Board meetings for 2023-2024 & Trash Recovery Program
Sand Dam Reservoir Association Newsletter
March Newsletter
January 04, 2023
SEPTEMBER 8, 2022
Sand Dam Reservoir Association Newsletter
Sand Dam Reservoir Association Newsletter
Fall 2020
TRASH CLEANUP: Our traditional Fall cleanup, usually done in November, cannot be done in the same manner this year. With covid news, spikes in cases & the Governor’s directions, it seems unwise to schedule a formal event. Cleanup could be accomplished on an informal basis, at a time of your choosing, and carried out in family units or with just a few people who hang out together, or even as an individual.
If you wish to pick up trash along Chestnut Hill across from the Transfer Station, our biggest problem area, please send the following information to Judy (colalucajudy@gmail.com or 401-486-8414): NAME OF YOUR GROUP, DATE, TIME BLOCK (beginning & ending time). If 2 groups happen to pick the same time slot, the group whose information comes in first will be given that slot & the other group will be notified.
Judy reminds us that it is helpful to:
- Have gloves & boots (ground very muddy and there is much glass);
- Use a large plastic bucket to collect trash and/or bring other useful cleaning tools;
- Wear a mask and social distance, as appropriate.
Also, let’s not forget that, with the low water level, this is an ideal time to tackle areas around your own shoreline, as well as the paths and surrounding land areas.
A FEW STATISTICS:
- Boats using the state launch area, in 2019, numbered about 600; in 2020 it was near 1500!
- After extensive Suction Harvesting efforts from teams of up to 10 people, led by Aaron Colaluca and Art Searle, our lake still has approximately 17 acres of invasive milfoil.
- About a dozen people carry out an estimated 95% of the work of SDRA. We will be seeking to engage broader participation to care for the health and preservation of our lake. It takes many hands, and the work is especially challenging in these times.
MEMBERSHIP: currently stands at 31 full memberships and 3 Associate memberships. The Treasurer and Secretary remind us that the by-laws on this matter will be observed: “The annual dues shall become due and payable not later than September 1st of the new fiscal year. If dues are not paid within 60 days of the due date, membership rights, including the power to vote at any and all meetings of the SDRA, shall be suspended until such time as they are paid in full.” This means all dues should be paid by October 31st.
PO Box 284, Chepachet, RI 02814
FUNDRAISING: The loss of our Bella’s event means a loss of about $4000 to our treasury. The Board has made 2 efforts to date: asking people to voluntarily add funds when you send in your dues and note cards. Slightly over $1000 additional funds were received from donors via the first approach and $162 in profit has resulted from the sale of 27 note card packets to 7 members.
Deb worked with a local artist to produce these packets of note cards displaying photos of our lake. A separate mailing on that has already occurred. The cost is $20/packet, with 7 cards & envelopes, printed on quality paper. These attractive cards are handy to have & would also make a nice gift or gift accompaniment. Contact Deb at debsilva7771@gmail.com for your sets; Deb will get them to you.
WHY THE NEED FOR ADDITIONAL FUNDS? MILFOIL!
- There was an estimated 17 acres of milfoil in our lake at the end of the summer season. Aaron & Art, our Lake Management leaders, tell us that this amount of milfoil in our deeper waters is too extensive to be tackled by Suction Harvesting which, we are reminded, is intended for treating “hot spots”. The hot summer and lower than normal water levels likely contributed to this growth. And having nearly 1500 boats entering by means of the State launch ramp may not have helped the situation.
- If left untreated, the milfoil will continue its march to take over our lake.
- Treatment with herbicides is costly. The most effective one, ProcellaCOR, is more effective, kinder to the environment, has longer-lasting results, and, of course, is significantly more expensive. Even Clean-amine is not cheap.
- To treat only part of the lake would be ineffective. We would likely need to budget for not less than 20 acres; and perhaps up to 25 acres.
What ideas do YOU have for fundraising?
What are YOUR THOUGHTS about treating the milfoil?
What are YOU willing to do to help?
SEND YOUR RESPONSES BEFORE NOV. 15TH TO ANY BOARD MEMBER: JANICE, DEB, ELAINE, MARISSA, ERIC, CLEO OR JUDY – OR FEEL FREE TO SEND YOUR IDEAS TO ALL BOARD MEMBERS.
NOTICE OF SCHEDULED BOARD MEETING DATES:
- all meetings start at 7 PM;
- conducted telephonically until further notice;
- contact Janice Baker (neverneverlandjb@gmail.com or at 401-578-2308) at least 24 hours in advance if you wish to participate; your mobile number is needed to make the connection;
- mark your calendars: November 16, 2020
January 4, 2021
February 8, 2021
March 15, 2021
May 17, 2021
Website: www.sanddamreservoir.com Address: PO Box 284, Chepachet, RI 02814
Be sure that Elaine has your updated contact info; if you cannot get onto the website, please email Elaine and she will help you (secretarySDRA@gmail.com).
Sand Dam Reservoir Association Newsletter
November 2020
Nov. 15th” the Drawdown target of -54” was achieved! The numbers will waver somewhat because of weather impact & Keech flow. This work will continue over the next 4 months.
Many thanks to:
- Mike Benoit: for his daily efforts to adjust water levels,
- Rico Colaluca: for taking & recording essential daily measurements & related information,
- Art Searle: for enabling the display of information in easy-to-grasp, online format. See
https://sites.google.com/site/sdradrawdown/.
************************************************************************************************
Our lake is facing a SERIOUS SITUATION –
ONE THAT MAY THREATEN OUR SUMMER ACTIVITIES!
| 22 acres of Variable-leaf Milfoil, still growing, & likely to increase by next summer!Only herbicides can address this large quantity.Insufficient funds in our budget to treat it. |
You will be receiving messages shortly, & in the upcoming months, that relate to fundraising.
Every member and friend of SDRA needs to respond to these fundraising initiatives
if we hope to enjoy our lake for swimming, fishing & boating in 2021.
************************************************************************************************
The Note Cards fundraiser is already underway. It will not yield a huge profit but every little bit helps. What you will receive is a lovely set of “all-purpose” note cards. They can be used in place of store-bought birthday cards, etc., helping avoid a trip to the store while affording the opportunity to write a personal message, one that is truly your own.
- $20/packet of 7, scenes of our lake, local photographers; quality paper!
- Contact Deb Silva for purchase & delivery to your door: debsilva7771@gmail.com or 290 – 7381
****************************************************************
FYI – The Board is working on additional fundraising strategies. The estimated need is
$10,000 – $12,000
to enable a better quality treatment that should last at least 3 years.
Hope all are staying well and safe from covid.
******************************************************************************************************************************
Over the years, Sand Dam Reservoir Association has shared information with its members through newsletters and other forms of communication. As we look back, we remember — fondly — the original SDRA newsletter writers who pecked away on manual typewriters and created multiple copies with carbon paper. As technology evolved, so, too, did our means of communication.
In the twenty-first century, email provides us with an expedient form of delivering information, but it’s sometimes hard to identify what’s important among the hundreds of emails that appear in our In Boxes. As a result, SDRA has returned to a quarterly newsletter as a means of keeping members informed and active in the lake goings-on. We publish the newsletters on our blog and also send out an invitation to our members to view the newsletter through email.
Sand Dam Reservoir Association 