www.sanddamreservoir.com
Board of Directors’ Updates
President- Judy Colaluca
Warm summer breezes, reflections of diamonds dancing on the lake, and cool evenings are only a few of the wonders of lakeside living. Wonderful- summer has begun!! Here is our most important annual SDRA event; I hope to see you all there….
Annual Meeting for SDRA, Wednesday, June 17th, 2015
Glocester Town Hall, Main Street
6 p.m. (social hour), 7 – 9 p.m. (business meeting)
The meeting will begin with a refreshment hour from 6 p.m.-7 p.m. This is a great opportunity to “Catch Up” with your neighbors and learn the recent neighborhood news.
The business meeting will promptly convene at 7 p.m.. At the business meeting, “ALL” have the right to express ideas and concerns respectfully, but, to vote, you must have paid your dues for the 2014-2015 year.
Agenda items include new neighbor introductions, reports of the officers and standing committees, Lake Management Plan overview, fundraising, election of officers, Sand Dam Day plans, and new business. You’ll have an opportunity to see where you can get more involved.
I hope to see you on June 17, 2015 for the Annual Meeting.
Vice President- Lynn Kohanski
First of all, as a newly elected vice president, I would like to extend my thanks to SDRA board for welcoming me into the board of directors.I also would like to encourage all SDRA members to become more active participants in what our association has to offer. If you have not been involved, I would like to encourage you to reconsider joining or rejoining the association. We have a lot of great things happening in the near future. There are multiple opportunities available to get involved including dam clean-up, boat ramp greeting/ inspection, lake management, and fundraising. Again, thank you, and I look forward to meeting everyone at one of our upcoming events or at the annual meeting on June 17 at the Glocester Town Hall.
Secretary- Mary O’Keeffe
The SDRA Board continues to meet regularly. A major campaign has been to update the list of residents on the lake and encourage all residents, new and old, to become active dues-paying members of the Sand Dam Reservoir Association. We are blessed with a beautiful lake and a wonderful Association. There are opportunities for involvement to suit every temperament, from education and outreach at the boat launch to fundraising, grant writing, dam clean-up, and even community weed-pulls. We hope everyone will consider getting involved. If you have contact information for a new neighbor or anyone who would like to receive our mailings, please forward it to sdra.secretary@cox.net.
Treasurer and Fund Raising- Carolyn Fortuna
The SDRA treasury has remained quite stable over the last fiscal quarter, with several families renewing their memberships. We have received approval of our State Legislative Grant, which we applied for mid-winter, with the goal to help fund the important responsibilities of our dam master. Additionally, the Board of Directors collaborated diligently at our May meeting to refine working language toward our application of the DEM and State of RI 2015 Bay and Watershed Grant. Here is our statement of project purpose. Keep your fingers crossed!
“After nearly ten years attempting to control nuisance aquatic vegetation, including the exotic invasive variable-leaf milfoil (Myriophyllum heterophyllum) from Smith and Sayles Reservoir in Chepachet, RI, Sand Dam Reservoir Association (SDRA) has identified a more efficacious method to pull from the bottom of the lake — root and all: a Suction Weed Harvester that we will purchase, maintain, and employ ourselves in conjunction with Save the Lakes (STL).”
SDRA is actively considering other grant opportunities and fundraising events. If you’d like to get involved, please contact me at c4tuna31@gmail.com.
Reports of the Standing Committees
Boat Greeter Program – Mary O’Keeffe
The Boat Greeter (aka Voluntary Inspection) Program will get into full-swing in July, in time for the busy fishing tournament season. Of the 14 tournaments scheduled on Smith and Sayles for summer 2015, eight will be held in July. Last year we were able to talk with lots of friendly boaters and inspected well over 100 boats. About 20% were found to have aquatic hitchhikers upon arrival at the boat launch. Educating boaters about the importance of proper boater hygiene is an important first-line of defense in our efforts to prevent the spread of aquatic invasive species. We also hope to work with our friends on Keech Pond to establish an active Boat Launch Greeter Program on that lake. If you are interested in learning more about our Boat Greeter Program, please email me at mokeeffe@providence.edu
By-Laws– Janice Baker
Please review the proposed changes to the SDRA By-Laws at this link. We will be voting on the By-Laws at the Annual Meeting on Wednesday, June 17.
Lake Management Plan
Dam Master – Dave Morin
In the spring, we conduct daily monitoring of the lake water level. Using a series of marks near the dam, we assess where we are above or below our targeted level. At this writing, we are 5” over our usual level due to recent rains. We will open the gate up again as needed. Our current level is at about 46 inches with a summer goal between 40-41 inches.
Drawdown – Judy Colaluca and Art Searle
Preliminary results of the May 28 lake survey conducted by ESS Group, Inc. suggest that our drawdown program to combat variable leaf milfoil continues to yield positive results. In a brief communication with Judy Colaluca, Mat Ludwig, project scientist with ESS Group Inc., stated:
We did find some patches of variable-leaf milfoil. These patches were exclusively found in deeper water, which suggests that the drawdown program has been effective in controlling growth in the shallows.
The drawdown team is happy that the hard work of coordinating, measuring, lifting, hauling, and closely monitoring the lake level is having a positive impact in our lake’s overall condition. With guidance from The Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management, we hope to continue the drawdown program during the 2015-2016 winter months.
Keech Pond Liaison – Rico Colaluca
John Holmes closed the valve to the Keech Pond dam in early April. He said that all looks good on Keech Pond, with the exception that there are mole and chipmunk holes on their dam. If water were to enter the dam, it could damage the integrity of the dam. They will be landscaping around the dam to alleviate the pest problem, including cutting down brush around the dam and looking for a replacement weed to cover the dam.
Northern Rhode Island Supporters of Open Spaces— Carolyn Fortuna
SDRA attended the NRI SOS gathering on Saturday, April 11 as local sustainability liaison. With the theme of “Conversations about Conversation,” the Annual Meeting at the Greenville Library featured an informal discussion on conservation farming led by Kate Sayles, Agriculture & Forestry Technician for NRICD. Sayles offered many ideas about reclaiming farmland, which translated to a deeper appreciation for soil management at our own properties.
Save the Lakes – Judy Colaluca
Save the Lakes continues to strive to protect, preserve, and improve all freshwater in the state of Rhode Island. The Boat Inspection Program is off to a busy start. This year an intern from Bryant College will be working with us to further develop the program in co-operation with DEM. Also, recently an informational meeting was held with DEM. All freshwater is important get involved. Many hands make light work and get things done.
Sunshine Fund– Carolyn Fortuna
It was with great sadness that we said goodbye to our longtime lake friend, neighbor, and SDRA advocate, Frank Searles. Frank augmented the pride he felt for the outdoors and gardening with continued support for SDRA and its initiatives. He loved sharing ideas with lake neighbors at many, many Sand Dam Days over the years. He will be missed.
Website – Carolyn Fortuna
Our Association website is located at www.sanddamreservoir.com. One tab is called “What’s Happening” and contains SDRA’s quarterly newsletter. Together, the website and newsletter have been a productive mechanism for the SDRA Officers and Board of Directors to get information to our members, other lake associations, and individuals with an interest in lake management. We currently have 121 followers; are you one? If not, log into the website and enter your email address where it says, “Follow Blog via Email.”
You’ll get a virtual tour of the SDRA website and its features at our annual meeting on June 17, 2015.
Final thoughts –
Be Proactive.
UNLESS someone like you
cares a whole awful lot,
nothing is going to get better.
It’s not.
-The Lorax
Remember to Save the Date for the SDRA Annual Meeting,
outlined by our By-Laws to take place on Wednesday, June 17, 2015.
Sand Dam Reservoir Association 
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