2022-2023 Association Fund Drive

GLA Goal: Restore and preserve Groton’s lakes and ponds as recreational resources for future generations.

Groton Lakes Association, Inc.
P.O. BOX 646
Groton, MA 01450

Dear Friends of the Groton Lakes,
The Groton Lakes Association has worked hard in the past year to enhance the quality of the lakes in our community. Below is a recap of recent activity, plans for the future and a request for your continued support through membership renewal and donations.

The biggest event this past year was the full lake herbicide treatment of Lost Lake/ Knops Pond to control invasive weeds which achieved the goal of significantly reducing the pervasive Fanwort. We plan to conduct annual spot treatments for the next 5-7 years (averaging $15,000/year) until another full lake treatment is required. For the past two full lake treatments we were fortunate to get funding from the Town of Groton (approximately $95,000 each). However, this source of funding will not be available in the future. The only guaranteed source of funding we can count on for the next seven years is donations to the GLA.

The Annual fund-raising goal, to sustain the herbicide treatment in LL/KP and other programs, is $30,000.

Here are some ways you can help us to achieve our financial goals:

1. Renew your membership and make an additional donation. While membership is $50, a donation of $200 per lake resident household is suggested.
2. If you are not already a member – Please join the GLA and consider making an additional donation.
3. Talk with your neighbors about the GLA and encourage them to join and contribute
4. Let your fellow citizens of Groton know of the lakes’ financial needs and ask them to make a tax-deductible donation
5. If you know someone from out of town who boats, fishes or swims at the lakes, ask them to make a contribution.
6. Many of us work for companies that offer matching contributions. Consider asking your employer to make a matching gift.
7. Put your purchasing power to good use through retailers like Amazon. The GLA is registered with Amazon Smile and they will donate .5% of your purchase as long as you shop through the GLA link.

The long-term health of our lakes is dependent on what happens ‘upstream’ in the watershed, which is 14 times larger than the actual Lakes themselves. A recent study, funded primarily by CPC with support from the GLA, led to findings of many specific sources of nutrients that enter our lakes and contribute to the unhealthy weed and algae growth. The study also included recommendations to remediate these sources as well as ways to prevent further intrusion. If you want to know more about the Watershed study results and recommendations, we refer you to the complete study which can be found on grotonlakes.com.

Maintaining our lakes requires a lot of effort from a lot of people. The GLA is a volunteer organization that has provided countless hours of time from some very dedicated individuals who are passionate about our lakes. Some of the things our fantastic volunteers do include grant writing, lake treatment coordination, town meeting advocacy, website social media content and maintenance, installing markers, removing debris, beach and boat ramp cleanups and much, much more. Four key volunteers with over fifty years each, Alex Woodle, Art Prest, Val Prest and George Day are cutting back on their time commitment to these activities due to a variety of personal reasons. So, we need new volunteers to begin helping with some of these tasks. If you can become more involved with some lake management related activities, please contact us at grotonlakes@gmail.com.

The GLA is planning several fun lake events this summer; the first to occur in June at Sargisson Beach. These will be announced on Groton Lakes Facebook page, Lost Lake Knops Pond Sharing and Discussion Facebook page and our GLA website. Please check these sites regularly as there is some very interesting information on both sites, especially the newly added videos “Groton’s Jewel in the Crown” by Alex Woodle and ‘Lest We Forget’ by Art Prest.

Lastly, we want to thank those volunteers who have maintained the aeration activities and developed funding for such on Duck Pond, to those who have managed the weed harvester on Baddacook Pond (which had the best boating and swimming in years), and those who are trying to get the weed harvester onto Whitney Pond.

Thank you for your support and stay safe!
-Groton Lakes Association

Annual Membership Dues Donation: $50.00
Additional Donations in the amounts of $100.00, $200.00, $300.00 and $400+ are appreciated.
Please indicate your total donation amount in the form below and then donate that amount using the Paypal donation button.

COMPLETE YOUR DONATION BY MAIL:

Download and print the 2021-2022 Donation Form-
Mail completed form and check to:
The Groton Lakes Association, Inc
P.O. BOX 646
Groton, MA 01450

Donations to the Groton Lakes Association, Inc are TAX DEDUCTIBLE!
Don’t forget MATCHING FUNDS if your company has a charitable contribution matching program.

*Please share your email address with us!!
The GLA does not give out email addresses to anyone. We use them to inform you about GLA activities and communicate issues of interest. Providing the GLA with your email address also saves us hundreds of dollars annually in postage and paper.

Thank you,
Brad Harper
President, GLA