News & Information

Think Before You Treat Your Lawn - Spring 2025

Did you know that fertilizing your lawn can be harmful to the lake water quality? The nitrogen-phosphorus-potassium fertilizer mix that you apply to lawn has enormous potential to impact water quality:
1. Do not use a fertilizer with phosphorus (P). Look for only organic nitrogen primarily in a slow-release form. Nitrogen is water-soluble and can move through the soil and leech into waterways. Phosphorous, which contributes to vigorous growth, can deplete the oxygen in water and contribute to the formation of algae blooms. One study found that residential lawn fertilizers were one of the dominant sources of water pollution. Kevin Frank, an extension turf specialist and professor at Michigan State University, suggests creating a 5-to-10-foot buffer strip between your lawn and the adjacent waterway and avoid applying fertilizer in this zone.
2. Make sure there is an adequate buffer (distance) between where the fertilizer is applied and the water’s edge (at least 10 feet). Ideally, a soft shoreline of vegetation would also be present.
3. Be sure to avoid impervious (hard) surfaces during fertilization as this would allow for transfer of nutrients into the lake during runoff from hard surfaces.
4. Be mindful of the weather. Do not apply chemicals on a windy day, or if rain is in the immediate forecast.

Live by the Water? Prevent Algae Blooms with Lake-Friendly Lawn Care - Spring into Summer

Those fortunate enough to live by a shoreline have inherited a special responsibility along with spectacular views: Your landscaping habits can either help your gorgeous waterway or harm it. Mulch your lawn clippings, too. Consistently leaving your grass clippings on the lawn restores enough fertilizer to be able to skip one round of the chemical variety every season.
You should also pick up pet waste. Phosphorus-rich poo is the second biggest detriment to lake water quality.

Lawns should be dethatched and aerated once a year. Dethatching removes the barrier of organic matter, which limits the absorption of water and nutrients. Aeration promotes absorption by creating voids in the soil and reducing soil compaction. These steps will enable your lawn to best combat runoff, require less fertilization, and allow the turfgrass to outgrow weeds, reducing the need for herbicides. Mowing more frequently, at a higher blade setting allows for healthier turf grass and can encourage deeper root growth. A barrier of some sort separating the lawn from the lake is a good practice. Barriers may consist of a natural barrier. These options include things such as a strip of natural forest land, installed organic barriers such as a garden or flowerbed, or a drainage solution like a dry riverbed to encourage water to flow to a place where it can be absorbed, such as a rain garden. The wider the barrier, the more effective it will be in protecting the lake from the effects of runoff. The more native species or low-water plants utilized, the more viable the organic border will be.

LPA Partners with SPREDD - But Who is SRPEDD the Southeastern Regional Planning & Economic Developme

SRPEDD serves a regional community of 27 cities and towns in southeastern Massachusetts. Our work is place-based and community-focused, meaning that we work to formulate and implement plans that will achieve real quality of life improvements on the ground, and to ensure that these plans reflect the expressed needs of civically-engaged local communities.

APC-Nemasket Watershed Management and Climate Action Plan.

Planning for Resilience in the Assawompset Ponds and Nemasket River Watershed,

Learn More about SRPEDD

MAKING PROGRESS!

It is with great excitement that I am pleased to announce we will be starting to eco harvest the invasive weeds next week. We are set to begin Monday August 8th 2022 and finish Friday August 12th 2022. We will be attacking the weeds at two sites in Long Pond. Our first site is in Freetown near and around the Freetown beach, and along the cove areas. At this site we will be utilizing the beach for our staging area. Safety is very important to us and for this reason we have requested that the town close access to the beach for the couple of days we will be there. I apologize for any inconvenience this makes for anyone trying to use the beach on these days. It will reopen when we are complete there. Our second site is in Lakeville at Churchill Shores and along their cove areas. At this site we will utilize the estates private boat ramp for our staging area.

We have received permission to use their ramp from the estates association. We ask that you do not use this area while we are working for safety. We are planning to split our time at both sites starting in Freetown first then moving to Lakeville. I will be posting updates and information as we work. If you are on the water these days we ask that you please stay away from the work areas and the eco harvester. I am making a list of volunteers if any assistance is needed. If you are interested in volunteering please let me know by email. I will post my email address below.

Once we have completed the removal of the weeds and they have gone through our process of dewatering and inspection. We will be offering it up as compost to all. The remains will then be transferred to the Freetown transfer station and stock piled there with the compost. The weeds are excellent fertilizer and high in nitrogen. They are great for gardens and compost piles. Again I am so very excited that all the hard work is coming together. Huge thanks to all involved. This is our first year and it was only made possible by working together as a community. I am very grateful and hopeful for the future of Long Pond and the APC. We will be actively planning for next year. Stay tuned for more updates.

Sincerely,

John Worley III, President Long Pond Association https://longpondassociation.org/

508-328-6184.

Now we can begin to make a change! IRS Approval - Best News Ever! 05/20/2022

This is on letter from the government we were very happy to receive.

From the Department of the Treasury Internal Revenue Service Tax Exempt and Government Entities

LONG POND ASSOCIATION INC

Date: 05/20/2022

Dear Applicant:
We're pleased to tell you we determined you're exempt from federal income tax under Internal Revenue Code (IRC) Section 501(c)(3). Donors can deduct contributions they make to you under IRC Section 170. You're also qualified to receive tax deductible bequests, devises, transfers or gifts under Section 2055, 2106, or 2522. Organizations exempt under IRC Section 501(c)(3) are further classified as either public charities or private foundations.

We determined you're a public charity.

Sincerely,
Director, Exempt Organizations Rulings and Agreements

LPA represented on SRPEDD's Study Committee - Spring 2022

Martha Worley serves as the LPA’s representative on SPRPEDD’s study committee for the ”Assawomsett Pond Complex and Nemasket River Watershed Management & Climate Change Action Plan”. This plan which is funded by the state will set the priorities for implementing projects in the APC and the Nemasket River Watershed. Two areas of immediate concern to property owners and recreational users of Long Pond are flooding issues and the proliferation of invasive weeds.

The final APC public meeting to present the draft management plan has been postponed until mid July

Proposed phase 1 work includes the removal of weeds from Long Pond. Permitting for this project is underway.

An Old Association Resurrected - September 2021. How it all began.

Since last September (2021) a small group of us organized to form a non-profit in order to cleanup Long Pond. We have since organized, been approved, and created our Non-profit, Long Pond Association. After that achieved goal we have been working towards getting something done this year. We have been working hand and hand with our state and local officials.

We have secured funding for this year. We are working on securing permitting through NHESP. We are working our way through Conservation Commissions in Lakeville, and Freetown, and the DEP. I am very proud to say that we are very close to starting some cleanup projects this year.

We have hired C&D Underwater Services to do some Eco Harvesting at two sites on Long Pond this year. There will be one site in Lakeville and one site in Freetown this year. C&D has been approved by all agencies and was previously hired to clean up the Nemasket River Watershed last year with great success.

We have been working with Senator Michael Rodriques, Rep. Paul Schmid, Srpedd, the APC, and our dedicated members. We are deeply grateful for all the assistance we have received from these officials. They have really come through for us. They are well aware of the situation and are all eager to help.

Please become a member today. and thank you to all who support us.

John Worley III President Long Pond Association

Our 2025 Newsletter and Other Events on the Pond

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