Notes from the June 13, 2026 Membership Meeting
Board members present:
Bill Barton, Grant Bogle, Russ Conkilin, Jackie Blombach, Jeff Bravin, Adam Mayer, Jackie Blombach, Danny Vogus, David Mathus, Carey Fiertz, Jean Bell, Rich Haupt, Dave Haab
Grant opened the meeting at 10 am by welcoming all the TLA Members and introduced the agenda to the roughly 70 people who came to Isola Bella for the meeting.
Lake Management Updates:
Russ discussed the partnership with Salisbury School to manage the growing impact of the tape grass in West Twin utilizing the new harvester. The 2026 Invasive plant management treatment plan started early April and extends through the fall. These plans include treatment of curly-leaf pondweed in West Twin (completed in May) and hydrilla control efforts using low concentration SONAR in the east bay of East Twin. In addition, Russ outlined the numerous aquatic plant studies being conducted throughout the summer and fall along with the monthly water quality testing. Finally, while the water clarity in the lake system is excellent, the ongoing watershed study and the cumulation of several years of data from the monthly water quality testing show signs of stress building the lakes, driven mainly by rising phosphorus levels and a growing anoxic layer in deep water as the summer progresses. Left unchecked, this could cause the lake to reach a tipping point where water quality could deteriorate quickly and algae blooms would be much more common. The data also shows that there is no one issue driving this process. It is a combination of many issues, such as poorly maintained septic systems, manicured lawns down to the water’s edge and the overall impact of development in the watershed. Russ challenged each homeowner in the watershed to decide what steps they can take to help slow this process.
Lake Health Initiatives:
Jackie Blombach discussed lake health initiatives by introducing Nature’s Action Guide, a step by step guide to support the lake ecosystem. The TLA recommends all members secure a copy of this book (we have many remaining) so they can learn more and decide what they can do to help protect our precious lake system. To kick things off, the TLA is recommending that septic systems be pumped every other year, removing invasive plants on your property while expanding the natural shoreline with vegetative buffers of native cultivars, and turning off the lights to support animals and insects which are important to our biodiversity and ecology.
Budget and Finances:
Grant reviewed the 2026 TLA budget with projected revenue and expenses of $500,000. 70% of the revenue of the TLA comes from donations from members while 30% is made up from grants and the town of Salisbury. Fortunately, the TLA is in excellent shape financially for this season but Grant stressed that we raise what we spend in any given year. As such, we have begun fund raising to pay for next season’s expenses. Grant shared information from 2025 indicating that the median donation to the TLA was $100 but the average donation was $1318. While we are fortunate to have donors who are willing to provide larger gifts to the TLA, we are asking everyone to consider how much these lakes mean to all of us and to prioritize the TLA in their giving plans.
Endowment Intro:
Bill Barton talked about the importance of putting the TLA on a more sustainable financial footing with the establishment of an endowment. Endowments are part of the sustainability plan of most not-for-profit organizations and is something the leadership of the TLA has considered for several years. The TLA board has engaged outside legal counsel to advise us in the proper governance structure and how to ensure that we continue to meet all current requirements as a not-for-profit organization. Further discussion of the endowment will be a major topic at the August 8 Annual Meeting.
Lake Patrols:
Trooper Begley and Dan Janco addressed the membership and took questions from the audience regarding lake patrols. Discussion focused on safety issues (boat speed, proper floatation and warning devices for kayaks and paddle boards, swimmer buoys, etc) and also concerns about the distance from shore of numerous swimming docks in East Twin. Some swimming docks are moored 200 feet plus from shore and this could interfere with boating traffic leading to an accident. Homeowners with swimming docks far from shore are being asked to consider moving them closer to shore. It was a healthy discussion and we value the support of the lake patrol officers.
Aquatic Invasive Plant Identification:
Madeleine Watts, research technician from the Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station (CAES) presented information on the identification of aquatic invasives specific to Twin Lakes. It is important to know to identify an invasion as the quicker we identify an invasive plant, the easier it is to manage the infestation. 60% of CT waterbodies have at least one invasive species. She discussed curly leaf pondweed which resembles lasagna, Eurasian watermilfoil which is the most common invasive in CT and spreads via fragmentation, minor naiad and the 3 sub-species of hydrilla, with a special focus on the CT River Strain which is found in Twin Lakes. If members want more information on plant identification, I-naturalist is an app to identify plants, or you can send a photo to CAES/ OASIS via their website. Madeline’s slides are posted on the TLA website.
Reminders:
Hazardous waste Collection day is Saturday June 20, 8 a.m.-noon at Falls Village Public Works, 100 Railroad St. The 4th of July Parade of Boats will assemble near the state launch on East Twin at 2:45 pm and depart at 3 PM for a slow tour of East Twin. Be sure to dress your boat up to celebrate our country’s 250th anniversary! Finally, the TLA Annual meeting and Twin Lakes Day is set for August 8 at Camp Isola Bella. The TLA will provide a picnic lunch for Members immediately following the meeting and before the start of the 126th Twin Lakes Day activities. As in the past, volunteers are needed and should reach out to either President@twinlakesorg.org or Membership@twinlakesorg.org.
The 2026 TLA directory is available for free and we have many copies remaining. In addition, we have many more copies of Nature’s Action Guide as well as new merchandise for purchase. We will bring the above items and more to the August meeting.
The meeting was adjourned after 90 minutes.
Notes submitted by Erica Cohn secretary