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Lake and Pond News this Fall
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Learn about cold weather boating safety, new legislative changes, and ways to stay involved with the lake and pond community this fall.
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Letter from the President
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Greetings members and friends of Massachusetts Congress of Lake and Pond Associations!
Since our last newsletter, we welcome Rebecca Chane into a new role as the Legislative Monitor for MA COLAP. We are all excited about her passion and drive in advocating for the environment, and are hopeful that Rebecca will keep MA COLAP and its members up to date on any new legislation that may impact our water resources.
In addition to this, we have also amped-up our social media accounts! While we are still getting our Instagram account off the ground, please check out our Facebook page and Twitter account! Our Media Coordinator, Melissa Lenker, has been doing a superb job at getting our message out there. Be sure to send her any photos of your lakes and ponds that you want featured on our social media pages at
[email protected]
!
And as always, if you have an interest in joining our board or volunteering with MA COLAP, please feel free to reach out to us as at
[email protected]
. MA COLAP is always looking for volunteer projects to get involved with, so you if you have any ideas, please throw them our way!
Respectfully,
Danielle Marini, President
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It’s Getting Cold Out There… Boat Safely!
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A little cold weather won’t keep us from canoeing and kayaking this fall. But it does mean that we need to take extra safety precautions. Massachusetts law requires that you wear a personal floatation device (PDF) at all times while canoeing and kayaking from September 15
th
to May 15
th
. Play it smart and paddle safely!
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Are you ready to boat this fall?
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Legislative News: Extension of Comment Period for the Definition of “Waters of the United States”
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In 2015, the Clean Water Rule was finalized with the intent to define “navigable” bodies of water. Under this rule, smaller bodies of water, such as rivers, small waterways, and wetlands, were given importance due to their effects on larger bodies of water. This expanded the Clean Water Act “waters of the United States,” or WOTUS, allowing protection of an additional two million miles of streams and 20 million acres of wetlands.
This past February, an Executive Order was issued directing the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to review and reconsider WOTUS, with special attention being given to the definition of navigable waters. A public forum is open and has been extended until September 27, 2017 to allow additional time for public comments. MA COLAP members are encouraged to provide comments during this comment period. Please provide your comments
here
.
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Spot Pond at the Middlesex Fells Reservation
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What’s Your MA Park Story?
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We’re excited to participate in the Environmental League of Massachusetts’ “What’s Your MA Park Story?” campaign this fall to build awareness of why our state parks matter. As a member of MA COLAP, we hope you will submit photos and videos showing your favorite experiences at our state parks. Submit your story at
www.environmentalleague.org/mymapark
. ELM will feature submissions on social media throughout the fall.
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Do you have a lake or pond picture that you want to see on social media? Tag us on Twitter or LinkedIn or submit your picture to
[email protected]
and we will re-post or share. Be sure to include your name and the location of the picture.
Do you need help getting the word out about your lake association event? Email us at
[email protected]
with the details and we will help spread the word through Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn.
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A big thanks goes to
ESS Group, Inc.
for submitting this great photo of the Quabbin Reservoir
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As a reminder, membership dues increase on October 1
st
. If you have not already paid your MA COLAP membership dues, please do so
here
.
Dues from now until October 1st:
Individual - $20.00
Student - $10.00
Lake/Pond Association - $40.00
Corporation - $60.00
Dues after October 1st:
Individual - $25.00
Student - $10.00
Lake/Pond Association - $50.00
Corporation - $200.00
Donations are used to run our organization, host workshops, educate our members and provide regulatory and legislative updates relevant to the lake community. MA COLAP is a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt organization, and your donation is tax-deductible to the extent permitted by the law.
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Donations helped fund last year's conference at the LEED certified MA Division of Fisheries and Wildlife Headquarters in Westborough, MA.
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