More info: https://www.vtfishandwildlife.com/fish/fishing-events-and-programs/fishing-clinics-and-events/free-fishing-day-and-grand-isle-fishing-festival

Please join Vermont Lakes Program staff at free workshops offered to train Public Access Greeters in educating lake visitors about invasive species, providing watercraft inspections and STOPPING invasive species introductions. All training sessions satisfy the requirements necessary for operation as an approved aquatic nuisance inspection station as defined in Vermont statute 10 V.S.A. § 1454 (c).

Workshop Topics:

• Aquatic invasive species biology, threats to Vermont, the importance of spread prevention
• Access area rules and regulations, invasive species laws
• Invasive species messaging, tips on interacting with the public
• Inspection and data collection training

For more info on the Greeter Program: https://dec.vermont.gov/watershed/lakes-ponds/aquatic-invasives/spread-prevention/vermont-public-access-greeter-program

For more info on the Greeter Program at Lake St. Catherine: https://lakestcatherine.org/boat-launch-monitoring-greeter-program

If you are interested in being a paid Greeter as part of this program, please reach out to us at info@lakestcatherine.org. Greeters earn $20 per hour.

The Vermont DEC will be at Lake St. Catherine on Monday, June 23rd and Tuesday, June 24th to perform tests as a follow up on the discovery of the half zebra mussel shell in the late fall of 2024. This testing is part of an invasive crustacean and mollusk distribution project supported by the Lake Champlain Basin Program (LCBP).

They will perform the following tests over these 2 days around the Fish & Wildlife Access Area boat launch in Wells, and at the State Park launch in Poultney:

• eDNA sampling for dreissenid (zebra & quagga) mussels (qPCR)
• 10 crayfish traps per site (sampling for rusty crayfish), set along a 50 m transect
• Timed search for additional mollusks and crustaceans
• Plankton net sampling for spiny waterflea and fishhook water flea

We thank the DEC and LCBP for their efforts in support of Lake St. Catherine!

Through extensive field work between 2018 - 2019, Poultney Mettowee Natural Resources Conservation District (PMNRCD) and Fitzgerald Environmental Associates (FEA) created the Lake St. Catherine Stormwater Master Plan.

The stormwater master planning process is used to identify current stormwater inputs to surface waters. The relative impact from each of these inputs is calculated and the ranked projects can then be prioritized with feedback from local stakeholders who are familiar with both the storm-related problems and the capacity and resources available to assist in their mitigation.

In September 2023, the LSCA, PMNRCD, and FEA held a public stakeholder meting to select the next batch of projects to be designed, using $50k in funds earned by the LSCA and PMNRCD via a Lake Champlain Basin Program grant.

Potential projects were presented, along with their estimated impact for phosphorus reduction. After a discussion with attendees, the projects were selected.

We are happy to report that those projects have been designed, and we have scheduled a follow up meeting to present them.

Please join us on Wednesday, June 25th at the Wells Town Hall at 6:30 PM for a presentation of the designed projects.

Lake resident Kevin Mosmen has requested that we inform you of his Independence Day Fireworks display the evening of Friday, July 4th.

Kevin is taking over the show from long-time producer Rick Roberts.

Kevin has set up a GoFundMe for the show, which you can read about here:

https://www.gofundme.com/f/help-keep-lake-st-catherines-tradition-alive

Hello LSC - We'd like to let you know that the 13th Annual LSCA Boat Parade has been scheduled and is open for registration!

The 13th Annual LSCA Boat Parade will be on Saturday, July 5th at 1 PM.

We all know how fun it is to watch the boat parade, but it's even more fun to be part of it!

As we did last year, we'll take photos of all participants, and we'll have a lake-wide online vote to decide the winner.

Our categories are:

• Most Original
• Most Patriotic
• Funniest
• Best Overall

If you'd like to register your boat, please email us at info@lakestcatherine.org with your name, phone number, and boat name or theme. We'll get you signed up and will reply back with your boat number, and give you all the details on how to participate.

Our 12th Annual Boat Parade winners, and current reigning champions are:

Winner, Best Overall: Boat #9 - Come On Barbie Let's Go Party - Christine Gay

Second Place, Best Overall: Boat #7 - Carnival - Hicks Family

Winner, Funniest: Boat #5 - Dump Run! - Conine Family

Second Place, Funniest: Boat #9 - Come On Barbie Let's Go Party - Christine Gay

Winner, Most Original: Boat #7 - Carnival - Hicks Family

Second Place, Most Original: Boat #2 - The Loon Pontoon - Dawn Smith-Pliner

Winner, Most Patriotic: Boat #11 - God Bless America!! - Dave & Lisa

Second Place, Most Patriotic: Boat #8 - Red, White and Brew BBQ - Cahill & Klamik Family

[ All photos by Karen Velsor - thanks Karen! ]

So, start thinking about your theme, and mark your calendars for July 6th! Then, email us at info@lakestcatherine.org to register your boat.

It's going to be a fun day!

On the third Saturday in July of every year, LoonWatch volunteers take to the water to count loons. It’s the single most effective way for Vermont Center for EcoStudies (VCE) to document and track breeding loons across the state. 

On this day, between 8 AM - 9 AM, we and volunteers around the lake will count the loons they see, and we'll report the findings to VCE.

More details as we get closer to the date.

Photo: Karen Velsor

More details as we get closer to the event.

We'll have our booth set up for East Poultney Day. Plan to stop in and see us! 

More details as we get closer to the event.