The annual meeting for LMPA was held on Saturday, October 21, at the Mishnock Barn. The Nomination Committee recommended Frank and Tracy Calderone to become Directors. They were elected unanimously with a raise of the hands by the members. We are thrilled to have the Calderones on board. They love the lake and want to do their part to preserve it for future generations. Also, three Directors of long standing were confirmed to continue as Directors -- Diane Blaquire, Steve Shriner, and Neil Digris. With the Calderones we have a full complement of 15 Directors.
Director Kevin O'Brion gave a presentation about the lake's history, starting with glacier action thousands of years ago and ending with our latest Pond and Lake report. (Quite a summary) As to the Pond and Lake report, the big news is that we have a new invasive you can read about Hydrilla verticillata. It is wicked stuff. Under the right conditions it can grow from 1 to 4 inches a day. This problem has been reported to DEM. The report has been shared with Rhode Island Watershed Watch. Our organization will be working with all stake holders to do all we can to make sure Hydrilla doesn't take over here as it has in many parts of the country. Florida for example is spending millions.
The annual meeting for LMPA will be held on Saturday, October 21, 2023, 10 am at the Mishnock Barn. Three directors are up for review and we could elect two new directors. The meeting is open to the general public and we hope for a good turn out. Letters were sent to all the members. Here is the letter we mailed to all members:
Dear Friends of Lake Mishnock:
Unfortunately, no swans this year. A pair was sighted on Little Mishnock early in the year, but they did not make a nest. Good news: Canada geese aren’t living on the lake.
The lake was treated on June 29th with ProcellaCOR by The Pond and Lake Connection. This is the second season of our renewed contract. The lake is getting good protection from invasive milfoil. This year’s treatment funding was enhanced by a legislative grant acquired by RI Senator Leonidas Raptakis. There also was a good turnout for this year’s fundraiser, Rock for Mishnock, held at Dan & Kelly Albro’s Mishnock Barn, featuring: Sundance and Jake Heady & the Albros. They all donated their time and talent.
Some members reported new growth of phragmites along the shoreline. Nick McMahon from Pond & Lake will be treating the phragmites within the next two weeks. He reviewed photos and saw nothing alarming, but will take a closer look. Nick will send an end-of-year report which will be available at the meeting.
PLEASE ATTEND THE ANNUAL MEETING ON OCTOBER 21st AT THE MISHNOCK BARN TO LEARN MORE. IF YOU HAVE A FRIEND OR NEIGHBOR INTERESTED IN BEING AN LMPA MEMBER, PLEASE INVITE THEM TO ATTEND. ALSO: The Nomination Committee will submit nominees for the Board of Directors. As an LMPA member, you will vote at the meeting to renew three positions on the Board of Directors. In addition to renewals, if you would like to nominate yourself or someone you know for a seat on the Board, please fill in the enclosed form which you can mail or bring to the annual meeting on Saturday, October 21st.
Hope to see you at the Barn. The LMPA motto remains: It’s all about the lake.
Sincerely,
Nancy Brown
Membership director, LMPA
Enclosure
cc: Nicholas McMahon
The Rock for Mishnock fundraiser was held August 12, 2023, music provided by Sundance- Jake Heady and the Albros, who kept things rockin from 7 to 11. There was a great turnout! When all was said and done we raised over $5,000. See the list of donors who provided the products for the raffle. Additionally we received a grant from the State of Rhode Island for $2,000. A giant thank you goes to State Senator Leonidas "Lou" Raptakis who presented the check at the fundraiser.
Our next Directors meeting is July 22. Everyone should bring raffle donations to the meeting. The Neros, as usual, are leading the charge in getting donations for raffle prizes.
A Directors meeting was held June 3, 2023 at the Mishnock Barn. We discussed the upcoming treatment of the lake and the forthcoming fundraiser. There was general agreement that the lake looked good. Stephan St. Onge and Nick, from Lake and Pond, had recently toured the lake. The only meaningful area of concern is the presence of phragmites, an aggressive invasive plant. During the upcoming milfoil treatment Nick will evaluate the extent of phragmites and give us a price for treating in the Fall.
Recently I sent out a reminder to LMPA members about an Earth Day cleanup for West Greenwich sponsored by the West Greenwich Land Trust, with information at https://www.facebook.com/wglandtrust/
It was brought to my attention that there is another Earth Day cleanup for West Greenwich the same day being sponsored by the Conservation Commission and includes “Big River Cleanup.” This is the one most of us have participated in throughout the years and is convenient for those living near the Lake. It meets at the Hopkins Hill park and ride on April 22 at 8am. Learn more here: https://www.wgtownri.org.
Spread the word. See pictures from past trash cleanups here.
A Directors meeting was held March 18, 2023 at the Barn. In addition to conducting business, we enjoyed seeing each other! We are all tired of winter and Covid! I even saw a few hugs.
Our annual fundraiser will be Sunday, August 20, 2023, doors open at 3pm. It will be another "Rock Mishnock" with prizes, just as last year. Food will be provided by Wicked Pizza. Cash bar. Tickets available before the event. Donations will be solicited. Those who donate will received a letter verifying our IRS 501(c)(3) tax-exempt non profit status.
We discussed two additional invasive weeds. Our existing contract only covers Milfoil. Pond and lake will be asked to give us a price for dealing with these new invasives. Treatment normally takes place sometime in early June. Next Directors meeting June 3.
The Annual Meeting for 2022 was held November 12 at the Mishnock Barn. Before the meeting started Dan and Kelly were presented with a recognition award for their many years of service
Nancy Brown, Ken Fallon, David Nero and Joyce Nero were reelected as Directors for three year terms. Steven St. Onge, Michael Berek and Kaitlynne Morris were elected as new Directors for three year terms. Steven is a long term and active member who some of us thought was already a Director. Michael and Kaitlynne are new to the organization. They bring youth and enthusiasm! Kaitlynne has state government and grant writing experience. Michale has been a prominent member of the Mishnock community for years and eager to help look after the lake.
We discussed the end of year report from Pond and Lake. Everyone was happy with last year's treatment. The lake looks good. There was some discussion of new invasives. We will have Pond and Lake evaluate in the spring . Next Directors' meeting March 18, 2023.
For those who order through Amazon and want to make a donation to LMPA, Amazon makes it easy. This costs you nothing because Amazon donates a small percentage of the purchase price to qualified non profit organizations like LMPA. Here is a direct link to this feature
https://smile.amazon.com/ch/20-2446561
The annual meeting is set for Saturday, November 12, 10 am, at the Mishnock Barn. Notices have been mailed to all directors and members. We will discuss this past years activities and elect Board members. We hope to see some new faces!
Read about this year's fundraiser.
Update Directors Meeting of June 11, 2022
The Directors Meeting for June 11 ending up being held virtually instead of at the Barn. Basic business was conducted but there were some technical problems. We hope to go "live" next time.
Next Directors Meeting is August 27. Our Annual Meeting for all members is scheduled for November 12, 10 am at the Barn. A fundraiser and raffle, "Rock for Mishnock is scheduled for September 11.
Lots of bass being caught on the lake! Two swans are frequently seen but don't appear to have a nest. So it goes.
Lake Treatment on June 9, 2022
The Pond and Lake Connection will be treating the lake this Thursday, June 9. There has been growth since last year. In Little Mish the milfoil is already growing out of the water. Notices were posted today, June 6. Written notices were mailed to all abutters in February notifying them of future treatment. Here's hoping the treatment lasts for many years. Mitigating invasive weed growth is costly.
There will be a meeting of LMPA Directors Saturday, June 11 at the Mishnock Barn. This only our second "in person" meeting since the arrival of Covid. We can see if we recognize each other and then talk about fund raising. It is great to see that summer is arriving. There have been several swan sightings, but no swan nest sightings!
Directors' meeting held January 8, 2022
LMPA held its first virtual meeting Saturday, January 8 due to Covid concerns. Steve Shriner did a great job of hosting the meeting. Not everyone attended but we had a easy quorum. The issue before the Directors was how to treat the lake for invasive vegetation. The Board voted unanimously to accept the three year contract from Pond and Lake. We just finished a three year contract and were happy with the results. We are hopeful that another three years of treatment with Procellacor Aquatic Herbicide will drastically reduce the amount of milfoil. As someone said, "We've got it on the ropes, let's finish the job.".
December 6, 2021
Notices for renewal of memberships mailed today.
October 15, 2021
An ugly bloom was discovered on the lake a few days ago, and it turned out to be cyanobacteria. People and pets should avoid contact. Use the links in the DEM comments below to learn more about cyanobacteria (blue/green algae)
Please read the DEM comments below:
There appears to be some accumulation of the cyanobacteria happening at various points along the shoreline. We have several lakes that have similar conditions, wind-driven accumulation that is broken up easily and difficult to sample effectively. If there are further reports of deteriorating conditions with high accumulation, we’ll look to sample further. We expect with shorter days and cooler temperatures that the cyanobacteria will naturally abate in the late fall and winter. If any questions come in regarding the cyanobacteria, they can be referred to: DEM.OWRCyano@dem.ri.govor our website with further information here: www.dem.ri.gov/bluegreen.
Our annual meeting was held yesterday, Saturday, October 10, 2021 at the Pavilion behind West Greenwich town hall. We discussed the end-of-year report from Pond and Lake Connection and voted on Directors and Officers. We reelected the same set of officers: Dan Albro, President; Ken Brown, Vice President; Kelly Albro, Secretary; and Kathy Fallon, Treasurer. Directors reelected were Ken St. Onge and John Berchem. A new Director and recent resident of Mishnock, Kevin O'Brion was also elected to the Board. Kevin has an impressive background in fresh water lake science and management. The Board is thrilled to have his youth, education and experience. Our next meeting for Directors is January 8, 2022 10 am at the Barn. LMPA will have to decide on a treatment plan for 2022.
A big thank you to Kevin Breene for offering the Pavilion as a meeting place. It is beautiful. Take a look.
September 29, 2021
Many of our members live with septic systems or cesspools. There is a lot to know to keep your system working efficiently. Proper maintenance of cesspools/septic systems is especially important if you live on a lake. DEM provides extensive information on this important subject. Learn more by clicking here , or:
Learn what not to put down your kitchen sink (such as fats, oils, or greases), how to properly dispose of food waste, and how to use cleaning supplies in moderation. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fIWoB2QtBvY [youtube.com]
September 08, 2021
On Monday, September 6, an LMPA board member was kayaking and discovered a disturbing scene - a number of turtles had been caught and killed in a net trap. Here are some pictures she took. People around the lake mostly love turtles. Let us hope this was some kind of mistake, someone trying to catch crayfish or something similar, and left the net. It may have blown into the southeast corner of Mishnock Barn property. It was not tethered.
August 28, 2021
Our Annual Meeting and Elections are scheduled for Saturday, October 9, 2021, 11am to 1pm at the Pavilion behind Town Hall, 280 Victory Highway, West Greenwich RI. This is a lovely setting and we hope for a good turnout.
The Fund Raiser , Rock for Lake Mishnock Benefit Concert was a success!.
June 18,2021 We have a video of two new swans..
June 17, 2021: This could be a big day. Two swans were sited on the lake earlier in the week and they are still there! Many are watching to see if they build a nest. As you may know from Swan Story on the website we've been without swans for a while and that leads to more geese.
There will be a fundraiser at the Mishnock Barn Sunday, June 27. Read about it.
Pond and Lake will survey and treat Lake Mishnock for invasive milfoil
Wednesday, June 16, at 0900.
June 2, 2021
There will be a meeting for Directors on Saturday, June 12, 2021, 10am at the Mishnock Barn. This is the first meeting since Covid "took over". The agenda is open, but we will certainly discuss the upcoming lake inspection, milfoil, treatment options for the future, and fundraising. It will be good to get together.
EARTH DAY 2021
If you would like to learn more about the health of lakes in Rhode Island or would like to volunteer to help monitor them, click here and you will be connected to URI Watershed Watch.
You can contribute to the Lake Mishnock Preservation Association (LMPA) by choosing it as your charity when you order through Amazon.com. Amazon has a program called Smile Amazon that allows customers to choose a favorite charity. Amazon donates a certain percentage of the cost of every purchase to that charity. So it costs you nothing! It's money you've already spent. To learn more click here
March 4, 2021
It has been many months since the LMPA website has been updated. Two factors converged at the same time: Covid 19 and the slow deterioration of the platform for maintaining the website. The Covid pandemic brought to a halt our meetings and activities. Our website provider decided they didn’t support the platform I used for over 15 years. Increasingly it became obvious another website would have to be created. The original was the repository of much of the organization’s history. I did not want to lose that. In any event, this new website is under construction with the hope of keeping as much of our history as is reasonable. I’ll admit to a little hoarding. Your patience is appreciated. We keep our domain name and change the website host. Without the technical help of Mike Berube this would not be possible. Thank you Mike!! Mike will continue to work with me in building the new website.
On February 15, 2021, The Pond and Lake Connection sent out Notices to all lake abutters explaining upcoming periodic lake inspections and targeted treatment of invasive vegetation. These Notices are required by The Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management and are part of the permitting process. When the time comes for treatment Notices will be posted around the lake.
It’s been a difficult year, but daylight is in view! I hope many of you have received vaccinations and the rest will soon. The vaccination process, after a rocky start, seems to be moving well in West Greenwich.
We have two audacious cardinals nesting near our home and they’ve been singing the joys of spring since mid February. Nancy and I have seen flocks of robins, red-winged blackbirds, and killdeer. So, they think it’s spring. We’ll have a Board meeting as soon as we think it’s safe.