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Friends of Waterbury Reservoir is a Vermont non-profit organization committed to protecting, improving and enhancing the ecological, recreational, and community values of the Waterbury Reservoir. We accomplish this through stewardship, research, community involvement, collaboration with all stakeholders, and connecting people and place. To learn more about our Mission, Vision & Core Values and to Join Us, visit www.friendsofwaterburyreservoir.org
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In This Issue
- Show Your Support! Light-weight performance caps for sale, $18
- New! Stewardship and collaboration 140 characters at a time
- Top 5 Questions for the Floating Ranger
- New! Smartphone app for the Trash Data Study
- FWRes are Pioneers in citizen-led science about marine debris
- Partnership with Keurig-Green Mt Coffee
- Aquatic Invasive Species on the Res'
- September: National River Clean-Up Month
- Cottonbrook access improvements
- Legislative Update: Governor signs Clean Water Act, H.35
- Postcard from the Res
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Show Your Support
and Help us Achieve Our Mission
Performance Ball Caps, $18
On Sale Now!
Free sticker with every order
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100% polyester; all mesh cap with mesh inserts and reflective taping; unstructured; precurved bill with reflective bill trim; self-fabric adjustable loop Velcro® closure.
Shop Now |
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Watch for announcements of upcoming fundraiser events this
summer and fall hosted by our friends PieCasso in Stowe and
Hen of the Wood in Waterbury!
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New! Follow us on Twitter
~ stewardship and collaboration 140 characters at a time ~
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Top Five Questions for the Floating Ranger
Vt State Parks' Terry Wendelken
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#5. Are there trout in the Reservoir?
Smallmouth bass, rainbow and brown trout are the primary sport-fish. There are also yellow perch and brown bullhead.
Here's a list of the fish species found in all of Vermont State Parks: http://www.vtstateparks.com/pdfs/fishing.pdf
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#4. Do I need to wear a life jacket when I canoe?
State law states that every vessel must carry at least one US Coast Guard approved personal floatation device (PFD). A PFD must be worn by all persons under age 12 on all vessels, under age 16 on a sailboard, and by all persons on a personal watercraft.
Click on the American Canoe Association logo to learn about picking the right PFD for you.
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#3. Are there loons on the Reservoir?
Yes! Eric Hanson of the Vermont Loon Conservation Project tells us that the Waterbury Reservoir serves a unique role for loons in Central Vermont. Largely because of the fluctuations in water levels, the Reservoir is not an ideal nesting location for loons and there has not been a recent confirmed siting of a loon pair with a chick. However, single loons and small groups do live on the Reservoir much of the year. They may be displaced males from other water-bodies, immature birds, or young pairs.
#2. What do I need to know about using my motorboat safely into the Res?
There are five public boat launches on the Reservoir, four of which are appropriate for launching motorboats: Waterbury Center State Park, Waterbury Dam (Little River Road), Blush Hill Road, and Little River State Park. Paddle boats can also launch from the northern tip of the Reservoir in the hamlet of Moscow at an area known as Cottonbrook.
Vermont State law requires, "Within 200 feet of shore, dock, swim area, person in water and other vessels or anchorage, speed must be less than 5 miles per hour and must not create a wake." In some narrow areas of the Waterbury Reservoir, that 200-foot rule will mean navigating a motorboat "dead-center" between two points of land. Also, the northern end of the lake is designated entirely as a 5 m.p.h. no-wake zone at all times, year-round (yes, even when the buoys are not in place ...)
The Waterbury Reservoir Boating Guide provides rules that are specific to the Reservoir.
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#1. I heard that we have to pay now to use the remote campsites sites on the Reservoir. What's up with that?
Not so! VT State Parks is currently in year 2 of a 3-year management plan for the remote campsites on the Reservoir. The plan includes hiring a full-time seasonal floating ranger - that's me!
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This summer, the VT Youth Conservation Corps (pictured) is continuing to install composting toilets at several of the remote campsites, and folks will find wooden site markers at all the sites. Learn more at
So, when you see me out on the Reservoir this summer putting around in the mighty little white Boston Whaler, please stop to say hello!
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New! Smartphone App for the Trash Data Study
Customized for the Waterbury Reservoir's
partnership with the Rozalia Project
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The Marine Debris Tracker mobile application and tool allows our trash data study volunteers to help make a difference by telling us about the trash found on the Waterbury Reservoir, and is a welcome addition to the paper data cards that are available online.
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Friends of Waterbury Reservoir "Pioneers"
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In describing our Trash Data Study she said. "The Friends of Waterbury Reservoir are pioneers in the area of lake marine debris citizen science."
Lake associations in other states are now adopting our model, and contributing to global marine debris data collection aimed at cleaning the world's oceans.
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Partnership with Keurig Green Mountain
Corporate support for employee volunteers
will be key to successful Phase II of our Trash Data Study
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Throughout this summer, eight Keurig Green Mountain employees are participating in the Waterbury Reservoir Trash Data Study as part of Keurig’s Community Action for Employees (CAFE) program, which allows full time employees to spend up to 52 hours a year volunteering for non-profits and local community based organizations during normal work hours. The eight volunteers are assisting with trash collection, data recording, and data analysis throughout the summer. (Above photo: Keurig-Green Mountain employees participated in the August 2014 American Rivers Clean-Up on the Res'.)
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September is National River Clean-Up Month
Vermont's Watershed United Hosting Events
~ Mark your Calendar for Reservoir Clean-Up ~
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In 2015, Watersheds United Vermont is helping to coordinate activities around the state - many of them sponsored by member groups. The Friends of Waterbury Reservoir will be sponsoring clean-ups. Watch our website and social media later this summer for more details.
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Photo: VT State Parks' Terry Wendelken and FWRes' Laurie Smith after the August 2014 river clean-up
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Laurie Smith and Chuck Kletecka of Friends of Waterbury Reservoir learned how to identify and survey for aquatic invasive species through a Vermont Invasive Patrollers (VIP) workshop earlier this month. Led by VIP staff with the VT Dept. of Environmental Conservation's Lakes and Ponds Program, the workshop focused on how to differentiate aquatic invasive species from their native look-a-likes.
The role of VIP volunteers is:
- Participate in a VIP workshop to learn how to identify and survey for aquatic invasive species (both plants and animals);
- During the summer, survey for the presence of invasive plants and animals in a local lake or pond (or a section thereof); and
- Notify DEC staff of their survey(s) and submit suspicious samples for positive identification.
Meanwhile, Josh Mulhollem from the Lakes and Ponds Program who co-taught the workshop will also be coordinating Greeter Programs at public boat access areas this summer to help educate boaters on the spread prevention practices CLEAN, DRAIN, DRY and conduct courtesy boat inspections.
Contact Us if you're interested in getting involved!
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Cotton Brook Canoe Access
Improvements In the Works
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Thank you to the crew from VT Forests, Parks & Recreation for completion of emergency repairs on the upper portion of the access road (above left) just in time for Memorial Day weekend. Sometime this summer, crews will do some additional maintenance work in the Cotton Brook parking area to help with drainage.
Meanwhile, the Department is considering a variety of future options for improving the rest of the roadway (above right) and the parking lot / launch area (below) to improve water quality by reducing run-off into the Reservoir.
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Gov. Shumlin signed H.35 on June 16, a bill that sets the state on a course to clean up Lake Champlain and other lakes and rivers. The bill is a solid advance in water policy but will require extensive follow-through to implement. “You don’t clean up polluted water overnight, but you’ve got to begin somewhere and H.35 offers a solid plan for action,” said VNRCs water program director Kim Greenwood.
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“Passing this law was a good first step, but a whole lot of work remains to actually implement it. We at VNRC are in this for the long haul, and we look forward to working with the businesses, farmers, municipalities and others that are celebrating today to tackle the really tough work that remains,” Greenwood said.
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Summer has finally arrived on the Reservoir
Photo by Sheila Goss
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