Calling all paddlers...

On the morning of Saturday, September 6th at 9 AM, the LSCA will hold the first VIP Paddle of the season at the boat launch, we hope you'll join us!

The VIP program was established by the Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) in 2007 to focus on early detection of all known and potential aquatic invasive species (AIS) before they can become established in a waterbody.

Early detection is vital to protecting Lake St. Catherine from harmful invasive plants and animals. Volunteers participating in the VIP Program will monitor Lake St. Catherine for new introductions of invasive species and report their findings to the DEC. If a new invasive is discovered, the DEC will dispatch a team and work with the LSCA to organize an effort to remove it from the lake.

This is a GREAT addition to our invasive species control and prevention initiatives which includes our Greeter Program.

If you like to paddle, would like to learn more about LSC's aquatic plants, and would like to be part of an early warning system for detecting invasive species in LSC, please reach out to us at info@lakestcatherine.org to let us know you'd like to participate on September 6th.

You can read more about the VIP Program on LSC here: https://lakestcatherine.org/vermont-invasive-patrollers

Good evening LSC. We wanted to take a moment to thank everyone involved in the milfoil hand-pulling volunteer effort at Lakes End today.

Thanks to Jim, Christine, and Marcia and Steve for lending us floating mats, thanks to all the Lakes End neighbors that participated: Dale, Dave & Tyler, Mike & Shelia, and Alex & Michael, and thanks to folks from around the lake that helped out: Philip, Jerremy, Lindsey and her visiting friend, and new State Park Interpreter Elena.

We worked from 8 AM to about 1 PM, and got a lot done! It was great to see so many folks get together and make a big impact.

Milfoil had taken over the shoreline, crowding out the natives that had grown there previously. Tyler reached out to see what could be done, and we put together this volunteer morning which worked out very well!

The neighbors will let all the milfoil dewater and dry up, and will take it to the transfer station to dispose of it like yard waste. Also, after the water settles, they can float back out to remove any milfoil plants that we missed.

Great job all, and thanks for your efforts!

Here are some photos from the day from our Facebook page:

Next Saturday, August 9th, is the 90th East Poultney Day, held on the historic East Poultney Green from 9 AM to 3 PM. The theme this year is a commemoration of America’s 250th anniversary. You can read more about the day on the Poultney Historical Society's website here: https://www.poultneyhistoricalsociety.org/come-celebrate-the-90th-east-poultney-day

The LSCA will be there with our booth and the Lake St. Catherine Watershed Model - in our regular spot - so stop in and see us and talk about the lake!

We'll also have LSC stickers and LSC Scrapbooks available.

We hope to see you there!

On Saturday, July 26th, the Lake St. Catherine Association held their third meeting of the 2025 season.

Attendance: Jim Canders, Jerremy Jones, Mary Jo Teetor, Ed Laird, Jeff Crandall, Kemi McShane, Sue Williams, Mark Shea, Lisa Micich. Absent: Bob Williams, Mike Gay, Nancy Liberatore.

Guests: John Belnavis, reported on the Greeter Program. 1,000 boats inspected in 2024, 900 inspected in 2025 to date. There was a problem with the paychecks which was resolved, discussion of new requirements which we are exempt from. John spoke of the Annual Dinner and requested two checks from the Treasurer to pay for the facility fee and the money collected for the dinners. Dan O’Connell present as a candidate to the Board of Trustees.

Call to Order: President Jim Canders called the meeting to order at 8:30.

Approval of Meeting Minutes: Amendment made to the listing of Sue Williams as present and not online. Motion to approve the July Minutes, all in favor and so moved.

Treasurer’s Report: Mary Jo Teetor reviewed the accounts, a second payment was made to the DASH team, PMNRCD submitted an invoice to be paid. Watershed Action Plan payment received. Grant money from the Lake Champlain Basin Program is still outstanding. LSCA is in good shape financially. Grant money received and Membership is strong. Lisa made a motion to accept the Treasurer’s Report as presented, seconded by Mark, all in favor, so moved.

Milfoil Program: Jeff reported as of April 2025, LSCA has a new five year permit in place. The milfoil was hard to find during the spring survey, but 15 sites identified based on the fall survey. The DASH team started hand-pulling in June and started DASH after the 4th of July weekend. Milfoil getting dense in and around Atwater Bay. Sue mentioned that Idylwild Bay was only partially DASHed last year, could the team revisit? This year only DASH and hand-pulling used, extending the DASH team a few weeks.

Publicity: Jerremy reviewed the presentation for the Annual Meeting, and noted the invited guests that will be attending. He mentioned the increase in the invasive Curly Leaf Pondweed. Mary Jo spoke of seeing cormorants, a bird that can be very destructive. Ed Laird spoke of the bylaws for the annual meeting. As of today, LSCA has 365 members.

Lake Safety: Mike has put solar lights on the buoys.

Water Quality and Testing: Mary Jo has been taking lay monitoring water samples. Early in the season, with so much rain, water clarity was low. Discussed multiple waves of high pollen and the recent wildfire smoke. Weather plays a major factor in water clarity. As of today, lake is looking good.

Nominating Committee: there has not been any contact with Bob Williams.

Membership: Jerremy reminder postcards will be mailed to members who have not yet renewed for 2025.

Government: Jerremy reached out to State and local reps to attend the Annual Meeting.

New Business: Jerremy asked to make a $200.00 donation to the VT Center of Ecostudies for their support of our loons. A motion to donate the funds in the amount of $200.00 was seconded by Lisa, all in favor and so moved.

Adjournment: a motion was made by Mark to Adjourn the meeting at 9:57 and seconded by Jeff. All in favor, so moved.

Next meeting: August 23, 2025 at 8:00 AM LSC CC.

Minutes respectfully submitted, Kemi McShane

Good morning LSC. We wanted to post a quick recap of last night's Annual Meeting & Dinner.

We had a full house - thank you to everyone who attended! We hope you enjoyed the presentation, your dinner, and the evening spent with your lake neighbors. It was great to see so many folks who care about beautiful Lake St. Catherine.

A few more Thank Yous: Thanks to the Lake St. Catherine Country Club and their wonderful staff for hosting us last evening, dinner was excellent! And thank you to our State and local representatives who joined us last evening, we appreciate your interest and support for the lake!

The presentation was recorded and you can view it on YouTube here:

https://youtu.be/SEw6OHU3tz4

Our apologies for the audio on the recording which is a bit hard to hear.

If you have any comments or questions, please reach out to us at info@lakestcatherine.org.

Thanks for your support of the LSCA!

Here are some photos from the evening:

We'd like to provide you with an update from the DASH crew on their work since full DASH operations began after the 4th of July Weekend.

Beck reports:

"Our team has finished up hand-pull and DASH operations in Oxbow Bay, Locations C, D, and E. There was a large dense patch of EWM in Location D, we will have to monitor that location in the future.

We are currently working the DASH boat at Location H, along the West Lake Road shoreline working towards Atwater Bay.

Once finished, we will focus our efforts on removing a large, dense EWM patch that is close to the water surface in Location G, around the rock buoy off of Atwater Bay. This area has high boat traffic which could lead to easier spreading of EWM throughout the lake.

Locations F and I are on the radar for DASH when time permits.

Please remember to give the DASH team and diver's 200 feet of distance or slow your speed and watch for any directions from the Top attendant if needing to access the area."

Thanks to Beck and his crew for their hard work for the lake!

The LSCA and local neighbors at Lakes End by the dam are volunteering to work the morning of Sunday, August 10th, beginning at 8 AM to hand-pull a large patch of milfoil that has taken over the shoreline there.

We are also looking to borrow floating mats so that volunteers can float on top of the water to be able to reach down and hand-pull the milfoil. If you have a mat that we can borrow for the morning, and/or if you'd like to volunteer, please email us at info@lakestcatherine.org to let us know!

Thanks!

On the third Saturday in July of every year, LoonCount 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.

From VCE's webpage:

"Each year on a single day on the third Saturday of July, VCE and our volunteers cover more than 160 lakes and ponds statewide. It’s the single most effective way for VCE to document and track breeding loons across the state. Survey a lake — or if you’ve got time, a few — for one hour on that Saturday."

So, we're looking to coordinate volunteers around the lake to count all the loons we see on the lake between 8 AM - 9 AM on Saturday, July 19th.

This would include the loon family (mom, dad, and chick), and any other loons visiting us during this timeframe.

If you'd like to participate, please observe your area, or head out onto the lake between 8 AM - 9 AM this Saturday, and note what you observe, where, and at what time. We'll create a post on our Facebook page that morning on which you can add your observations (or you can email us at info@lakestcatherine.org). We'll then gather all the reports and send that info over to Eric and Eloise at VCE.

Thanks!

Photo: Karen Velsor

Good afternoon LSC. We wanted to let you know that the Vermont DEC were here last Tuesday at Lake St. Catherine to perform a Lake Wise training.

DEC staff worked with local groups who are performing Lake Wise assessments in our area, including the Poultney Mettowee Natural Resource Conservation District.

Lake Wise was developed through the Vermont DEC and is meant to provide technical assistance for shoreline landowners looking to incorporate lake friendly living practices on their properties. The Lake Wise assessment focuses on four portions of your property; driveway, structure, recreation area, and shoreline. The follow-up report gives recommendations on which stormwater management practices would be best for your property and the lake.

Lake Wise is a *FREE* program for lakeshore property owners!

If you would like to participate in Lake Wise this season, *spots are limited*, so please email us at info@lakestcatherine.org to get signed up! If you have previously participated in Lake Wise and would like a follow-up assessment, please let us know.

If you had previously reached out to sign up, you'll be hearing from Jaden and the Lake Wise team soon to set up a meeting at your property.

Finally, a thank you to the 2 LSC property owners who hosted the training!

Hey there LSC - another fantastic Boat Parade in the books.

Thank you to all 17 of our very creative participants for their efforts! Many of the comments via the online poll said that this was one of the best ever. GREAT JOB ALL!

We'd also like to thank Karen Velsor for taking amazing photos of all the boats for the online poll. and for everyone to enjoy!

So, after over 530 votes (!!!), here are your winners of the LSCA's 13th Annual Boat Parade:

Most Original:

WINNER: Boat #3 - The Green Monstah - Mary Papasso & Team

Runner Up: Boat #10 - Got Service? - The Babkowski Family

Most Patriotic:

WINNER: Boat #8 - Land of the Free, Gnome of the Brave - Michele Hunter

Runner Up: Boat #15 - Founding Floaters - Shirley & Cambell Kennedy

Funniest:

WINNER: Boat #11 - We Like Big Putts! - The Hicks Family

Runner Up: Boat #4 - Lake St. Catherine is ONE IN A MINION! - Marybeth Harrison

Best Overall:

WINNER: Boat #6 - Spirit of Woodstock - Melissa & Bill Tatko

Runner Up: Boat #14 - A Wicked Good Time on Lake St. Catherine - The Wysolmerski Family

You can see a photo of every boat on our Facebook page here:

...and you can see ALL of Karens photos on the Lake St. Catherine - Vermont Facebook Group.

Hope you all had a great 4th of July weekend!