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Two years
later, WLA continues to help community
BY GINGER
COSTEN
WEBSTER TIMES STAFF WRITER
WEBSTER – Two years ago the
Webster Lake Association (WLA) was a small group of people with
one goal in mind: help protect Webster Lake. Today, they’re a
dedicated throng of over 400 Webster-area families with a mission
statement: to enhance, preserve and protect the quality of the
lake and its watershed through the promotion of responsible,
effective environmental and educational policies.
“Conceived in part as a resource
to help resolve the dock permit controversy, we soon realized our
mission was much greater than any one single issue,” said
President Dick Cazeault. “In the past two years we’ve made great
strides in protecting and improving our lake.”
As membership increased so did
the overall scope of the group. “Sunday’s barbeque was a
celebration of 24 months of friends and neighbors making a
difference in the community they live in,” said Vice President
Jane Hill.
“We’re celebrating Paul
LaFramboise, Pam Landry and their team who put in countless hours
with the weed treatment project this summer. The volunteer Water
Quality Testing Teams who donated their time not only to become
trained but also to test the waters of Webster Lake throughout the
year. Plus Judy Morrison and her committee who have strived so
hard to create a bit of fun while raising thousands of dollars to
fund these environmental projects,” said Hill.
According to Hill, in the
beginning there were a lot of people betting on the failure of the
WLA. “We’ve worked hard to demonstrate there’re no hidden agendas
and we’re focused on just one thing; Webster Lake.”
Sunday was a perfect example of
that spirit. “This is who we are and what we stand for; a group of
people from all walks of life simply enjoying a great day on our
beautiful lake,” said Hill.
During the past two years, the
WLA has actively addressed key issues affecting the lake’s future.
“Since the beginning the WLA has
demonstrated a can-do spirit and has certainly been a viable
partner helping to shape a positive future for this great lake,”
said State Representative Paul Kujawski, D-Webster.
Citing the lake management report
that was initiated and funded by the WLA last summer, Kujawski
said the group has become an example for other organizations to
follow across the state.
Kujawski also said he and Senator
Moore, D-Uxbridge, had recently led the successful effort to
override Governor Mitt Romney’s veto of the $168,000 previously
dedicated to helping Webster clean both the weeds and sediment
from the lake.
“We’re both excited about finally
getting these funds into the hands of the town so this project can
move forward,” Kujawski said. “A great deal of what this community
based group has accomplished over the past two years helped make
the case for this override to happen.”
In June the WLA began a weed
treatment program with an aquatic biologist and a Massachusetts
company, Aquatic Control Technologies (ACT), which currently works
on 400 lakes each year. “We used an herbicide called Reward that
was applied sub-surface so it stays underwater and there’s no
aerial drift,” said Paul LaFramboise Environmental Committee
Co-chair.
This treatment is specifically
for the control of the invasive weeds, Eurasian milfoil and
Variable milfoil. “We began to see the effects of this treatment
by the 4th of July holiday weekend,” said LaFramboise.
During the first week of July,
ACT harvested a channel through the center of Sucker Cove. “This
will help water flow and maintain a boating access into this
area,” added Pam Landry and Bob Couture. “These treatments are
fulfilling our mission to keep this lake as healthy and beautiful
as it’s been in the past. Our lake and watershed are ever evolving
and we will need to continue to be vigilant in our planning and
management to maintain one of the best places on earth to live,”
they said.
This past spring the WLA
participated in Webster Pride’s Symposium for Success addressing
the environmental and land use issues within the community.
“The WLA has taken its mission
and become a partner with other Webster groups and businesses such
as Webster Pride and Cranston Print Works (CPW),” said Town
Administrator Robin Leal. “Hopefully this will expand into a plan
for progress for the community and also benefit the lake and the
watershed through continued efforts with grant proposals and
projects.”
Members of WLA helped support the
residents of Dudley and Webster in June when volunteers cleaned
two tons garbage from the French River.
Most recently, the WLA developed
permanent signs educating the public on boating safety and making
boaters aware of the importance of cleaning their boats before
ands after entering any lake. “We need to make everyone aware of
the problems of non-native organisms such as plants and mussels
into Webster Lake,” said member and Dudley resident Paula Chauvin.
Ongoing projects for the WLA
include the sedimentation control program which will begin with
the design and permitting stages to address the storm water runoff
in the Union Point and Action Marine areas. Once these stages are
complete, the proper corrective actions will be initiated to stop,
or greatly reduce, the sedimentation in these areas.
“Our intention is to continue
this program until we have addressed all the storm water runoff
problems surrounding the lake,” said Cazeault.
Public Works Superintendent,
Dennis Westgate also feels the WLA has helped his department.
“They’re a major asset to this community just alone with the
effort and time they’ve supplied to grant writing and the storm
water project,” said Westgate.
Westgate was also pleased with
the combined efforts between both the WLA and Webster Pride. “Look
at all of these people enjoying the beach and summer activities; I
hope they do this every year,” he said.
During the past winter, an ice
survey was done with CPW to determine a way to reduce shoreline
ice damage. The results were not conclusive, but pointed to
possible water level solutions as a way to reduce damage. A
subsequent survey and experiment will be conducted this next
winter.
This fall working with both
Webster’s Public Works Departments and CPW, the WLA is looking to
get permission to reduce the water level in October for a two week
period. This will allow residents to perform maintenance on their
waterfronts. “We’d like this to occur on an alternating yearly
basis,” said Cazeault.
From the dock point of view,
little progress has been made. A simplified procedure was
submitted to Webster officials and attempts were made to get
approval and guidance from the state. According to Cazeault, due
to state cuts it was difficult at first to find a person to
address the dock issue. “Although this matter has certainly not
progressed as we’d hoped, it’s not slipped in priority and I will
continue to pursue a productive outcome,” he said.
Convinced there’d be a mutual
educational benefit in establishing a link with the local schools,
the WLA has reduced their membership fees in an effort to attract
more youth from the community.
According to Hill the WLA is a
member of the Coalition of Lakes and Ponds (COLAP). “When we
attend these meetings the other lake associations are amazed that
the largest lake in three states has only just formed an
organization solely to protect the lake. But conversely they’re
also amazed at how far we’ve come and what we’ve accomplished in
only two years.”
Although the membership has
demonstrated tremendous growth, with over 800 homes on the lake
and more throughout the watershed, they feel there’s a need for
more members. “Living on the lake and not joining this
organization is the equivalent of letting your lawn grow until
your neighbors get concerned enough to cut it for you,” said Hill.
“While I understand that donating time can be a concern, our $20
membership has been kept low to encourage everyone who enjoys the
lake to join us in this environmental mission.”
According to Hill this year’s
environmental projects have greatly depleted their budget. “We
need people around the lake to financially support future
projects,” said Hill “Milfoil is like crabgrass - never completely
goes away and the minute you turn your back – it’s everywhere! We
need to manage these environmental projects long term.”
Eurasian Milfoil is an extremely
aggressive, non-native plant known for its rapid spread and
growth. It originated in Europe and Asia and is believed to have
been introduced into North America through boat traffic on the
Great Lakes. There are no natural enemies of this weed in North
America and it will over time eliminate all other native plants
within a lake’s ecosystem.
Looking forward, Hill hopes the
past actions of the WLA has spoken louder than words. “I hope
we’ve convinced everyone that we’re not a politically motivated,
elitist or a flash-in-the-pan organization. We’re a group of
dedicated people from all walks of life that works with our
political leadership, other agencies and each other because our
goals are the same; we love Webster Lake and want to preserve this
unique resource as a pristine legacy for future generations.”
“We must continue attracting
people by being a progressive, interesting, and above all, a fun
organization,” said Cazeault. “We have had a fruitful two years
but, I believe the best is yet to come.” |
