The Twin Lakes Association has launched a year-end appeal to raise $250,000 to control hydrilla next year and to eliminate the invasive plant ultimately. Please be sure to look for a detailed letter in the U.S. mail from TLA President Grant Bogle in the coming weeks.
A small group of local benefactors has given the effort a big head start, making four-year pledges in the tens of thousands of dollars that provide the TLA with a solid foundation to push forward with remediation plans while raising additional funds.
The TLA remains significantly short of its needs and asks all members to donate $500, $1,000, or more to help reach the goal. Fighting hydrilla is expensive. But it is an investment that we must make together, and which will provide long-term returns. We ask for your immediate support and in the foreseeable future.
In a recent series in The Lakeville Journal (links below), hydrilla was highlighted as among the most devastating invasive aquatic plants in the U.S. The TLA just completed a second costly year of treatments in what promises to be a long battle to save the lakes and preserve the fragile Schenob Brook and Housatonic River habitats.
The TLA projects lake management costs next year will exceed $350,000, a seven-fold increase from just four years ago and a figure that will remain elevated for years. The Town of Salisbury has traditionally picked up two-thirds of the lake management costs but does not have the resources to sustain that share at current spending levels.
The town is looking to increase funding and the TLA is applying for all relevant grants. But the TLA says most of the 2025 budget—about $250,000—must be raised from members and the broader community. More than nine in every 10 dollars raised gets spent directly on lake management; member dues account for less than 10% of the operating budget.
Donations may be made with a credit card on the TLA website, by check sent to Twin Lakes Association, P.O. Box 99, Salisbury, CT, 06068, or through a donor-advised fund to Twin Lakes Association of Salisbury Inc. The TLA is a 501(c)3 charitable organization. All donations are tax-deductible. Check with your employer to see if it will match your donation.
For more information on TLA efforts to combat hydrilla, please visit the TLA website or send a note to President@twinlakesorg.org.
Links to the Journal hydrilla series and the TLA letter to the editor:
Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
Letter to the editor
Boaters in Connecticut beginning this month must pay for an Aquatic Invasive Species (AIS) stamp obtained from the Online Sportsmen Licensing system, which is the same system used to get a fishing or hunting license. In the past, the state simply added $5 to boat registration fees rather than collect a separate levy. This was convenient and ensured that every Connecticut boat owner paid. Now, a separate step is required and many observers fear the participation rate will fall, resulting in fewer funds to fight hydrilla and other aquatic invasive plants. The AIS stamp is now $7 for individuals and will appear on your sportsmens license. Alternatively, you may buy a $20 decal to place on your boat to cover anyone on your boat. Look here for a further explanation and how to get your AIS stamp for 2025.
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