30 Apr Join SMLA to protect our lake
Smith Mountain Lake Property Owner,
Being a property owner here on the lake, you already know that this beautiful Jewel of the Blue Ridge has much to offer. In fact, it was recently voted one of the best eight lakes in our nation to visit. The Smith Mountain Lake Association (SMLA) hopes that you find as much enjoyment here as we have, whether you reside here or spend your weekends and vacations on the lake.
As you finish your spring cleaning and preparation for the coming lake season, you probably have a checklist of tasks you are working through to protect your waterfront investment including double checking your insurance and making plans for maintenance of your home and property to ensure it is safe and protected. But what about the lake—the main draw to this location? What are you doing to make sure it is safe and protected?
Studies show that water quality directly impacts lake property values and that poor water quality and unsafe boating and water sports practices can adversely impact the recreational value of a lake. In turn, these issues diminish home values. Being passive on these issues is not likely to prevent them from happening. What can you do to help ensure our lake stays clean and safe—both now and into the future?
As you complete your spring-cleaning checklist, we recommend you add one other item to protect your waterfront investment: “Join the Smith Mountain Lake Association!” We are a Virginia non-profit organization with a simple and unique mission; to protect the water of Smith Mountain Lake and promote safe recreation. Membership in SMLA is your best and easiest opportunity to ensure that the lake you know and love will continue to be environmentally preserved, safe in all recreational activities, and a legacy that you can pass on to your kids and grandkids. It is the best and cheapest “insurance” you can buy to maintain your property value by helping to preserve our treasured lake.
Numerous SMLA membership benefits include:
- A quarterly newsletter highlighting our activities to keep the lake clean and safe;
- An informative website, social media, and neighbor-centered groups highlighting current issues impacting the lake;
- A Smith Mountain Lake map (chart) annotated with GPS grid, underwater structures, facility listings, marinas, fishing areas, boat ramps, and much more, available for purchase in our office, from our website and at many local marinas;
- A brochure Protecting Your Waterfront Investment—10 Simple Shoreland Stewardship Practices brochure which describes simple steps you can take to reduce pollutants, slow the flow of runoff, and capture and clean potential runoff; and
- Reporting tools to take an active role as lake stewards by reporting floating debris, accidents, wake incidents, abandoned boats, and algae blooms.
Your membership will support two initiatives we are currently pursuing to protect the water of our lake. They are:
- Remote electronic sensors to monitor water quality. These would supplement our already extensive citizen volunteer water quality monitoring program that occurs throughout the summer by extending our monitoring capabilities to all seasons; and
- Buffer Landscape Demonstration Projects. We are working with local master gardeners and master naturalists, along with local landscapers, to develop demonstration gardens that slow the flow of runoff and remove pollutants—protecting water quality and adding to the value of lakefront property.
For over 50 years our SMLA has worked with other lake stakeholders to give us the lake that we have today, but there are numerous stressors that are continuously challenging our clean water and safe recreation of the lake. Just as you don’t buy insurance after a fire, don’t wait until our lake is in jeopardy before you get involved. Join us today!
Membership and charitable donations support the good work of SMLA, so we need your help to continue our mission to protect the water of Smith Mountain Lake and promote safe recreation. Please visit our website at www.smlassociation.org for more information on the work that SMLA performs or how you can support our continued efforts. It is our best and most efficient insurance for maintaining our property values and preserving our treasure—The Jewel of the Blue Ridge.
To join the Smith Mountain Lake Association, visit our website at www.smlassociation.org. You can contact our office at TheOffice@SMLAssociation.org or call 540-719-0690 and please Like Us if you have a Facebook account.
Help us preserve the Jewel of the Blue Ridge! SMLA looks forward to serving you.
The SMLA Membership Committee
Bill Butterfield, President
Mike, Streff, Vice President
Gale Easter, Chair