For the preservation, protection, and maintenance of Lake St. Catherine
Hello LSC.
We have some exciting news to share with you this evening.
The LSCA will be working with loon biologist Eric Hanson from the Vermont Center for Ecostudies to place a loon nesting platform in the Channel - tentatively scheduled for Sunday, April 7th, beginning at 9 AM.
Last spring, Channel resident Dawn Smith-Pliner observed and recorded loons appearing to perform nesting activities. Eric confirmed this was the case, and came down to Lake St. Catherine with 'Loon Nesting Area' signs. But, after visiting the site, he could tell that they would not be successful in building a nest - so we did not place the signs at that time.
However, because of this activity, Eric believes that these loons are now a 'Territorial Pair', and will return this spring, to the same spot, to attempt to nest again.
So, Eric is planning to be here at 9 AM on Sunday, April 7th, and we'll work to build and place the nesting platform for the loons at their selected spot in the Channel. Our hope is that they will discover it, and use it to make their nest. The platform will look similar to this:
Loon Nesting Platform - Photo: Vermont Center for Ecostudies
We hope these efforts will lead to scenes like this on LSC:
Common loon and baby - Photo: Jeff Nadler, from VCE's website
We may need some extra hands, so we are putting a call out for volunteers. We may also need a boat (to be determined) which might get a little dirty from transporting materials for the platform. If you would like to help out, please let us know by emailing us at info@lakestcatherine.org.
We'll keep the lake community informed about this exciting project as it progresses!
Hello LSC, here is an article from the Boston Globe: Are record ice-outs an alarm? ‘Our concern is for our Earth.’
It talks about lakes in Vermont and New Hampshire that experienced their record earliest ice outs in 2024, and the impact that has on the ecosystem of the lake.
Based on our records, our March 7th ice out is the earliest, going back to our records which started in 1933. The previous earliest was in 2012 on March 13th. The shortest amount of ice coverage was in 2010 when the ice didn't set until Feb, and went out on Mar 20th.
In the article Mark Mitchell, a freshwater scientist and partner for the Vermont Department of Environmental Conservation and the University of Vermont Lake Champlain Sea Grant, who we work with on the Lay Monitoring Program for LSC, talks about how early melts and warmer water mean a longer period for plant growth and the proliferation of invasive species (like milfoil) and cyanobacteria (blue-green algae) blooms.
To read more on this topic:
> In 2022, Mark wrote about this topic for the Spring 2022 edition of the Federation of Vermont Lakes and Ponds Newsletter in this article: Lake Ice-Out and Ice-In in Vermont.
He goes into more detail, and it also includes a chart of LSC's ice out going back to 1933.
> This weekend at the Giant Map event in Wells, educator Meghan Hill from the Lake Champlain Maritime Museum gave attendees this presentation: Climate Change and our Lakes.
Thanks to everyone who dug out from the 18" of snow from Saturday, and joined us, the Wells Village Library, and the Lake Champlain Maritime Museum (LCMM) for the Lake Champlain Watershed Giant Map experience in Wells this afternoon.
Educator Meghan Hill from the LCMM spoke with visitors about numerous topics as they explored this accurate and detailed 35’ x 27’ giant map:
Kids participated in a scavenger hunt to find things on the map, and learn along the way:
Meghan also gave a presentation "Climate Change and Our Lakes":
View Meghan's presentation here.
...and she also demonstrated the impacts of stormwater runoff using a watershed model:
We hope all of our attendees today enjoyed the event!
Libraries Love Lakes is an outreach project which pairs school and public libraries with lake scientists to provide collaborative programming emphasizing the importance of lakes in our everyday lives. This will be the first event of four that are planned for the Libraries Love Lakes Program for 2024. Three more seasonally themed future events are being planned for the spring, winter, and fall.
The next event for Spring will be in May, and will focus on migratory birds. We'll let you know when this event is scheduled - and we hope you'll join us!
This and future Libraries Love Lakes events are made possible by a grant from the Lake Champlain Basin Program (LCBP) and NEIWPCC.
The LSCA and Wells Village Library would like to the thank Meghan and the LCMM for this event, and The Modern Woodmen of America for the use of their building.
The Wells Village Library and the Lake St. Catherine Association are excited to host the Giant Lake Champlain Watershed Map experience at the Modern Woodmen of America Hall, 133 Main State Route in Wells, on Sunday, March 24th from 11-2 PM.
Educator Meghan Hill from the Lake Champlain Maritime Museum (LCMM) will be on hand with the Giant Map, and a working watershed model to discuss the Lake Champlain Basin: history, water quality, geography, science, and much more. Lake St. Catherine is in the Lake Champlain Basin, and is included on this accurate and detailed 35’ x 27’ giant map. You can learn more about the Giant Map on the LCMM website: www.lcmm.org/giantmap/.
Meghan will also be giving a presentation at 1 PM to discuss the impacts of climate change contributing to our recent mild winters, and the issues that are caused because of it. Families are invited to arrive at any time between 11-2 PM to interact with the Giant Map. The first 20 families to arrive will receive an event themed kit of on-topic books and activities.
We hope to see you there!
Check out this video of the Giant Map:
Good morning LSC. The 2024 Ice Out Champion is: John Sargent with his guess of 3/7/2024 at 12 PM - congrats John! While there are still some small patches of ice around, we simplified the call this year by noting on the guessing form that we'd call it when there was open water in the middle of the Big Lake, ie. if you could drive a boat from the western shore to Cones Point. Just a few hours after this photo was taken yesterday morning, the wind came in and took care of the ice. So... who's putting their docks & boat in this weekend? If you are at the lake, post the photos of your view! Thanks to everyone who made a prediction, we had well over 100 guesses.
On Tuesday, March 5th, 2024, the residents of Wells and Poultney voted to provide $12,000 and $15,000, respectively, in support of the Lake St. Catherine Association's mission of the preservation, protection and maintenance of Lake St. Catherine.
We'd like to thank the good folks of both towns for their continued support!
These funds help us manage and fund important programs that include (but are not limited to): aquatic invasive species (AIS) prevention and control: our boat launch Greeter Program, VIP Program, Milfoil Control Program, and water quality improvement programs: Lake Wise, LSC Stormwater Master Plan, Lake St. Catherine Watershed Action Plan.
You can read more about our efforts for the benefit of Lake St. Catherine here in our 2023 Year In Review on our website:
• Part 1
• Part 2
Grants, membership dues and contributions from the lake community, and allocations from our Towns 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.
Thanks again to the residents of Wells and Poultney!
Hello LSC!
Are you ready for Spring - and getting excited for another fantastic season at Lake St. Catherine this year?
Let's have a little fun and make some predictions for when the ice will go out.
We unfortunately did not have much time with ice cover on the lake again this winter, a concerning trend over the past few winters... Little Lake and Lily Pond have already opened up, but the Big Lake is still ice covered.
Please fill out this form to make your guess.
Note: Since the ice is good at hanging around in some of the bays for quite a while, to simplify things this year, we'll use open water in the middle of the Big Lake to make the call on the date & time for ice out. Let's say if you could drive a boat from the western shore to Cones Point.
The winner will be crowned "LSC 2024 Ice Out Champion" and will have bragging rights all year!
Will your name be added to this list of previous Ice Out Champions?
- In 2023, with his guess of April 9th at 12:43 PM, the 2023 Champ was Tim Olivieri.
- In 2022, with her guess of April 4th at 11:03 AM, the 2022 Champ was Mary-Sue Reed.
- In 2021, with his guess of April 2nd at 2:30 AM, the 2021 Champ was Walter Huss.
- In 2020, with his guess of March 23rd at 3 PM, the 2020 Champ was Melvin Ohl.
- In 2019, with her guess of April 15th at 6 AM, the 2019 Champ was Judy Cummings.
Make your guess - and good luck!
2024 LSCA Membership Drive
As the LSCA heads into our 71st year, we hope to earn your support for 2024. Our Membership Drive is underway, and we have membership levels for property owners, businesses, family members of property owners, renters and those who use the lake for recreation - anyone who loves LSC can become a member.
Thank you for your support of the LSCA!
We want to make you aware of a decision made on February 15th by the Vermont Legislative Committee on Administrative Rules (LCAR) to pass rules to regulate wake boat use on certain public waters.
In March of 2022, a citizens group, "Responsible Wakes for Vermont Lakes" submitted a petition to the DEC proposing regulation of wake boat use on Vermont's lakes and ponds. You can see that petition here.
Their concerns in the petition included:
Based on this petition, the Vermont DEC held numerous public meetings, and in January of 2024, filed a draft rule to LCAR.
The DEC’s rule would allow wake boats to engage in wake sports on public waters under the following three conditions:
Under this newly approved rule, wake boats can engage in wake sports on 30 inland lakes in Vermont, one of which is Lake St. Catherine.
This rule will be in effect for the 2024 boating season.
The DEC has provided preliminary maps for the 30 lake which show the wake sport zone, and you can see the LSC map here - also shown below.
The DEC will also be providing digital maps, via an app, that can be used on your phone to show your location on the lake using the phone's GPS - meaning cell service will not be needed to use the map and see your location on the lake.
Much more information will be forthcoming, but we wanted to make you aware of this new rule regulating wake boat use on Vermont lakes. The LSCA will be working over the spring and summer to educate boaters about this new regulation.
Please let us know if you have any questions.
Hello to the good folks in the Lake St. Catherine community.
It's that time of year again... As the Lake St. Catherine Association heads into its 71st year, we are asking for your support for the 2024 season.
What does the LSCA do for Lake St. Catherine? Please check out our recently published 2023 Year In Review:
• Part 1: https://lakestcatherine.org/blog/13293804
• Part 2: https://lakestcatherine.org/blog/13293801
Your membership contributions and donations, along with allocations from the towns of Wells & Poultney, and grants earned from the state and the Lake Champlain Basin Program help us to fulfill our mission of the preservation, protection, and maintenance of Lake St. Catherine by helping to fund important lake programs and projects. Some of which include water quality improvement programs like Lake Wise, the LSC Stormwater Master Plan, and the Lake St. Catherine Watershed Action Plan, and our aquatic invasive species (AIS) prevention and control programs like our Greeter, Vermont Invasive Patroller (VIP), and Milfoil Control Programs. You can learn all about these initiatives on our website: https://lakestcatherine.org
We have multiple membership levels available. These include memberships for cottage owners, business sponsors, and our Supporter Of LSC level for those of you who love LSC but are not a cottage owner (like family members of property owners, renters and those who use the lake for recreation).
There are two easy ways to renew or become a member of the LSCA.
Soon, you will be receiving a mailing from us that contains the 2024 Membership Form and a summary of our 2023 Year In Review. You can also download a copy by clicking here: 2024 Membership Form - Just print and fill out the form, then mail it in with your check to:
Lake St. Catherine Association PO Box 631 Wells, VT 05774
Or, you can renew or become a member on our website. If you were a member in 2023, click here to renew: https://lakestcatherine.org/membership-renewal, or click here to become a new member: https://lakestcatherine.org/become-a-member - and you can pay your dues online with your credit card. If you were a member last year (whether you paid by check or online by credit card), the website has an account ready for you. If you don't remember your password, or have never logged in, please click here: https://lakestcatherine.org/Sys/ResetPasswordRequest to set or reset your password.
We'd also like to encourage you to check with your employer to see if they have an Employer Matching Gift Program for charitable donations. Many generous businesses will match donations made by their employees through these programs. So, take a look - you may be able to double your contribution!
Upon receiving your membership contribution, we’ll send you the 2024 membership package, which will include: your receipt, a '2024 Member' sticker for your LSCA window card (or a card & sticker for new members), a hand-written thank you note, and a beautiful 3" x 3" iron-on patch depicting one of our eagles overlooking beautiful Lake St. Catherine.
Our loon patch from last year was very popular, and we were so happy to see them on hats, shirts, and bags, and on display at your camp. We are happy to be able to create a new patch for 2024 - and we'd like to thank LSC camp owner Andrew Gioulis (VT Lake House) for again providing a fantastic design, which you can see below.
We are happy to report that in 2023, we had 395 paid members, which includes 16 Business Sponsors. The average contribution of our members was $203 - THANK YOU! Your membership dues and additional contributions over and above our base $100 membership level are crucial to funding our important lake programs. As always, we ask you to help us to spread the word by discussing the LSCA with your neighbors. We are hoping to get our membership to over 400 this year.
We will continue to work hard for Lake St. Catherine to earn your support.
- The Trustees of the Lake St. Catherine Association
If you ever have any questions about your membership or Lake St. Catherine, please email us at info@lakestcatherine.org.
Check out this commentary in VT Digger from the Federation of Vermont Lakes and Ponds (FOVLAP) entitled "Vermont’s Lake Associations - Preserving and Protecting Our Lakes and Ponds".
You can read an extended version of the commentary on FOVLAP's website.
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