![Lake expenses rise 10-fold since hydrilla’s invasion of East Twin](https://lakevillejournal.com/media-library/a-team-of-scientists-and-twin-lakes-association-board-members-recently-toured-the-twin-lakes-to-evaluate-the-status-of-the-known.jpg?id=52505435&width=1200&height=900)
A team of scientists and Twin Lakes Association board members recently toured the Twin Lakes to evaluate the status of the known hydrilla beds and discuss treatment strategies for 2024.
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A team of scientists and Twin Lakes Association board members recently toured the Twin Lakes to evaluate the status of the known hydrilla beds and discuss treatment strategies for 2024.
SALISBURY — Starting this week a “very critical” lake aquatic plant survey is being conducted by Northeast Aquatic Research (NEAR), the results of which will guide the Twin Lakes Association’s (TLA) second herbicide attack in mid-July on non-native hydrilla, which was identified in East Twin last summer in the marina and northeast cove. The survey will also aid in the treatment of invasive milfoil, focused mainly in East Bay and along the south shore.
That news was among the updates presented at the Twin Lakes Association’s 90-minute membership meeting at Camp Isola Bella on Saturday, June 22, attended by a standing-room-only crowd of more than 100 attendees.
Among topics discussed was a lake management report including rising expenses and recent grants, updates on land conservation efforts and a watershed study being conducted in conjunction with Housatonic Valley Association (HVA), and the status of a recently instituted ramp monitoring program at O’Hara’s Landing Marina.
TLA board member Russ Conklin, who was appointed vice president of lake management, gave an update on measures taken this year to eliminate hydrilla and other aquatic weeds and an overview of future initiatives.
Conklin noted that when hydrilla was discovered last summer near the East Twin Lake marina, making it the first lake in the state to become infected with the worrisome weed, the association was on its own in dealing with the environmental threat. By the end of 2023, he said, the TLA assembled a formidable coalition of state, national and environmental experts and scientists, a handful of whom hold PhD’s, he said, noting, “it has helped us a lot.”
A team of scientists toured the lakes in early May to assess the hydrilla threat and discuss treatment strategies for this year. At that time, hydrilla was still dormant, but it was expected to begin to show itself by July, despite a herbicide treatment last fall.
Keith Hannon of the U.S. Army Corp of Engineers, which is part of the TLA coalition, is running six pilot tests of herbicides in the Connecticut River, which has been battling the non-native hydrilla for several years, the data of which will be available by the end of the year.
Hydrilla is not the only nuisance weed at the lakes, as milfoil, invasive Curly Leaf Pond Weed, and an early algae bloom in West Twin, are also on the TLA’s radar.
Conklin reported that the association worked with New England Aquatic Services to clear invasive Curly Leaf Pond Weed around the boat launch at Salisbury School, and that with continuous treatment or hand pulling, this invasive weed can be eliminated from Twin Lakes over the next three to five years.
Conklin also noted an unseasonable algae bloom in West Twin, which may be the result of nutrient-rich runoff, possibly from a faulty septic system. While the unsightly algae is not harmful, he reminded property owners to pump their tanks every year or two. Recent heavy rains, he said, could also account for the phosphorus input.
The focus this year in terms of lake management, Conklin said, is on hydrilla and milfoil, and specific treatment locations for milfoil and hydrilla will be informed by the aquatic plant study by limnologist George Knoecklein of NEAR, kicking off this week. The public and TLA community will be notified in advance.
Given the rare and endangered plants in the northeast cove, said officials, the TLA is committed to surrounding any beds of hydrilla with limno barriers to prevent the migration of plant fragments and to measuring concentrations of herbicide levels both within and outside the barriers.
One audience member asked if a permit was sought by the TLA before blocking off passage under the Isola Bella bridge with a barrier to keep hydrilla from spreading, and if not, questioned the association’s legal authority to prohibit public access.
In response, TLA President Grant Bogle noted that it was a “collective recommendation” by several coalition members, including the state Department of Environmental Protection (DEEP) and Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station (CAES), among others, “that we close this passage off, and we did.” Thunderous applause followed.
Bogle continued: “This plant doubles in mass every two weeks. This is not an issue to take lightly. We anticipate we can get this under control in the next several years.”
Focus on the watershed
In other business, the TLA is proposing bylaw changes “designed to reflect our new reality as an organization with a vastly larger budget and greatly expanded responsibilities.” The membership voted unanimously to add “the watershed” to the existing language of areas the association protects and preserves.
Tim Abbott, Regional Conservation and Greenprint Director with the Housatonic Valley Association (HVA) noted that “what is happening in the watershed is affecting the quality of your lake and is equally important downstream.”
“HVA is delighted to be working with the TLA on a watershed study primarily focused on the draining into the lakes and Schenob Brook,” noted Abbott. The study is being funded by a $75,000 grant from the Bates Foundation to formally examine the watershed’s impact on Twin Lakes.
“There has been a tremendous amount of conservation within this watershed, and a lot of it in Massachusetts,” noted Abbott.
TLA member John Landon, co-chair of the Salisbury Association Land Trust, reported progress on conservation efforts involving several key parcels of undeveloped land within the watershed.
Bogle reported that a critical membership drive is underway as the TLA seeks to raise awareness of funds related to the battle to contain and eventually eradicate hydrilla, and that membership dues have been increased from $25 to $50 per member. The association is also looking to boost its membership through direct mail and outreach efforts, and beef up fundraising efforts.
TLA expenses, he said, have increased more than 10-fold to $250,000 a year since hydrilla’s arrival. The association applied for, and received this spring, a $75,000 grant, the maximum amount awarded, from DEEP through its Aquatic Invasive Special Grant Program. The funds are earmarked for control and management of hydrilla and Eurasian Water Milfoil.
Bogle said the aquatic plant surveys, which cost about $65,000, are “very critical” to lake management and will be repeated several times through October.
“We are out on the lake frequently doing post-treatment surveys to see if hydrilla has moved. And the herbicides, they’re expensive,” as are the needed control tools, like the limno barriers, divers, he explained. “Water quality testing costs us $2,500 every time a boat goes in. But it’s essential, and it’s the only measurements we have for what’s going on in the lake.”
The TLA is footing the cost of the new boat ramp monitoring program at the marina. Adam Mayer, who oversees the project, now in its 7th week, reported that more than 300 boats have been inspected, roughly two-thirds of which are from Connecticut. Only two boat owners, he said, refused the voluntary inspection. Áll boats going in have been clean so far,” said Mayer.
Bogle said heightened fundraising and monetary donations by the membership will go a long way toward keeping the TLA budget afloat while waging the hydrilla battle. “It’s going to be a game of cat and mouse for some time, and we can’t count on the DEEP grant every year.”
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.