After receiving multiple inquiries about BPO’s success in removing weeds from Baffins Pond and raising funds to build weed management, I decided to write an article outlining the procedure that might be beneficial to others in many all across the globe. Baffin’s Pond is a 50+ acre body of water with around 165 houses along the pond. Click here
http://baffinspondassociation.org.uk and get more details.
The pond contains 12 deeded right-of-ways, each of which allows around 65 property owners on neighboring parcels to escape. There is a lot of public access to the pond as a four-season recreational resource at the boat ramp and deeded egress for neighbors via the walkways. Flax Pond, which features a public beach for swimming, offers the same level of public access. These points of access helped us qualify for government financing.
- Water Level and Evaluation
Some of the rapid weed growth may be attributed to the low water level, which allowed more sunlight to touch the ever-present weeds on the pond’s bottom in a greater number of places than usual, promoting fast expansion along the shore. All of the ACT chemicals proposed to use have been studied and authorized by the Environmental Protection Agency, with no discernible effects on fish or animals at appropriate levels. The application calls for no fishing, swimming, or boating for 1-3 days and the use of lake water for irrigation for 90 days.
Because Baffins Pond is not in an endangered species zone, all needed was a state DEP permit and the local Conservation Commission’s consent. We quickly received all of the required information on the permitting process, the application, and the hearing schedule.
- Funding
For the Baffins Ponds Restoration Project, BPO obtained funding from the city, state, and maybe federal governments and successful private fundraising. BPO didn’t realize they’d need to raise money until they had an evaluation and treatment estimate in hand. So, they assumed they could raise the money from local fundraisers without grants in 2021 when the weed treatment cost the Baffins Pond Association $3,500. After the inspection, they knew we needed help revealed a cost estimate of closer to $20,000 for urgent weed treatment without a long-term maintenance plan.
- Conclusion
BPO asked ACT for information regarding the treatment and obtained it, then created a non-scientific narrative to alert pond property owners and abutters of our plans. We met to form the Baffins Pond Association, elect a Board of Directors, and form a Weed Committee. To assist us in raising cash, we developed a website at
http://baffinspondassociation.org.uk. We used the information from the ACT evaluation of our weed problem before completing our application for treatments with the city and state.