The Twin Lakes Association Annual Meeting
August 3, 2024
Meeting Minutes
TLA annual meeting occurred on August 3, 2024 commencing at 10 AM at the American School for the Deaf on Isola Bella in Salisbury, CT. With 88 members being present in person, exceeding 15 % of the eligible membership, a quorum existed.
Board members present included: Grant Bogle, Bill Barton, Eric Stoer, Adam Mayer, Jackie Blombach, David Mathus, Danny Vogus, Jeff Bravin, Carey Fiertz, Jean Bell, Russ Conklin, Erica Cohn, Rich Haupt and Dave Haab.
Grant Bogle, President, opened the meeting with breaking news regarding and updated NDBB determination letter and permit allowing the TLA to expand the use of Sonar along the eastern shoreline of East Twin from O’Hara’s marina to the state boat launch, an area where hydrilla is growing very rapidly.
The TLA then heard prepared remarks from Jeremiah Foley, PhD, Assistant Scientist II in the newly formed office of Aquatic Invasive Species (OAIS), a department within the Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station (CAES). Jeremiah’s talk addressed the history of hydrilla in the US, how the plant continues to evolve biologically as it moves northward, the status of the CT River Project in terms of combating hydrilla on the CT River and finally, the potential impact of hydrilla if left unchecked here on Twin Lakes or any freshwater body.
Jeremiah explained that the introduction of hydrilla in the US in the early 1960’s was traced to an aquarium owner in Florida who purchased hydrilla for their aquarium, and later dumped it into a pond in Miami. It continued to grow and spread and by the 1980’s, had moved north to the Carolinas and on to Delaware, and fast forward to the discovery of a unique subspecies in 2017 in the CT River (the CT River strain), which is the strain currently growing in East Twin.
He explained that hydrilla is one of the most aggressive and impactful invasive aquatic species. It can grow in water up to 30 feet deep and can double in biomass every two weeks! Its growth is most robust in the months of August and September and during this time it can grow up to an inch per day. As the plant matures, it produces turions which break off and spread, forming seedlings that bloom the following year or beyond. No one is sure how long these turions can lay dormant in sediment, but it is believed to be many years. Thus, treating hydrilla as it grows is so critical in order to kill the turions before they can spread.
Left unchecked, the ecological impact of hydrilla can be devastating to native plants, fish and wildlife, let alone the negative impacts on recreational use and commerce. The negative economic cost of hydrilla in the US is calculated to be in the hundreds of millions of dollars each year.
Russ Conklin, Vice President of Lake Management, provided an update on lake management activities completed through July including the aquatic plant surveys conducted in June and July, the initial hydrilla treatments on East Twin, and the recent approval of DEEP to allow expanded treatment around O’Hara’s marina up to the state launch. Treatments using SONAR One will continue through September at approximately 3-week intervals.
In addition to herbicides, the TLA uses a variety of other methods to control invasive species including benthic barriers, divers and hand pulling where feasible and effective. However, for large infestations or areas with significant boat traffic, herbicides are the best alternative.
In preparation for the 2025 session, the TLA has scheduled a “coalition meeting” in September on Twin Lakes which will bring together the scientific advisors of the TLA to assess the impact of our management efforts in the 2024 season and to provide input into the 2025 management plan. In addition to scientists from CAES, USACE, NEAR and SePro, we have invited local and state politicians and officials from various departments at CT DEEP. We will provide a full report to the membership post this meeting.
Finally, Russ explained that the TLA intends to apply in the fall of this year for a permit for the 2025 season, which, we hope, will allow for hydrilla treatments to begin as early as the end of May.
Grant Bogle provided a detailed overview of the TLA finances. Fortunately, the TLA has sufficient funds to cover the cost of lake management this year, thanks to the generous contributions of TLA members, the town’s contribution of approximately $76,000 and the matching funds of $75,000 secured from the DEEP grant. In total, it is projected that the TLA will spend approximately $300,000 this calendar year on lake management and other association responsibilities.
For the 2025 season, it is expected that the TLA will spend approximately $350,000. While every effort will be made to find sources of grant funding, there can be no assurances that the state will have sufficient funds to repeat the $75,000 grant received this year in the coming fiscal year. In addition, while the town is considering an increase to the total lake management budget for all the lakes in town, most of the responsibility for funding lake management initiatives will fall to the TLA membership. As such, the fundraising goal for the TLA this coming year will be roughly $225,000. More information on the campaign will be communicated to the membership in September.
Bill Barton, Senior VP, oversaw the election for 3-year terms for TLA officers and directors.
The following slate was unanimously elected for new terms as Directors and Officers:
Grant Bogle, President
Bill Barton, Vice President
Jean Bell, Treasurer
Erica Cohn, Secretary
Russ Conklin, VP, Lake Management
The following slate was also unanimously elected for new terms as Directors:
Sharon Aiuvalasit
Jackie Blombach
Jeff Bravin
Jeff Cox
Carey Fiertz
Dave Haab
Rich Haupt
Dan Kadlec
Adam Mayer
Jack Mahoney
David Mathus
Blake Morrison