Water chestnut removal plan to be reconsidered

The New England Aquatic Services team searches for water chestnut embedded in extensive lily pad growth.
Andrew Cahill
The New England Aquatic Services team searches for water chestnut embedded in extensive lily pad growth.
SHARON — Invasive management efforts on Mudge Pond began in earnest last week, though the removal team quickly realized that more intensive methods may be required to deal with what is a growing problem on the lake.
The Mudge Pond Association, a community lake protection and management organization formed earlier this year, received approval from Sharon’s Inland Wetlands and Watercourses Commission on July 14 to hand pull invasive water chestnut from the lake. The approach was notable in that it omits the need for herbicide use, a contentious topic in aquatic invasive species management but a route that many other lake protection groups have taken to combat their own infestations.
On July 31 and Aug. 1, a team led by Matt Vogt of New England Aquatic Services floated out on a pontoon, a paddle board and a kayak to begin the process. The team found far more of the invasive waterweed than anticipated, and in a complex environment where plentiful lily pads shielded many floating tendrils of water chestnut.
Vogt said that after two days on the water, the team realized that the issue had progressed to the point it “needs a different sort of attention.”
Water chestnut was identified as a first target by the Association because it is less established in Mudge Pond than the other invasive plants, and as such is primed to be dealt with before it becomes a more pervasive issue.
A study published earlier this year on the lake’s ecological health and water quality identified five colonies of water chestnut in the pond, and while New England Aquatic said they don’t have reason to believe it has extended beyond those colonies, the density of the plant where it is growing in complex environments will require more than hand-pulling to be dealt with effectively. Vogt recommended a mechanical harvester, which is a powerful but less precise removal method, to Mudge Pond Association Chair Andrew Cahill as a means to eliminate the plant without resorting to herbicides.
“Trying to pick around the other plants is going to be beyond hassle — it’s going to be detrimental,” said Vogt, explaining that attempting to locate each plant by eye will inevitably lead to missed weeds.
A mechanical harvester clears all the floating biomass from an area, which would include native lily pads, but Vogt affirmed that lily pad roots grow back. Crucially, the water chestnut reproduces from its floating leaves, so clearing those from the pond will prevent future growth since it does not grow back from its roots.
Cahill said that he’s been in conversation with the Land Use Office about amending the approval to include mechanical harvesting, but may have to return before the IWWC with a new application before the work can begin.
Water chestnut is just one of five invasive species identified in the report, which was conducted between April and December of 2024. The report recommends that the more established populations — the most pervasive of which are Eurasian milfoil, curly-leaf pondweed and fanwort — be treated with herbicides.
Cahill said that he recognizes the community’s reluctance to use herbicides in Mudge Pond, and feels ambivalent about the prospect himself. “I was paddle boarding on the lake yesterday and, like, do I want to be paddle boarding in some kind of herbicide? I don’t know,” he said in a recent phone call.
He recognizes, however, that the topic is becoming unavoidable. “Yesterday’s meeting was eye-opening for me,” he said, referring to the Saturday meeting of Salisbury’s Twin Lakes Association, where invasive management professionals advocated for herbicide as the only effective path to an invasive plant free lake.
Cahill said he hopes to organize a meeting in Sharon where experts and residents may discuss the topic in a constructive public format, and let the community decide how best to address the problem.
“This is what the experts are saying, and this is what the other lakes are doing,” he said. “What do we think?”
LAKEVILLE — Rhys V. Bowen, 65, of Foxboro, Massachusetts, died unexpectedly in his sleep on Sept. 15, 2025. Rhys was born in Sharon, Connecticut, on April 9, 1960 to Anne H. Bowen and the late John G. Bowen. His brother, David, died in 1979.
Rhys grew up at The Hotchkiss School in Lakeville, where his father taught English. Attending Hotchkiss, Rhys excelled in academics and played soccer, basketball, and baseball. During these years, he also learned the challenges and joys of running, and continued to run at least 50 miles a week, until the day he died.
In 1982 after graduating summa cum laude from Harvard College, Rhys returned to Hotchkiss to teach biology, where he met his wife of 35 years, Rebecca (Becky) Snow. After two years of teaching, he worked at a research field site in Borneo, then went on to the University of California, Davis where he earned a PhD in Animal Behavior in 1995.
Rather than follow an academic tenure track, Rhys preferred the solitary focus of field ornithology, and he spent several decades researching the ecology of bird species in California and on Cape Cod and the Islands. Rhys believed passionately in supporting biodiversity through habitat preservation. His proudest achievements, therefore, came through his work for the Lakes Region Conservation Trust, in New Hampshire, where he served on committees and the Board of Trustees for twenty years, including three years as Chair.
Deeply intellectual and curious, Rhys learned Homeric Greek so he could read The Odyssey and The Iliad in their original language. An amateur Melville scholar, he would wax poetic about reading Moby-Dick for the umpteenth time.Rhys’s spirit was filled by the performing arts. Concerts by the Handel and Haydn Society and Boston Early Music Festival often brought tears to his eyes, while Boston Bluegrass Union shows delivered toe-tapping fidgetiness.
Rhys will be missed by his wife, Becky Snow, his mother, Anne Bowen, extended family, friends, and anyone who had the pleasure of knowing him.
A service will be held at The Hotchkiss School chapel on Saturday, Nov. 15, 2025 at 1 p.m..
In honor of Rhys’s memory, donations can be made to the Lakes Region Conservation Trust.
LAKEVILLE — Kelsey K. Horton, 43, a lifelong area resident, died peacefully on Saturday, Sept. 27, 2025, at Norwalk Hospital in Norwalk, Connecticut, following a courageous battle with cancer. Kelsey worked as a certified nursing assistant and administrative assistant at Noble Horizons in Salisbury, from 1999 until 2024, where she was a very respected and loved member of their nursing and administrative staff.
Born Oct. 4, 1981, in Sharon, she was the daughter of W. Craig Kellogg of Southern Pines, North Carolina, and JoAnne (Lukens) Tuncy and her husband Donald of Millerton, New York. Kelsey graduated with the class of 1999 from Webutuck High School in Amenia and from BOCES in 1999 with a certificate from the CNA program as well. She was a longtime member of the Lakeville United Methodist Church in Lakeville. On Oct. 11, 2003, in Poughkeepsie, New York, she married James Horton. Jimmy survives at home in Lakeville. Kelsey loved camping every summer at Waubeeka Family Campground in Copake, and she volunteered as a cheer coach for A.R.C. Cheerleading for many years. Kelsey also enjoyed hiking and gardening in her spare time and spending time with her loving family and many dear friends.
In addition to her husband and parents, Kelsey is survived by her two beloved children, Hunter Horton and Aryanna Horton, both of Lakeville; a step-brother, Jason Tuncy of East Hartford, Connecticut; her mother-in-law, Frances “Fran” Horton and her brother-in-law, Benjamin D. Horton III and his wife Penny of Bloomsburg, Pennsylvania, and their son, Alec, and several aunts, uncles, cousins and many dear friends. She was predeceased by her father-in-law, Benjamin D. Horton, Jr. in 2017.
There are no calling hours. A Celebration of Life will take place on Saturday, Oct. 25, 2025, from 11 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. at the Millerton American Legion Post # 178, Route 44, Millerton, NY 12546. A time to celebrate Kelsey and share stories and memories. Memorial contributions may be made to The Jane Lloyd Fund. Please make checks payable to Berkshire Taconic Community Foundation (please note in memo line, The Jane Lloyd Fund) and mail to: Berkshire Taconic Community Foundation, 800 N. Main Street, Sheffield, MA 01257.
To send an online condolence to the family, flowers to the service or to plant a tree in Kelsey’s memory, please visit www.conklinfuneralhome.com
Arrangements have been entrusted to the Scott D. Conklin Funeral Home, 37 Park Avenue, Millerton, NY 12546.
SHARON — On Sept. 27, Eliot Warren Brown was shot and killed at age 47 at his home in New Orleans, Louisiana, in a random act of violence by a young man in need of mental health services. Eliot was born and raised in Sharon, Connecticut, and attended Indian Mountain School and Concord Academy in Massachusetts. He graduated from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. He and his wife Brooke moved to New Orleans to answer the call for help in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina and fell in love with the city.
In addition to his wife Brooke, Eliot leaves behind his parents Malcolm and Louise Brown, his sisters Lucia (Thaddeus) and Carla (Ruairi), three nephews, and extended family and friends spread far and wide.
Normally at this point one might list some interests, but in Eliot’s case, it’s easier to list what he wasn’t interested in: watching sports.
Eliot made a living as a fine craftsman and carpenter, but at heart he was an artist. He was well versed in music, painting, literature, biking, travel, Mardi Gras costumes, poker, pranks, street performance and on and on and on.Having previously hiked the entire Camino de Santiago in Spain and Portugal, he recently achieved another dream of summiting the highest stratovolcano in North America.
Eliot’s creative ability was astounding. His creations were designed to bring joy to others. He didn’t seek recognition or praise, and a large part of his work was anonymous. Pieces of art would appear in the community, encouraging people to think, connect and enjoy.
From the precociously funny and determinedly defiant boy that grew up in the Northwest corner of Connecticut, Eliot grew into a brilliant, gentle souled, boundlessly creative, ever mischievous, perpetually scraggly, and astoundingly wise and caring man who made an indelible impact on those who were lucky to have him in their lives.
In honor of Eliot, please consider making donations to organizations that work to end gun violence, support the arts, or provide mental health services. A service will be held at the Congregational Church in Salisbury on Sunday Oct. 26 at 2 p.m.
SHARON — Randall “Randy” Osolin passed away on Sept. 25, 2025, at the age of 74. He was born on Feb. 6, 1951, in Sharon, Connecticut to the late Ramon (Sonny) and Barbara (Sandmeyer) Osolin.
He was a dedicated social worker, a natural athlete, a gentle friend of animals, an abiding parish verger, an inveterate reader, and an estimable friend and neighbor. He was a kind-hearted person whose greatest joy was in helping someone in need and sharing his time with his family and good friends.
He was the beloved husband of Karen LaChance Osolin; the loving brother of Bruce Osolin and the late Gail Osolin Leo; the devoted uncle of Kyle and Andrew Osolin and Taylor LaChance; the brother-in-law of Debra LaChance; and the cousin of Brenda Curran, Jay Pickering and Audra Salazar.
To honor Randy’s memory, do a good deed for another or send a donation to the Little Guild, 258 Sharon-Goshen Road, West Cornwall, CT 06796. The Kenny Funeral Home has care of arrangements.