Save State Line Pond
Donation protected
State Line Pond is a historic lake in Stafford, CT, on the CT/MA border. In the mid-19th century its unusually clear water was used by Stafford Ice House as a source for ice that was delivered it to restaurants, homes and businesses as far away as Boston. In the 1950's and later, there were swimming areas and sandy beaches, and it is home to many varieties of fish and animal life. In recent years, however, it has increasingly become overgrown and infested with milfoil and other invasive weeds, and by early 2020 it had finally reached a point where fish were dying off and the lake was on the verge of degenerating into a swamp.
After many years of exploring possible methods of reducing the weeds, the Whispering Pines Lake Association, made up of the owners of properties surrounding the lake, finally found one method that was not prohibitively expensive. This was to use a CT DEEP-approved low-impact aquatic herbicide that has been specially developed to target invasive weeds in ponds and lakes. The herbicide does not harm fish or mammal life, and breaks down completely in water in less than 24 hours.
In early 2020, the Association launched a campaign to raise the funds needed for the first year’s treatments. Thanks to generous contributions from many donors, made via GoFundMe, at fundraising events, and directly to the Association, we were able to hire the Pond and Lake Connection of Brookfield, CT to professionally apply three treatments over the course of the year. The results were spectacular – by the end of the summer, the weeds had been dramatically reduced. Over the fall and winter, they remained at the lowest level seen in many years, and the fish population is gradually starting to recover.
However, in order to maintain the lake in its improved condition and build on the improvements that have been made so far, we need to continue the treatments – three additional applications of the herbicide must be made this year, and then gradually the number of treatments required can be reduced in future years. In the long term, we may be able to introduce additional methods of keeping weed growth in check – sterile triploid carp are one option that we have been exploring – but for now, it is vital that we continue raising funds to pay for additional herbicide treatments. The good news - we have already received a number of generous donations that have brought us close to our goal - we only need to raise another $3,000 - $4,000 this year.
Please help us save this beautiful and historic lake!
Thanks to the generosity of donors like you, we have been able to prevent State Line Pond from dying out entirely. With your help, we can continue the process of restoring it to its original beauty, and maintaining it as a vital habitat of fish and animal life for many years to come.
For more information about the lake and its history, please visit http://www.statelinepond.org
After many years of exploring possible methods of reducing the weeds, the Whispering Pines Lake Association, made up of the owners of properties surrounding the lake, finally found one method that was not prohibitively expensive. This was to use a CT DEEP-approved low-impact aquatic herbicide that has been specially developed to target invasive weeds in ponds and lakes. The herbicide does not harm fish or mammal life, and breaks down completely in water in less than 24 hours.
In early 2020, the Association launched a campaign to raise the funds needed for the first year’s treatments. Thanks to generous contributions from many donors, made via GoFundMe, at fundraising events, and directly to the Association, we were able to hire the Pond and Lake Connection of Brookfield, CT to professionally apply three treatments over the course of the year. The results were spectacular – by the end of the summer, the weeds had been dramatically reduced. Over the fall and winter, they remained at the lowest level seen in many years, and the fish population is gradually starting to recover.
However, in order to maintain the lake in its improved condition and build on the improvements that have been made so far, we need to continue the treatments – three additional applications of the herbicide must be made this year, and then gradually the number of treatments required can be reduced in future years. In the long term, we may be able to introduce additional methods of keeping weed growth in check – sterile triploid carp are one option that we have been exploring – but for now, it is vital that we continue raising funds to pay for additional herbicide treatments. The good news - we have already received a number of generous donations that have brought us close to our goal - we only need to raise another $3,000 - $4,000 this year.
Please help us save this beautiful and historic lake!
Thanks to the generosity of donors like you, we have been able to prevent State Line Pond from dying out entirely. With your help, we can continue the process of restoring it to its original beauty, and maintaining it as a vital habitat of fish and animal life for many years to come.
For more information about the lake and its history, please visit http://www.statelinepond.org
Organizer
Nick Appleby
Organizer
Stafford Springs, CT
