CLA Marine Patrol

The primary mission of the Candlewood
Lake Authority Marine Patrol (CLAMP)
is to promote public safety to the
various user groups of Candlewood Lake
and Squantz Pond. The Patrol provides a
wide variety of services to the five towns
and the boating public such as: information
dissemination, boater education programs,
emergency response to boating accidents,
support to local law enforcement involving
water related incidents, enforcement of CT
Boating laws, Boating Safety Regulations
and pollution laws.
In addition to providing the services described
above, the patrol deploys several types of
specialty patrols. These special patrol details
include Safety Inspections, the annual Firework
Display, Sound Meter Inspections, Head
Inspections, EMPD’s (Early Morning Patrol
Details), and the JSTF (Jet Ski Task Force)
SAFETY PATROLS: With public safety
being the main initiative for the CLAMP,
we continued to conduct random Safe
Boating Inspections throughout the season.
During these inspections, our Lake Patrol
Officers interact with the majority of the
boating public recreating on the lake
during this scheduled detail. Our Officers
carefully inspect the required safety
equipment on board the vessel as well
as the required vessel and operator
documents/documentation.
FIREWORK DISPLAY: The Danbury
Volunteer Fire Department Council once
again sponsored the annual fireworks
display. The Patrol supplied 7 Vessels and
17 Officers to help maintain public safety
during this holiday display. Patrols began
as early as 10:00 am and ended the detail
early the next morning.
SOUND METER INSPECTIONS: We continued
to experience success in enforcing the
decibel limit (sound) law on the lake. This
year, as in past, we received reports and/or
complaints of loud boats, which contribute
to the environmental pollutants on the lake.
This year 6 vessels were inspected for sound.
TOP 10 BOATING VIOLATIONS
1. Light Violations
2. Registration Violations
3. Personal Floatation Device
4. Operation a vessel within 100' of a
shore / dock / swim area / launch
5. Failure to display the Registration Decal
6. Creating a wake within 200’ of the
shoreline with a PWC
7. Failure to Carry Certificate of PWC
Operation or a Safe Boating Certificate
8. Operation without a Safe Boating
Certificate or a Certificate of PWC Operation
9. Bow Riding
10. Fire Extinguisher, Failure to have
HEAD INSPECTIONS: We allocated manpower
this year to performing dye tests in randomly
selected Marine Sanitary Devices (MSD’s).
Our goal during this detail is to remove
malfunctioning MSD’s from the water. To
date we have not found any MSD’s to be
defective or have their switching/locking
mechanisms tampered.
Spring 2007 Vol. 23, No. 1
CANDLEWOOD LAKE NEWS
CLA Marine Patrol — Serving the Public since 1972
Annual Report of Candlewood Lake Authority
EMPD’s (Early Morning Patrol Details):
We continue to deploy patrols during the
early morning hours in an effort to have law
enforcement presence on the lake during
these busy times. This year we estimate
that we invested approximately 75 manhours
patrolling the waters during the early
morning hours.
JSTF (Jet Ski Task Force): The JSTF was
new for us this year. Conceptually, Chief
Yedowitz envisioned introducing a new tool
to the patrol which would enable LPO’s to
experience a higher level of contacts with the
boating public, which inevitably would lead
to more opportunities to promote boating
MISSION STATEMENT
Lake Patrol Officers
being certified on
personal watercraft.
(continued on page 5)
The Candlewood Lake Authority
provides lake, shoreline and watershed
management to foster the preservation and
enhancement of recreational, economic,
scenic, public safety and environmental
values of the Lake for the City of Danbury
and the Towns of Brookfield, New Fairfield,
New Milford and Sherman in cooperation
with the State of Connecticut and Northeast
Utilities (Revised and adopted, 1/2004).

2
Candlewood Lake Authority
Annual Report 2005
P.O. Box 37
Sherman, CT. 06784
Phone: (860) 354- 6928
Fax: (860) 350- 5611
Email: claexecdir@earthlink.net
www.candlewoodlakeauthority.org
Delegate Roster
Brookfield
Frank Cioffi
Susan Murphy
Glenn Hofsess - Treasurer
Danbury
William Fisher
Ed Siergiej
Sally Conroy
New Fairfield
Richard Stroh
Patrick Callahan - Chair
Brewster Kemble
New Milford
Harold Mayer
Robert Guendelsberger
Mark Toussaint - Secretary
Sherman
Charles Reppenhagen
Katherine Mersereau
Howie Berger - V. Chair
Administrative Staff
Larry Marsicano (Director)
Frances Frattini (Adm. Coord.)
Melinda Tarsi (Intern)
Joe Yedowitz (Patrol Chief)
Carl Johnson (Deputy Chief)
Gil Brouillette (Deputy Chief)
Other Articles in this Issue
CLA’s Year in Review . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
Boat Count Account . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
JMM Lake Clean Up . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
Water Quality 2006 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
Administrative & Operational Info . . . . 4
Partnerships . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Bacteria Monitoring Program . . . . . . . . 5
Invasive Milfoil: Can it be controlled? . .7
Shoreline Management : New Tools . . 7
Grant Proposal . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
CLEAR Continues to Exceed . . . . . . . . . 8
CLA’s Year in Review—One for the ages!
Certainly, the year’s biggest story was
the development of the Shoreline
Management Plan. Nothing in recent
memory has gained the attention of the lake
community like the SMP, and nothing in
recent memory has evoked the level of
involvement of the CLA board like the SMP.
In addition to countless hours researching and
studying a vast array of SMP-related
information, including case studies of other
FERC projects, the CLA participated in
numerous stakeholder meetings and
workshops through out the year. Northeast
Generation Company, the owner of the lake at
that time, held several
public forums during the
year, all of which the
CLA participated in. The
CLA tirelessly reviewed
hundreds of pages of
draft plans and
correspondences to and
from FERC, constantly
apprising the Mayors
and First Selectmen of
the Candlewood towns
on our findings from
those reviews and from
the research conducted.
We also authored many
letters expressing our
concerns and views on how the plan could be
improved. All of those documents are
available online at
www.candlewoodlakeauthority.org. In
September of 2006, NGC submitted their plan
to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission.
You can read the Shoreline Management Plan
submitted to FERC at
www.essexpartnership.com/
documents.asp.
Shortly after the submittal we learned of the
year’s next biggest story – the sale of
Candlewood Lake and the other reservoirs
associated with the Housatonic Hydroelectric
facilities. After six years under NGC’s
ownership and many, many years under
CL&P’s, the parent company of both
subsidiaries – Northeast Utilities – decided to
sell these generating assets. In early
November, Energy Capital Partners acquired
Candlewood and the rest of Housatonic
Hydro. ECP created a holding company that
is now known as FirstLight Power Resources,
Inc. Now FirstLight and the entire lake
community anxiously await FERC’s decision
on the SMP. In the mean time, the CLA and
many elected leaders of our communities had
an opportunity to meet with the new FirstLight
CEO, Curtis Morgan. While there are still a
number of issues where a community-wide
consensus has not been reached, most that
have met Mr. Morgan were encouraged by his
directness, his expressed
willingness to work with
the community, and his
message that FirstLight
is going improve its level
of protecting the Lake.
The top environmental
story was the Eurasian
watermilfoil and more
precisely, the
ineffectiveness of two
consecutive deep winter
drawdowns in killing
back the exotic, invasive
species. For years and
years the deep
drawdown, normally conducted every other
year, sufficiently kept the weeds from reaching
epidemic proportions. But in recent years,
dense beds of the plant have choked areas
around the edges of the lake despite the deep
drawdowns conducted consecutively in the
winters of 2004-2005 and 2005-2006.
Another deep drawdown was performed this
past winter (2006-2007) following an early
October meeting of the Technical Committee,
which the CLA and the CT DEP sit on to
advise the power company on weed-related
issues. Obvious questions still in need of
answers are 1) why haven’t the drawdowns
worked in recent years, and 2) if they continue
to be ineffective, then what? On page 6 look
for more information on what the CLA and
others are doing to better understand the
weed issues.

Boat Count Account—Resident Numbers Stable
Each year the CLA spends time determining the numbers of seasonally moored or docked vessels. These do not include vessels that use the
vast number of public or private ramps where boats are launched, used for recreation and pulled out in the course of a day or two.
Currently, there is no accurate way of measuring use on Candlewood by day-boaters.
The CLA has collected this data for many years and by looking at the long term data in the figure below one sees rapid growth in numbers
of non-cabined boats up through the mid to late 1980s. Growth in the other categories is not quite as pronounced and very gradual at best.
Total vessel numbers for 2004, 2005, and 2006 is 5962, 5796, and 5945, respectively, indicating stability in resident numbers.
Methods of collecting data are evolving to better understand the recreational boating picture on the Lake. The figure to the right provides a
first approximation of the distribution of registered boats (vessels with engines, PWCs, larger sail boats) permanently on the lake. The chart
was developed using the last two years of boat count data. There were some inconsistencies between years, particularly with the
community marina boats because of difficulties in identifying small community marinas.
At the request of local government leaders, the CLA is developing a Boat Sticker Program, which will be brought back to government
leaders for their consideration. One of the benefits of the program will be the ability to collect better information on the recreational boating
use of Candlewood.
s
l
e
s
s
e
V
4000
3000
2000
1000
0
1981 1983 1985 1
7
8
9
1989 1 9 91
1993 1995 1
7
9
1999 2 0 01
2003 2005 Years
P
UNREGISTERED UNREGISTERED NO CABIN NO CABIN NO CABIN CABIN CABIN CABIN PWC PWCPWCPWC
PWC
JMM Lake Clean Up
The Eighth Annual John Marsicano Memorial Candlewood Lake
Clean Up took place on May 13th. Nearly 250 community
volunteers participated including members from twelve
community service groups, who removed enough garbage from the
undeveloped shores of the lake to fill two large dumpsters. The
amount was estimated to be between 8 and 10 tons. Forty local
business sponsors and fourteen lunch sponsors also helped make
the event the success that it was. As has been the tradition, New
Fairfield Park & Rec office provided the site for the lunch and
assistance from their Public Works Department.
Private
Residents
31%
Community
Marinas
22%
Municipal
Marinas
6%
Moorings
3%
Commercial
Marinas
38%
Above: Pie chart representing the estimated distribution of resident boats
on Candlewood Lake based on data collected in 2005 and 2006.
Left: Numbers of resident vessels on Candlewood Lake since 1981. Vessels
include those moored or docked at commercial, municipal, and community
marinas, as well as those at private residences. A count was not performed
in 1991.
Last year, a group of volunteers emerged to help organize and plan
the event. Led by Bob Groeschner and Vin Iovino of the Candlewood Lake Club Community, these lake loyalists also created a report
documenting each of the steps that go into the planning of the event. This report will become very important in the future as others plan
the event. If you are interested in helping in the planning in coming years, contact our office.
3

4
Water Quality 2006: Report Available Online
The CLA monitors the water quality of the Lake each season and has done so since
1983. Secchi disk transparency, chlorophyll levels, and nutrient (total phosphorus and
total nitrogen) concentrations are water quality characteristics used to classify the
trophic level of a lake. The trophic level refers to amount of productivity, usually algae
growth, which a lake can support. Nitrogen and phosphorus are often referred to as limiting
nutrients, in that they are the least available and therefore can regulate how much algae or
plant growth will be supported.
Chlorophyll concentrations provide insights into the growth of the phytoplankton, or algae
that live in a floating state in the water. Both the nutrients and chlorophyll are determined
from samples collected in the field and analyzed in the laboratory. Secchi disk
transparency, on the other hand, is measured in the field by lowering a 20 cm, black and
white Secchi disk into the water and finding the exact depth at which visual contact is
lost. These parameters are related in that the nutrients can regulate the algae growth,
which in turn can influence how far down into the water column someone can see.
By regressing average chlorophyll against average Secchi transparency year to year and
plotting those points, we can see how closely related those two characteristics are to each
other and we can also compare water quality year to year. Most of the points along the
regression line fall somewhere in the middle and represent typical years. Points at the
extremes of the line represent years that may be atypical. This past year was one of those
atypical years with low chlorophyll concentrations and high Secchi transparency.
Curiously, total phosphorus levels where, on average, high – this contradicts what is
being inferred from chlorophyll and Secchi transparency data.
The reason for the contradiction is not readily understood at this time. It may be related
to the lush growth of the aquatic weeds this year. The weeds can act as both a nutrient
sink and source, sometimes absorbing nutrients from the water, sometimes releasing
them. We will continue to closely monitor the water quality and analyze the results.
There are also future efforts to measure the level of weeds year to year. This will aid in a
better understanding of the water quality – aquatic weed relationship in the future.
Results from the monitoring efforts over the last four years are available at the CLA
website in pdf format.
Secchi Transparency (m)
2.00
2.50
3.00
3.50
4.00
Chlorophyll Concentration (µg/L)
3.00 5.00 7.00 9.00 11.00 13.00
2006
1989
1995
1990
1997 1994
1998
2004
2005
1996
1985
1988
2003
2001
1993
1991
1992
2002
1999
1987
1983
2000
y = 5.150 3 x -0.3527
R 2 = 0.7129
Regression of seasonal average Secchi disk transparencies against seasonal average chlorophyll a
concentrations since 1983. The arrow is pointing to the 2006 data. The 1984 data has been omitted.
1986
Administrative &
Operational Information
The Board of the CLA is comprised of
Delegates who voluntarily serve terms
of three years. Three Delegates are
appointed by each of the Chief Elected
Officials from Brookfield, Danbury, New
Fairfield, New Milford and Sherman. Each
Delegate attends meetings and works in
committees to advance the mission of the
CLA. Standing Committees include
Executive, Finance, Equipment/Facilities,
Public Safety, Public Awareness and
Watershed. There are several
subcommittees and ad hoc committees.
The budget of the CLA is the responsibility
of the five member municipalities. It is
determined though the financial processes
of each of the five municipalities. The three
budgets approved by the municipalities that
are closest to the proposed budget are
averaged. That average is the appropriation
for each municipality. The power generating
company, now FirstLight Power Resources,
has also contributed on a voluntary basis a
sum equal to that appropriated by each
municipality.
The business office of the CLA is located at
20 Sawmill Road in Sherman, CT in the
Sherman Town Beach area. The office itself
is a converted cabin that was formerly part
of the Allen’s Camp and is owned by the
Town of Sherman who leases it to the CLA
at no cost through an agreement made over
25 years ago. Since it is a stand alone office
and since the CLA does not operate under
any one local jurisdiction, but rather five,
staff does not benefit from common
programs (e.g., health benefits) or office
resources (e.g., IT assistance, cost-sharing
of office supplies, maintenance, etc.), that
might be shared by various departments in a
town or city hall.
The CLA also maintains docks in front of the
office where their fleet of five boats often
reside during the recreational boating
season (typically April through October).
Two of the vessels are used exclusively for
lake patrol work. One is used by
administrative, operational, and by lake
patrol staff as needed. Another is a work
vessel used for deployment, maintenance,
and removal of buoys and also acts as an
onboard classroom for educational
programs the CLA provides. This vessel was
not purchased but rather built by Danbury
Delegate Ed Siergiej in 2002.

Partnerships: Building a Better Lake Community
The CLA is fortunate to have a number of
contributors to its efforts to protect the
Lake. We continue to benefit from longstanding
relationships with agencies like the
Connecticut Department of Environmental
Protection, the Housatonic Valley Council of
Elected Officials and the Housatonic Valley
Association, all of which work in the interests
of much larger areas than just the lake or its
watershed. In recent years we have benefited
from developing deeper relationships with the
following:
Education Connection – While the CLA still
plays a key role in Project CLEAR, EC has
become the primary organizational and
administrative component of CLEAR. It is
EC that writes the grants that provide the
funding that allows the program to be as
successful as it is. CLEAR’s Project
Manager is Tom Adams of EC who has done
a tremendous job orchestrating the various
components of CLEAR and has brought a
new technology component to CLEAR
making it even more so a real training
ground for college level education. See
www.educationconnection.org to learn
more about EC.
Northwest Conservation District – The NCD
has a long history of helping communities
better protect important natural resources.
The CLA has greatly benefited from its
relationship with them. They have been
involved in land use and storm water man-
CLA Marine Patrol (continued from page 1)
safety. In addition, this new tool would enable the CLAMP to launch
more patrols on Squantz Pond.
The JSTF was immediately a success. Our LPO’s worked in tandem,
patrolling shorelines, boat launches, marina’s and many of the tight,
secluded areas on the lake that may not be accessible to our
standard patrol boats. The JSTF was actually an addition to our
regularly scheduled patrols, so in essence it added two (2) additional
LPO’s on the water during the busy weekend days.
Our contacts with the public were high due to our ability to navigate
more effectively and swiftly in shallower waters and in tighter areas.
We were easily able to approach groups of “rafting” boats, often
from two opposing ends, which enabled us to make contact with a
greater number of operators in a shorter amount of time.
The patrol looks forward to a safe 2007 boating season!
agement issues around the lake. They have
also greatly assisted the CLA with the
development of its GIS capabilities
(see page 7). For more information on their
programs, see www.conservect.org/
northwest.
Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station
Like the NCD, the CAES is a publicly funded
organization. CAES is involved in a wide
variety of environmental research including
studies on invasive aquatic plants like
milfoil. In addition to participating in the
Project CLEAR program, they have
conducted research on Candlewood over
the last several years. See page 7 to learn
about those efforts and for a link to their
website.
Western Connecticut State University
The CLA’s relationship with WCSU is
certainly not new… the water quality
monitoring program was started by faculty
researchers at the University back in the
early 1980s! But in recent years, our
relationship has blossomed again. For
example, WCSU provides classroom and
computer lab space for the Project CLEAR
students through out the year. Several of
the current faculty members are meeting
with the CLA to develop research initiatives.
The CLA’s current intern came by way of
one of the faculty we collaborate with. We
are fortunate to have a nearby University so
interested in the environmental, political and
social issues surrounding the lake.
Greater Danbury Chamber of Commerce
One of the difficulties the CLA has always
had in obtaining grants and foundation
money was that it was not a 501(c)3
nonprofit organization, even though
contributions to the CLA are tax deductible.
The GDCC has graciously remedied that
problem by voting to bring us under the
umbrella of their Western Connecticut
Business and Industry Community
Foundation. This will expand our base of
potential grant and foundation money
opportunities. For more on the GDCC, go to
www.danburychamber.com. We look
forward to building on our relationship with
the Chamber and with all our partners.
Bacteria Monitoring Program
NFSEC Gets “Techno-savy”
For their second straight year, the New Fairfield Seniors
Environmental Corps conducted the CLA’s Bacteria Monitoring
Program. Each week from June through August, members from
the New Fairfield Senior Center drove the entire perimeter of the
lake collecting water samples at selected locations and delivered
them to Hydro-Technologies, a state certified environmental lab,
for bacteria analysis. The vast majority of the samples collected
revealed safe conditions at those sites. When bacteria levels
exceeded State standards, towns and/or communities where the
sample was collected were notified and advised to retest.
This past season the NFSEC used global positioning systems or GPS
to determine the exact coordinates or location where samples were
being collected. GPS coordinates were uploaded into a Geographical
Information System (GIS) system so they could be precisely
represented on a map. Results from bacteria monitoring program
can be found in the 2006 Monitoring report at the CLA website.
5

6
Invasive Milfoil: Can it be Controlled? Past and Future Efforts
Many had characterized the last several seasons as having some
of the worst weed conditions ever. And if that’s not bad
enough, then consider that those seasons followed deep
winter drawdowns that normally would kill back excessive growth
the following season. Since the early 80s, the power company
operating Rocky River has lowered the level of the lake by
approximately 10 feet every other winter to manage the growth of
Eurasian watermilfoil. The every-other-year approach was
determined by a Technical Committee, comprised of environmental
scientists concerned about both the weeds and also the negative
impacts of deep drawdowns on the rest of the lake’s fauna and flora.
By and large, the method was considered effective. Then several
years ago the lake began to experience severe infestations regardless
of the type of drawdown the winter before. Had the weeds become
more resistant to the cold? Were winter conditions different than in
the past? We could only theorize due to the lack of data being
collected.
One of the lesser known management plans required in the FERC
license is the Nuisance Plant Monitoring Plan. Conditions in this
plan, conditionally approved by FERC in February of 2006, are that
the weeds in Candlewood, Lillinonah, and Zoar will be mapped
annually by FirstLight Power Resources, Inc. By doing so and by
collecting other associated data, like winter weather conditions,
water quality, and lake level, scientists should be able to begin
piecing together a more in-depth understanding of why deep
drawdowns work some years and don’t work in others.
Over the last several years, the CLA has been collaborating with
the Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station on this issue. Led
by Greg Bugbee and his team of researchers, the CAES has mapped
invasive aquatic plants in lakes throughout Connecticut and has
emerged as one of the leading groups in the State working on this
environmental issue. To learn more about aquatic invasive weeds in
the State and the efforts of CAES, go to www.caes.state.ct.us/
AquaticPlants/index.htm. CAES has accurately mapped the weeds
in Candlewood over the last two seasons. The results of their
mapping efforts on Candlewood are also available on the web at our
website in a downloadable report produced by the CLA on
alternative methods to managing nuisance aquatic weeds. The title
of the report is Eurasian Watermilfoil on Candlewood Lake:
Enchanted Evening on the Lake – Fundraiser a Huge Success
On Friday, April 27th the CLA held its
first Enchanted Evening on the Lake
dinner / auction fundraising event at
the Candlewood Inn in Brookfield. By all
accounts, the evening was an overwhelming
success with many of the attendees
suggesting that this should become an
annual event.
The fundraiser was held to raise money for
the proposed Candlewood Lake Education
and Resource Center (CLERC). Several
years ago the City of Danbury designated
portions of a bond initiative to create the
CLERC. The CLA committed to raising the
funds to furnish the inside with office
furniture, audio-visual equipment,
Fundraiser Committee Chairman Glenn Hofsess holding
one of the live auction items – a Les Paul Gibson guitar
signed by the legendary Les Paul, himself.
information technology, educational
materials, and other items to help make the
new facility a place the community would
visit to learn about the lake.
Management Considerations
and Possible Alternatives to the
Deep Drawdown.
In March of 2007, a Technical
Committee met with FirstLight
to discuss the results of some
mapping efforts by a consulting
firm they hired. Members of
the Committee attending
included the CT DEP, and the
Lake Authorities from
Candlewood, Lillinonah and
Zoar. The consultant used a
predictive modeling approach
to map the weeds which did not meet the approval of members of
the Committee. The CAES also attended the meeting and shared
the results of their actual mapping, as well as their thoughts on
using remote sensing in the future to map the weeds. The CLA
and CAES had been discussing this technique prior to the meeting
and believe it should be explored. FirstLight has agreed to
purchase aerial flyover data this summer to see if it will provide a
cost-effective and accurate means of mapping the weeds annually
in all three lakes. The CLA asked FirstLight that the CAES be
allowed to lead the efforts to map the weeds on Candlewood and
the other impoundments. FirstLight has contracted with the CAES
for weed mapping this upcoming season.
The CLA is also exploring a biological control of milfoil with the
CAES. Dr. Michelle Marko from CAES is an expert on the milfoil
weevil, which is an insect that lives in lakes and if at high enough
population densities can also control the spread of milfoil. The
small aquatic insects feed specifically on the aquatic plant.
Preliminary studies on Candlewood have verified the presence of
the weevil but not nearly at the levels needed to control the milfoil.
Dr. Marko, Dr. Mitch Wagener from WCSU, and the CLA will be
meeting in the near future to plan out research to investigate the
feasibility of increasing the populations of the weevils in
Candlewood. One of the challenges will be finding funding to
jumpstart the project. Private sponsorship is being sought for this
purpose – interested individuals should contact the CLA office.
The Candlewood Inn provided exquisitely
prepared food and beverages and the Bock
and Blue Jazz Trio provided music. Most of
the activities, however, were centered around
the over 150 silent and live auction items on
display. There were a wide variety of auction
items including art, jewelry, sports
memorabilia, experiences and services.
Bidding on the items was lively and often
entertaining.
The CLA wishes to express its sincerest
appreciation to all that made the event the
success it was including sponsors, auction
item donors, those attending the event, and
the Event Committee and staff of the CLA
who organized the gala.

Shoreline Management: New Tools for an Old Job
Part of a successful lake management
program is helping the community
protect the environmental values of the
shoreline and near lake areas. For years we
have provided eyes and ears on the lake to
assist land use agencies with regulations
pertaining to uses of those lands. In more
recent years we have been asked to provide
written observations and recommendations
at sites found to be exceeding local
standards. The figure to the right shows the
location of the sites we assisted on during
this and the past year.
The CLA is also developing technology to
manage information about the shoreline.
GIS – or geographic information systems –
is a recent advancement in the management
of spatial and temporal data using a
graphical interface. So on the CLA GIS for
instance you can retrieve aerial flyover
photos of a section of the lake, overlie the
parcel boundaries, pull up owner
identification information, and an image of
shoreline conditions as of 2006. Future
plans include providing tools for local land
use enforcement officers to access the data
as well. GIS will also become an important
component of understanding the
distribution and success or lack of success
of weed management. Look for more on
this new tool in the future newsletters.
7

Short Notes
Grant Proposal to create
Buffer Assistance Program
As part of the settlement agreement for
damages to the Housatonic River from
PCB pollution, General Electric created
an environmental restoration fund in CT,
which is worth about $9 million. To
administer these funds, a Natural Resource
Trustee SubCouncil for CT was formed, and
is comprised of representatives from the CT
DEP, the US Fish and Wildlife Service and
from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration. The SubCouncil created a
process by which organizations could apply
for portions of those funds to mitigate
environmental and recreational damages
caused by the PCB contamination. The CLA
submitted one of 92 pre-proposals received
by the SubCouncil. The CLA’s proposal was
for funding to create a matching grant
program to aid property owners abutting
Candlewood, Lillinonah or Zoar who want to
install a riparian buffer along the shores of
the lakes to protect water quality and
provide habitat.
The SubCouncil’s grant process has two
parts: first is an eligibility screening; second
is a project evaluation. The CLA’s proposal
passed the eligibility screening with
conditions. Supplemental information will
be requested and submitted in the near
future. The CLA’s pre-proposal can be read
on their website as well as
www.housatonicrestoration.org where
more information on the Housatonic
restoration program can be found.
Candlewood Lake News
Candlewood Lake Authority
P.O. Box 37
Sherman, CT 06784
PRINTED ON RECYCLED PAPER
CLEAR Continues to Exceed
Expectations
High School Students to pass
message to middle schools
The Project CLEAR program continues to
be popular among the high school
students around the lake. Last year
another group of 100+ students participated
in several days of classroom activities, the
Candlewood Clean Up, and a week of
freshwater environmental “research camp”
where they divided into several teams and
studied various aspects of the ecology of the
lake. Teams studied water quality, milfoil and
a native insect that eats it, fish communities,
and conditions of the watershed, shoreline,
streams draining to the lake, and forest
community on the islands and Vaughn’s
Neck. Another group of 125 students are
involved in the program this year as well.
In addition, a number of the last year’s
graduating CLEAR participants have
received educational and leadership training
from environmental educators at the CT
DEP. They will be using those skills by
providing activities and programs for middle
school students in their own school
districts. Their efforts will help the Project
CLEAR program make its goal of integrating
the program into those grade levels.
Figure Legend (Top) Buffer Design Plan from CLA’s
Buffer Guidelines www.candlewoodlakeauthority.org
(Middle & Bottom) Students & Teachers participating
in last year’s Project CLEAR Program
Presort Standard
U.S. Postage
PAID
Permit No. 14
New Milford,
CT