Sustainability – Sand Dam Reservoir Association

02/15/2017

A 6-Course Wine Dinner to Help a Local Nonprofit with Big Sustainability Goals

Smith and Sayles Reservoir in Chepachet has been a site for recreational fishing, people-powered boating, and swimming for decades. It’s also one of the most pristine lake settings in southern New England due to long parcels abutting the lake on the Glocester Land Trust properties.

And a very active lake association that represents over 35 families has been doing everything it can to keep the lake clean, clear, and safe. One obstacle confronting San Dam Reservoir Association (SDRA) is invasive weeds, particularly variable milfoil. Milfoil is a “hitchhiker” that attaches itself to boats and is transferred from one lake to another.

What has SDRA done about invasive weeds?

In 2017, SDRA will continue its voluntary boat inspection program. A team of lake and community members greets boaters to educate and reinforce the importance of proper boater hygiene in stopping the spread of invasive species like milfoil. “DEM has documented over a dozen different invasive species in RI lakes,” says Mary O’Keeffe, SDRA’s boat inspection program coordinator. “So far, variable milfoil is the only invasive plant species found in our lake. Educating boaters and teaching them how to inspect and clean their boats is an important primary prevention effort. We find plant material on about 20% of the boats/trailers that visit the boat launch.”

While the boat inspection team can identify new invasives that might be introduced into Smith and Sayles Reservoir, the existing milfoil continues to be a problem. According to SDRA President Judy Colaluca, “Invasive weeds are here to stay. Controlling them and limiting their expansion is our goal. To attain this goal ALL must work as a team utilizing numerous methods.”

SDRA has tried hand pulling weeds, hiring divers, experimenting with a mat to prevent sunlight on the lake bottom, and working in conjunction with the Department of Environmental Protection (DEM) each autumn to draw down the lake level. That last measure, hopefully, freezes plants when areas of the lake bottom are exposed. SDRA even went so far nearly ten years ago to apply chemicals to the weeds’ roots. That solution proved to be only temporary. It also wasn’t sustainable, may produce health consequences, and flamed tensions among members.

SDRA’s lake management committee kept researching new methods to mitigate invasives. In 2015, a Massachusetts lake association caught SDRA’s attention with their own invasive weed reduction program. “Suction harvesting can be an effective, environmentally friendly option for milfoil reduction,” explains SDRA’s Lake Management Chair, Art Searle. “Imagine a powerful, floating shop vac guided by divers who position a suction nozzle near milfoil roots. A topside crew collects and composts milfoil. That’s the essence of diver assisted suction harvesting.”

A suction harvester, which combines a pontoon boat based with a vacuuming device and weed collection area, was appealing to SDRA. Because it was decentralized, too, it could be operated by trained assocation members, thereby adjusting its use to the times when the invasive milfoil’s red stalks and root systems were most prominent.

Nothing’s free, and suction harvesters are quite pricey

There was one really big barrier to SDRA’s purchase of a suction harvester, however.

A suction harvester is expensive, especially for a relatively small organization like SDRA: $17,000. Fast forward to the past year. SDRA held two major fundraisers — one at Mulberry Vineyard and another at the Purple Cat Winery — to boost the treasury. By late summer 2016, SDRA was able to purchase a suction harvester.

It has worked great so far! Even with only a short amount of time remaining to the 2016 high season after purchase, SDRA was able to fill around 200 biodegradable bags with invasive milfoil from Smith and Sayles Reservoir.

But the purchase of the suction harvester affected SDRA’s treasury significantly. A winter 2017 fundraising drive was very helpful. But, in order to maintain and sustain the suction harvester and continue to build in other sustainability initiatives to preserve the Reservoir, SDRA needs to continue to replenish its treasury.

A 6-course wine dinner for only $45 per person at Bella’s

So there’s another SDRA fundraiser in the near future. Won’t you join us at Bella’s Restaurant on Saturday, April 8, 2017 for an evening of six excellent chef-selected dishes paired with six wines suggested by Kitson’s Liquors? You’ll also have the opportunity to review items in a Silent Auction, take a chance on a 50-50 raffle, and, most importantly, chat about community sustainability issues with SDRA members and interested friends. You’ll be contributing to a healthy Smith and Sayles Reservoir lake ecosystem.

Tickets are $45 each. For more information, contact Carolyn Fortuna at c4tuna31@gmail.com.

03/29/2015

Sand Dam Reservoir Association Newsletter: April 1, 2015

Sand Dam Reservoir Association Newsletter

April 1, 2015

www.sanddamreservoir.com

Board of Directors’ Updates

President

Spring is on the calendar! I am looking forward to being able to look out the front windows without stretching to see over the pails on snow collected by Rico who continuously shoveled off our roof. I am positive everyone has a “Snow” story to share. As we look ahead to some warm days, know that our SDRA Association has a complete and hard working board of directors and committees. I am pleased to say that folks filled vacancies and all are working hard. With the addition of some new members, new ideas are being shared. Our SDRA By- Laws are being revised, and this will help to make clearer the rules that govern SDRA. Thank you, Janice, for heading up this extremely important committee. A vote will be taken at the Annual Meeting in June regarding changes to the By-Laws. In the coming months, there is much to do: clean up at the dam, repairing the gate, organizing the lake management plan, writing grants, preparing for the boat inspection program, and much more. There is always plenty to get involved in here on our lake. If everyone would do something- all would be great. In the weeks and months ahead, there will be times when we all don’t agree on something, but we must remember: majority rules as we all strive for the best for our environment. Get involved-many hands make light work! — Judy Colaluca

Secretary

The Board of Directors (BOD) continues to meet regularly, though our snowy February interrupted the monthly meeting schedule. At the January meeting the BOD approved filling the vacant Board positions with two excellent SDRA members. Lynne Kohanski, who formerly served as SDRA secretary, graciously offered to serve in the Vice President position. Eric LaRiveire, who has been a SDRA member for 3+ years, expressed an interest in becoming more involved by serving as one of the Directors at Large. We are very grateful to Lynne and Eric for volunteering to fill these positions – Mary O’Keeffe

Treasurer

Our balance remains steady, with payments this quarter directed to Treasurer’s Honesty Bond, U.S. Post Office box renewal, and final annual payment to the Dam Master. We’ve also added three family members to the 2014-2015 membership list.

If you, too, realize that you’d like to vote at the next annual meeting but have forgotten to send in your membership dues of $50 per family, please feel free to mail a payment to SDRA, PO Box 284, Chepachet, RI 02814.— Carolyn Fortuna

Boat Launch Greeter Program

We look forward to another active season for the Boat Launch Greeter-Voluntary Inspection Program. We typically get the list of scheduled tournaments from the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management (DEM) in early April. Targeting tournaments and other high-traffic periods allows us to maximize the efficiency of this important education and outreach program. Promoting proper boater hygiene is one of the key tools in the SDRA Lake Management toolbox. As noted in the December newsletter, last season we inspected over 100 boats, and about 20% were found to have plant material that may have been invasive.

At a public hearing scheduled for March 30th, the Rhode Island DEM considers proposed revisions to the RI freshwater fishing regulation. Included is a proposal to modify to the requirements for obtaining a tournament permit. A permit is currently required for groups of 3 boats/6 people or more. The proposal would increase this size to 10 or more boats. If approved, this change could make our work at the boat launch more challenging, since we would not have advance notice of the smaller groups.

If you would like to learn more about the Boat Launch Greeter program, or if you are interested in volunteering, we would love to hear from you. Feel free to contact me at sdra.secretary@cox.net or (401) 865-2619. — Mary O’Keeffe

Dam Master

We closed the old slide gate on February 1, and, as of March 16, the lake came up two feet. During the week of March 15, we put all the boards back in the old gatehouse. Our goal is to have the lake back up to level by the beginning of fishing season in April. — Dave Morin

Drawdown

Drawdown continues to be a useful tool in our battle with milfoil. During a September 2014 fish survey, Allan Libby, Principal Fisheries Biologist from the RI Division of Fish & Wildlife, remarked, “Your weed control program seems to be working. There are virtually no weeds in the drawdown zone.” The drawdown team remains hopeful that below freezing weather prior to deep snowfall in 2015 will help keep shallower areas of the lake clean by freezing and drying any exposed milfoil. Dave and Danny Morin, Mike Benoit, and Rico Colaluca are key workers in the drawdown effort. They wrestle with heavy parts and collect data diligently throughout the drawdown, and are deserving of our recognition. On February 7, the drawdown team discontinued drawdown efforts for the period, and closed the low water outlet gate. As we have done in the past, we expect to be reporting our results to RIDEM Director of Wetlands, Brian Moore, at some point during summer 2015. We are in preliminary discussion with Mr. Moore’s office about the potential for increasing the maximum drawdown depth by two inches. You are encouraged to review the results of the 2014-2015 drawdown at http://goo.gl/71p9S4 . — Judy Colaluca and Art Searle

Events Sponsored by SDRA

Annual Meeting: Put the date of SDRA’s annual meeting on your calendar: Wednesday, June 17, 2015 at the Glocester Town Hall. We’ll start with a fellowship hour from 6-7 p.m., which is an opportunity to catch up after the long winter months with your neighbors. At 7 p.m., we’ll begin our business meeting. — The Board of Directors

Earth Day Clean-Up: In conjunction with Earth Day, SDRA will conduct its bi-annual dam cleanup on Saturday, May 2, 2015 (tentative). Join a team of volunteers that day starting at 8:30 a.m. at the Colaluca Home, 61 Wood Road, for hot beverages and pastries. At 9:30, we’ll meet at the dam with gloves, steel rakes, and trash bags to make the dam area pretty for the spring blooms —- as well as to meet our obligations to the town to maintain the area’s cleanliness for subsequent bush hog trimming. — The Board of Directors

Fundraising

A State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations Legislative grant application has been filed on behalf of Sand Dam Reservoir Association. The $500 grant will assist SDRA to continue dam monitoring and networking with other lake associations around the State. — Carolyn Fortuna

Lake Management Plan

The committee has met and is doing research. We have:

Reviewed past history
Research weevils
Research mats- check on the Monti Project
Review drawdown- with this year’s freeze there should be good success
Review gatehouse- tracks in which the gate slides have deteriorated to a point where the gate is difficult to align with the surface against which it seals. Angle irons to be added and situation fixed.
Checking with DEM on permitting process
Review weed pulling- and use of divers
Much interest in a Suction Harvester – checking into cost of building own
Continue boat inspection – –Rico Colaluca

Northern Rhode Island Supporters of Open Spaces

This newly formed organization (NRISOS) promotes the preservation and management of open space in our local communities by raising funds and mobilizing volunteer support for area conservation groups. SDRA was invited to be part of a Winter Gathering and Fundraiser at Mulberry Vineyards in Chepachet on February 6th. Despite the winter chill, over 60 people — including representatives from 9 area conservation groups, including SDRA — were in attendance. NRISOS raised funds that evening in support of their Small Grants Program, which provides ecology resources, educational events, and recreational activities that help connect Rhode Islanders with our region’s unique natural habitats. SDRA is targeted for assistance from NRISOS in 2015. — Carolyn Fortuna

Save the Lakes

There are two events to put on your calendar:

Saturday, April 4, 2015, “Celebrate Freshwater” at the BassPro Shop, Patriots Place, Foxboro, MA, 10 AM to 4 PM. This is a great opportunity to gather information regarding “Best Practice” around freshwater. Also, learn how to filet a freshwater fish and acquire some new fishing tips to catch the “Big One”.– Judy Colaluca

Thursday, April 30, 2015. Attend the STL Annual Meeting with DEM at Save The Bay Headquarters in Providence, 6:30 to 9 PM. This is an opportunity to talk directly to DEM Director Janet Coit and other officials. Come learn what is happening in our environment. —The Lake Management Committee

Sunshine Fund

We were saddened to say goodbye to our long-time lake association member and advocate, Vivian Searle. Vivian was a staunch supporter of lake protection and is particularly remembered for her leadership of the Jet Ski Ad Hoc Committee. Our thoughts go out to Frank, his children, and our Board Member, Art.—-Carolyn Fortuna

Website and Education

The URL for our SDRA website is http://sanddamreservoir.com. An article on Bald Eagle sightings on our reservoir was posted on our website on February 7, 2015. We also disseminated an article from Watershed Watch, URI: Extreme Winter to Affect RI Water Quality. If you’d like to follow our website and receive updates, click the website address and enter your email in the field titled, “Follow Blog via email.” We’ve also added a Search function to the website, if you’re trying to locate a particular bit of information.— Carolyn Fortuna

08/27/201408/27/2014

Weed Pull II at Sand Dam Reservoir

Sunday, August 10 was the date for the second planned SDRA weed pull event (Weed Pull II) of 2014. Beginning at 3PM and ending at 8 PM, the event was another great volunteer effort.

Conferencing+With+James — Conferencing with James

Well organized and well attended, 16 volunteers gathered together and proceeded with their supplies, boats, and assigned divers to areas of milfoil previously identified by Ray Theriault and Art Searle. The four divers, led by James Newland, were prepped by Art Searle on what milfoil looks like and how to extract with its strong root system without creating too much fragmentation.

As the divers moved through their gridded areas significantly more milfoil was found.

This+Is+How+SDRA+Gathers+The+Big+Bad+Weeds — This is how SDRA gathers the big bad weeds

OK+Class%2C+This+is+What+Milfoil+Looks+Like — Okay, class: This is what milfoil looks like

Large amounts of were extracted and loaded into the accompanying rowboats. It was all deposited at various lakeside properties offered by the volunteers at the end of the day.

A+Professional+Diver%27s+Bounty — A professional diver’s bounty

Everyone who participated did a terrific job. The boat captains, Bob Bedard, Ernie Heon and Steve Hopkins managed to move everyone into position and continued to stay on point with safety. The boat assistants Cleo Monti, Deb Silva and John Guertin were also watching and communicating constantly with the men manning the rowboats. Rowers Kyle Theriault, Eric Lariviere, Sam Hawkes , his friend, Brendan, and Myles Silva stayed with their divers and worked well with them to make sure that milfoil was properly secured in the rowboats for disposal and floating pieces were captured. Pauline Finlaw was on call to relieve and assist the rowboats with milfoil transport. Art Searle and his brother, George, also dove for weeds and provided additional safety assistance.

James+The+Diver+with+Milfoil+in+Hand — James the diver with milfoil in hand

Mary O’Keeffe’s signage at the boat ramp was effective in assuring that no additional boat traffic obstructed the divers. Ray and Elaine Theriault provided needed boat surveillance and coordination of this extraordinary effort. Sam Hawkes was instrumental in hiring the divers as well as organizing a celebratory pizza party at the conclusion of this four hour event. Rico provided 1000 feet of line and Myles Silva donated multiple pieces of rebar for the underwater grid.

Moving+The+Product+2 — Moving the product

The resulting harvest was significant and contained only milfoil. The amount of milfoil identified by Ray and Art several days prior to the planned weed pull had tripled in volume by Sunday afternoon. The weeds were deep rooted and at times very hard to remove. The divers were persistent; returning over and over again to assure that the tentacle-like root ball was also removed.

It%27s+A+Tough+Job+But+Someone+Gotta+Do+It — It’s a tough job but someone’s gotta do it

This SDRA Community project was truly a monumental effort and significant to the history of Sand Dam Reservoir. A heartfelt thanks has been extended to everyone who gave up their mid-summer Sunday afternoon to participate.

WHAT A TEAM!

This article was written and photographed by Elaine Theriault.