2010 Forms
Forms for the Children's Program and for boat slip
rentals are available. Both are only available to Candlewood Knolls
residents only.
Candlewood Knolls Children's
Program forms
Boat Slip Forms
Milfoil Update
Larry Marsicano, CLA Executive Director
Research on Eurasian watermilfoil management continues forward. I’ve
just finished reviewing the draft report by the Connecticut Agricultural
Experiment Station who mapped the milfoil last summer and the two
summers before that for FirstLight Power Resources. FirstLight’s
Nuisance Plant Monitoring Plan, which was a requirement of the 2004 FERC
license, prescribes annual mapping for Candlewood Lake.
The data being collected is invaluable in developing an understanding
of the dynamics between successful management and deep winter drawdowns.
For example, in 2007 there were 221 acres of milfoil; in 2008, 451
acres; and in 2009, 373 acres. What interests me is the difference in
total acres between the three years. We expected there to be more weeds
in 2008, but hoped total acres in 2009 to be similar to that observed in
2007, but it wasn’t. But neither were the 2007 and 2009 deep drawdowns
similar. The 2007 deep drawdown reached its target depth in early
January and remained there until almost the beginning of March, unlike
the 2009 deep drawdown that reached its target depth in mid January and
started going back up in early February. That said, it should be noted
that the abundance of milfoil, i.e. how dense the beds of plants were,
was lower in 2009 than in both 2008 and 2007. The CAES report should
become public in the near future. Check the CLA website (www.candlewoodlakeauthority.org)
or call us for updates on its availability.
WCSU continues to play an important role in our efforts to understand
the problem. Dr. Tom Lonergan and his graduate students in the Biology
and Environmental Science Department have been experimenting in the lab
with plants collected from the lake to determine the exact conditions
required to kill the root cells of the plant, i.e. how cold, how dry,
how long exposed. From the same department, Dr. Mitch Wagener has been
the advisor of students tracking the effects of the milfoil weevils
released in selected beds of milfoil.
To learn more about the research, go to our website, put your cursor
over INFORMATION RESOURCES, and click on PUBLICATIONS AND DOCUMENTS in
the drop down menu. There you will find a number of research reports
from the CLA or WCSU on milfoil management. Also if you missed it or
want to see it again, you will soon be able to watch the slide
presentations and panel discussion held at the Eurasian Watermilfoil and
Candlewood Lake event at WCSU on December 10th. Check our website on the
availability of those videos.
We will be coordinating the release of another 10,000 milfoil weevil
eggs or larvae into selected sites as part of that ongoing research in
June. FirstLight Power donated $15,000 dollars over a year ago go toward
the additional weevils. After release, students from WCSU will continue
to monitor those sites as they have been since 2007.
Nostalgia
The Candlewood Comment was a
seasonal magazine published in the late 1930's and early 1940's. It was
billed as "A Monthly Digest of Lake News". In each issue there was a
section on Candlewood Knolls. If anyone has copies issues not listed
please let us know.
