Author: Art Prest

Russ and Jackie Silva’s recent catches… August 2015 Rich Lynch 4.5 pound Bass caught near Lost Lake Dam Robbie Postell Large Mouth Bass Young Fishermen Pickerel Caught off Baby Beach A Note From Art… One of the benefits of being a volunteer Weed Watcher Monitor at the boat launches is that you get to talk with fishermen who are coming in droves to fish our lakes and ponds. I have been making a point of asking them “How’s the fishing and what did you catch and how big was it?” Well one of them answered me: “First of all...

Dear Friends and Neighbors, In case you didn’t see it there was a GREAT article in last week’s Groton Herald about the GLA efforts to kill the weeds in Lost Lake & Knops Pond and about our plans to work on other aspects needed to keep the weeds out of the lakes and solve storm water runoff and erosion problems. Gazing at vast stretches of weed-covered water in June of 2012, anybody could be forgiven for thinking that saving Lost Lake and Knops Pond from becoming an unnavigable swamp was, truly, a ‘lost’ cause. When Art Prest moved into...

Dear Friends and Neighbors, We are seeing quite a bit of a new “weed” in Knops Pond and Lost Lake. It is low lying and mostly along the shore. It is bright green and can form dense matts or can be individual plants. I attached a picture of a single plant that I took today after untangling a mat of it that I pulled from Knops Pond. Using the handy dandy DCR “A Guide to Aquatic Plants in Massachusetts” I tried identifying it based on its characteristics which are: Submerged, Leaves On a Stem, Dissected Leaves, Leaves Without Bladders,...

Dear Friends & Neighbors, While water skiing yesterday, Angela Garger hit a large partially submerged log that was floating in the lake. She damaged her slalom ski but she is OK. Her husband towed the log to shore. When I was out in my boat on Tuesday I pulled a white birch branch that was about two inches in diameter and eight feet long out of Knops Pond. The branch showed beaver damage at its base. If you see large items floating in the lake please tow it to shore or if you can’t please let me know about...

Dear Friends & Neighbors, In today’s Boston Globe there is a terrific article that I attached and is reproduced below. It describes the kind of thing that we have been going through and quotes Tom Flannery from the MA Department of Conservation and Recreation who has been very helpful to us and taught the Weed Watcher Course here in Groton for GLA members. It is a long article but worthwhile reading. I also attached two pictures that show the progress of the Sonar herbicide treatment. One picture was taken in Knops Pond in June of 2012 before the Sonar...

Dear Friends and Neighbors, We have launched a program to monitor the boat launches at both Lost Lake/Knops Pond and Baddacook Pond. We need volunteers to be at the boat launches to hand out literature to boaters, explain what the program is all about, and in conjunction with the boater fill out a survey form and in conjunction with the boater inspect the boat and trailer and remove all weeds that might be present. This MUST be done according to a new Massachusetts law  before the boat can be launched, and again once the boat comes out of the...