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.”
Ruth Franklin and Ileene Smith in conversation at Congregation Beth David in Amenia.
Congregation Beth David in Amenia hosted a conversation on the enduring legacy of Anne Frank, one of the 20th century’s most iconic figures. Ruth Franklin, award-winning biographer and critic, shared insights from her highly acclaimed book “The Many Lives of Anne Frank” with thought-provoking questions from Ileene Smith, Editorial Director of the Jewish Lives series. This event, held on July 23 — the date Anne Frank would have turned 96 — invited the large audience to reconsider Anne Frank not just as the young writer of a world-famous diary, but as a cultural symbol shaped by decades of representation and misrepresentation.
Franklin and Smith dove right in; Franklin reading a passage from the book that exemplified her approach to Anne’s life. She described her work as both a biography of Anne Frank and a cultural history of the diary itself, a document that has resonated across the world.
“The diary,”Franklin explained, “has been appropriated in ways that sometimes obscure the reality of who she was and the historical context of her life.” By weaving together different perspectives, including testimonies from those who knew Anne or whose lives were shaped by her, Franklin sought to rehumanize a figure who has, for better and worse, been turned into a symbol.
Franklin’s book examines the many faces of Anne Frank that have appeared in the public consciousness: the girl whose diary became a universal symbol of the Holocaust, the teenage diarist whose words offer an optimistic glimpse of humanity, and the historical figure whose Jewish identity has at times been obscured in favor of a broader, universal message. Franklin highlighted how Anne’s legacy was shaped by her father, Otto Frank. Many of Otto’s decisions have been viewed as controversial such as removing passages that could have alienated potential readers. While often criticized, Franklin suggested that his editorial work was driven by the desire to reach the broadest possible audience.
“I think we have to be so generous in thinking about Otto Frank and the choices that he made,” said Franklin. “He made the decision that he wanted the diary to be read by the greatest number of people possible. He wanted Anne’s message to go out into the world and work, as he said, against prejudice, understood in the widest possible sense. The Anne Frank House today in Amsterdam is carrying on his mission in making Anne’s story relatable and accessible and comparing it to many other different kinds of prejudice around the world. Not everybody agrees with this approach, but that’s what he decided to do.”
The conversation turned to a quote from author Cynthia Ozick, who argued that Anne’s story has been “vulgarized, distorted, and infantilized” in adaptations of the diary, particularly those created for mass consumption. While acknowledging the validity of Ozick’s concerns, Franklin pushed back. The desire to make Anne’s story accessible to a global audience, Franklin suggested, began with Anne herself, who rewrote her diary with an eye toward future readers who might not understand her specific historical context.
The conversation also delved into the profound grief and ambivalence Otto Frank must have felt as he worked to preserve his daughter’s legacy. Franklin’s expressed deep empathy for him, burdened with making Anne’s diary into something more than a personal testament. “He was working with a tragic loss, with an immense responsibility,” Franklin noted.
The evening’s discussion expanded to include the contentious debate over the graphic version of Anne Frank’s diary, which has been banned in several U.S. states. Critics of the graphic adaptation have condemned it for including depictions of Anne’s developing sexuality, citing them as “pornographic.” Franklin pointed out that this outrage stems from “the intersection of homophobia and anti-Semitism” in today’s political climate, highlighting how Anne’s legacy continues to be embroiled in ongoing cultural and political struggles. “The books that are most frequently banned in the country right now are those that have to do with LGBTQ content.This is a serious issue of the Republican Party persecuting gay people and trans people more generally,” said Franklin.
Smith pointedly asked Franklin about what is widely considered the most famous quote from the diary: “In spite of everything, I still believe that people are really good at heart.” Franklin responded, “In many ways, Anne Frank was an optimistic person and that quote is an accurate reflection of who she was. At the same time, that quote is incomplete. It actually comes in the middle of a much longer passage in which she describes feeling hopeless about the future of the world.” Franklin continued, “That quote is often dismissed by Holocaust scholars or other people who have said with a lot of confidence that if Anne Frank had survived the camps to write about it, she would no longer have believed that people are truly good at heart. My own position, which is the perspective I adopt in this book, is that none of us can know what a surviving Anne Frank would have thought about anything at all, and it is irresponsible to speculate about it.We simply can’t go there. “
As the conversation concluded, the room was filled with a sense of reflection and appreciation. The crowd was invited to continue the conversation in the Community Room, where Franklin signed copies of her book, which were available through Oblong Books. Her visit left attendees with much to ponder about how we interpret history, memory, and the cultural artifacts that endure.
Yuja Wang performs with the TMCO and Andris Nelsons.
Sunday, July 20 was sunny and warm. Nic Mayorga, son of American concert pianist, the late Lincoln Mayorga, joined me at Tanglewood to hear Yuja Wang play Prokofiev’s Piano Concerto No. 2 in G minor, Op. 16. I first saw Wang on July 8, 2022, when she filled in for Jean-Yves Thibaudet on the opening night of Tanglewood’s summer season. She virtually blew the shed down with her powerful and dynamic playing of Liszt’s Piano Concerto No. 1.
Nic was my guest last season on July 13, when Wang wowed us with her delicate interpretation of Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No. 4. We made plans on the spot to return for her next date in Lenox.
As we found our seats there was a buzz in the Shed. A huge crowd had gathered. Nic went for tall cans of cold mineral water — essential. The Tanglewood Music Center Orchestra was on stage. The door opened, and out stepped Wang in a brilliant shear and sparkling silvery light dress befitting the warm day. Conductor Andris Nelsons followed. They greeted concertmaster Nathan Cole, and settled in.
The first movement, an Andandtino -Allegretto - Andandtino, is one where a 22-year-old Prokofiev distinguishes himself as an entirely new breed of concerto composers. It is far from typical. There is no conventional drama between opposing forces of piano and orchestra — just a light, gentle phrase with intentionally muted strings (pizzicato) and clarinets, giving way to Chopin-like left-hand figures from the piano, and a lengthy, divine melody in the right. There is beauty in this.Wang is in charge.
She transitioned to a faster march section that evolved into an extended solo played with great precision and attention to detail. The soloist had the floor until a raucous return of the full orchestra, followed by a pianissimo recollection of the opening. The two great forces now united, everyone was on the edge of their seat.
The second movement is a Scherzo: Vivace. Here, Wang showed her mastery over one of the most challenging sections — a relentlessly demanding moto perpetuo where the soloist must play unbroken sixteenths, both hands, in octave unison. Nic agreed that one must see this type of playing live to fully appreciate the artist. The orchestra added wonderful, subtle color and counter moods to this virtuoso spotlight. Wang’s command of the minutest shifts in tempo was astounding. The piano, here, produces melodies but also becomes a percussion instrument of the highest order.
In the third movement, an Intermezzo: Allegro moderato, the soloist gets a breather from the speedy tempos — but not quite, as she must alternate between delicacy and great force in figures while the orchestra layers a backdrop of a heavy march. Wang displayed her versatility here, commanding the tone, volume and moods as dictated by Prokofiev’s adventuring. Tempos changed. Everything changed. Yet throughout, each mini stanza and bar stood out — authentic, independent, real. Likely exactly what Prokofiev had in mind, but likely to elude all but the finest musicians.
In the Finale: Allegro tempestoso, Prokofiev reverts to the more conventional opposition-of-forces theme — the piano trying to overwhelm the orchestra in a barrage of flittering bright passages offset by heavy-handed chords. Wang chose a more collegial approach here. She was firm but polite; it never felt like a struggle. This made the transition to the next idea — where clarinets and violas offer a contrasting tranquility — smooth as silk. The solo piano continued with elements of Russian folk music, joined by the orchestra, building intensity before another solo piano display, and then a traditional buildup to a sweeping conclusion.
I glanced over at Nic’s joy and bewilderment. A standing ovation was followed, with encore performances of selections from Sebelius’s 13 Pieces for Piano, Op. 76, No. 2: Etude; Schubert’s “Gretchen am Spinnrade,” D. 118, arranged by Liszt; and Horowitz’s Variations on a Theme from Carmen.
Prokofiev’s debut of this concerto in 1913 did not go over quite as well. Some in the audience expressed displeasure at his ideas, hissed and rushed out. But Prokofiev expressed his displeasure at their poor taste, played an encore nonetheless, and fanned the flames. Sometimes a genius from one generation is misunderstood in his time but vindicated generations later by audiences and musicians of a different era. Such is the case with Prokofiez, who had the last laugh. Yuja Wang has her place in this saga. That she performs with the young musicians of the Tanglewood Music Center Orchestra shows her generous nature and kind heart — she cares about the future of classical music.
If you are curious and like to travel, Wang will play Prokofiev’s Piano Concerto No. 2 again several times this season: Nov. 13 at The Philharmonie de Paris; Dec. 4 and 5 at The Konzerthaus, Vienna; and Dec. 12 at The Concertgebouw in Amsterdam. I highly recommend it.
