c4tuna

12/04/2016

December, 2016 Newsletter

Sand Dam Reservoir Association Newsletter

www.sanddamreservoir.com

Officers’ Updates

President- Judy Colaluca

This is an exciting, crazy, reflective, and planning time of the year for all of us around Smith and Sayles Reservoir. What a beautiful community we have to reside in — we are so fortunate. As we move forward, we have to reflect on the past and keep upgrading SDRA’s goals to meet the needs as they arise to protect, improve, and preserve OUR lake.

OUR Suction Harvester – If you have not seen this amazing, useful, and gentle piece of equipment in action, just wait ‘til the spring of 2017! Teams will be set up in order to maximize the capability of the harvester. Working on the harvester is hard work- but extremely appreciated as, once the weeds are sucked up- they are gone- straight to a compost pile!!

OUR Boat Inspection Team – They are up and on the job early in the morning and after dark as needed. If not for their determination, two new weed species would have been introduced into our lake this past summer.

OUR Clean Up Days- All ages of the family were out cleaning up litter at the Spillway and Dam. This year we had 8 volunteers from our like-minded partner, Northwest Rhode Island Supporters of Open Spaces (NRISOS) joining us- wonderful!

OUR goal is always to be aware of what is developing around our lake. For example, the Hopkins Property development proposal on New Road (i.e. the gravel bank) is presently suspended, and, when more information is available, it will be forwarded to you. Also, individual landowners need to be following best practises concerning composting and fertilizing their lawns so as not to be fostering the growth of the weeds. What we do as individuals impacts all!

Want more information concerning goals, activities???

Just contact any member of the Board.

I appreciate each and every one of you SDRA members—-

Happy holidays, Judy

Treasurer— Carolyn Fortuna

Thanks to those of you who paid your dues at the 2016 SDRA Annual Meeting or at Sand Dam Day. We also have had a number of individuals who have paid since those events, bringing us to about 95% of our consistent membership numbers over the last three years. Your dues have helped us to begin the process of replenishing our treasury after the summer 2016 purchase of the Suction Harvester.

Moreover, with the convening of a newly formed Membership Committee consisting of Marissa Danville, Judy Colaluca, and me, we were able to identify about a dozen families on the lake who might like to become members of the Association. As a result, we have initiated a letter writing campaign to let these lake neighbors know about SDRA and the events we undertake on behalf of our mission to protect and nurture the lake environment. Our Association is involved with many activities of which non-members might not be aware. We’ll keep you posted how it goes. Also, if you know neighbors who might like to become a member of SDRA, please reach out to them. It is so important to be able to put a friendly face alongside an invitation.

May the new year bring you and your lake family great joy and solace. —- Carolyn

Board of Directors’ Reports

Having come from Oakland Beach, I was familiar with DEM being largely involved in anything to do with the bay and coves. I thought they would also be responsible for the lakes in Rhode Island. Oh, how I was mistaken. I never realized the management of the lake falls upon the residents. These past few years as a board member have made me aware of just what it takes to properly manage the lake, whether it’s through meetings, fundraisers, or good old fashioned manual labor. This isn’t a normal 9 to 5 job; it’s so much more because this is our home. We live on and around this lake, and we are all working tirelessly to preserve a healthy lake for our families and future generations. It takes a lot of time and effort and I’m proud to be a part of the SDRA team. —

Happy holidays to you and yours,

Marissa Danville

As many of you have heard by now, our Association was able to purchase our own weed harvester this past summer. This was the result of the hard work of many members, along with several fundraising events. This amazing piece of equipment allows us to safely remove invasive weeds from our lake without chemical means. However, this can only be effective with repetitive usage, fueled by hours of volunteer work. In the upcoming summer season, please consider donating some time so we can maximize the harvester’s potential by creating teams of volunteers to help eradicate this problem. The training only takes about an hour, and you will work alongside experienced friends and neighbors. Have a great winter, and I hope to see many of you when training resumes in the spring.

Best regards,

Eric Lariviere

Committee Reports

Grant Writing

We are so lucky to have received another opportunity to submit a State Legislative grant from Senator Fogarty’s office for the 2016-2017 year. I wrote the narrative, which helps to support our dam and water level monitoring and adjusting, during the month of November. This $500 credit to our treasury offers us a cushion as we turn to the new year.

— Carolyn Fortuna

Fund Drive

The holidays are upon us, and I’m sure we’re all thinking to ourselves, “What am I going to get that hard-to-buy-for person?” I’ve got it! How about a donation in their name? This year we are holding a fund drive beginning January 1, 2017 to help support the use of the Suction Harvester purchased over the summer. Here’s some of the fundraiser information.

SDRA has a New Suction Harvester!

And we need everyone to pitch in with help to support its use…

Bronze Level Contributions: $50 and under.

Silver Level Contributions: $51-$100

Gold Level Contributions: $101 +

Please make any payments to:

Sand Dam Reservoir Association

PO Box 284

Chepachet, RI 02814

Donations may also be made online through our GoFundMe site: https//www.gofundme.com/sanddamri

Any and all help is appreciated to ensure the best possible care is taken to preserve the lake for years to come. The purchase of the suction harvester was just the beginning. With everyone’s help, we can move towards eradicating Milfoil and any other invasive species that might try to enter our waters. Thank you everyone for all your help.

If you have any questions at all, please let me know at mjdanville@gmail.com.

— Marissa Danville

Lake Management Plan

SDRA’s annual drawdown is well under way. Daily water level measurements are taken during the drawdown, and weekly oxygen levels are also taken. Our Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management issued permit allows our Association to drawdown 54 inches below normal lake level at a rate not to exceed two inches per day.

As you can see from the graph below, the lake is nearly four feet low, leaving about a foot left to draw down. Barring a large precipitation event, the lake level should be at our permitted maximum drawdown depth near mid-December. Once the lake is at its lowest level, think dry, sub-freezing weather! Greater milfoil mortality through a drawdown will result in reduced reliance on the Association’s new weed suction harvester.

In depth drawdown information is available at https://sites.google.com/site/sdradrawdown/

—- Art Searle

Save the Lakes –

Save The Lakes (STL) continues to work with lake associations to help in whatever area there is a need. Much work is being done on the state level to inform state legislators of the needs of freshwater lakes, streams. and ponds. There are numerous activities being proposed for 2017.

For example, Save the Lakes hosts an annual information day at the Bass Pro Shop, is a presenter at the Land and Water Summit in March at URI alongside DEM, holds an informational forum with the opportunity for lake associations and individuals to talk directly with DEM Director Coit, and sponsors fishing tournaments and a poster contest for school children. This is a great way to meet folks from around the state. Join STL.

— Judy Colaluca

Website

When was the last time you visited our Sand Dam Reservoir Association website? Maybe it was to learn the history of the Association. Or perhaps you wanted to attend one of the Boat Ramp Inspections and looked at the 2016 calendar of tournaments. If you needed a resource like the Association’s by-laws or the names of this year’s Board, you clicked on the Our Association page. Or you follow the progress of the Lake Management team through the website. You ever could have learned more about the Suction Harvester by using the website.

The SDRA website is a useful place for the Association to chronicle its work. You can also get our quarterly newsletters delivered to your email inbox, you know, if you subscribe to the website for updates. If you’d like to subscribe, go to the Welcome page, look to the right side just after “Recent Posts,” and fill in the field that allows you to Subscribe to this Blog. Voila! You’ll get updates fast and efficiently.

If you ever have a news item that you’d like us to feature in a newsletter or special blog post, please feel free to send along an idea to c4tuna31@gmail.com. We’re always looking for contributing writers. Have a safe holiday travel season.

— Carolyn Fortuna

Final Notes from our SDRA President

In closing, I would like to wish everyone a wonderful Holiday Season!! And to sincerely say “Thank you” to each SDRA Board member, past and present, whom I have had the honor of working to benefit Smith and Sayles Reservoir community. To my neighbors on our lake, I wish you well and look forward to seeing everyone in and around our lake. Get involved- Many Hands make light work!

HAPPY NEW YEAR

Best to ALL,

Judy

09/27/2016

September, 2016 SDRA Newsletter

Sand Dam Reservoir Association Newsletter

www.sanddamreservoir.com

September, 2016

The Suction Harvester Has Arrived!

We did it! After months of fundraising, grant writing, and membership drives, SDRA accumulated enough capital to purchase a Suction Harvester. Our Lake Management Committee did significant research and made recommendations to the SDRA Board. Together, we considered types of equipment, the level of our treasury, the costs associated with the expenditure, and the possible benefits. Ultimately, SDRA made the decision to go ahead and purchase a Suction Harvester from Aquacleaner.

A Suction Harvester is designed to suck up any type of solids that will pass through a hose. By manipulating a hose- — which takes a lot of practice and grace — a diver extracts unwanted plants and solids right from the rooting system, so they don’t grow back as fast. The machine is equipped with filtration that allows the water to pass through it, while capturing plants, rocks, sticks, leaves and assorted debris. This machine is an environmentally friendly means of dealing with an overwhelming problem.

Aquatic vegetation grows and dies each year, sending the skeleton of the plant to the lake’s bottom. There, the plants decompose and fragment. That increases the density of the plants in following seasons and adds to the buildup of organic sediment. Suction Harvesting slows this process down and, over repeated use, may halt the cycle. In contrast with chemical treatments or weed cutters, a Suction Harvester has the advantage of selectivity. If we want only the milfoil removed but want the lily pads to remain untouched, we can do so.

There are several criteria that must be assessed to determine the rate of progress (ROP) that we can achieve using the Aquacleaner Suction Harvester. These include:

Type of plant: A plant’s rooting system dictates how fast we can remove this year’s plant. We’ll attempt to get both this year’s and last year’s plants out.
The type of bottom – Soft, silted in bottoms like those in Smith & Sayles Reservoir make plant removal and its rooting system easier to extract than if we had hard bottoms like clay or sand. Those require more suction to get to the rooting system of the plant.
The density of the plant: This means that we have to consider how many plants are in a given box as well as how tall they are. More Biomass requires more time to go through a given area.
The Depth of the water: Deeper water slows the rate of progress due to the logistics of moving around while under water and the size of the plants involved.
Other: Sometimes there is debris in the area that needs to be cleaned. Leaves, sticks, rocks, and larger items must be removed as part of a shoreline remediation and to maximize use of the lake.

If you’d like to use the Suction Harvester around your property, you must meet several criteria: 1) You must be a SDRA member in good standing. 2) You must be fully trained to use the Suction Harvester. 3) You must sign a liability waiver. Trainings are available for interested SDRA members. Please contact Rico Colaluca at 401-568-4267 to set up trainings.

President’s Message

As President of SDRA, I am excited and so pleased that so many SDRA Community members have come forward and want to use and support the Harvester. The weed pull on Saturday, August 13: Successful!! More than 25 members, of all ages, came to “WORK!” Everyone found something to do and did it well!! Art, who trailered the extracted weeds to his farm, stated that most of the weeds sucked up were milfoil with the roots. Perfect!! That is what we want to do– leave the native grasses in the lake to keep our lake natural. Good job, EVERYONE! A big thank you to the Finlaw Family for hosting lunch for a group of hungry SDRA Members! And after the weed pull, Mary organized a successful boat inspection at the boat ramp!! Mary’s work is keeping invasive weeds out of OUR lake. Presently, rules and procedures are being composed for the harvester. All ideas accepted. This is a work in progress.

Thank you everyone!!

Judy Colaluca

Treasurer’s Update

The purchase of the Suction Harvester has clearly diminished our SDRA financial picture. So, too, are the regular late summer expenditures, which include our Save the Lakes membership dues, the dam master annual payment, liability insurance payment, and surety/dishonesty bond.

A robust membership drive, the GoFundMe campaign, and a late autumn fundraiser are in the planning stages. Please, if you can help to offset the costs of the Suction Harvester, please donate generously. It is a commitment to the future health of our lake.

If you have not yet done so, please remember to pay your 2016 dues ($50) to help support efforts to keep our lake beautiful and healthy.

Dues payments can be sent to:

SDRA, PO Box 284, Chepachet, RI 02814

Thanks, everybody, for contributing to the sustainable future for Smith & Sayles Reservoir.

Carolyn Fortuna

Sand Dam Day

How wonderful it was to see many of you at our annual Sand Dam Day celebration! We enjoyed good company, great food, and a simply gorgeous setting on our beautiful lake.

William Carley and Laura Maguire demonstrated amazing Corn-Hole skills, and we were all wowed by our first look at the SDRA suction harvester! The Danvilles were gracious hosts. Thanks for opening up your home and lakefront to your Sand Dam Reservoir Association neighbors. It was great!

Milfoil Disposal

Millfoil is an extremely resiliant, opportunistic plant. I hauled about three cubic yards of milfoil from our August 6 weed pull to my compost pile. After four weeks of composting, I decided to examine the pile. The top few inches, baked by the sun, was thoroughly dried, and dead. But just underneath the sun baked surface, I discovered viable, growing milfoil. My discovery prompted me to suggest some words of caution for handling and disposing of milfoil. First, make sure that the milfoil is moved as far from any water body as is physically possible. Be cognizant of surface water flow in and around your disposal site. Ask, “Could any of this milfoil wash back into the pond during a heavy rain?” If so, you need another disposal site! Turning the pile to ensure complete drying will reduce the likelihood of any milfoil growing or escaping. Be careful with fragments. Milfoil segments left on a beach or shoreline are likely to find their way back to the water where they will continue to proliferate.

Removed from water, this milfoil plant continues to grow four weeks later.

2016/2017 Officers

President Judy Colaluca

Vice President Lynn Kohanski

Treasurer Carolyn Fortuna

Secretary Mary O’Keeffe

Directors: Marissa Danville, Eric Lariviere, Brian Sirois

Lake Management Team

Art Searle, Chairman

Dave Morin

Dennis Danville

Sam Hawk

Mary O’Keeffe

Rico Colaluca

Please contact Officers or Lake Management Team with questions or comments

09/27/2016

June 2016 SDRA Newsletter

Sand Dam Reservoir Association

June 2016 Newsletter

www.sanddamreservoir.com

Board of Directors’ Updates

President’s Update

Summer, wonderful summer is here!! Without a doubt days are longer and warmer, water crafts are traveling around the lake, children can be heard laughing as they jump into the lake for the first time: excitement is everywhere. Smith and Sayles is getting ready for all to enjoy!

One of the best ways to ready yourself for the summer is to attend the Annual Sand Dam Reservoir Association Meeting on Wednesday, June 15, 2016, in Room #9 at the Glocester Town Hall on Main Street in Chepachet. We’ll have a social hour from 6-7pm and the business meeting will run from 7-9pm. (Make sure you have paid your dues so you can vote). There are many important agenda items that need to be discussed, information shared, plans to be developed, and decisions made that directly concern Smith and Sayles Reservoir. Attend and get involved!!

In your early summer lakefront planning, please consider your actions around the lake. Drainage into our lake constantly occurs — nutrients from fertilizers, compost piles, filling in to extend your property, and runoff are all polluting our beautiful lake. Our lake needs to be protected and, as lakefront stewards, that is our job!

— Judy Colaluca

Secretary’s Update

During the spring months, the SDRA Board of Directors has met several times to plan and discuss matters of importance to the Sand Dam community. Fundraising, education and outreach, lake management, the proposed 14-home lakefront development, lakefront clean-up efforts, coordination with Keech Pond, fundraising, and planning for the June 15th, 2016 annual meeting have been included on the BOD meeting agendas.

– Mary O’Keeffe

Treasurer’s Update

Quarterly Overview

In the dates from March-June 2016, we have maintained a stable treasury. The receipt of a State Legislative grant for $500 and the continued success of the GoFundMe site (see the Danville’s entry below) have been excellent additions to our treasury over the spring months. And, of course, our second fundraiser of the fiscal year also helped us to move forward financially.

Wine Tasting Fundraiser at the Purple Cat Vineyard and Winery

Flames burst from the center of the outside patio area, and the sounds of voices and laughter permeated the night air. SDRA’s second Wine Tasting event took place on Friday, May 20th from 7 – 9 p.m. at the Purple Cat Vineyard and Winery on Money Hill Road in Chepachet. Inside, guests listened to the sommelier describe the selection of wines. Across the room, SDRA’s volunteers served an assortment of appetizers including cheeses, dips, pizza strips, lemon squares, cookies, veggies, and many other different delights. The late spring Friday became a way for the community to reacquaint after a long winter season.

In addition to the wine and nibbles, guests had fun bidding on the various Silent Auction gift baskets. Local merchants such as Purple Cat Vineyard, Inland Marine, Frederickson Farm, Kitson’s Liquors, and Smithfield Supply were generous contributors, as were several SDRA and community members. Proceeds from the evening were added to the funds that SDRA has been raising toward the goal of reducing invasive milfoil in Smith & Sayles Reservoir with the construction of a suction harvester.

Dues and Membership

We have a robust membership in place, with 100% of members sustaining their dues payments over the last two years. If you are one of the very few backdated families who receive this newsletter and have not paid dues for 2015-2016, please send a check to Sand Dam Reservoir Association, PO Box 284, Chepachet, RI 02814 so that you, too, can vote at the June annual meeting. Thanks to everybody for your generosity and continued support of our Association’s efforts toward sustainable maintenance and protection of our beautiful lake environment.

Please remember to bring a check made out to SDRA in the amount of $50 for 2015-2016 dues. This will enable you to vote on any action items at the June 15 SDRA Annual Meeting. Thanks.

Annual Day of Service: Application Pending

One of SDRA’s sustainability partners is Northwest RI Supporters of Open Spaces. SDRA submitted a proposal to NRI SOS in response to a call to be part of an Annual Day of Service. The opportunity comes from an anonymous local workplace which would designate interested employees to participate in a volunteer project on the morning of Friday, October 14, 2016. We would host another dam clean-up day on Chestnut Hill Road, with the intent of removing any and all debris in proximity to the dam that have accumulated since our last clean-up in spring, 2016. You can see the narrative here. The application deadline was June 1; we’ll appraise our membership as soon as we hear back from NRI SOS if our application was or wasn’t approved.

Future Fundraising

With our recent wine tasting fundraiser less than a month old, the SDRA Board is still in the process of assessing our fundraising agenda as a whole, which seeks to deepen our treasury, involve our membership, and enhance community awareness of sustainability issues on Smith & Sayles Reservoir and other New England lakes. At this writing, we do not have another fundraiser in the works, so, if you have an idea and would like to join with SDRA Board and Committee members to spearhead a fundraiser, please let me know at c4tuna31@gmail.com.

— Carolyn Fortuna

Committee Reports

Boat Greeter Program

The Boat Greeter Program is an education and outreach effort designed to inform boaters about the importance of proper boater hygiene in preventing the spread of invasive species. Rhode Island is the only state in New England that does not have a formal program to inspect boats for plant and animal material prior to launch in local waters. Boat launch volunteers are stationed at our launch during high traffic times (mainly fishing tournaments) to perform complementary inspections and to talk with boaters about the importance of thoroughly cleaning boats after each use.

We’ve worked two scheduled tournaments so far this year, inspecting about 25 boats. Consistent with previous seasons, plant material has been found on about 25% of all boats. Participants in the fishing tournaments tend to be receptive, friendly, and well-educated about invasives, yet without a state-supported, formal inspection process a substantial number of these boats still arrive without being properly cleaned and inspected.

Surveys of our beautiful lake have confirmed only one type of invasive aquatic species, variable milfoil. Twelve additional species of aquatic invasive plants, including American Lotus, Brazilian elodea, curly-leaf pondweed, Eurasian milfoil, fanwort, inflated bladderwort, mudmat, parrot feather, spiny naiad, water chestnut, water hyacinth, and yellow floating heart, have been identified in Rhode Island’s ponds and lakes. In addition, eleven freshwater bodies in Rhode Island have confirmed Asian clam (aquatic invasive animal). The most important primary prevention effort we can engage in for our lake is to educate visitors, visually inspect their boats, and remove plant material while “driving home” the importance of proper boater hygiene.

We’re always looking for additional volunteers to help out with this important and rewarding activity. A sign-up sheet will be distributed at the annual meeting. Please feel free to contact me at mokeeffe@providence.edu or 568-2657 if you’d like to learn more about the SDRA Boat Greeter Program.

—- Mary O’Keeffe

Drawdown

The 2015-2016 Drawdown concluded on March 1, 2016. As noted in the previous newsletter, you may view the drawdown details online. During the summer months, we will continue evaluating drawdown effectiveness in the shallower areas of our lake. The 2016-2017 drawdown is scheduled to start Columbus Day Weekend.

— Judy Colaluca and Art Searle

GoFundMe Site

The GoFundMe.com page, proceeds of which will be used to reduce the invasive milfoil in our lake, continues to support SDRA’s efforts toward sustainable lake management. We are all aware of the need to be diligent and proactive in controlling the milfoil, and your contribution to the GoFundMe.com page helps us to hire divers and buy necessary supplies to hand pull weeds, among other initiatives. Please continue to share the GoFundMe page as every dollar counts. Thank you to all of you who donated over the winter months, and feel free to ask us more about the program during our upcoming Annual Meeting on June 15.

Here is the website URL for the GoFundMe Site, in case you have an upcoming birthday and would like to designate a gift in your name. https://www.gofundme.com/sanddamri

— Marissa and Dennis Danville

Keech Pond

In May there was a request from Keech Pond to lower our lake to allow work to be done on the spillway of Keech Pond. John Holmes requested they would need a minimum of 12 inches. For this to be completed, we would have to lower the lake for Memorial Day Weekend. Since many folks on Smith & Sayles put their boats in and enjoy the lake at this time, it was decided by the Board not to comply with the request. Keech Pond agreed to do their work when we lower the lake in October.

— Rico Colaluca

Nomination and Elections

At the Annual Meeting on June 15, two positions will be open. One is the Treasurer, and the other is one Director. We do have candidates at this writing for both positions (Carolyn is running again for Treasurer for a final two-year term). If you would like to put your name in for either position, please notify us ASAP. We at the Nominating Committee are working alongside the SDRA Board of Directors and Janice Baker, who led the 2015 By-Laws revision, to assure we are interpreting the new two-term language contained within the By-Laws correctly.

—Rico Colaluca and Steve Hanley

Save the Lakes

On Thursday, May 26, Save The Lakes received a Resolution from RI State Senate and House of Representatives. What an honor to have members of the Senate and House stand and applaud for efforts being done by folks across the state. Our boat inspection program here on Smith and Sayles was highlighted by Senator Fogarty. Consider getting involved in STL as there is much to be done on the State level.

— Judy Colaluca

Website and Education

We are conducting a full website review and update in anticipation of the SDRA Annual Meeting on Wednesday, June 15 at the Glocester Town Hall. Also, if you didn’t get a chance to read about the May 20 Wine Tasting event on our Association website, you can click here to read the blog post.

—Steve Hanley and Carolyn Fortuna

Thanks, everybody. See you at the SDRA Annual Meeting on Wednesday, June 15, 2016 at 6:00 p.m. at the Glocester Town Hall.

06/06/2016

Variance Hearing Postponed until July 11

Hello interested community members,

The variance hearing re: a parcel of land being considered for development on Smith & Sayles Reservoir has been postponed from Monday, June 6, 2016 to Monday, July 11.

Please pass along this information to anyone who does not subscribe to this blog. See you then! Thanks.

04/21/201604/23/2016

May 20 SDRA Fundraiser at the Purple Cat Vineyard and Winery

Please join us for a wine tasting event on Friday, May 20th from 7 – 9 p.m. at the Purple Cat Vineyard and Winery on 11 Money Hill Road in Chepachet, RI. Proceeds will benefit Sand Dam Reservoir Association. SDRA is a non-profit organization that works in conjunction with a network of other lakes in Rhode Island to maintain high water quality and reduce invasive plant species.

If you haven’t been to the Purple Cat Vineyard and Winery yet, you’ll be pleasantly surprised. Reminiscent of coffee houses of days gone by, with its multiple level seating, sofas, tall tables, and cedar post-and-beam decor, the Purple Cat Vineyard and Winery offers tastings of their wines in a relaxed setting.

And what better time is there than a late spring Friday night in May to gather with neighbors and friends and welcome the high season?

In addition to the wine tasting, the fundraiser evening will include a selection of complimentary appetizers, a 50/50 raffle, and a Silent Auction. To reserve your ticket, just click through to May 20 Wine Tasting RSVP and fill in your name and number of guests.

And thanks for spreading the word through your friends and family network. If it’s anything like the last Wine Tasting fundraiser we held last September, this should be a lot of fun!

Here are the details:

SDRA Wine Tasting at the Purple Cat

Vineyard and Winery

Friday, May 20 from 7 p.m. – 9 p.m.

RSVP to: mjdanville@gmail.com or ashleyhopkins8@live.com

or c4tuna31@gmail.com or judycolaluca@aol.com

Purple Cat Vineyard and Winery

11 Money Hill Road

Chepachet, RI 02814

(behind the old Purple Cat Restaurant)

http://www.purplecatwinery.com/

03/21/2016

Winter 2016 Newsletter

Sand Dam Reservoir Association Newsletter

www.sanddamreservoir.com

Winter Newsletter 2016:

Looking Ahead to Spring and Summer

Board of Directors’ Updates

Officers

Today is a glorious morning— the lake appears to have diamonds sparkling as the waves ripple! Individually, each of us sees something different as we look at OUR lake. But, together, we are moving forward to do what is best for OUR lake.

The teamwork continues, and the membership is growing. I encourage you, if you are not involved, get involved. There are many areas of concern, and your point of view needs to be heard. Join a committee, become active on the boat inspection team, help plan an event, do some lake research, write a grant, or build a buffer zone in front of your property to eliminate the runoff from your lawn into our lake. This year, there was not a “total” freeze on the lake to kill the milfoil. Therefore, it is more important than ever that you eliminate fertilizing as it “feeds” the weeds as you are “feeding” your lawn. Please consider not applying nutrients! Thank you!!

Save the Date: Wednesday, June 15, 2016 is the date for the SDRA Annual Meeting, which will take place at the Glocester Town Hall, Room 9. At the Annual Meeting this year, you will have the opportunity to share your thoughts and learn from your neighbors what is “happening” around the lake, in the lake, at the bottom of the lake, and the filling of the lake. The 2016 plans will be announced, and an election of officers will take place. Please see news under the Nominating Committee below if you’d like to become a SDRA Board member.

As always, it is my pleasure to be a member of SDRA and work with others to accomplish its Mission! Your neighbor,

Judy (judycolaluca@aol.com).

Secretary- Mary O’Keeffe

We look forward to spring and summer 2016 with an eye towards welcoming new members and welcoming back former members whose membership may have lapsed. If you have new neighbors, please encourage them to contact me (sdra.secretary@cox.net or 568-2657) so that I can include them on our email/mail list to receive newsletters and important announcements.

Current members are encouraged to send updates of email or USPS mailing addresses. Former members may send dues checks ($50) to SDRA, PO Box 284, Chepachet, RI 02814 to renew membership and ensure continued delivery of SDRA newsletters and announcements.

Treasurer- Carolyn Fortuna

The first quarter of 2016 has been quite stable financially for SDRA. Due to a membership drive, we have maintained 100% of members over the past two years. The most important tasks we designated for 2015 continue ahead for SDRA in 2016: to increase the balance in our treasury so that we can embark on as many sustainability endeavors as possible. We want to protect and enrich our lake environment, and that, often, comes with associated financial costs.

As treasurer, I address our financial needs, but I also have a corresponding responsibility to seek out grant possibilities. A grant proposal with which we have much success is a RI Community Grant. Due to the continued generosity of Senator Fogarty’s office, SDRA was the recipient of a 2015-2016 Community Grant in the amount of $500. The proceeds from the Community Grant are directed to the important work our Dam Master does in controlling the lake levels and guiding dam maintenance. We are always on the lookout for grant opportunities, so please don’t hesitate to forward a grant call for proposals our way, especially if you see a good fit for SDRA and can help to guide the grant application process.

Another tangent of the SDRA Treasurer’s position is to initiate or collaborate in fundraisers. We are so lucky to have a team of individuals who put in lots of behind-the-scenes hours toward our fundraisers. Right now, we have two active fundraisers underway… read below to learn more!

Sincerely,

Carolyn 🙂 (c4tuna31@gmail.com)

May SDRA Fundraiser at the Purple Cat Vineyard and Winery

11 Money Hill Road

Chepachet, RI 02814

http://www.purplecatwinery.com/

Friday, May 20 from 7 p.m. – 9 p.m.

Tickets: $20 in advance — $25 at the door

RSVP to: mjdanville@gmail.com or ashleyhopkins8@live.com or c4tuna31@gmail.com

Please join us for a wine tasting event on Friday, May 20th from 7 – 9 p.m. at the Purple Cat Vineyard and Winery on Money Hill Road in Chepachet. If you haven’t been there yet, you’ll be pleasantly surprised. Reminiscent of coffee houses of days gone by, with its multiple level seating, sofas, tall tables, and cedar post-and-beam decor, the Purple Cat Vineyard and Winery offers tastings of their wines in a relaxed setting. And what better time is there than a late spring Friday night in May to gather with neighbors and friends and welcome the high season?

While there will be much more information to follow, we are planning, in addition to the wine tasting, a selection of complimentary appetizers, a 50/50 raffle, and a Silent Auction. Proceeds will help in our goals to reduce invasive milfoil in Smith & Sayles Reservoir. If you’d like to participate in planning this fundraiser, we would appreciate donations to the Silent Auction and Appetizer tables, assisting in ticket sales, spreading the word through your friends and family network, and/ or offering a helping hand at the end of the night on the cleaning committee.

Please let us know if you’re able to be part of this fun community-building event.

GoFundMe.com — Marissa and Dennis Danville

To date we have raised $885 through our GoFundMe.com page, all of which will be used to reduce the invasive milfoil in our lake. This winter has been warmer than average and, thus, creates additional unforeseen challenges in controlling milfoil as the spring season draws upon us. In order for the drawdown to be effective, there needs to be a substantial layer of ice and frozen ground for an extended period of time. Please see the Drawdown news below for more specific information about this winter’s weather effects on our efforts to control invasive species. No matter the weather, we need to be diligent and proactive in controlling the milfoil, and your contribution to the GoFundMe.com page helps us to hire divers and buy necessary to hand pull weeds, among other initiatives.

Please continue to share the GoFundMe page, as every dollar counts. Thank you to all of you who donated over the holidays. https://www.gofundme.com/sanddamri

Boat Greeter Program – Mary O’Keeffe

Volunteers from SDRA contributed nearly 100 hours of outreach and education to promote proper boater hygiene in order to prevent the spread of invasive species. A total of 44 boaters allowed us to perform complementary inspections at the boat launch (substantially fewer than the 100+boats we inspected during the 2014 season – low water levels led to the cancellation of a number of scheduled tournaments). Plant material was found on 25% of the inspected boats and trailers – while not all plant material was confirmed to be invasive, the high percentage of “dirty” boats reinforces the importance of educating boaters on the critical role of cleaning boats, trailers, and equipment between uses in order to prevent the spread of invasive aquatic species.

The 2016 fishing season gets underway April 1st. Soon we will receive a list of this year’s tournaments and schedule times to work the boat launch. We are always looking for new volunteers. On-the-job training is provided and you get to hang out at the boat launch, chat with boaters, and do good works all with the backdrop of our glorious lake. Dates and times will be posted in a future newsletter but if you think you might be interested, don’t wait! Send me an email (sdra.secretary@cox.net) or give me a call (568-2657) and I can send you the RI Boat Greeters’ Handbook to get you started.

Finally, please remember to enforce good boater hygiene for friends and family members who launch from your property, and be sure to practice it yourself. A very small plant fragment can contaminate an entire lake. To date, Smith & Sayles (aka Sand Dam) Reservoir’s only confirmed invasive aquatic species is variable milfoil (and we all know what a problem that is!). Nearby lakes have invasive plants including fanwort, bladderwort, spiny naiad, mudmat, curly leaf pondweed, parrot feather, water chestnut, Eurasian milfoil, and Brazilian elodea. Seven lakes and one river in the state are contaminated with Asian clams, and nearby CT and MA lakes have Zebra Mussels.

Practice and require these simple steps to help protect our beautiful lake:

Inspect and clean. Examine boats and trailers before and after any use. Carefully remove any mud, plant or animal material before transporting boats, recreational equipment, fishing gear or equipment.
Allow time to dry. Clean and dry anything that came in contact with the water (boat, trailers, recreational equipment, clothing, dogs, etc.)
Isolate and drain. Empty water from boat wells and motors far away from lakes and rivers.
Discard into trash. Dispose any unused bait into proper garbage receptacles; do not empty bait buckets into the water. Dispose of plant material far from water’s edge.
Prevent releases. Avoid disposing plants, fish or animals from aquariums or water gardens into local water bodies.

(from http://www.dem.ri.gov/programs/benviron/water/quality/surfwq/aisindex.htm)

Drawdown – Judy Colaluca and Art Searle

The drawdown for the 2015-2016 winter is concluded. You may review our records about the drawdown at https://sites.google.com/site/sdradrawdown/2015-drawdown. You may view a lake level visual at https://goo.gl/vwVqqa.

Here is a by-the-numbers summary of the drawdown:

The Colaluca family made and recorded 105 lake level measurements.
Mike Benoit made and recorded dissolved oxygen levels.
Dave Morin made countless adjustments to the low level water outlet to moderate the lake level.
Our records indicate there were ten days where the average temperature for the day was at freezing or below and there was no snow or ice covering the exposed lake bed. Both conditions are important for killing milfoil. The chart below illustrates the lake level on the prime freezing days. While the most recent winter was nowhere near as brutal as the winter 2014-2015, we remain hopeful that our hard work results in reduced milfoil.

We recognize that drawdown is not the single, encompassing solution we might like. Yet, we believe in the effort and its proven success at controlling milfoil in the shallower regions of the lake. We hope to conduct another drawdown during the winter of 2016-2017

Keech Pond Liaison – Rico Colaluca

I talked with John Holmes at the beginning of February and discussed what Keech Pond has in the works for the coming season. He tells me they are going to study and examine their dam structure and look for any kind of holes which may have been made by little creatures and fill them back in. He informs me these holes are their main concern as they will weaken the dam.

John also told me their gate is now fully open.

Lake Management Plan – Rico Colaluca

Our Lake Management plan is a revolving door and keeps moving forward with the help of the lake management team. Please ask a member how you can help.

Nomination and Elections – Rico Colaluca and Steve Hanley

The Nominating Committee would like to hear from you if you have any suggestions prior to our Annual Meeting in June. This is an opportunity to help your lake Association to grow, flourish, and thrive. We will be requesting nominations from the floor at the Annual Meeting.

If you would like to run for office or know someone who does, please inform Steve or Rico. If you want to join the SDRA Board, please contact Steve Hanley (schanley45@gmail.com) or Rico Colaluca (rcolaluca@aol.com).

Save the Lakes – Judy Colaluca

On April 9th BassPro Shop at Patriots Place will be hosting the second Annual “Celebrate Your Love of Lakes” Day. Join us for this fun event. This is great opportunity to meet and discuss what is happening on OUR lake with others who care deeply about freshwater. There will be professional fishermen from neighboring Massachusetts and Connecticut attending to share some fishing hints. We hope to see you there and share in the fun.

Save The Lakes will be holding its Annual Meeting on April 28 at the Coventry Senior Center, 6:30 to 8:30 PM, at 50 Wood Street in Coventry. DEM will be discussing their plans for 2016, and Linda Green from the URI Watershed Watch will be presenting. This will be an interesting and informative meeting. Please join us. Come join our community of lake advocates and learn along with us. We’d be delighted to see you there.

Social News

Congratulations to Sammy Hawkes and Ashley Hopkins, who were married in October, 2015. They are also expecting their first child in July, 2016. Moreover, best wishes go out to Marissa and Denny Manville, who will add a second child to their wonderful family in 2016.

Carolyn Fortuna said goodbye to her dad, Andrew Fortuna, who died early in 2016 after suffering a stroke. On April 2nd, Mrs “B” (Florence Beauregard) will turn 97 years old! She is looking forward to warm sunny days to sit outside on the deck.

If you have news that you’d like to share with your lake community, please contact Lynn Kohanski (lynnkohanski@yahoo.com).

03/12/2016

December 2015 Newsletter

Sand Dam Reservoir Association Newsletter

www.sanddamreservoir.com

Hello from our SDRA President, Judy Colaluca

The seasons do change quickly here at Smith and Sayles! And with weather changes we find ourselves looking at our beautiful lake with different eyes. Around the lake folks are raking up leaves and covering outside furniture preparing for the winter weather.

The slow lowering of the lake is of extreme importance to us as we control the growth of invasive weeds by freezing the ground around the lake. If the lake freezes before a blanket of snow, much milfoil will be “killed off” and we will have fewer weeds next summer. A huge thank you goes to Dave, Art, Rico, Mike and others for their daily work of keeping the drawdown on track. The drawdown is determined by the guidelines set by DEM.

As you work outside please consider best practises for our lake. If everyone does something our lake will continue to be a place of beauty. Please consider: 1) Eliminating the use of fertilizer, 2) Blowing leaves away from the lake, 3) Discontinuing composting next to the water’s edge, 4) Raking the leaves at the water’s edge rather than filling in with soil. Just a few major suggestions as we continue to protect our lake.

As Thanksgiving approaches, I am extremely thankful for where I live and all the beauty that surrounds me. It has always been my pleasure to work with all of you and to serve as a caretaker on our lake. I look forward to 2016 as we work together. Please feel free to contact me with any comments or ideas.

Enjoy the Holidays! I wish everyone a happy and healthy New Year.

Updates from our Treasurer, Carolyn Fortuna

The first quarter of the 2015-2016 fiscal year was very strong for SDRA.

The late September fundraiser at Mulberry Vineyards netted over $1700, and the event had a secondary effect of raising awareness of SDRA’s efforts at sustainable harvesting of invasive milfoil and other species. A membership drive to remind 2014-2015 members to renew returned our total memberships to 29 families. And — as you’ll see below — the Go Fund Me site is a consistent vehicle for producing revenue for SDRA.

These efforts more than offset our two insurance payments which came due: 1) liability; 2) dishonesty bond.

Notes about the Drawdown from Judy Colaluca and Art Searle

The drawdown is underway! We hope the weather cooperates by freezing and drying the invasive milfoil weed. You may view a lake level visual at https://goo.gl/vwVqqa. You may also view detailed information about the drawdown at https://sites.google.com/site/sdradrawdown/2015-drawdown.

Upcoming Events Sponsored by SDRA from Judy Colaluca

On Saturday, December 5, SDRA will be holding a clean up at the Dam on Chestnut Hill Road. There will be coffee and “energy food” at 8:30 a.m. at 61 Wood Road before heading to the Dam. The clean up will last about 90 minutes and will be determined by the weather conditions. Please consider working alongside your neighbors. Children are welcome to help as they are tomorrow’s caretakers. Make sure you bring work gloves, rakes,(quahog rakes worked well last year), and hope for a nice day. See you at the Dam!!

Have you heard about Go Fund Me? from Marissa and Dennis Danville

The gofundme page to raise money for a suction harvester has been up for several months now and to date we have raised $770, which is a great accomplishment! Thank you for all your donations. With your help we will be able to rid our lake of invasive species.

Please continue to share the website with friends and family, as every dollar counts. Thank you! www.gofundme.com/sanddamri

Looking back to our September Mulberry Vineyards Fundraiser, hosted by Ashley Hopkins Hawkes and Carolyn Fortuna

On a warm late September evening, over 100 people gathered at Mulberry Vineyards on Pound Road in Chepachet for a fundraiser to benefit Sand Dam Reservoir Association. Guests mingled inside the converted barn of the historic Andrew Brown homestead and outside on the sloping lawns. Two wine bars were set up, and guests sampled a riesling, cabernet sauvignon, and pinot noir. Aaron Colaluca ran a fabulously successful 50-50 raffle, and winner Terry Tullis generously donated the proceeds back to SDRA. Later in the evening, co-owner David Wright offered a tour of the winemaking facilities. Thanks to everyone who participated, whether it was to be in attendance or to send along a donation. We appreciate how many guests contributed items for the delicious appetizer buffet, so that everyone had a sampling of good food.

It was a wonderful night, and– who knows? — you may see a similar event in spring, 2016. Keep checking your social media! And many thanks to Gina Colaluca for providing these pictures.

Keeping Up-to-Date with our Lake Management Plan from Rico Colaluca

The drawdown last winter was successful, and the same plan is being duplicated this year. There are plans being developed for improvements at the gatehouse and spillway. Click the link in the title to this section to learn even more.

Our Networking through Northwest Rhode Island Supporters of Open Spaces (NRI SOS) from Carolyn Fortuna

Part of advocacy efforts conducted on behalf of SDRA over the past quarter has included participation in events sponsored by NRI SOS, which offers support to ten member organizations. We attended a book discussion of Barbara Kingsolver’s Animal, Vegetable, Miracle, which outlined the positive effects of eating locally. We hiked the Foster Land Trust property off Windsor Road as part of the “Reading the Forested Landscape” series. And we attended a Cider Tasting at Barden Orchards alongside representatives of several local sustainability organizations. One of those organizations was the Glocester Land Trust, and our networking that day produced an invitation to attend the next GLT meeting to speak about SDRA’s efforts to protect our lake habitat.

Wish us luck on December 8 during our GLT presentation…

Thinking Ahead to Nomination and Elections from Steve Hanley and Rico Colaluca

We encourage you to become involved in the operation of your lake Association. Please let the Nominating Committee know if you’re interested in serving in the upcoming year as a committee head, board member, or officer. Getting involved is fun and rewarding!

Checking in with Save the Lakes from Judy Colaluca

Save The Lakes continues to support and improve all lake associations across the state. There will be bills at the Legislature that will be of importance to all in the Spring. Information will be sent out as details emerge.

09/02/201509/02/2015

September 2015 Newsletter

Sand Dam Reservoir Association Newsletter

September, 2015

www.sanddamreservoir.com

Board of Directors’ Updates

President- Judy Colaluca

What a great summer it has been here on Smith and Sayles!! All recreational endeavors around and in OUR lake are just wonderful this summer!! One of my most favorite activities is to listen to my grandchildren laugh as they splash and play in the water. What fun they have!! All the “kids,” young and old, have something they enjoy doing in the lake. For example, catching the biggest fish, swimming the furthest or doing the craziest stunt on the tube, and more are reasons to work hard at keeping our lake in perfect condition.

The awarding of the grant for a suction harvester should be known soon and that will be just another tool for us to “Protect” our lake. The team effort on this lake is terrific- but we could always use more hands to lighten the load. If you want to be active, just let me know. Help is needed to:

1) Assist the divers in weed pulling on September 19th — work on boats, cleaning up, financial donations;
2) Boat Inspection Program– checking boats to make sure no other invasive weed is introduced into our lake;
3) Planning educational workshops for landowners to improve their land without fostering weeds;
4) Grant searching and writing;
5) Planning a fall clean up on Chestnut Hill Road;
6) Fund raising- be sure to reserve a ticket for our wine tasting at Mulberry Vineyards here in Chepachet and check out http://www.gofundme.com/SandDamRI —- and others as your ideas develop.

As the summer winds down -Enjoy the Lake!! Contact a member of the SDRA Board with your suggestions concerns, ideas, and your willingness to join your neighbors for the improvement of OUR lake.

On Saturday, August 29, Mary, Art, Rico, several STL members, and I went to Hickory Hills Lake to watch a suction harvester in action! It was fascinating and much easier to operate than I had thought. There will be more information coming on this machine.

See you around the lake,

Judy

Vice President – Lynn Kohanski

I hope everyone is enjoying their last few weeks of summer on the lake. We have a lot of great ways to continue to help the lake thrive as Autumn quickly approaches. How about getting a few close family and friends together to attend an SDRA-sponsored wine tasting at Mulberry Vineyard? This is a great event to socialize and support our SDRA lake community and also a great kick-off to the fall season.

Also, thanks to the Danville’s for setting up an SDRA gofundme page. This is another easy way to help us reach our goal of $30,000 to get a new suction harvester for the lake. Please share the link/page recently sent out. Again, with all the wonderful things happening here, I encourage everyone to get involved in any way they feel comfortable. I hope to see/meet you at one of our events.

Secretary- Mary O’Keeffe

The 2015 annual meeting was a great success, with 30 SDRA members and friends in attendance. New for this year’s meeting was a 6-7pm social hour to provide friends and neighbors with an opportunity to “catch up” before the meeting. Our President (Judy) and Treasurer (Carolyn) put out an excellent spread of hors d’oeuvres and desserts (with other SDRA members also contributing tasty snacks). Also, as part of this community building effort, Vice President (Lynn) brought a large map of the lake and members worked together to identify “who lives where.” This year’s meeting was held at Glocester Town Hall. The meeting space, internet access (for presentations), and kitchen facilities were excellent, and we hope to hold future SDRA annual meetings at Town Hall.

The formal meeting ran from 7-9pm. Officers and Standing Committees made their reports, and a motion to change the SDRA By-Laws was approved. The main substantive By-Laws changes were to impose a two-year term limit on SDRA officers and reduce the residency requirement from 3 years to 1 year for the Directors. These changes are designed to promote active involvement from a wider range of members. Special thanks was given to Janice Baker, Rico Colaluca, Carolyn Fortuna, Dave Morin, and Art Searle for their extensive committee work, and, of course, to Judy Colaluca for her outstanding leadership as SDRA president.

New business included a report from Judy and Art on the ESS (Environmental Consulting and Engineering Services) survey results, discussion of the Mulberry Vineyards fundraising event (see notice later in the newsletter), and an invitation to Sand Dam Day, hosted this year by Carolyn Fortuna and Steve Hanley.

As you can see, we had a wonderfully productive and enjoyable time together. Be sure to mark your calendar for next year’s SDRA annual meeting which will be held Wednesday, June 15th.

Treasurer- Carolyn Fortuna

Our SDRA Annual Meeting in June gave attendees a convenient way to pay their 2015-2016 dues. Twenty-one families paid dues of $50 each, which boosted our bank balance considerably.

If you paid dues during our Spring 2015 Membership Drive, thank you. Your contribution allowed you to have a vote and voice at our Annual Meeting. Please remember: Our new fiscal year begins on July 1— after the Annual Meeting. If you did not pay dues at the Annual Meeting or since, you may not be caught up for the new SDRA year. If you have any questions as to your dues currency, please feel free to email me at c4tuna31@gmail.com. I’ll be happy to check the records and get back to you.

I’ll be sending out membership letters and renewal forms over the next month as well. Please mail your dues to SDRA, PO Box 284, Chepachet, RI 02814.

Standing Committees

Boat Greeter Program – Mary O’Keeffe

The GREAT (Greeting Recreationalists to Empower and Train Boaters) Boat Greeter program has been active this summer, providing education and outreach to address the problem of invasive species. In addition to the focus on invasive species common in the area (e.g., variable milfoil, fanwort, inflated bladderwort, Asian clam), we’ve also been talking to boaters about Largemouth Bass Virus, which has been found this summer in Echo Lake and Olney Pond. LMBV is spread through water and can live for up to 7 days. This reinforces the critical importance of proper boater hygiene (especially cleaning live wells, bags, and equipment) in order to keep our lake and wildlife healthy.

We have two remaining tournament dates for the season, Thursday, September 17th (4 pm start time) and Sunday, September 20th (6am start time). We’d love to have you join us if you are interested in seeing us in action and/or getting some on-the-job training.

Dam Master – Dave Morin

It has been a very, very easy summer to maintain the water levels at our lake, as we’ve had no significant rains. I’ve not had to go down on the water levels since the very beginning of the summer, in late May, when we had rains. Since then, the normal amount of seepage has occurred to meet DEM requirements.

Over Columbus Day Weekend, we’ll begin drawing the water down. We already have a head-start on it with the low rain levels this summer. As the water goes down, we open up more. Our ability to regulate the water levels also depends on Keach Pond’s plan to open up. We try to start before they do, to compensate for having to get rid of their water. Bertha Bedard is very helpful in letting us know when the water is flowing out of Keach. Eventually, we go over to the old dam and slide gate. We play around with that until we get the level down to where we want it to be. It all depends on the rain and snow that we get. Hopefully, before the freeze, we’ll have it down to the 54” mark.

Drawdown – Judy Colaluca and Art Searle

The annual drawdown will begin October 10, 2015, during Columbus Day weekend. We expect to drawdown approximately 1 to 2 inches per day until we reach our permitted drawdown depth of 54 inches. RI DEM, ESS Group’s June 2015 report, and our own visual inspections of the lake indicate that the drawdown helps control the growth and spread of milfoil. It is apparent that there are fewer patches of milfoil and that the patches are less dense than they were during the summer of 2014. We expect to meet with Brian Moore, DEM’s Office of Water Resources Chief during the fall to present the results of last winter’s drawdown.

Once the drawdown begins, we will provide a link so that you can monitor aspects of the drawdown such as lake level and other environmental conditions. If you would like to participate by taking lake measurements of dissolved oxygen measurements, we would love to hear from you. Contact us at your convenience if you have additional questions.

Our Next SDRA Event: Wine Tasting at Mulberry Vineyards— Ashley Hopkins and Carolyn Fortuna

On Friday, September 25, 2015, from 6-9:00 p.m., SDRA will host a Wine Tasting at Mulberry Vineyards, 95 Pound Road, Chepachet. Come join us as we attempt to raise funds to reduce invasive weeds on our lake. Tickets are $15 each ahead of time and can be reserved through c4tuna31@gmail.com or ashleyhopkins8@live.com. Tickets are $18 the night of the event. Appetizers and non-alcoholic beverages also will be served. Please share the flyer above and general announcement with family, friends, co-workers, and others who might be interested in a friendly night out for a really good cause. Think about it: if each SDRA member sold 5 tickets, we’d have a strong showing of commitment for DEM. We’d demonstrate that we have local capacity and are ready to provide matching funding for our suction harvester grant application.

Help us to sustain our lake and to help other lake association to understand how environmentally sound approaches to lake management can make arise from innovation and teamwork. Come be part of our Mulberry Vineyards Fundraising event. Thanks!

Other Fundraising– Marissa and Dennis Danville

The gofundme website is now up and running. We have already received several donations towards our goal of $30k for a suction harvester. Please share the following link with friends and family:

http://www.gofundme.com/SandDamRI

You can also share this on Facebook and twitter by visiting the site and clicking share or tweet, this is a great way to reach a large number of people quickly!!

Keech Pond Liaison – Rico Colaluca

I met with John Holmes recently and informed him of a need to start draining our lake before Keech Pond drains into our lake. He told me to call him when we begin to start draining our lake and he will give us a few days before he begins to drain Keech Pond. I stated we will start our drawdown on Columbus Day Weekend.

Lake Management Plan – Sam Hawkes

Divers Weed Pulling-— Saturday, September 19, 2015 is the date currently scheduled to have certified scuba divers return to the lake to pull invasive weeds this year. There will be 2 divers coming with full diving gear ready to work for the day. There is currently no cost associated with this activity; however, we will be providing the divers with a token of our gratitude (yet to be determined, although there’s talk of revisiting last year’s pizza party hit).

There are several activities and supplies that will need to be procured in preparation for the divers to make their time as efficient and effective as possible. Tow and haul boats, tarps, and volunteers will be greatly appreciated. This should be another great chance to build SDRA comradery! More details to come.

Water Testing — Myles and Deb Silva

Water testing this year has gone well. We have installed a new water test mooring at the north end to make our test results more repeatable. The water appears very clear with visibility to three meters. The high temperature as of yesterday is a warm 84 F.

Save the Lakes – Judy Colaluca

Save The Lakes was awarded a Resolution in the Senate Chambers at the RI State House this past June. How exciting to know that RI state leaders are supporting actions that concern freshwater across our beautiful state. The cesspool bill past this term and that benefits all lakes and ponds. There will be more educational workshops in the coming months. Check out the wesite www.stlri.com

Website and Education – Steve Hanley and Carolyn Fortuna

If you couldn’t be attendance for our annual Sand Dam Day festivities, check out the article Steve wrote on the Sand Dam Reservoir Association website: “Sand Dam Day 2015 A Smashing Success!”

Are you part of the network of 215 individuals who follow our website? If not, it’s easy to do! Go to our website at http://www.sanddamreservoir.com. On the Home page, in the right hand margin, you’ll see the bold title invitation to Follow This Blog. Click on it and fill in the information requested. After that, every time we send out a notice of What’s Happening at SDRA, you will get an email with the update. It’s really easy to stay in touch this way with SDRA.

The website contains lots of pages of information about our Association and the lake itself. You can find documents relating to our lake management plan, all the announcements and articles we’ve posted, a history of our Association, descriptions of the lake itself, and much more. The website is a good resource, one that is always evolving and changing — with your help! If you have something that you’d like to see included on our SDRA website, please send it along to schanley45@gmail.com or c4tuna31@gmail.com.

08/12/2015

Mulberry Vineyards Wine Tasting on September 25

Help support Sand Dam Reservoir Association’s endeavors to reduce invasive weeds on our lake. It will be a fun evening of good appetizers, conversation, and — of course! — wine. Come along and share in the fun, just as the foliage begins to turn. Check out Mulberry Vineyards at their website here.

Reserve your place by contacting c4tuna31@gmail.com or ashleyhopkins8@live.com

We’re looking forward to seeing you there!

07/21/2015

Sand Dam Day, Saturday, July 25, 2015

Dear Neighbors,

Before celebrating Sand Dam Day at Carolyn and Steve’s House Saturday, July 25 at 4 PM, Rico and I will be leading a boat parade around the lake as we did about 30 years ago. So, decorate up your boat and be ready to sail, float, row, paddle, or motor around the lake. A boat is a vehicle that goes on water— you decide.

The boat parade will form at 3:30 sharp at the Colaluca floating blue dock in front of the house. We will travel around the lake, landing at Carolyn and Steve’s dock. If you would rather, you may join in the parade as we pass your property or go directly to their house.

See you soon,

Judy

RSVP