TLA Letter Seeks Funds to Battle Spread of Hydrilla

The Twin Lakes Association board has released the following letter regarding the escalating costs of lake management, including efforts to eradicate the invasive hydrilla plant. The letter will go out to a broader community of lake goers in coming days.

Dear Twin Lakes Member:

The lake community is staring down a real and imminent threat to our watershed. We are confident we will rise to the moment. We have assembled a top-rate task force that includes scientists, experts from the state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection, and private contractors. Our state and local elected officials are on board. We continue to receive generous funding from the Town of Salisbury, which has covered about half of our expenses. We are applying for grants. But the costly nature of ridding invasive hydrilla and preventing it and other invasive species from re-entering the lakes will tax the resources of our association for years to come.  
 
If you are not familiar with the Connecticut River variety of hydrilla, which has been found in East Twin, please read about it on the Twin Lakes Association website. 
 
The cost of lake management had already escalated due to inflation and more intense testing and monitoring requirements. The hydrilla battle takes costs up another notch. Going forward, the TLA expects to spend up to $175,000 a year on lake management. Three years ago, that figure was $50,000. We are managing by drawing down our reserve and through several large donations from the lake community.
 
But collectively, we must do more. The TLA must raise significantly more funds each year to address the new challenges. We need your help. To start, please take advantage of a generous offer to match any donation up to a total of $30,000 before Dec. 31. You can make your tax-deductible, matching donation on the TLA website.  If every TLA member donates between $500 and $1,000 we will be on firm financial footing for the coming year. Please give what you can. Twin Lakes is a precious resource that we want to maintain for future generations. 
 
Sincerely,
The TLA Board 

The newsletter sent this morning inadvertently omitted some valuable information, and had a bad link. You can donate by clicking on the “donate now” button on the TLA website home page. You can also donate with a check made payable to The Twin Lakes Association (or TLA) and mailed to PO Box 99, Salisbury CT 06068.