November 17, 2017

The summer of 2017 was a bit rainy but finished strong with an incredible ending of sunny, hot weather! July and September got mixed up and switched their weather patterns. All throughout the year, the Crystal Lake Preservation Assoc.(CLPA) got many hours of great volunteer work by its’ members, making for a successful 15^th year of maintaining the high quality of our Lake. And once again, the Town of Barton provided the CLPA with very strong financial support that, joined by another grant from the State of Vermont’s’ Aquatic Nuisance Control program made our preservation efforts possible. The CLPA’s program focused on these main areas:   

1. Boat inspections through the greeter program. 
2. Professional Diver surveys of the lake. 
3. Harvesting of any milfoil found in any area of the lake. 
4. Public education efforts through the website and mailings.

Boat inspections began on May 27th for the Memorial Day weekend and were conducted on a reduced schedule through the middle of June due to the substantial reduction in State grant funds faced at the beginning of this year. After the middle of June, inspections were conducted from 6am to 6pm daily by three inspectors that worked for the CLPA last season. Weather conditions in May, June and July, were most often cold and rainy which reduced lake boating activity. There were 851 watercraft inspections, down only slightly from the prior year’s 860.  

CLPA’s greeters intercepted 6 vessels carrying noxious weeds, 2 more than 2016. The inspectors encountered a boater who refused to cooperate, and one who emptied an oily bilge into the lake, however they maintained their excellent work on behalf of the program throughout the summer. The board of the CLPA is grateful to our dedicated boat inspectors Dan Basford, Richard Romaine, and Haydan Patrick and their dedication to the program. Andy Treiber continues to coordinate the greeter program and does an outstanding job. The diligent vessel inspections, ongoing public contact and education clearly results in our relatively low numbers of aquatic nuisance plant life being found in the lake. Andy has filed the annual Crystal Lake Boat Inspection report which will be made available on the website.

The CLPA hired professional diver Robert Patton from Barton, VT to conduct Milfoil surveys and harvesting this season. Accompanied by board members, volunteers, President Tom Nelson and Vice President Dean Lawes, Mr. Patton worked 3 of 4 total expeditions for the program resulting in the successful harvesting of over 14 gallons of Milfoil from the northern and southern ends of the lake. 

The CLPA conducted another outreach effort with a spring mailing and as a result gained many new association members and financial contributions this year. This additional support was especially crucial considering the state grant reduction that had occurred and some rising costs on what was already a very tight budget. Sandy and Elizabeth Bjorkman worked very hard on connecting with Vermont State Parks and distributing a new CLPA informational flyer to spread the word on our association to the public who visit the State Park beach. A special thanks to them for making an excellent, new idea work! 

Director Rod Ely continued to maintain the association website and has provided us with timely updates and information that is of great benefit to the program. The website remains our main public education effort. Area residents and the public are encouraged to learn more about our program and association at http://crystallakevt.com. 

Kristin Atwood from the Town of Barton’s municipal office continues to serve as the CLPA treasurer and liaison with the Vermont Dept. of Environmental Conservation, providing expert assistance and the financial accounting of the grant program. The budget includes a Treasurer’s salary of $450 for the year, greeter program coordinators salary of $750, greeter salaries, Liability and Workman’s Compensation insurance, advertising, public education, professional fees, postage and other miscellaneous costs. 

The CLPA Summer Picnic took place on July 1st at Pageant Park and despite the usual rain during that time frame, was well attended. The annual meeting was held on August 5^th, also at the Pageant Park Pavilion. The annual meeting was very well attended and covered by a reporter for the Barton Newspaper, “The Chronicle”. Thanks to the Chronicle, the CLPA and the Aquatic Nuisance Control Program received some excellent coverage in the press. Minutes of the meeting were prepared by CLPA Secretary Karen Brown and will be available on the website. 

The Officers and Directors of the CLPA are thrilled to welcome new members to the association this year and very grateful for the many generous donations that have been received to help us succeed with this program for the 15^th year. In addition to thanking our neighbors, family, friends and the public for support, we especially thank the citizens of Barton for their continued strong financial backing and the state of Vermont Department of Environmental Conservation for the financial grant support. With everyone’s’ continued help, we look forward to another successful season next year!  

Sincerely, 

Thomas Nelson

 CLPA President 2018