Once again the Evening on Highland Lake wine tasting party was spectacular. The weather was exactly as was ordered, the donated food was wonderful and everyone had a great time. Our sixth annual wine tasting party was successful in a large part due to the unique venue of Richard and Amy Horowitz’s island home. The views of the lake were spectacular, and I would like to thank Richard and Amy for their magnificent hospitality.

The Evening on Highland Lake is our only fundraising event of the year, and many of the programs for the coming year are dependent on a successful attendance. Our trusted HLWA members and volunteers have never disappointed and have made the event successful in every way possible. I cannot begin to mention all the folks who contributed to this event, but I sincerely thank all of the many volunteers who made this a memorable evening.

On a different note, if you attended the HLWA annual meeting held at Gilbert School you might recall I mentioned the wonderful 4th of July weekend at the lake. I thought the lake “sparkled” and was “showing off” for all the guests present. The weekend was an excellent example of what the HLWA is trying to preserve for future generations, and evidently I wasn’t the only one who thought so. I recently received a letter from a longtime friend of the lake and former resident member who was at the lake over this holiday visiting his grandchildren. He, too, was amazed at the condition of the lake and the many activities lake residents were involved with over the weekend. He was so impressed he renewed his membership, even though he doesn’t live here anymore, and enclosed a most generous check for our Legacy program.

The Legacy program is continuing to grow, and I have more details in my article on the program on page 5. However, the issue of additional open space in the watershed, the goal of the HLWA Legacy program, may possibly have received perhaps a once-in-a-lifetime boost when our friends in the Winchester Land Trust submitted a grant application to the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) on July 29. The application requests funding of $500,000 in order to purchase conservation restrictions on 150 acres of privately owned land at a price of $50,000. The application also requests funding of $450,000 for a conservation restriction on land owned by the Town of Winchester.

The Town land of approximately 356 acres is located around Crystal Lake, abutting the Algonquin State Forest to the south as well as approximately four acres in the Highland Lake Watershed. The land around the lake consists of property adjoining or near property already owned by the Winchester Land Trust and is located on Unity Place, East Wakefield Boulevard, Roosevelt Trail and one parcel on the shoreline on West Wakefield Boulevard.

The application by the Winchester Land Trust also explained the ecological importance of the land as a protection for the watersheds and the quality of wildlife habitats. These goals are also those of the HLWA Legacy program; therefore, the HLWA Board of Directors submitted a letter that was included in the application, supporting the application and committing up to $10,000 for the required surveying of the properties in the Highland Lake Watershed if the grant is approved. The Winchester Land Trust could hear from the DEP in October to find out if they will receive the grant. At that point I am sure there will be more discussion with the Board of Selectmen, and then the decision for the Town to accept the $450,000 for the placement of the conservation restriction will eventually be placed before the citizens of Winchester in a referendum.

The Winchester Land Trust has partnered with us on open-space acquisition before, and this very creative proposal to the Town and the application are a win-win situation for the citizens of Winchester, the HLWA, and for future generations who will enjoy the results of this unique opportunity. As I stated earlier, this is a once-in-a-lifetime combination of circumstances we may never see again.

In my previous President’s Message appearing in the summer edition of the Highland Lake News, I mentioned it was highly likely we would not be applying the herbicide Diquat on the lake this summer to kill the invasive weed growth due to the lack of funds in the Town’s budget. This prediction turned out to be true. Our consultant, Dr. George Knoecklein, has just conducted a plant survey, so we can compare the findings with the pre- and post-Diquat treatment surveys done last year. We should now be in a better position to determine the effects of the deep winter drawdown and not spraying the herbicide this summer. The Town budget for 2010-11 has sufficient funds earmarked for herbicide treatment of any invasive aquatic plants next summer.

One other item from the summer edition’s President’s Message needs updating. I mentioned Congressman John Larson was very enthusiastic about a DEP project for modifications to the Sucker Brook Dam that hopefully would reduce the amount of sediment coming into the lake. Our Mayor, Candy Perez, was instrumental in getting the Congressman enthusiastic about the project and he promised to return to Winsted in early June with members of the DEP and Army Corps of Engineers to discuss the details. Congressman Larson had to cancel the meeting, and it is now rescheduled for September 10. Once we hear the details of the project, we will have a better idea of what effect the modifications of the dam will have on the lake. This is extremely important as a recent report from Dr. Knoecklein indicates perhaps Sucker Brook is a major source of phosphorus coming into the lake. Clare Stevens’ report on page 3 will have more details on Dr. Knoecklein’s findings.

I continue to be amazed at the talents of our Board Members and our volunteers who contribute so many hours of their time to support the HLWA’s goals and agenda. This has never been more apparent than when I visit the HLWA website. Our editor and publisher of the Highland Lake News, Terry Platt, is a superb editor who is responsible for making the newsletter readable after we hand her our unreadable, amateur files, which are usually past deadline. She never gets ruffled and does a wonderful job of correcting, rewriting and making sense of what we provide her.

However, she is continuing to amaze us with her talents for designing and updating our wonderful website (hlwa.org). I am sure many of you haven’t taken the time to browse through the site, but you are missing the opportunity to visit an outstanding website. Terry is constantly updating the site with the latest news and pictures of what is happening to the HLWA and Highland Lake. She has added a “Members Corner” that allows HLWA members to advertise lost kittens, lost boats and any other item or issue they would like to communicate to the residents. You cannot advertise real estate, cars, or services and items will be kept on the website for two weeks. Her newest addition is an actual online shop that allows you to pay dues, make donations to specific programs such as our new Legacy program, or purchase HLWA clothing, glasses and other HLWA items using PayPal. Take a look.

Bob Lauzon and Jack Rouleau received Friend of the Lake awards
for their work in helping to clean up Resha Beach and Stumpy Cove.