LAKE PARKER ASSOCIATION, INC.

PO Box 69, West Glover, VT 05875

June 1999 Newsletter

JD’s Corner	Welcome back to the Lake!  It’s summer again!  It’s good to have everyone here again and we have all kinds of things to do – something for everyone! So get out your calendars and mark all of the following important dates – especially the annual meeting on July 10th!	LPA Annual Meeting
		Saturday, July 10, 1999 5:30PM W. Glover Church
JD is a water dog and observer of life on the pond.

 

 

EVENT	DATE	TIME	PLACE
*** LPA Annual Meeting *** and Potluck Supper	Saturday, July 10th	5:30 PM	West Glover Church
Glover Day	July 24th	All Day	Glover, VT
Glover Ambulance Squad  Open House	Sunday, July 25th	10:30AM-12:00 Noon	New West Glover Garage
Dixieland Band and Lake-Wide Family Picnic	Sunday, July 25th	1:00-4:00 PM	Lake Parker Boat Access
Lake Protection Projects Workday	Saturday, Aug. 14th	All Day

 

LPA Annual Meeting

Saturday, July 10, 1999 is the date for our annual business meeting and potluck supper! The potluck supper is from 5:30PM to 7:00PM with business meeting following. This is a great opportunity to see everyone again and discuss common interests in Lake Parker and the Association. So bring a favorite dish to share and come for a neighborly get together. This is an Election Year so your attendance is especially important because the direction and activities supported by your association will be determined by the new officers and committee chairpersons that you elect. As usual, the Association Board will submit a slate of officers and committee chairpersons for your consideration, but remember that you can nominate any member that you feel would do a good job in a particular position. So please, actively use the election process to make the LPA what you want it to be. Please mark your calendar and plan on attending.

 

Agenda

5:30PM - Pot Luck Supper:

Tableware and beverages are provided - Just bring food, especially hot dishes.

 

7:00PM - Business Meeting:

In addition to the usual minutes of last meeting, old business, Treasurer’s report, committee reports, and other new business we have the following new business items to consider.

            A) Debate and Vote on the Walking Path Proposal.

            B) Debate and Vote on Matching Fund for Water Quality Improvement Projects.

            C) Election of Officers and Committee Chairpersons for the next two year term.

 

 

 

Proposed Slate of Officers and Committee Chairpersons

President – Bob Jonson	Water Quality - Bob Richards
Vice-President - Glen Barber	Boat and Water Safety - John Washburn
Secretary - Lynn Washburn	Camp Security –Frank Daignault/Joyce Littlefield
Treasurer - Joyce Croteau	Fishing – Open for nominations
Land Use & Conservation - Madeleine Ducham	Government Liaison – Local - Betsy Day
Weed Cutter/Harvesting – Jeff Millette/Ernie Lord	State  - Open for nominations

 

Walking Path Proposal As many of you know Frank Davio(camp 113) has been looking into the possibility of building a walking path around the south end of the lake. This would allow people to walk all of the way around the lake using mostly the existing town roads. The path would link Town Highway #14 on the East side and Town Highway #10 on the West side. Bob Tetreault’s parents deeded a right of way for a road around the south end of the lake to the Town of Glover in 1963. The town never built the road and has no plans to do so. Bob would like the walking path to be on this right of way because there would be no liability issues between him and the LPA. We would have to deal with the town regarding permission for building the path. Frank obtained a copy of the deed from the town clerk and I attended a Select Board meeting to discuss the possibility of constructing the path. The Selectmen gave us permission to proceed! They have no liability or other concerns and at this point there is nothing else,

with the exception of consulting the LPA membership, we need to do to begin work. A debate and vote on whether or not to make the walking path an LPA project will be held at the annual meeting. Please come to the meeting so that your voice can be heard and your vote counted on this matter. I would be glad to answer any questions that people may have regarding the walking trail.

 

Matching Funds for Water Quality Improvement - At the recent LPA board meeting approval was given for a program whereby LPA members and watershed landowners would be offered the opportunity to make a financial contribution (over and above annual dues) to a fund ear-marked solely for lake water quality improvements. These contributions would then be matched by an equal amount taken from the LPA treasury, up to a maximum of $2,500.  A target of $5,000 total, for combined contributions, was proposed. This would accomplish two important things. 1) It would demonstrate to the state and federal water quality agencies the serious intent of the LPA to move forward on a positive action program, thus possibly improving our chances of receiving additional grant funds, and, 2) it would provide a source of local funding completely under the control of the LPA to finance water quality improvement projects of our own choosing, at our own time and place, unencumbered by governmental regulations.  A large part of the current LPA treasury balance is the result of in-kind time state grants for past years of aquatic nuisance control programs and allocating up to $2500 of this balance for water quality improvements is an appropriate expenditure. A letter explaining the program with the opportunity to contribute will be sent to LPA members and watershed property owners. (Please note that by IRS determination, the LPA is a tax-exempt 501(c) corporation; therefore both annual dues and any other contributions are Federal Income tax deductible, based on the opinion of a professional tax accountant.)

 

Dixieland Band returns on Sunday, July 25^th!  We had such a great time last summer, by popular demand the “Maple Leaf 7” Dixieland Band will be back cruising around Lake Parker starting about 1:00 PM, Sunday, July 25^th, to wrap up our LakeFEST ’99 festivities. Be on your shoreline to welcome them!  The band includes our own Ron Ducham from camp #66! They will wind up with a concert at the boat access from about 3-4 PM;  it’s toe-tapping, hand-clapping music!  Plan to have your own FAMILY PICNIC at the boat access during the concert!

 

 Watershed Survey Results and Recommendations Report

It was great fun to spend Monday, March 15th with Susan Warren of the VTDEC and Madeleine Ducham, working on the water-shed survey results and recommendations. We had a snowstorm that day and after getting Susan unstuck from my driveway all went well. We had a great day that even included a delicious gourmet lunch provided by Barbara and the Lake Parker Store. Whoever said that there is no such thing as a free lunch obviously was unaware of Barbara’s kind heart. The result was a document called “Lake Parker Watershed Survey Results and Recommendations” produced jointly by the LPA and the Lakes and Ponds Section of the VT Agency of Natural Resources.

This is a document that describes what was found during the survey and includes short and long term recommendations for lake protection. I would be happy to provide a copy to any LPA member who requests it. Some of the recommendations are already completed and we will be working on others this summer. We are indeed fortunate  to have such dedicated and hard working folks as Madeleine and Susan. We owe them a huge debt of gratitude, for they have laid the groundwork for a program of lake quality improvements that will benefit every lake user for years to come!  A quality lake means better boating, fishing and swimming, and also protects property values. Thanks Madeleine and Susan – from all of us.

 

 

Celebration of Watershed Survey Completion  On Saturday, June 12th, Madeleine & Ron Ducham graciously hosted a “celebration coffee hour” at their camp, recognizing the successful completion of the 3-year watershed survey program. As Madeleine noted, this was just the first step – now the real work of correcting some of the identified conditions will begin. Supporting the concept that this is a cooperative effort, requiring the input of many individuals and groups, was the attendance of John

Urie & Nick Ecker-Racz, Glover Town Selectmen, State Senator Vince Illuzzi, Rick Welch, Glover Town Road Foreman, Larry Hamel, Newport office of the USDA, Susan Warren, VT Dept. of Environmental Conservation, Paul Daniels Chair of the Board of Supervisors, Orleans County NRCD, Becky Herbig, VT Conservation Districts, and about 25 LPA members. Bob Johnson, LPA president, presented plaques of appreciation to Susan Warren, and Madeleine Ducham for their hard work on the survey. Also discussed were some of the steps to now be taken to implement some of the conditions identified in the survey.

 

New England Lakes Conference – On Saturday, June 19th, 1999 LPA members Madeleine Ducham, John Washburn and Bob Johnson gave a talk on our watershed survey at the Annual New England Lakes Conference in Auburn, Maine. The conference was hosted by the New England Chapter of the North American Lake Management Society. This gave us a chance to chat with other folks concerned with lake protection and to attend a few conference sessions on how other groups have done their surveys and implement corrective actions at their lakes.

 

 Weed Harvesting Update

On Saturday, May 8th, a gang of  “LPA’s finest” painted the weed machine trailer. In case you don’t recognize them in all their “sartorial splendor”, they are, left to right, Chuck Holden, Jeff Millette, Bob J., and Ernie Lord. (Which one is best dressed?) Even with the considerable amount of fooling around somehow the work got done and the trailer looks great so we need to thank folks for giving up a Saturday to do this. Especially Ernie, because he was the brains behind the effort.     Each year, for several years, we received 75% of the Aquatic Nuisance Control Grant funds that we requested. But, while the available money has remained the same, the number of  towns

requesting funding has increased. Last year we received $943.00 of the $1572.00 (60%) requested. This year we will receive $1326.50 of the $2653.00 requested (50%).

    There are two reasons for the substantial ($1081.00) increase in requested funds this year.

1) $601.00 was because we knew that we would have increased (one-time) weed machine maintenance expenses. Little did we know that these expenses would actually be greater than $1200.00. The weed machine is 19 years old and we jumped at the chance to buy some badly needed discontinued spare parts that we have been searching for. This will allow us to keep the machine going for several more years at least.

2) $480.00 was due to a new category of weed control. This is to train campers in the identification of Eurasian Watermilfoil and for the estimated in-kind labor hours for them to check the shoreline in front of their camps for milfoil several times during the summer.

    Also, each year, from last year on, our Aquatic Nuisance Control Grant will be audited! We need to be more diligent about keeping track of expenses and in-kind labor hours donated. So whenever you clean up your shoreline of cut weeds, and when you inspect the weeds growing in front of your camp for possible Eurasian Watermilfoil, PLEASE  call me, Bob Johnson, at camp #25, (525-4078/3458) to report the time you spent. If you find what you think might be Eurasian Milfoil, pick a sample without disturbing the area, and bring it to me. IF WE DO NOT KEEP A RECORD OF VOLUNTEER TIME SPENT WE WILL NOT BE REIMBURSED BY THE STATE!

 

NOTICE: Loons Welcome on Lake Parker!

On April 29^th the loon nesting platform was moved into place at the south end of the lake by Ernie Lord and Jeff Millette with help from Ed Urie, Bob Richards and Samantha. Loons are ancient birds that have come to symbolize grace, beauty, and wildness. Loon sounds and behaviors provide an enriching experience for us all.

They are shy and timid, so please keep a considerable distance away from the platform when boating; otherwise they are not likely to choose it as a nesting place.

Let’s Get the Lead Out! - Eight of fifteen (53 percent) of adult loons in Vermont that were evaluated for cause of death between 1989 and 1998 died of lead poisoning from fishing sinkers. With only about 30 loon pairs breeding in the state and successful pairs producing about one chick per year, the loss of even one of these Vermont endangered birds is significant. Please:

  - Use non-lead fishing weights.

  - Ask your local sporting goods store to stock non-lead fishing tackle.

  - Tell other anglers about the problem with lead and encourage them to switch to non-lead  alternatives.

  - Maintain a respectful distance from wild animals. If a bird vocalizes as you approach, immediately back off.

  - Support loon and other non-game wildlife efforts by donating to the Non-game Wildlife Fund on your

    Vermont income tax form or on hunting and fishing license applications.

 

Better Back Roads Grants – Thanks to Glen Barber, Jeff Millette, Chuck Holden, John Urie we have nearly finished work on our first Better Back Roads grant which provided the Town of Glover with $2000.00 for an erosion control project on West Shore Road near the Dewing Brook. Thanks to Beryl Adams we have received another $1600.00 Better Back Roads grant this year for doing a road inventory in the LP watershed.

 

Aquatic Chronometer (Ice-Out Machine) Secrets Revealed!

These never before published pictures reveal the details of the LPA ice out detecting machine. The device consists of a highly sophisticated battery powered on-shore Y2K compliant computer based monitoring device hard wired to a milk jug and sock full of rocks. After extensive quality control testing and several hardware and software upgrades

the machine this year proved to be just as inaccurate as it was last year! Despite its sophistication the machine detects ice out 3 or 4 days earlier than experienced lake observers. Engineers characterize the thing as being very precise but inaccurate. That is to say, it detects the date and time when the rocks fall through the ice very precisely, right down to the nearest second, but this event occurs days before it should making the end result inaccurate. Any suggestions for improvements?

This year, according to the Aquatic Chronometer, the ice went out at 12:35:26 PM on Sunday, April 18th. A camper on the lake named Lynn Washburn (camp 97) won with a guess that missed the time by only 63 minutes. Two other people had good guesses that were off the mark by only a couple of hours or so. Lynn kindly donated her $67.50 winnings to the LPA treasury, ear-marked for water quality improvement programs.

 

Free Boating Safety Course - Vermont State Boating Laws require that all persons born after January 1, 1974, pass a Boating Safety Course before operating a motorboat.  Several of us became certified to offer the course last summer, but since  there were “no takers” for the course our certification has lapsed. The course is available at no cost on the Internet for Vermont residents at www.boatsafe.com/vermont. The course is also offered at other sites around the state from time-to-time, and Vermont usually recognizes courses taken in other states. (Check with the State Police Marine Division to confirm your state.)  Remember, jet skis are prohibited on Lake Parker! The State Police Marine Division does patrol  Lake Parker to check on this and other rules and regulations . It is your responsibility to know and comply with all boating safety laws!

 

Glover Day, Saturday, July 24^th – Something for everyone best describes the events planned! The fun starts at 8:30 am with the “Tour de Glover” 10 mile mountain bike race starting at the green by the firehouse -  At 9:30AM is the annual 5 ½ mile “Run,Chamberlain, Run” road race starting at the Runaway Pond rest area ($10 entry fee for each above race) - Other activities include a kids’ race at 10 AM starting at the Westlook Cemetery – music by the Bread & Puppet Brass Band – re-enactment of the Runaway Pond story by Bread & Puppet at 11 AM – a “moon walk jumping house” for kids, plus other games – a flea market for kids to sell old toys from 10:30 to 11:30 on the green – a flower show with prizes – lunch by the Fire Dept and a Busy Bee chicken barbecue – at 12 noon a 50/50 duck race – for $10 any organization or business can set up a table to promote their wares etc. – tents on the green for eating and performances, but bring your own rainwear just in case! - bake sale by the Glover Ambulance Unit – at 1 PM an auction by the Glover Church – Citizens Advocacy Barn Sale, 9 AM, at Joan Alexander’s house - and more!  Reserve the day – meet your friends and neighbors and have a great time!  Questions? Call Betsy at 525-4051.

 

Bird Sighting Report – By Dr. Ray Griffin

Olive and I arrived back in West Glover on April 29^th from a 12,000 mile trip across the country. We visited several National Parks and many National Wildlife Refuges. The scenery and wildlife were spectacular.  We touched down on the last of the lower 48 states and the fourth corner of the United States, Cape Flatery. In the process we added five new species to our life list. The birds were Heermann’s Gull, Glaucous-winged Gull, Northwestern Crow, Sharp-railed Grouse, and the Chukar. It was wonderful to come home to such beautiful weather. We put off our spring chores and checked on the spring migration. The warm weather had taken the ice out early so we missed many of the migratory water fowl. Our earliest sighting was a loon which we saw on a number of occasions and heard of a number of other reports. An Osprey was also seen on many dates. Do not mistake this species with a Bald Eagle. Five Double-crested Cormorants were sighted on May 4^th. Sightings of two Upland Sandpipers on the North side of the South Albany road beyond the Lake Parker Country Store, one on the east side of the lake and others on King Road by Sheil Kepler, may indicate this uncommon species may be increasing in out area. A species of the Champlain Valley and the farms around the Newport Airport, the Upland Sandpiper has only been identified in West Glover in the past few years. Many thanks to the very enthusiastic group who showed up for the bird walk on June 5^th, it was a fun time.

 

Bird Walk - On Saturday, June 5th Ray and Olive Griffin (camp #20) led a group of early risers on a fascinating bird walk! Unlike most of us, Ray & Olive can quickly identify a bird-on-the-wing, and with their trained ear can name a species by song. Just standing at the four corners in West Glover, they identified 15 or so different species!  Ray & Olive have been “birding” for more than 20 years, and in all 48 contiguous states!  Thanks Ray & Olive, for an educational two hours! For the rest of you LPA’ers, if you ever note another bird walk coming up, sign up quickly!

 

Invitation to a Wildflower Outing! - Between bird sightings on the recent walk with Ray and Olive Griffin, several of us spontaneously sighted wildflowers as well, which were a lot easier, since they stayed in one place and didn't give hard-to-identify calls.  (The wildflowers, that is, not Ray and Olive.)  We promptly discovered that we had just enough collective flower knowledge to sound impressive, but not enough to work without a field guide.  We also had lots of enthusiasm and great ideas for portable picnic snacks. So, if anyone is interested in joining a cheerful group to wander around, look at flowers, and share botanical wisdom and snacks, please contact Beryl Adams at 525-4416.  In planning this, we need guidance about where and when wildflowers would best be sighted.  In addition to a hand-picked, jovial crowd, we are hoping to attract three types of totally anonymous people: one who knows a lot about herbs, actively supports Earth Day, and has an intimate relationship with balsam wreaths; one who possibly owns and operates a greenhouse, has a really big dog named Charlie, and dries flowers professionally; and one who will enrich the walk with ageless grace, energy, and bird-quotes, such as "Witchety-Witchety," "Te-Bek," and "Poor Sam Peabody, Peabody, Peabody."

 

 

Additional Water Quality Testing on Lake Parker this summer.

Wednesday, May 19th marked the beginning of additional water quality testing on Lake Parker. Neil Kamman an Aquatic Biologist and Kate Peyezl an Environmental Technician both with the Water Quality Division of the Vermont Department of Environmental Conservation will be conducting this testing every other Wednesday throughout the summer. Neil hopes the testing will lead to a better understanding of existing conditions in the lake. Neil is shown with a “Kemmerer” device that allows collection of water samples at predetermined depths. Kate is shown with a “Hydrolab” instrument that collects computerized data of water temperature, dissolved oxygen, conductivity, pressure, and pH at predetermined depths.  The increased testing is a

 result of the attention Lake Parker is receiving after completion of our watershed survey.  While volunteer water sampling (thanks, Bob Richards!) is still the backbone of lake monitoring, folks like Neil and Kate bring a skilled professional dimension to the program.  Thanks Neil & Kate – we appreciate your help!

 

Glover Ambulance Squad Open House – at new West Glover garage, Sunday, July 25^th, 10:30AM-12 noon. Be sure to come and see the transformation of the garage – from old to new! You will be impressed!

 

‘99 Dues Due! - Our new fiscal year starts on July 1. Please pay your 1999 dues of $15.00 per family as soon as possible, either by mailing the dues form, or by bringing to the Annual Meeting and Potluck Supper on July 10^th.  Please be sure to include your new E-911 street address with your dues. To keep in touch all year we also need both your summer and winter addresses and phone numbers. There is also space on the form to share your ideas on Association matters. Last year at the annual meeting we approved the first dues increase in many years, from $10.00 to $15.00 per year. We have a busy year planned, have increased expenses, and probably decreased income from grants so your dues are more important than ever. We are counting on your continued support – it is your organization and only as successful as you make it!

 

Chemical Disappears from Lake Parker Fish - In 1996 we became concerned because Lake Parker was the only lake in Vermont that had small traces of the man-made chemical one methal napthalene in fish taken from the lake during 1995. This chemical most probably came from the burning of wood, dye carriers, soaps or detergents or paint wetting agents and probably did not come from gasoline, oil or the use of outboard motors. This chemical does not accumulate in the environment and fish metabolize it quickly. If it stopped entering the lake then, in time, it would dissipate and not be found in the fish.  The amounts of the chemical found were small and no human health concern existed. However, we wanted to find the source and keep track of the situation.  We were lucky! In 1997 Leon Waskiewicz donated a huge bass and other fish for re-testing. VTDEC, after keeping the fish in a freezer for a couple of years, tested Leon’s fish and found no trace of the chemical. But, all is not perfectly well with the fish. Lake Parker fish have just slightly less mercury contamination than the State of Vermont average. In 1997, due to this mercury contamination, the Vermont Department of Health issued a health advisory warning people to limit consumption of fish caught in Vermont waters. Scientific studies have linked mercury with developmental problems, and kidney and nervous system damage. You can find the consumption limits at http://www.state.vt.us/health/fish.htm on the internet, or in the booklet that you received with your fishing license. 

 

 

A FLATLANDER'S VIEW – by Beryl Adams

  

    When you live on a lake, it's perfectly appropriate to have a boat.  But Bob's overachieving here.  At last count we had five. Bob comes home with an average of one additional boat per year, mostly free, because he does things like ask, "Hey, what are you going to do with that boat?"  And people answer, "I don't know. It needs a lot of work. Do you want it?"  And Bob flashes his boyish/winning smile and says, "Sure."  They chat about keel draft and horsepower potential and registration fees. And then he sneaks it home and parks it in some thick bushes and hopes I won't notice.

     Every so often, I try to make an inventory.

         Me (suspiciously rooting in some thick bushes):   "Bob, come here. Isn't this a new boat?"

        Bob (eyes shifting innocently upward):   "Uh, no, dear. We've always had that one. Don't you remember, 

               you threatened to make a planter out of it last year."

        Me (scowling in memory-scan concentration):   "Oh, did I?"

        Bob:  "No, dear, it's still a boat."

        Me:   "No, I mean…Never mind.  Hmm... We've always had that one?"

        Bob (eyes widened, puppy-like/ crossing fingers behind his back):  "Yes, dear."

        Me (eyes narrowed, one brow raised/ counting on fingers):  "Hmm…"

 

     In addition to boats that are kind of sitting around our yard in various stages of repair and use, we usually moor a couple of sailboats that belong to friends who don't have direct lake access. This, of course, confuses my inventory, makes people think we have a lot of money, and gives Bob a reputation as a skilled sailor.

     I want to make it clear that I have nothing against boats. I really like boats.  I get a little annoyed that boat vocabulary is so hard, like starboard and stuff, and Bob cringes when I refer to the pointy-end of the boat as "the pointy end of the boat."  Despite the fact that I look really stupid trying to get in and out of them, I really like boats.  I like humming around the lake, fishing and looking at wildlife and neighbors. At least until I have to go to the bathroom, and then Bob gets the standard lecture about how cruel and unfair gender differences are.  He handles it well, nodding and widening his eyes and trying to look sympathetic, while patiently steering for home.

   "Humming" is definitely the right term for our boating propulsion.  We have a little electric trawling motor which is quiet, ecology-friendly, and incredibly slow.  Once when we had it on All-Ahead-Full, doing micro-knots, we were actually passed by three paddling ducks who didn't even break a sweat.  I swore they were laughing at us, but Bob said it was just the way they quacked. But anyway, the whole boat-inventory thing was still bothering me last week when I visited my daughter in Nashua.  I decided to do some research during my regular pilgrimage to Barnes and Noble bookstore  (which, I was pleasantly surprised to see, had finally opened the Beryl Adams Wing of the Self-Help and Personal Awareness section, funded entirely through my midlife crisis, and carrying the beautifully stenciled motto, Dedicated to Solving Problems by Reading About Them.)  Fortunately, it was Psychic Appreciation Day, and for just $20 I got a whole new perspective on Bob and boats.

     My psychic was Selma, who preferred the Native American translation of her name, "Grinds Teeth Woman" (tribal affiliation withheld, for some reason.)  GTW was a lovely, 50-ish, astrologer who had done all her wardrobe shopping in the sixties.  She explained that, as a Pisces, Bob needed to be "grounded in water," which seemed a contradiction in terms until she cleared up the Aquarius-in-the-Sixth-House part.  Now, I'm a Pisces, too, but something about my birth's planet-alignment, complicated by a rogue sunspot, means that I'm the fish swimming backward on the logo, while Bob is the one swimming forward. GTW pointed out three energy confluences on a star chart, clearly warning me that if I deliberately interfere with the natural magnetics drawing Bob and boats together, I could seriously clog up my aura and actually owe the universe an extra incarnation as my own grandma.  She spoke awfully fast, and my notes are hard to read, but I'm pretty sure that's it.

     So, now I have enlightened tolerance, squeaky-clean chakras, and an autographed,

first-edition copy of  "Dogma, Karma, and Selma: Your Personal Guide to Soul Knowledge."

 

     I'm just real glad Bob wasn't born an Aries, or a Taurus, for heaven's sake, with Saturn in its ascending phase.  God knows what I could have found in the bushes.