Lake Garfield Working Group

The Lake Garfield Working Group (LGWG) is comprised of volunteers appointed by the select board to advise on town policy matters relating to the health of Lake Garfield. The group has continued to hold its monthly public meetings through the winter, even as seasonal lake activity is primarily limited to ice fishing and occasional skating. We continue to sponsor research and mitigation efforts into the problem of invasive lake weed, and have advocated for non-chemical efforts of weed removal by contracting for diver-assisted suction harvesting (DASH) of Eurasion milfoil. DASH will continue in the spring this year with the remaining funds from last year’s appropriation. A request of $50,000 to continue this work in the fall of this year and spring of 2023 will be brought to voters at this year’s town meeting. This increase over the $30,000 appropriations of the last three years is a response to the seasonal variation in milfoil, as well as the improved harvesting technology now available.

Important to all the work of the LGWG is the research on the environment and ecology of the lake, which has been conducted for many years through surveys by lake scientists hired by the Friends of Lake Garfield. Most recently this has included lake scientists Hillary Kenyon surveying all parameters of lake health, and Shannon Poulin researching cyanobacteria. They have kept the LGWG informed on pertinent areas of concern. Complimentary to all the above, Dennis Lynch, in collaboration with the LGWG, has successfully guided the process of the town’s applications to the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection for several grants aimed at reducing nutrient pollution of the lake. Courtney Morehouse of the Berkshire Regional Planning Commission has added her efforts to the implementation of water runoff mitigation systems as a component of these grants. We will continue to meet monthly as posted on the town website and encourage all interested parties to attend. — Steve Snyder, Chair Lake Garfield Working Group