The lake treatment originally scheduled for Monday 6/16 was rescheduled to today due to rain on Monday. The treatment is a supplemental treatment of Sonar (Avast!). No swimming for 24 hours after application. Beaches are closed today.

On Saturday, June 14th from 3PM-7PM, the Truesdale Estates Association (TEA) will hold its 51st annual summer kickoff barbecue. The theme this year is "bring a friend." Members and associates will receive invites in the mail with a "Bring-A-Friend Coupon" and are encouraged to share their secret summer place with a friend.

The kickoff party features fun for all ages including a jumpy castle for the kids. Of course there is a tasty barbecue manned by TEA veterans. There is also volleyball, sand castle building, soccer, swimming, music, and dancing. Members supply the after dinner treats.

The barbecue is an annual tradition that dates back to the founding of the TEA and the opening of the TEA beach in 1957. Rosemarie McCarthy, TEA Beach Chairperson says "The party is a great way to thaw out for the summer! New residents and associates meet the community for the first time, seasoned residents reconnect, and everyone enjoys the warm weather."

The association features a beach area, a roped off swimming area, and a floating dock for open water lounging. A lifeguard is on duty during the week starting in June and on weekends starting Memorial Day. The season ends Labor Day weekend.

The party is an annual event and is open to homeowners with current TEA lake rights plus local residents who can join as associate members. All summer long the community is out on the lake swimming, boating, sailing, and lounging. At the end of the summer, the association holds a popular Lobster Bake where adult members toast the end of the summer and party well into the evening.

There are still spots left for associate members to join for this summer. Membership in the association is ideal for local families looking for a kid-friendly, low-key activity that spans the entire season. It is so close by it saves on gas too! If you are interested in joining as an associate member, contact Rosemarie McCarthy at 914-763-0881 or email tea@truesdalelake.com. The lake also has a website at www.truesdalelake.com which is a community resource and is open to contributions.

This summer we will begin a fish survey of the lake with the assistance of Allied Biological. The survey is called a Creel Survey and will involve the collection of information on the fish caught in the lake.

All residents who fish are asked to participate in the survey which will consist of identifying fish caught and recording the characteristics of the fish such as length, weight, species, and other information.

Ray Morse is acting as the coordinator of the survey and will be inputting the results of the survey to Allied. Ray has a Log Sheet for documenting the data of fish caught. You can contact Ray at 763-5695 or ramorse30@msn.com to learn more about the survey and get a copy of the survey form.

This coming Monday, June 2nd, is scheduled for treatment for algae. The treatment is Cutrine (Copper Sulfate). They will also be collecting the FasTest samples then.

No swimming for 24 hours after treatment. Beaches will be closed on Monday.

I counted eight dead fish (sunfish maybe?) near the shore at 21 Truesdale last week. I don't recall ever seeing that many at one time before. Did anyone else notice a lot of dead fish recently? I wonder if it's related to the treatment of the lake the prior week. Hmmm . . .

Well just 42 minutes after posting the last entry, we received this email postponing the treatment:

From Allied: "Due to probable rain, we're postponing Monday's treatment to Wednesday 5/14. Please let me know of any scheduling conflicts. May your weekend be less rainy than today!"

Keep a watch for the fan boat!

The permits for lake treatment have been approved and the first treatment is scheduled for Monday, May 12th.

The first treatment will be Avast/Sonar. Future treatments may include Aquathol-K and Copper Sulfate/Cutrine. (Click to see downloads section for treatment detailed information).

Water restrictions are 14 day irrigation restriction (Avast is a long-acting herbicide, so don't water your lawn with lake water after the treatment is applied), plus 24 hour restriction on all other uses.

Treatments will be posted as they are scheduled. The treatments are generally scheduled for Mondays to minimize recreational impacts. Occasionally the treatments will need to be rescheduled due to rain and water retention requirements. The level of the dam will be raised immediately prior to treatments.

ICE SAFETY (this document is also available as a pdf download here)

Truesdale Lake freezes in the winter and is often perfect for sledding, skating, ice hockey, cross country skiing and just taking a beautiful winter walk. However one must never go out on any frozen body of water without knowing some rules of ice safety. Please discuss these safety tips with your children and emphasize their importance.

Before you go onto the ice:
1. Do not go alone. Always use the buddy system on the ice. Alcohol in your blood is dangerous because it impairs your judgement and increases chilling by bringing blood to the surface of the skin. At night carry a flashlight.
2. Check the thickness (see benchmarks below)
3. Look for the nearest yellow ice rescue ladders

Surviving an Icy Plunge into the Frigid Waters of Truesdale Lake
Whether you have fallen through thin ice or are trying to rescue someone who has, the most important thing to remember is: you have more time than you think.

What to do if you fall through the ice
Try not to panic. Call out for help only if you see someone. Otherwise, save your breath. The cold shock that makes you hyperventilate will subside within 1-3 minutes. The best thing to do is to get your breathing under control and keep above water. You are more likely to die from drowning than from hypothermia.

Remove any extraneous objects that will weigh you down. (skis, skates, etc.)

Try to get out from the direction that you came in. Place your hands and arms on the unbroken surface of the ice. You will only have 2-5 minutes before you lose the strength to pull yourself out.

Begin kicking your feet to get your body horizontal. Then, pull yourself along the ice until you are out of the hole. Be slow and deliberate to conserve your strength and body heat.

If the ice breaks, move forward and try again.

Once you are lying on the ice, DO NOT stand up. Roll away from the hole, then crawl following your footsteps back toward shore. Don’t stand until the hole is well behind you. You want to distribute your weight evenly over a wide area to prevent going through again.

If you can’t pull yourself out within 10 minutes from the time that you went in, cease all attempts. At this point, you need to extend the time period in which someone else could rescue you by conserving body heat.

The body loses heat much faster in water than it does in air, so get as much of your body out of the water as possible.

Keep your forearms flat and still on the ice. Hopefully, your clothing will freeze to the ice, possibly preventing you from going under, even if you become unconscious.

It is possible to survive for up to 2 hours before succumbing to hypothermia. In other words, if you stay composed and keep above water, you have almost a 2 hour window of opportunity to be rescued.

Do not panic.

What to do if you see someone fall through the ice?

Keep calm and try to keep the victim calm.

Assess the availability of extra help. If possible, call 911 or look for people in the vicinity.

If you are on the ice, DO NOT run up to the hole. If you are on shore, DO NOT run onto the ice. The last thing you want to do is become a second victim. Tell victim you are getting help. (reduces panic).

Use an item on shore to throw or extend to the victim that will allow you to pull them out of the water. (Rope, ladder, branch, extension cord, skis, jumper cable, etc.) You can also form a human chain with people lying flat on the ice to distribute the weight as evenly as possible. NOTE there are ladders with attached ropes located at several locations around Truesdale Lake. Hold on to the rope and push the ladder out toward the victim. Then once they grab it, pull the rope. The ladder will help distribute their weight and thinner ice should hold them up.

If the person can not hold the ladder, get a third person to hold the rope and the rescuer can carefully crawl out the ladder to grab the victim.

Once the victim is safely on shore, they may seem to be in relatively good condition. However, a potentially fatal condition called “after drop” can occur soon afterward. Cold blood that has been pooled in the body’s extremities starts to circulate again as the body warms up. At this point, the body begins to shiver violently in an attempt to raise the core temperature again.

Never rub the victim’s arms, hands, legs or feet, as this could cause or exacerbate the “after drop.”

Never give the victim alcohol or caffeinated products. They restrict the blood vessels and slow circulation.

If possible, exchange wet clothes for dry clothes, wrap the victim in a blanket and get the victim out of the elements.

Get an ambulance or rescue squad to the scene as fast as possible.

Is the ice thick enough?
Better err on the side of caution (Note ice quality can vary in strength and thickness based on underwater currents, plant growth, water depth, waterfowl activity, and other factors.)

Black (new) ice is much stronger than white (snow or melted and refrozen) ice. Also even if the ice is strong in one place, there could be open water in another part of Truesdale. There have been winters when there was a strip of open water running across the lake all winter even though there was excellent ice skating north and south of it. There is usually open water and or thin ice near the inlets and along much of the eastern shore.

Minimum thickness (inches)....NY.........USACE........NH
1 person on foot ............2-3**.........2*.........4
group (single file)..........3**...........3*.........6
1 car (2 tons)...............7.5...........7.........7.5 (not allowed on Truesdale Lake)

Sources for ice thickness and ice safety/rescue tips:
http://www.exn.ca/video/?Video=exn20020325-icewater.asx -really worth watching
USACE = U.S. Army Corps of Engineers - http://www.mvp-wc.usace.army.mil/ice/safety.html
* number is for black (new) ice; recommends stay off old ice
NYS DEC -www.dec.state.ny.us/website/dfwmr/fish/icefish.html#theice -
** this site now says 2-3 inches of good clear ice
NH Fish & Game Dept - www.wildlife.state.nh.us/Fishing/Fishing_PDFs/Safety_on_ice.pdf

Thanks to Mark and Barbara for putting this information together.

Thanks to Janet Andersen for these timely resolutions:

As we look forward to the next year, I send best wishes for healthy lakes in 2008. And I hope that you consider adding some of these resolutions to your personal list.

Lake Stewardship New Year's Resolutions:

1. This year my septic tank will be pumped and inspected (optional if I did this last year). If the tank baffles are missing or damaged, I'll have them replaced.

2. I will "overseed" my lawn rather than spread fertilizer or pesticides. I'll tell my lawn service - or myself - to cut my grass high and leave the clippings on the lawn. If I think fertilizer is needed, I'll use phosphate-free fertilizer, or, even better, I'll test the soil first so I know.

3. If I live on the lake, I'll plant a "buffer" of native plants to slow the flow of rainwater or stormwater (and the pollutants it carries) into the lake. I'll pull up some invasive plants and plant some native ones.

4. I'll pick up after my pets and throw their poop into the trash.

5. This year I'll make sure no oil or gas from my mower or car spills on the ground or into the lake.

6. If I take coolers, sand toys, or other beach or boat items to another waterbody, I'll make sure that they are free of weeds and shells before bringing them back here so I don't transport invasive plants and animals.

7. If I haven't done so already, this is the year I'll take a safe boating course.

8. I'll start or use a compost pile (away from the lake shore, wet areas, or streams).

9. If it's icy, I'll minimize my use of salt by using kitty litter or sand where I can.

10. I'll learn more about my lake's history, health, plants, or animals this year.

Happy New Year to all!

In the December 6th, 2007 issue of the Lewisboro Ledger, there is an article about eliminating the leaf pickup service the town provides to the lake communities. The article is here: <http://www.acorn-online.com/news/publish/lewisboro/26097.shtml>

The concern about leaves in the lake boil down to:
- leaves provide nutrients for weed growth in the spring and summer months
- eliminating the leaves from the nutrient cycle in the lakes reduces weed growth and reduces costly chemical treatment
- small lot sizes mean no place to compost leaves in some neighborhoods
- if the work were continued with private contractors, it could potentially cost much more than the cost to the town - an amount in taxes we already pay

from the article: Quote:

but earlier in the article, Mr. Ripperger said
Quote:
We are hopeful that the town will recognize that it is a problem. If it is an issue now with one agency in charge, it will become even more of a problem if 7 or more lakes and multiple associations have to figure out how to do this on their own.

Also, the Lewisboro Lakes Committee, a town board subcommittee, was not consulted about this decision. Part of the mission statement of the Lakes Committee is: Quote: from the mission statement here: <http://www.lewisborogov.com/committees/lakes.html>

The town and highway department have the economies of scale that 7 or more separate lake associations cannot match. Perhaps the town and the associations can come up with a more efficient way to get this all done for less money.