![Boat launch monitors at East Twin marina report successful dry run](https://lakevillejournal.com/media-library/jeff-smith-of-kinderhook-n-y-drained-and-wiped-down-his-skeeter-fxr20-at-the-conclusion-of-a-day-long-bass-fishing-derby-on-s.jpg?id=52149878&width=1200&height=988)
Jeff Smith of Kinderhook, N.Y., drained and wiped down his Skeeter FXR20 at the conclusion of a day-long bass fishing derby on Sunday, April 21.
Debra A. Aleksinas
Jeff Smith of Kinderhook, N.Y., drained and wiped down his Skeeter FXR20 at the conclusion of a day-long bass fishing derby on Sunday, April 21.
SALISBURY — The test run of a boat launch monitoring program at the East Twin marina, designed to keep invasive hydrilla from spreading, went off without a hitch on Sunday, April 21, according to Twin Lakes Association (TLA) officials.
The day-long soft launch coincided with a sanctioned bass fishing derby at East Twin, allowing a trio of state-trained monitors, all TLA board members, to have conversations with fishermen about invasive hydrilla’s presence in the lake, offer tips on preventing its spread, and visually inspect boats and trailers as they entered and exited the marina.
“It went better than we planned,” said TLA board member Adam Mayer, a full-time teacher, coach and resident at the nearby Salisbury School. He will be managing the Boat Launch Monitoring Program this summer as an employee of the town of Salisbury.
It was “just happenstance,” that the soft launch coincided with a bass fishing derby that drew about a dozen fishing vessels to East Twin Lake, said TLA president Grant Bogle, who was one of six board members who, a day earlier, completed the first of several training sessions offered by the state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP).
“We’re not an enforcement arm. What we are doing is educating people so that they do the right thing voluntarily, because the lake is a shared resource,” said Bogle. “Let’s not bring more in and transport whatever we have out.”
Mayer noted that “the goal is not to catch the boater, it’s to catch the spread of this highly invasive species. We will be interacting with the boaters. A big part of the process is like we’re becoming the hosts and stewards of the lake. The anglers love the lake, the water skiers love the lake…and we hope to preserve what we all love.”
Wanted: a few good monitors
The TLA is partnering with the town of Salisbury to hire a seasonal crew of eight to 10 boat launch monitors. They will be supplemented by trained volunteers from the community, including lake association members.
The monitors, under the supervision of Mayer, will greet boaters and explain and distribute educational materials related to the spread of hydrilla and other invasive plants threatening the lakes. They will also be responsible for collecting data and inspecting boats and trailers for potential invasive weeds before the vessels enter the water and again after they exit the lake.
“This hydrilla is serious business. The goal is to make sure that it is limited in its growth and will be eradicated not only in our lake, but in other lakes,” said Mayer.
The monitors will be paid $30 per hour and be on duty Friday through Sunday and on holidays from May 24 through Sept. 2.
A swift response, costly battle
The discovery of hydrilla last summer around the marina and in shallow waters north of the state boat launch has prompted a swift and sweeping response by the TLA to safeguard water quality.
East Twin was the first lake in Connecticut to confirm the non-native weed’s presence, first noted in the Connecticut River in 2016. Hydrilla has since infected at least a half dozen other state lakes.
TLA officials had estimated that it will spend about $250,000 this year on lake management, and similar amounts in future years, to conduct the required studies to monitor lake health, map the locations of aquatic species, both native and invasive, and use a combination of methods to control invasives and eradicate hydrilla.
According to Bogle, the cost to hire a manager and team of eight to 10 launch monitors for the program is estimated to cost the lake association an additional $30,000 to $35,000 per season, an expense that he said will be covered through fundraising and membership contributions.
“We’ve dealt with milfoil and zebra mussels in the past, but hydrilla is something else,” said Bogle of the worrisome weed, which has choked parts of the Connecticut River and is known to suffocate fish and rare aquatic plans and foul waters up to 20 feet deep.
“Our goal is to eradicate and control it here and stop it from going elsewhere,” he said.
Through the Connecticut Federation of Lakes and other working groups, the TLA has not only teamed up to share information and gain a stronger, unified voice in Hartford, but it has assembled a coalition of partners that includes the Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station (CAES), the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Northeast Aquatic Research and SePro, a lake management consultant. Local and state officials, including Salisbury First Selectman Curtis Rand, State Rep. Maria Horn (D-64) and State Senator Stephen Harding, are also involved.
On patrol at the crack of dawn
Armed with informational flyers and sporting neon yellow vests identifying them as members of the “Twin Lakes Association Ramp Patrol,” Mayer, Bogle and TLA board member Russ Conklin arrived at the East Twin marina at the crack of dawn on the day of the monitoring program’s practice run.
They greeted the bass fishermen as they launched their boats into the lake, and again when they returned to shore about eight hours later. The goal that day was to inspect every vessel entering and leaving to make sure that no plant fragments were attached to boats, trailers, or gear.
The fishermen were given informational brochures and were asked to participate in a voluntary boat inspection and answer a few brief survey questions.
All went swimmingly, the launch patrol reported mid-afternoon as the fishermen returned to shore to drain and dry their boats, and check for any hitchhiking weeds, under the watchful eyes of the monitors.
Bracing for the summer surge
Dave Haab, who last fall marked his 50th year as business owner of O’Hara’s Landing Marina, said he expects there could be an uptick in business since the East Twin launch is the only location in town allowing boat access.
Two weeks ago, the state boat launch on East Twin, located a short distance from the marina, was returned to its original use as a car-top only launch, prohibiting boat trailers from entry.
Meanwhile, the Town Grove boat launch at Lakeville Lake remains closed indefinitely in an effort to keep hydrilla out, according to Bill Littauer, president of the Lake Wononscopomuc Association. However, about a dozen small rental boats will be available for fishing and other recreational uses, he noted.
The town also has blocked boat access at Long Pond and is allowing only car-top aquatic activities there, such as kayaking, canoeing and paddleboarding, First Selectman Curtis Rand confirmed last week.
In addition, the TLA intends to drop a marker buoy in the northeast corner of East Twin, identifying the known location of the hydrilla bed and would encourage boaters to avoid the area if possible to minimize the risk of propellers chopping hydrilla plants and having the fragments float away and root elsewhere.
Later this year, subject to approval of DEEP, the TLA would like to treat the hydrilla beds in the northeast cove and use preventive measures, such as “floating limnocorrals” to separate the treated areas from the untreated areas and to protect rare or endangered plants. According to TLA officials, the barriers have been ordered and will be ready to deploy as needed.
Considering the spate of boat launch closings in town, Bogle said he has heard concerns from boaters that Twin Lakes, too, will become a closed lake, which is “absolutely not” the case.
MILLERTON — Linda Kaplan, beloved wife, mother, grandmother, sister, aunt, sister-in-law, cousin and friend, passed away Sept. 3, 2024. Linda will be remembered as a deeply kind woman guided by faith, family and love.
Linda was born to Francis Crawford and Lydia Johnson (nee Snyder) in Sharon, on Sept. 14, 1942. She attended Webutuck High School in Millerton, and then started her career in banking, where she worked until her retirement as a Vice President. Linda was a loving mother who raised her two sons and instilled in them her love of faith and family.
Linda met her future husband, Sanford (Sam) Kaplan, at a dance in Millerton, and they were blessed with 30 years of marriage during which they enjoyed their time on Simmons Street. Here, Linda enjoyed tending to her garden where she could be found picking green beans and tomatoes. She also enjoyed solving the daily crossword puzzle, knitting, and listening to Sam play his guitar. Together, Linda and Sam enjoyed hosting their family for Thanksgiving, Christmas and Passover celebrations. They especially enjoyed annual summer visits by their granddaughters which always included visits to their farm where they rode ATVs. Linda and Sam’s interest in dairy farming led them to travel to Europe where they toured dairy farms; a trip they fondly recounted to their family for years.
Linda’s faith was evident, not only through her family, but also through her involvement with the Millerton Presbyterian Church. She enjoyed community outreach, singing in the choir, working with children, teaching ESL classes, and helping to develop and implement programs.
Linda is predeceased by her husband, Sam Kaplan, her mother, father, and brother Thomas Crawford. She is survived by her two sons; Lorin Stapleton and his wife Mary Stapleton of Brewster, New York, and Brian Stapleton of Sandisfield, Massachusettds; her two granddaughters, Bridget Stapleton of Jersey City, New Jersey and Colleen Stapleton of Boston, Massachusetts; her sister-in-law, Susan Crawford; nephew David Keys and his wife Barbara; niece Susan Jenkins and her husband Rick Herring.
Calling hours will be held on Saturday, Sept. 7, 2024, from 8:30 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. at the Scott D. Conklin Funeral Home, 37 Park Avenue, Millerton, NY 12546. A Mass of the Christian Burial will be celebrated on Saturday, Sept. 7, at 10 a.m. at St. Martin of Tours Church of St. Mary in Lakeville, CT. Rev. Dennis Arambasick will officiate. Burial will follow at Irondale Cemetery in Millerton, NY. To send an online condolence to the family, please visit www.conklinfuneralhome.com
David Colbert with one of his sculptures on the sculpture walk he has created over 35 years.
The Cornwall Open Studio took place on Saturday, Aug. 31. It is a Cornwall tradition and has been taking place for eighteen years.
It is a day when Cornwall artists invite the public into their studios to see what they are working on and how they do it. The artists work in various media, including painting, sculpture, photography and artistic shoes.
To participate, prospective tourists go to cornwallct.org/event/cornwall-open-studio-2024/ where a map and a list of the artists is available to download and print. The event is free, there is no registration, and so armed with the map, those taking the tour are set to explore not only artists’ studios, but the beautiful drive through Cornwall.
David Colbert, sculptor, is the initiator of the event. He said of his work, “I was smitten by the geometry and eventually the geometry led me to art.” Behind his studio in Cornwall Bridge he has a quarter mile sculpture path which he has been building for the past thirty-five years. Those on the tour could meander down the path and enjoy the beauty of the geometrically derived works.
Asked if there were any special artists and studios that should not be missed, he said, “I can’t help but mention Tim Prentice, whose shop, barn and whole place is pretty amazing.” At Prentice’s studio in West Cornwall, an old barn, mobiles, and other kinetic works of art hang from walls and ceilings and populate the surrounding fields. Across the road, another barn holds larger sculptures.
At 93, Prentice still works most days in the studio beside his house. He said he works on “small things.” He struggles with fading eyesight due to macular degeneration. He will be in a film by The Vision and Art Project, which seeks to bring awareness of macular degeneration by featuring artists like Tim Prentice. The film will be shown at the Cornwall Library sometime in the coming months.
In spite of his failing eye sight, he enjoys getting out to the studio and working and was welcoming visitors on the tour.
Another interesting studio is that of Lauren Brinkers Shoes in Cornwall Bridge. The shoes are hand painted and “one of a kind.” “I studied in London and went to shoe making school there,” Brinkers said. “I studied traditional men’s shoe making and transitioned into women’s.” She wanted to bring “more color and expression into shoes.” She learned how to work with leather dyes and paints the shoes to accomplish this goal.
A display of Lauren Brinkers handmade, one of a kind , hand paintied shoes on display at her Cornwall studio.Robin Roraback
Next to Lauren Brinkers’ studio is that of Stephan Sagmiller, who shows with his photographs that “The world is worth looking at closely. You’ve got to look at them up close. That’s my ethos as an artist.” His photos are large and colorful and invite you to do just that — look up close.
In West Cornwall, the abstract landscapes of Suzan Scott were on display at the Souterrain Gallery. Scott says of her work, “I’ve always had a strong connection with nature. I see everything, every blade of grass.” It was overwhelming for her. She began to paint still lives thinking they’d be easier, but in doing so she realized that still lives are similar to landscapes in that she could break down the parts as she did for still lives. “Why not go out and do landscapes and simplify them — abstract them?”
Her process is to layer tinted glazes, sometimes as many as thirty. She will work on a painting, let it rest, go back to it, work some more, and continue this until the painting is finished, which can take a week or months.
Scott paints scenes from the northwest corner and has “favorite spots” that she revisits. “The more I see it, the more I can interpret it, and it becomes mine.”
These are just a few of the artists on the tour. There were also Curt Hanson’s beautiful landscapes and the looser, colorful paintings of Magaly Ohika, Katherine Freygang and Sally Van Doren. Photographers Nick Jacobs and Bela Selendy also opened their studios. They use their cameras to explore life and nature.
If you missed the tour this year, be sure to keep an eye out for it next Labor Day Weekend. It is a wonderful way to spend a Saturday. To contact these artists or find out more about their work, go to: cornwallct.org/history-culture/arts-artists/ or go to the tour website to find links to their websites.
Fresh donuts by Hanna Rybolt at ILSE Coffee.
Something scrumptious is cooking beneath Colonial Theatre.
Pastries by Hanna was established in February of 2024 at 27 Railroad St. in North Canaan. The owner, Hanna Rybolt, is a resident of Canaan who studied in the pastry program at Johnson & Wales University in Providence, Rhode Island.
Her interest in baking is rooted in fond memories with her family. The baked goods and pastry products are sold locally at ILSE Coffee just next door, as well as the Great Barrington farmer’s market. Her pastry kitchen is located below Colonial Theatre.
Rybolt aims to ensure the goods are produced with locally grown products and sold in community businesses. Pastries by Hanna’s best-selling product is brioche-style donuts.
The business is solely owned and operated by Rybolt, who stated she is looking forward to what the future will bring for the bakery and is hoping to collaborate with more companies in the area.
Customers can custom order goods online at pastriesbyhanna.com or check out her Instagram page @PastriesbyHanna.