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Lake Mishnock Preservation Association |
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Archives
Chronology of meetings and events 2013-2019 2013 Pasta Fundraiser The West Greenwich Conservation Commission is sponsoring (along
with friends like the New England Mountain Bike Assoc.) its annual Earth Day Clean Up event on Saturday, April 20th. A
gathering for clean up assignments, distribution of bags and gloves, and free tee shirts (first come, first
serve) will occur between 8:30-9:00
am at Rt. 95 Exit 6A parking
lot. And finally, volunteers are welcomed to our sponsored free lunch at Lake Mishnock
Barn at noon, after the clean up. Usually
a pretty good time is had by all. The 2018 Pasta Dinner Fundraiser was a rousing success. We grossed approximately
$4000, with a significant portion coming from the raffle. We picked up one new member and several donations.
Attendance may have been down somewhat from last year but the amount of money raised was about the same.
The permits for treatment of the lake have been filed with DEM and we are should be
able to treat in a timely manner. The recent weather has not been conducive to weed growth, and that is
a good thing. Still a little sunshine would be nice to see! URI Watershed Watch lake testing
starts May 3, so Ken Brown and James Wahl should be on the lake that day. A new member, Paul
Cook has expressed interest so maybe he will be helping. Big River Earth Day clean up is Saturday, April 21,
2018. Meet 0830 at park and ride exit 6A, Hopkins Hill, off of I95. There is plenty
of trash around our lake that needs to be picked up. Read more here: https://www.wgtownri.org/home/news/earth-day-clean-ups-saturday-april-21st The
Board of Directors met February 10 at the Barn to discuss treatment options for the spring (2018) and plan for the Pasta Dinner Fundraiser and (click to see raffle prize) Raffle. In addition to the Directors two new members attended - Ed and Barbara Kane. It is a welcome rarity to have members
attend Directors meetings. Also, James Wahl brought a neighbor, Paul Cook, who recently moved to our area and lives on
the lake. We discussed the treatment proposals from Solitude and decided on some changes: two treatments only, one in spring
and the other as late as possible while still retaining treatment potency. We can't allow the milfoil to grow too long
or the second treatment is not effective. It's pretty clear we need two treatments a year to stay in control of invasive
vegetation. Also we will not treat for lilies this year. The modified proposal was discussed with Solitude and a new contract
was established and is ready for signature. We hope to have DEM approval in plenty of time for treatment in May or early June.
Ed
Kane offered to work with Ken Brown on a slide show for presentation at the Pasta Dinner Fundraiser and Raffle scheduled
for April 15, 2018. Ed specializes in computer related communications programing. What a great addition to LMPA! Barbara Kane volunteered to
establish a Facebook page called "Friends of Lake Mishnock". The idea of having a Facebook presence has been a controversial
one because of some trolling a few years back. The Friends of Lake Mishnock will not be the official face of LMPA, but
will provide a link to the website. Our hope is that this will expand our membership and provide a platform for like
minded people to exchange information and ideas about the lake. Our next meeting is March 24, usual time and place. The Pasta Dinner
Fundraiser and Raffle is scheduled for April 15. Read more click here. Our Annual meeting and elections were held Saturday, November
18 at the Mishnock Barn. We had a good turn out. All the officers (Dan Albro, President; Ken Brown, Vice President; Kelly
Albro, Secretary; and Kathy Fallon, Treasurer) were reelected to serve three year terms. Ken St.Onge was reelected
to the Board of Directors for a three year term. John Berchem was newly elected to the Board of Directors for a three year
term. John was unable to attend the meeting because he is working in Puerto Rico. Puerto Rico was hit with a vicious hurricane
several weeks ago. John works for a company that specializes in pumping large amounts of water. A major dam has been compromised
and that's why John is there. We have several new members: Ed and Barbara Kane, the Kevin Breene family, John
"Rusty" Waters and Julie Pettigrew. We certainly welcome new members. The Kanes and Rusty have family connections
with the lake going back at least 50 years. They live adjacent to each other in WWII vintage cottages across from Brookside
Beach. We appreciate our new members! The main attraction of the annual meeting was Richard Ruby, the biologist from Solitude
who helps us manage our lake and keep it healthy. Mr. Ruby gave us a summary of last year's treatments and
outlined in detail our options for next year. It is no simple matter to keep the invasive plants in check while
at the same time not spending any more than we have to. Mr. Ruby will provide us with a written proposal for next
year's treatment options in time for our next Directors' meeting on Saturday February 10,
10 am at the Barn. It is important to get a contract signed early so we get our permits early. We want
the herbicides administered at the best biological moments (maximum death to bad plants!). The last couple
of years have gone smoothly. This
summer had a lot of swan drama. Last year the female (AKA pen) swan died and the male (AKA cob) was
alone for a while. He eventually found a girlfriend and the two produced four signets. Over time three signets died. Late
in the season another cob showed up. The two males did a lot of dive bombing and posturing. Jim Wahl and I were on the
lake for some of this action. It is a sight to see two full grown male swans at war. Eventually one of the males left.
Now we have a pair of swans, just as it should be. The rogue male is gone, and the signet also. We need the swans
to keep our small lake free of geese, who are known for overpopulating and polluting small lakes. The annual meeting and
elections for 2017 will be held at the Mishnock Barn on Saturday, November 18 at 10 am. Letters are being mailed
to the membership informing them of the meeting and providing them the opportunity to nominate members to be directors. The
nominating committee is scheduled to meet Monday, October 9.The annual meeting will review four executive positions (President,
Vice President, Secretary and Treasurer) and one director. The people in those positions have all indicated the desire to
stay. The elections will be held as the first order of business. We expect Richard Ruby from Solitude to attend the meeting
and give as an overview of this year's lake treatment. The Solitude end-of-the-year report will be available. If you are
a LMPA member, try to bring a new person with you. We still have people living on the lake who don't belong to the Association. We
spend between 5,000 and 9,000 dollars every year to keep the lake healthy and viable for future generations. Invasive vegetation
requires constant monitoring. We have seen lakes where nothing is done. The results can be devastating. Small lakes are reduced
to swamps. Lake was treated on May 30, 2017. The lake responded well, and there was lots of dead milfoil as a result. This
always makes the lake look murky for a while, but that is the price we pay for not turning into a swamp. The
clarity of the lake overall for this season was good. The Secchi test from this last weekend (August 27) showed
clear to almost five meters. A follow up treatment was performed August 24 in hopes that this would diminish the growth
for next year. Lily treatment is expected during the next week to ten days. We only do lily treatment every two or three years.
Some areas of the lake get very dense with lilies.
2017 has been a good year for Lake Mishnock. The gypsy moth caterpillar invasion that we feared did not materialize thanks
to the dampish spring weather. All of the moisture resulted in the proper fungus (fungal pathogen Entomophaga maimaiga)
for killing it off. Love those Latin science names. You can bet I checked the spelling on that a few times. Read about the
Gypsy Moth infestation Read about the 2017 pasta funraiser and raffle here The LMPA directors met on February 4, 2017 to discuss the pasta dinner and milfoil treatment plans. It
has been a warm winter and it appears the milfoil is getting a "jump start." In order to proceed with
the permitting process LMPA needed to update the lake abutters list. On March 2, 2017 the abutters list was updated and
sent to Solitude. Solitude mailed out letters to all lake abutters informing them that treatment is planned for
2017 and the rules for water usage during treatment. LMPA signed a contract with Solitude for two milfoil
treatments and one lily pad treatment, total cost $6825. We are now waiting for DEM to issue the permits.
We expect them in May or early June. Next LMPA directors' meeting
is Saturday March 18, 2017 at the Mishnock Barn. Pasta dinner and fundraiser set for April 9, 2017. The 2016 Annual Meeting and Elections was held November 19 at the Mishnock Barn. Diane Blaquiere,
Neil Digris and Steve Shriner were reelected as directors. The annual Lake Assessment Report from Solitude was reviewed.
All agreed that last year's treatment was effective. Early treatment really helps. I confirmed with Solitude that we are
named in their insurance coverage. A copy of the rider was emailed to us. Solitude recommended two treatments next year
instead of one. The warm conditions stimulated rapid growth. By the end of last season, we were seeing a good growth of milfoil.
The lake was treated on Thursday, June 9, 2016. This was
the earliest treatment we've had in many years. This should facilitate better control of milfoil growth. A Directors'
meeting was held Saturday, September 9, 2016 to plan for the annual meeting and elections. The year-end lake assessment was performed by Solitude (formerly Aquatic Control Technology) September 15.
Their report and recommendations will be available the first week in October. Our annual meeting and elections are scheduled
for Saturday, November 19, 10 AM at the Mishnock Barn. Letters will be sent to all LMPA members, signs posted at both ends
of Mishnock Road, and public notices put in the Reminder and other media outlets. The Nomination Committee is Ken
Brown, Nancy Brown, and Ken Fallon. Three directors are up for review. The Pasta Dinner Fundraiser 2016 was a rousing success and
nobody was happier than Bobby and Flo Meehan. The Lake Association honored their lifetime of service to the
Mishnock community with a handcrafted bench donated by Joanne Rice. As busy as the Meehans are, it is
unlikely they will find much time to sit on it, but after much harassment they agreed to sit long enough for a picture to
be taken. Bobby and the West Greenwich Coventry Lions have served the meal for LMPA's annual fundraiser
for 10 years. Without them the Pasta Dinner Fundraiser would not exist. The bench is engraved with the title of Waite Albro's
book, A Brief Moment In Time - a book with special meaning to Bobby and Flo Meehan. Mr. Albro (father of LMPA's president,
Dan) played a special role in their early Mishnock days. To see other pictures click here. To learn about the businesses and individuals who donated to our 2016 Raffle, click here For an updated (2016) list of important
Rhode Island contacts for lakes and ponds click here. The annual Big River Earth Day cleanup will be held Saturday, April 23, 2016. Participants should meet at I95 exit
6a around 8:00 am to register and pick up gloves and bags. There is a lot of trash on the roads around our lake. This will
be the time to clean it up. Help if you can. Lunch will be served at the Mishnock Barn. Here is a link to a video about the
2015 Earth Day Cleanup. https://vimeo.com/125753202. After you open this you may need to choose "Open in a new window". Directors' meeting held March 5. Items discussed included the upcoming Pasta Dinner
Fundraiser on April 10. See more here. There will be a raffle including a handcrafted outdoor bench by Joanne Rice. Check out her
great work here: http://www.picnictablesplus.com/index.html just like last year. Raffle items should be dropped off at the Barn on Thursday March 31 at 7pm, at which time we'll
finalize details for the Fundraiser and raffle. Chronology
of important dates and activities 2005-2016 Linda
Green of Watershed Watch, University of Rhode Island will give a presentation at the West Greenwich Town Hall on Wednesday
May 4 at 7 pm. Linda is an authority on Rhode Island lakes. We need a good turnout. The health of our
lakes and watersheds should be a paramount concern for all of us. Nothing is more basic than water. We
should especially encourage those living near Lake Mishnock to attend. The Watershed Watch program has been gathering scientific
data on Rhode Island Lakes for more than 20 years. Directors' meeting
scheduled for Saturday, March 5, 2016, 10 am at the Mishnock Barn. We need to discuss the Pasta Dinner Fundraiser
scheduled for April 10, and the notification process for letting Mishnock lake abutters know about this year's
treatment plans. The Lake Mishnock annual meeting was held December 12, 2015 at
the Mishnock Barn. Ken Brown, Nancy Brown, Joyce Nero, David Nero, James Wahl, and Joann Wahl were reelected as
Directors. The year end report from Aquatic Control Technology was read. It was a good year for the lake. Treatments were effective
and performed in a timely manner, including two water lily treatments. Water lilies require thinning every three or four
years and definitely needed attention. $3992.50
in grant money was received by LMPA from the State of Rhode Island DEM. This was very helpful in paying for the ongoing
management of invasive weeds in our lake. Total treatment cost for 2015 was $5860. Sandy Bacchus with the West Greenwich Conservation Commission will be setting a meeting
date with Linda Green from URI Watershed Watch for Linda to address the Commission and our lake association about lake
management problems and issues around the country. The meeting will be held the first Thursday after the first Wednesday in
either February or March. Sandy will be in touch. Annual Pasta Dinner and Fundraiser is scheduled for April 10, 2016 The Lake Mishnock annual meeting and elections will
be held at the Mishnock Barn December 12, 2015 11AM. Directors are asked to be there by 10AM to help set up. Seven Directors
positions are up for review. It appears that six of the seven are interested in serving for another term. If any other LMPA
members are interested in serving on the Board of Directors they should write to Nancy Brown, LMPA, Box 240 Coventry, RI.
Nominations for Board Membership can also be made at the meeting on December 12.We will discuss the "state of the
lake" . We expect to have the end-of-the-year report 2015 from Aquatic Control Technology. Lake Mishnock was chemically
treated for nuisance vegetation (milfoil) on July 28, 2015 and again on September 1. The latter treatment was primarily for
water lilies. The water lilies had not been treated (thinned) for several years and were "taking over" parts of
the lake. Today is October 6. Many lake residents have commented that this year's treatment was effective. While we can
never stop the growth of nuisance vegetation, we can mange it with prudent treatment. The summer of 2015 was a good one on
Lake Mishnock. The following comes from the Town of West Greenwich. Note there is a cleanup of our area Saturday, April
18. Meet at 8:30 AM Exit 6A I-95 to pick up bags and gloves. The perimeter of our lake is a real mess. Help if you can. Earth Day Clean Ups:
Pasta Dinner Fundraiser set for Sunday, April 26, 2015 4 to 7pm, with doors opening at 3pm for dancing. All
at the Mishnock Barn. Directors' meeting scheduled for Saturday, 10 am, February 7, 2015 at the Mishnock Barn. Among topics for discussion
is the status of our grant from DEM. The 2014 Annual Meeting and elections are scheduled for Saturday, November 15, 10 AM at the Mishnock Barn.
We hope to have Keith Gazaille from Aquatic Control Technology as a speaker. President Dan Albro will discuss significant
events of the past year, and Diane Blaquire will discuss the discounted septic system program. Four Board Members are up for review - President, Vice President, Treasurer, Secretary
and one Director. The Nominating Committee of Ken Brown, Nancy Brown and Steve Shriner will establish a slate of candidates.
Letters are being sent to all members informing them of the meeting and their right to nominate candidates. House of Representatives member Lisa
Tomasso attended the Directors meeting of October 11 and presented LMPA with a check for $2000 as a Legislative grant to help
LMPA in its mission to keep Lake Mishnock healthy. THANK YOU Lisa Tomasso! Directors' Meeting scheduled for 10 AM, Saturday, October 11 at the Mishnock Barn. Lake Mishnock was treated on June 10, 2014. Keith Gazaille, who surveyed and treated the lake, commented that this was
the worse milfoil growth he'd some in some time. Dead milfoil was apparent in the lake all summer. The treatment clearly
did what it was supposed to do. This year we used Reward (diquat) instead of 2,4-D. RIDEM decided not to approve 2,4-D because
of concerns for local wells. On
June 19 LMPA was approved for a 2 year grant of $4100 by RIDEM. At this time (September 30) we are waiting for the written
grant agreement. On August 5 LMPA
received an application from the State General Assembly to apply for a $2000 grant for FY 2015.The application was filed on
September 13. We do not know the results of that application, but are optimistic. We've had two strokes of good luck to help pay the costs of treating the lake.
It is unlikely that we can ever "fix" our lake. Invasive weeds will always need curbing. Since Lake Mishnock is
part of the Mishnock Aquifer, it is a critically important resource. The Mishnock Aquifer represents about 20 percent of the
Kent County water supply. Our Pasta Dinner Fundraiser was held Sunday, April 27, 2014, 4 to 6:30pm at the Mishnock Barn. We served 170 people, grossed 3470 dollars
and picked up two new memberships. Jim Wahl, Neil Digris, Steve Shriner and John Berchem took care of the serving line. Here they are. Lake
Mishnock Preservation held its Annual Association Membership meeting on Decmber 7, 2013. Board members Diane Blaquiere,
Neil Digris and Steve Shriner were reelected as Board Members. A nominating committee composed of Ken Fallon, Ken Brown
and Steve Shriner was established for 2014 elections. Keith from Aquatic
Control Technology read their annual survey and recommendations. DEM has required LMPA to determine the number and
location of water wells near lake Mishnock. DEM apparently has concerns about the use of 2,4-D liquid herbicide in lakes
where there are active wells near the lake. We located six such wells and provided the information to ACT. These wells are
all located in the same general area. All things considered, ACT is recommending Reward (diquat) be used during
the 2014 treatment. The full explanation for changing our treatment strategy is available in the End-Of-Year Report 2013. Our Constitution was amended in March 2006 to require
one Annual Association Membership meeting per year. Even though the amendment was voted on and approved, the Constitution
and Bylaws, as such, were not rerewitten to reflect the change until this annual meeting. The Constitution can be viewed here. Lake Mishnock Preservation Association
is holding its Annual Association Membership Meeting on December 7, 2013, at 10:00am at the Mishnock
Barn, 200 Mishnock Road, West Greenwich RI 02817.The meeting will include the 2013 annual review, election of board members
and planning for 2014 treatment. It would be great to have a large turnout from the people who live on the lake. Keeping
the milfoil at bay is expensive. If the milfoil wins we eventually don't have a lake. The larger our membership the better.
Directors'
Meeting Saturday, November 2, 2013,10 am at the Mishnock Barn. There is much to discuss. DEM is requiring us to report the
number of wells near the lake. Surveys have been mailed to addresses on the lake for those not listed on Kent County Water
supply. Many of these were returned as undeliverable, but we are working on finding accurate addresses through the West Greenwich
property tax rolls. We need to discuss the need for upcoming elections and a general meeting. The following comes from the Town of West Greenwich. Note there is a cleanup of our area Saturday,
April 18. Meet at 8:30 AM Exit 6A I-95 to pick up bags and gloves. The perimeter of our lake
is a real mess. Help if you can. Earth Day Clean Ups: Pasta Dinner Fundraiser set for Sunday, April 26, 2015 4 to 7pm, with doors opening at 3pm for dancing. All
at the Mishnock Barn. Directors' meeting scheduled for Saturday, 10 am, February 7, 2015 at the Mishnock
Barn. Among topics for discussion is the status of our grant from DEM. The 2014 Annual Meeting and elections are scheduled
for Saturday, November 15, 10 AM at the Mishnock Barn. We hope to have Keith Gazaille from Aquatic
Control Technology as a speaker. President Dan Albro will discuss significant events of the past
year, and Diane Blaquire will discuss the discounted septic system program. Four Board Members are up for review - President, Vice President, Treasurer, Secretary
and one Director. The Nominating Committee of Ken Brown, Nancy Brown and Steve Shriner will
establish a slate of candidates. Letters are being sent to all members informing them of the
meeting and their right to nominate candidates. House of Representatives member Lisa Tomasso attended the Directors meeting of October
11 and presented LMPA with a check for $2000 as a Legislative grant to help LMPA in its mission
to keep Lake Mishnock healthy. THANK YOU Lisa Tomasso! Directors' Meeting
scheduled for 10 AM, Saturday, October 11 at the Mishnock Barn. Lake Mishnock was treated
on June 10, 2014. Keith Gazaille, who surveyed and treated the lake, commented that this was the
worse milfoil growth he'd some in some time. Dead milfoil was apparent in the lake all summer. The treatment clearly
did what it was supposed to do. This year we used Reward (diquat) instead of 2,4-D. RIDEM decided
not to approve 2,4-D because of concerns for local wells. On June 19 LMPA was approved for a 2 year grant of $4100
by RIDEM. At this time (September 30) we are waiting for the written grant agreement. On August 5 LMPA
received an application from the State General Assembly to apply for a $2000 grant for FY 2015.The application was filed
on September 13. We do not know the results of that application, but are optimistic. We've had two strokes of good luck to
help pay the costs of treating the lake. It is unlikely that we can ever "fix" our lake.
Invasive weeds will always need curbing. Since Lake Mishnock is part of the Mishnock Aquifer, it
is a critically important resource. The Mishnock Aquifer represents about 20 percent of the Kent
County water supply. Our Pasta Dinner Fundraiser was held Sunday, April 27, 2014, 4 to 6:30pm at the Mishnock Barn. We served 170 people, grossed 3470 dollars
and picked up two new memberships. Jim Wahl, Neil Digris, Steve Shriner and John Berchem took care
of the serving line. Here they are. Lake
Mishnock Preservation held its Annual Association Membership meeting on Decmber 7, 2013.
Board members Diane Blaquiere, Neil Digris and Steve Shriner were reelected as Board Members. A
nominating committee composed of Ken Fallon, Ken Brown and Steve Shriner was established for
2014 elections. Keith from Aquatic Control Technology
read their annual survey and recommendations. DEM has required LMPA to determine the number and
location of water wells near lake Mishnock. DEM apparently has concerns about the use of 2,4-D liquid
herbicide in lakes where there are active wells near the lake. We located six such wells and provided
the information to ACT. These wells are all located in the same general area. All things considered,
ACT is recommending Reward (diquat) be used during the 2014 treatment. The full explanation
for changing our treatment strategy is available in the End-Of-Year Report 2013. Our Constitution was amended in March 2006 to require
one Annual Association Membership meeting per year. Even though the amendment was voted on and approved,
the Constitution and Bylaws, as such, were not rerewitten to reflect the change until this annual
meeting. The Constitution can be viewed here. Lake Mishnock Preservation Association
is holding its Annual Association Membership Meeting on December 7, 2013, at
10:00am at the Mishnock Barn, 200 Mishnock Road, West Greenwich RI 02817.The meeting will include
the 2013 annual review, election of board members and planning for 2014 treatment. It would be
great to have a large turnout from the people who live on the lake. Keeping the milfoil at bay is
expensive. If the milfoil wins we eventually don't have a lake. The larger our membership the better.
Directors' Meeting Saturday, November 2, 2013,10 am at the Mishnock
Barn. There is much to discuss. DEM is requiring us to report the number of wells near the lake.
Surveys have been mailed to addresses on the lake for those not listed on Kent County Water supply.
Many of these were returned as undeliverable, but we are working on finding accurate addresses
through the West Greenwich property tax rolls. We need to discuss the need for upcoming elections and a general
meeting. Directors meeting Saturday,
10/27/2012, 10am at the Mishnock Barn. We need to finalize preparations for our annual meeting and elections set for Tuesday,
November 13, 7 pm at the Barn. Directors' meeting set for Saturday, September 8, 2012, 10 AM at the Mishnock Barn. We
will discuss this year's lake treatment and begin planning for our annual membership meeting. Due in part to late treatment
over the last two years we are not doing as well as we hoped in managing this difficult invasive. Chronology of Important Dates and Activities in 2007 April 19: Read about what happened at our Special Public Meeting May 1: See pictures from Our Earth Day Booth at the Louttit Library May 1: Earth Day clean up 2005 May 7, 9:30 am: Field training at Yawgoo Pond. We now have four members trained by URI staff for testing
our lake. May 15, 4-7 pm: Family Pasta Dinner Fund Raiser. June
10: Lake receives its first dose of Reward. Read about it here: Phase I treatment June 13: Financial Town meeting at West Greenwich Town Hall. $2,500 was included for "Wetlands Restoration." July 28: Membership drive begins Aug 17: ACT spot treats the lake to thin out waterlilies. The lake will be "closed"
to activity, not for safety reasons, but because water activities can wash the aquatic herbicides from the waterlilies.
This is a the last treatment for this year. Check it out Aug 30: Board of Directors meeting November 15: Full Membership Public Meeting |