The following came from Kelli Merrell who has volunteered to do regular water testings at the beach in West Danville:  

Hi folks,
Yesterday I observed a category 2 blue green algae bloom in the NE cove of Joes Pond.  Today, my colleague, Angela Shambaugh confirmed it as the blue green Anabaena.  It was dispersed throughout the water column and a scum of it was accumulating on the surface due to a light breeze blowing into the cove from the NW.  

 This morning I took the E coli reading at the town beach at 6:35 am and there was no sign of a bloom.  Tonight I stopped by the NE cove again and saw no sign of the bloom.  

To my knowledge I believe this is the first confirmed blue green algae bloom in the lake.  Hence, it is worth educating users on how to identify a bloom.  The nature of such blooms are that they are quite ephemeral and we may not see another this year, but folks should take notice before swimming or letting their dogs drink the water.  An excellent document on the subject can be found at the link below.  We may want to consider putting up one of the educational signs in the appendix at the swim beach.  Jane may want to share the below link on the JPA blog.
http://healthvermont.gov/enviro/bg_algae/documents/BGA_guide.pdf

The Vermont Department of Health has been alerted and our town health officer, Eric Bach, should be notified by them shortly.

At this point, it is important to educate folks on what a bloom looks like, but one bloom does not a crisis make.  Cyanobacteria are and have been a natural part of our lake ecosystems for a long, long time.  If we see an increase in bloom frequencies and intensities, then we will need to take a closer look.  For now, I would recommend we use this opportunity to help folks learn to know the signs described in the link above.  

Sincerely,
Kellie

This is an alert only so people can be aware of a potential problem; however as Kelli states, this is natural and for the time being we only need to be aware avoid swimming or letting dogs drink if there is evidence of a bloom where we play in the water. 

Here's something a lot prettier than an algae bloom.  We received this picture from Fred's brother Tom and wife Ella, in Laconia, NH.  Their Rose of Sharon bush has been blooming profusely all summer and is still lovely.

This came from the Nicholsons today.  We knew they had plans to build a new home on their lot, and this is the first step - finding a home for all the things they won't need in the new house.  A good opportunity for someone to pick up some good items for a reasonable price.  Looks like the weather is going to be perfect this weekend, so stop by and look over their offerings.

YARD SALE @ Nicholson Camp

345 Old Homestead Road

SATURDAY SEPT 5^TH FROM 9:00 AM TO 4:00 PM

Our camp is coming down so everything must go:

Front load Washer, Elec Dryer, Elec Stove, lots of glass ware, dishes, light fixtures, bathroom vanity, French Doors, Shower Stall, Overhead Fan with Light, and a lot more.