
Adam Mayer, left, was hired last April by the town of Salisbury to manage the new Boat Launch Monitoring Program at the East Twin Lake marina.
Debra A. Aleksinas
Adam Mayer, left, was hired last April by the town of Salisbury to manage the new Boat Launch Monitoring Program at the East Twin Lake marina.
“It’s a great group effort within this town, and everyone’s on the same page.”
– Bill Littauer, president of the Lake Wononscopomuc Association
SALISBURY — Lake association and town officials worked furiously in 2024 to address invasive hydrilla’s looming threat to lakes’ ecosystems, their management budgets and the local economy.
Of primary concern to the Twin Lakes Association last year was the discovery of the aggressive aquatic invader’s further spread in East Twin Lake as well as a projected 10-fold increase in lake management costs for 2025 and beyond.
“Everyone is scared to death about these expenses,” Grant Bogle, president of the TLA, said during the budget portion of the association’s annual meeting last August. “But here is the unfortunate news. It doesn’t go down next year or the year after that.”
The bulk of the responsibility for funding lake management, estimated at $350,000 in 2025, falls to the TLA, although the town of Salisbury is poised to contribute $100,000 for lake management which includes the cost of boat launch monitors at the marina. Other funding sources include fundraising and potential grants through the state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection.
Scare triggered rapid response
A noxious, fast-growing variant of hydrilla verticillata, referred to as the Connecticut River variant, was discovered in the summer of 2023 near O’Hara’s Landing Marina on East Twin and in the shallow waters north of the state boat launch, making it the first lake in the state known to become infected with the non-native plant.
The TLA, now entering its third year in the ongoing battle with the wicked water weed, immediately assembled a coalition of scientific and environmental advisers to address the threat.
The scare triggered a rapid response from other lake groups. The Lake Wononscopomuc Association, which oversees Lakeville Lake, issued a moratorium at the Town Grove boat launch which remains in effect until further notice.
Mt. Riga Inc. also played it safe by closing its Ostrander beach and campsites in 2024 until preventative measures were in place.
Last summer the TLA made sweeping changes to how it plans to safeguard water quality at East Twin and control hydrilla’s further spread. Those measures included boat inspections at O’Hara’s Landing Marina, blocking off passage under the Isola Bella Bridge and reverting the state boat launch to its initial mandate of providing access only to nonmotorized car-top watercraft.
In July, the first application of a slow-release herbicide, SonarOne, was applied at the marina and continued at three-week intervals throughout the summer, targeting hydrilla beds in the vicinity of the marina and in the north cove.
During this time, the TLA’s lake consultant, George Knocklein of Northeast Aquatic Research continued to document spread of hydrilla outside the approved treatment area.
In August, SonarOne was applied, with state approval, to the expanded treatment area in the marina and along the shoreline to the state boat launch.
In October, about 50 stakeholders attended a forum at the Town Grove during which Lake Wononscopomuc President Bill Littauer and TLA’s Bogle fielded questions and shared information and resources.
“It’s a great group effort within this town, and everybody is on the same page,” said Littauer.
Also last year, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers targeted several field research demonstration sites where it tested various herbicides at coves and marinas along the Connecticut River impacted by dense infestations, the results of which have yet to be released.
With cautious optimism, federal, state and local officials working on managing hydrilla in the Connecticut River said they are starting to see encouraging signs.
The results of that testing, they said, will benefit not only the clogged coves and tributaries along the Connecticut River, but also other lakes, ponds and rivers throughout the state.
‘Far-reaching implications’
Attacking infestations with herbicides is only half the battle. Stopping reinfestations and spread to other waterbodies is key, said state environmentalists.
Public awareness is key to keeping hydrilla from spreading or reinfecting a waterbody because the wicked water weed can easily be transported from one lake or pond to another via unsuspecting boaters or owners of recreational watercraft.
For that reason, DEEP’s “Clean, Drain and Dry” program has been touted as a critical management component.
Looking to 2025, state environmentalists plan to spend the peak hydrilla growth period surveying 94 state-owned boat launches throughout Connecticut in search of hydrilla, according to Jeremiah Foley, assistant scientist and biological control specialist with the Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station/Office of Aquatic Invasive Species.
Foley, who is a member of the Twin Lakes Association’s coalition of consulting experts, said the survey will include launches at lakes and ponds. He explained that it is likely that hydrilla is lurking in other lakes but has not yet been detected.
The scientist had warned in a May 2024 article of Invasive Plant Science and Management that the “discovery of Hydrilla verticillata and its subspecies lithuanica in the Connecticut River and the breadth of the current infestation represent a significant ecological invasion event with potentially far-reaching implications.”
Town of Salisbury
Board of Finance
Notice of Public Hearing Hybrid Meeting
Wednesday,
April 30th, 2025
7:30pm
A public hearing called by the Board of Finance will be held in-person and via Zoom at 7:30pm on Wednesday, April 30th, 2025 at Salisbury Town Hall, 27 Main Street, Salisbury, CT 06068 with the following agenda:
1. To receive public comment on the proposed Board of Education budget as presented.
2. To receive public comment on the proposed Board of Selectmen, town government budget as presented.
Note: Copies of the proposed budgets are available at Town Hall.
Board of Finance Meeting Immediately following the Public Hearing
1. Final Budget Review; Discussion and possible vote to present the Board of Education and Board of Selectmen, Town Government Budget to the Annual Town Budget meeting, which will take place on Wednesday, May 14th, 2025 at 7:30pm
Please Note: The Annual Town Budget Meeting date has been changed to Wednesday, May 14th, 2025 at 7:30pm.
Topic: Public Hearing on Budgets immediately followed by Board of Finance
Time: Apr 30, 2025 07:30 PM Eastern Time (US and Canada)
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04-24-25
Legal Notice
The Planning & Zoning Commission of the Town of Salisbury will hold a Public Hearing on Special Permit Application #2025-0280 by owner Richard Cantele for Structures Located less than Fifty (50) feet from a Waterbody or Watercourse at 204 Between the Lakes Road, Salisbury, Map 58, Lot 03 per Section 404 of the Salisbury Zoning Regulations. The hearing will be held on Monday, May 5, 2025 at 6:45 PM. There is no physical location for this meeting. This meeting will be held virtually via Zoom where interested persons can listen to & speak on the matter. The application, agenda and meeting instructions will be listed at www.salisburyct.us/agendas/. Written comments may be submitted to the Land Use Office, Salisbury Town Hall, 27 Main Street, P.O. Box 548, Salisbury, CT or via email to landuse@salisburyct.us. Paper copies may be reviewed Monday through Thursday between the hours of 8:00 AM and 3:30 PM.
Salisbury Planning & Zoning Commission
Martin Whalen, Secretary
04-24-25
05-01-25
Notice of Decision
Town of Salisbury
Inland Wetlands & Watercourses Commission
Notice is hereby given that the following action was taken by the Inland Wetlands & Watercourses Commission of the Town of Salisbury, Connecticut on April 14, 2025:
Approved - Application 2025-IW-050 by Engineer Pat Hackett to install a new septic system. The property is shown on Salisbury Assessor’s map 59 as lot 09 and is known as 36 South Shore Road, Salisbury. The owner of the property is Noelle G Becker, Trustee.
Any aggrieved person may appeal this decision to the Connecticut Superior Court in accordance with the provisions of Connecticut General Statutes §22a-43(a) & §8-8.
04-24-25
TAX COLLECTOR TOWN OF
SALISBURY CT
LEGAL NOTICE
Pursuant to Sec. 12-145 of the Connecticut State Statutes, the taxpayers of the Town of Salisbury are hereby notified that the fourth installment on the Grand List of October 1, 2023 is due and payable on April l, 2025. Payments must be received or postmarked by May 1, 2025. If said Real Estate and Personal Property taxes are not paid on or before May 1, 2025, interest at the rate of one and one half percent (18% per year) will be added for each month or a fraction thereof which elapses from the time when such tax becomes due and payable until the same is paid. Minimum interest charge is $2.00.
Pursuant to Section 12-173 of the Connecticut State Statutes, unpaid Real Estate tax on the Grand List of October 1, 2023 will be LIENED on JUNE 6, 2025. Payment must be received by 12:00 p.m. on June 6, 2025 to avoid a Lien. Tax Office is open Monday, Wednesday and Friday, 9am- 4pm. Closed 12:30pm- 1 :30 pm.
Taxes can be paid by mail addressed to: Tax Collector, P.O. Box 338, 27 Main Street, Salisbury, CT 06068, There is a drop box in the vestibule of the Town Hall which is available 9am-4pm, Monday-Friday as well as a 24-hour drop slot at the rear of the building adjacent to the parking area. The Town is urging taxpayers to mail checks or use the option of paying by credit card or E-Check. Please see the Town website salisburyct.us for additional information. Dated at Town of Salisbury, CT this 15TH day of March 2025.
Jean F. Bell, CCMC
Tax Collector
Salisbury CT 06068
03-20-25
04-03-25
04-24-25
Experienced horse equestrian: to train three-year-old white Persian Mare for trail riding. 860-67-0499.
Help wanted: Small Angus Farm seeks reliable help for cattle and horses. Duties include feeding, fence repair, machine repair. Will train the right person. 860-671-0499.
The Town of Cornwall has several job openings for the Town Beach: Beach Director, Water Safety Instructor, and Certified Lifeguards. For more details and to apply, contact First Selectman’s office 860-672-4959.
Hector Pacay Service: House Remodeling, Landscaping, Lawn mowing, Garden mulch, Painting, Gutters, Pruning, Stump Grinding, Chipping, Tree work, Brush removal, Fence, Patio, Carpenter/decks, Masonry. Spring and Fall Cleanup. Commercial & Residential. Fully insured. 845-636-3212.
Hay For Sale: Round Bales. First Cutting covered hay, round bales. First cut hay covered with plastic. $25 for bale loaded. 860-671-0499.
PUBLISHER’S NOTICE: Equal Housing Opportunity. All real estate advertised in this newspaper is subject to the Federal Fair Housing Act of 1966 revised March 12, 1989 which makes it illegal to advertise any preference, limitation, or discrimination based on race, color religion, sex, handicap or familial status or national origin or intention to make any such preference, limitation or discrimination. All residential property advertised in the State of Connecticut General Statutes 46a-64c which prohibit the making, printing or publishing or causing to be made, printed or published any notice, statement or advertisement with respect to the sale or rental of a dwelling that indicates any preference, limitation or discrimination based on race, creed, color, national origin, ancestry, sex, marital status, age, lawful source of income, familial status, physical or mental disability or an intention to make any such preference, limitation or discrimination.
3b/3b home in Sharon:fully furnished, lake access, 3.84 acres. $5000 per month. 860-309-4482.
MT RIGA Two Bedroom LAKEFRONT: Log cabin. Private beach, canoes and kayaks. $1350/Week. 585-355-5245.
Seasonal rental: Very private and comfortable 4B/3B home set back from the road. 6/15-9/15. sun rm/dr, upper and lower decks, ping pong and knock hockey, den, FP, W/D, fully equipped. 15K seas. 917-887-8885.
Sharon Rentals: 1b/1b home on a private lake. Avail 4/1/25. Yearly. $2750/Furnished, weekly house--keeping, garbage, water, ground maint. included. utilities addtl. 860-309-4482.