14 Aug August 2022
SMLA Annual Meeting
Planning for a Full Annual Meeting in September
Planning for the SMLA Annual Membership Meeting has been completed. We will hold our meeting at Trinity Ecumenical Parish, 40 Lakemount Dr., Moneta on September 29th with doors opening at 5:30pm for table top displays and walk-a-round food. The meeting will begin at 6:30 pm and is scheduled for 90 minutes. We will have a ‘big” picture SMLA update and a panel made up of:
- Water Quality Monitoring
- Buffer Landscaping
- Water Safety Council
- Invasive Species
Short presentations followed by a Q&A session will be the format.
During the table top display hour from 5:30-6:30pm we will have 12 SMLA committees and 8 stakeholders present to review with you their programs and areas or responsibility and answer any questions.
The full program will be sent to our membership shortly via email from the office which will include the table top display participants. You should have received by email on July 26th a call to nominate individuals for the Melvin S. Johnson Community Service and the SMLA Spirit of the Lake Award. If you have someone you feel qualifies for one of these awards, please fill out the form and return it to the SMLA office. Please invite a non-member friend to attend with you!
AEP Debris Committee
Debris Removal from SML
During the month of May AEP removed 30 tons of debris from SML. YTD total debris removal by AEP through May is at 160 tons.
Submerged Aquatic Vegetation (SAV)
Article Published in June
In the June 22nd edition of the Smith Mountain Eagle our SAV committee published an article which discussed the total lack of SAV in SML as determined from the 2021 survey by Kline Schmidt Associates. The next survey will be conducted in September 2022.
Pirates Day
Crazy Horse Marina
My family had a blast during Pirates Day at Crazy Horse Marina. I can report with certainty that we took on more water than we delivered.
The real news of the day for myself was “no” water balloons. Our group did not see a single water balloon tossed anywhere on the water. Many thanks to those who participated and followed our request to eliminate water balloons. As you can see from the photo there are much more efficient and environmentally friendly ways to deliver huge quantities of water.
Water Quality Management Program
Fourth Week Test Results
The fourth round of bacterial testing around the lake was conducted on July 5th with all fourteen sites satisfying the Virginia Dept. of Health (VDH) standard for recreational waters. On July 19th bacterial testing followed heavy rainfall and one of the 14 sites at the head of Becky’s Creek near Bayside Marina and Yacht Club exceeded the VDH guidelines for recreational waters. We populated these results on the SMLA website as soon as we received the data. Next bacterial testing will be on August 2nd. Just a reminder that following heavy downpours it is sensible to refrain from swimming for a couple of days.
SMLA Buffer Garden
7 BLAST Visits in May/June
Seven BLAST visits were conducted at homeowner requests during May/June. To schedule a buffer landscape visit for your property please contact the SMLA office at: theoffice@smlassociation.org.
The buffer garden pilot project at Mariners Landing is in a bit of a holding pattern until the engineering assessment is completed. Army Corps of Engineers will need to weigh in as well. A really informative Buffer Garden article was published in July in the SML Eagle.
SMLA Strategic Planning
Update from Strategic Planning Committee
The SMLA board will review the updates to the SMLA Strategic Plan (called Smith Mountain Lake 2030) at an August offsite. We will preview the new strategic plan during the annual membership meeting in September.
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SMLA Business Partner Drive
SMLRCC e-blast
We have received some success with new business partner memberships as a result of the e-blast we sent out through the Smith Mountain Lake Regional Chamber of Commerce (SMLRCC) last month. Once again I would ask you to reach out to those you do business with in our lake community and ask if they are members of SMLA, and if not, please encourage them to sign-up as a business partner.
Our business partner committee met this past month to discuss the following items:
- Partner communication to notify of program changes
- Rack Card development
- Business Partner database
- Membership term alignment to calendar year
As a membership organization, SMLA relies on the generosity of our family members as well as our business partners. Business partners have the opportunity to contribute as Custodians, Guardians or Defenders of SML. Most recently, Kurtz Digital Strategy (http://kurtzdigitalstrategy.com) joined SMLA as a Defender. Kurtz Digital Strategy develops online marketing and communication strategies for small businesses. They joined SMLA to ensure our lake remains healthy and we are grateful for their support for our Buffer Landscaping program.
We are Here to Serve
Would Love to Hear You
I hope you know your opinions about the work of our SMLA BOD’s and volunteers is really important to myself and the board members of SMLA.
We look forward to meeting with you on the 29th of September during our annual membership meeting. Please block out that evening to be with us and invite a non-member friend to attend with you.
Bill Butterfield