerpiece of the north Pawlet hills, where approximately two thousand acres of unbroken forest survives, undeveloped and practically unimpacted by any human use since its beginnings after the glaciers retreated at the end of the last ice age.
Haystack Mountain, the Town's distinctive natural emblem, rises abruptly from the valley in North Pawlet. Once called in local advertisements “the Gibraltar of the America”, Haystack affords the hardy hiker one of the best panoramic views in Southern Vermont.
Start from the center of town and proceed 1.7 miles North on RT 30. Make a Right turn at Waite Hill road (dirt) and go exactly 1.2 miles and park at the entrance to Tunket Road, this is the entrance to the hike. Directions via Google Maps.
Please do not block the entrance to Tunket Road. There are lots of “Do Not Enter” signs about – no worries- this refers to cars. Just follow the trail marked with the green sign for the Nature Conservancy.
The trail head is about a 15 minute walk from the parking area. To reach the summit will take between 1 and 1.5 hours (bring water and good shoes). This is not an easy hike (the last 20 minutes are steep) but the panoramic views from the top of Haystack are well worth it! From the modest 1,919-foot summit you can see as far west as Glens Falls, NY, and south beyond the farms of the Mettowee Valley to Mount Equinox in Manchester.
The Vermont Loon Conservation Project, a program of the Vermont Center for Ecostudies (VCE), would like to thoroughly assess loon activity on Lake St. Catherine this year.
The Vermont loon population has expanded greatly over the past 20 years. If a loon pair ever forms on Lake St. Catherine, they will likely need a little help since loons nest right on the water's edge near boat traffic and occasionally near cottages and other shoreline activity. Loons prefer to nest on islands and at marsh edges but occasionally nest on spits of land or little shelves that are easy to crawl onto.
Photo credit: © Elinor Osborn via VCE website
Eric Hanson, the VCE conservation biologist who coordinates the loon program is looking for some volunteers who can boat the entire lake occasionally when the water is calm (evenings and mornings tend to be best) and count all loons present. Whether volunteers conduct just one survey all summer or go every week, it's all helpful. Residents can also report incidental sightings (e.g., out your camp window).
VCE is also looking for a volunteer to survey Lake St. Catherine on July 15 as part of the annual statewide count.
If you'd like to assist Eric with this project, please contact him at ehanson@vtecostudies.org or call 802-586-8064.
The Lake St. Catherine Association is still searching for a Recording Secretary.
The Recording Secretary will record, type and distribute the minutes for the four Trustee meetings and the the Annual Membership Meeting for the LSCA. The dates for these meetings are:
All meetings are held at the Lake St. Catherine Country Club.
If you are interested in this position and volunteering with the LSCA, please contact us at info@lakestcatherine.org.
Looking for a local hike? Climb St. Catherine Mountain and enjoy a bird’s eye view of the lake and the Adirondack Mountains in the distance.
Green Mountain College’s Lewis Deane Nature Preserve is an 85-acre parcel of land located on the eastern slopes of Mount St. Catherine, part of the Taconic Mountains. More than 285 plant species provide a habitat to more than 50 species of birds, nine species of mammals, five species of amphibians, and one reptilian species. Endless Brook is home to indigenous brook trout. The brook snakes its way along the east side of the nature preserve, going underground as it nears Lake St. Catherine, earning the brook its intriguing name. Two trails climb to the top of the mountain, a favorite site for picking blueberries and enjoying the view.
Since its acquisition in 2002, Green Mountain College has utilized the preserve as an outdoor classroom. A number of classes have incorporated Deane Preserve into their curricula. Students from Images of Nature classes have helped to build and maintain these trails.
Trail head parking is on the west side of Endless Brook Road just past the pink bed and breakfast, Toad Hall, about one mile southeast of Route 30. A kiosk provides visitors with background information on the geology, hydrology, ecology, and history of the reserve, and it highlights how the preserve is being used by Green Mountain College for education, research, and recreation.
Map by Green Mountain College
Visitor Guidelines
All visitors to the preserve are asked to follow these guidelines:
Each season, the Lake St. Catherine Association staffs the boat launch with "Greeters". These representatives of the LSCA play a very important part in keeping invasive species of plants and fish out of the lake.
We are currently looking to add to our monitoring staff for the 2017 season.
Our boat launch greeter duties include:
To be a LSCA boat launch greeter, you need to:
At the DEC training class, you will learn about:
Greeters will be paid $15 per hour, including a paid lunch hour. Supervisors have the potential to make more for their increased responsibilities.
If you are interested in becoming a LSCA Boat Launch Greeter, please email us at: info@lakestcatherine.org.
On Town Meeting Day, the Town Of Poultney voted to approve the appropriation of funds for the Lake St. Catherine Association.
"We want to thank the new Poultney Town Manager, Paul A. Donaldson and the Town of Poultney for their contribution of $20,000.00 to the Lake St. Catherine Association towards our work to maintain the health of the lake," said LSCA President, Jim Canders.
Maintaining the lake costs approximately $100,000 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.
Thanks again to the Town Of Poultney!
On Tuesday, March 7th 2017, the residents of Wells voted to provide $12,000.00 in support of the Lake St. Catherine Association's mission to protect and maintain the lake.
"We want to thank the residents of Wells for providing this money to help support our efforts to maintain the lake," said LSCA President, Jim Canders. "These funds will be used for numerous tasks, including: controlling Eurasian Watermilfoil, boat launch monitoring, suction harvesting and the continued vigilance over the general welfare of this magnificent natural resource."
Thanks again to the good folks of Wells!
Longtime Lake St. Catherine Association Trustees Martin and Ellen Greenberg have decided to retire from the board. The LSCA would like to thank them for their MANY years of service to the lake community!
As a result, we have an opening on the board for our Recording Secretary.
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