A Message from the Norton Water Bodies Committee

As we enjoy our winter activities on the Norton lakes and ponds there are some important things we should remember to protect our water bodies and the wildlife that live along the shores. Protecting our water bodies and wildlife is a year round activity.  The Norton Water Bodies Committee continues its efforts to protect the town’s lakes and ponds. The Committee is working with the Town Manager to hire a consultant to address the invasive weed problem in the lakes and ponds, especially Winnecunnet.  At the Fall Town Meeting voters overwhelming approved the expense of $50,000 to develop a short and long term plan for lakes clean up and protection.

Committee Member Joe McFarland has been working with the Boy Scouts to build kiosks around main beach locations where boats are launched. The kiosks will provide critical information for boaters about boat cleaning and preventing the spread of invasive plant life from one lake to another. As spring approaches keep an eye out for the Boy Scouts and this great community service project.

In January Committee Members Carol Zwicker and Colleen Ryan attended the annual Massachusetts Congress on Lakes and Ponds Conference in Worcester. MACOLAP is a statewide organization of citizens and towns working together to protect and revitalize the Commonwealth’s lakes and ponds. They attended workshops on storm water draining and runoff, artificial circulation, and lake and pond restoration techniques.  This information is vital for Committee Members because it lets us know what methods of clean up are most effective. To learn more about MACOLAP visit their website at macolap.org.

Now we all know we are having lots of snow this winter with very cold temperatures. Many recreational activities are occurring on and around the lakes and ponds in Norton. As we work to keep the water bodies healthy in the summer we must also work to keep them clean in the winter. Here are a few tips for those of us who brave the cold and enjoy being out around the lakes. First and most important, please do not feed the wildlife. Do Not leave food out for the geese, ducks, and swans. Human food is not good for the wildlife. You may also notice that there are rodents that live around the water bodies that are also looking for free food. These animals are wild and it is best to let them survive on their own. If they are fed by people they become dependent on us for their survival.

Secondly, for all our wonderful ice fisherman who fish on the Norton lakes and ponds please clean up after yourselves. Use the take out - take in strategy to keep litter and other waste off the ice. Many ice fisherman use motorized augers to drill holes for fishing. They use all terrain vehicles and snowmobiles to take equipment out onto the lakes. These motorized vehicles can accidently spill oil and gas onto the ice. The pollutants go into the lakes once the ice thaws. It does not just disappear. Remember the water and critters, which are so important for a healthy lake, live under the ice.

Third, for those of us who live on or near the lakes and ponds and for all the snow plow drivers let us not be tempted to dump or snow blow the snow onto the lakes. We may think that snow is just frozen water. But in many situations the snow has been treated with salt and other chemicals. These pollutants can also destroy the water quality and negatively affect the fish and wildlife.

As springtime approaches, yes it is just around the corner, the Water Bodies Committee will be actively working to protect the Town’s lakes and ponds. If anyone is interested in this important project feel free to attend the public meetings that typically occur on the third Monday of the month. Check out the Town’s website at www.nortonma.org.

Submitted by:

Colleen E. Ryan

Lantern Lane

Norton Water Bodies Committee