12 Jun June 2023
Volume 6, June 2023
AHOY Greetings
The weather did not cooperate this past Memorial Day weekend, but I hope you all were able to spend time with family and friends. This important holiday reminds us of the sacrifices so many have made to keep us safe and free in this great country we live in.
Please accept my heartfelt thanks and a grateful heart to all of our SMLA veterans who have served our country.
For the rest of us, thank you for being a Steward of the Lake. Your generous support helps keep SML clean and safe. Your membership matters!
Our June 10th signature event, A Day At The Lake, at Crazy Horse Marina is fast approaching. It’s a free, interactive and fun-filled event dedicated to protecting the water of Smith Mountain Lake and promoting safe recreation. There will be something for everyone, especially if you love SML.
We hope to see you on June 10th. Bring your family and friends – furry ones too (on a leash). Rain or shine. More details below.
Water Safety
Whether you fish, boat or just float, SML is a lake-lovers recreational paradise.
Our marine safety and law enforcement partners will be in full force.
Learn from experts about how to stay safe on the water.
Tour a fire boat, meet the dive team, attend a boat docking clinic.
Prove your skill at the Life Jacket Challenge.
Lake Quality
Protecting the health of SML is critical to maintaining its pristine water.
Meet the scientists, students and certified volunteers who are on lake watch.
Explore the Ferrum College science vessel and learn about water quality monitoring.
Visit a buffer garden display and explore a fish habitat demonstration area.
Join our scavenger hunt, examine bugs with a microscope, enjoy the kid zone.
Food & Beverage
Stop by the SMLA booth for free water and treats.
Food trucks will offer tasty eats and refreshments for purchase.
Ella’s Eats
Prizes, Raffles & Games
Enter drawings to win cool gifts or cash in our 50/50 raffle.
Test your skill, try your luck and take home a prize.
Get free stuff.
Meet Freddy, our Safety Duck
Freddy has shown up at several Business Partner locations (click on our Event Page to learn more). Have you found him? Bring Freddy to A Day At The Lake and we’ll have a surprise for you! If you haven’t found Freddy, no worries, there’s still time. He’ll be hanging out in town until June 9th.
Volunteer!!!
We need A Day At The Lake volunteers.
Your financial contribution funds the programs that keep SML clean and safe.
But now we need a bit of your time to help with our community event.
All Event Day volunteers receive this cool, 100% cotton complimentary T-Shirt.
Email TheOffice@SMLAssociation.org if you’d like to help.
Free Entry & Free Parking
Visit our Event Page for Up to the Minute Details
SMLAssociation.org
Many thanks to all of you who participated in the 2023 TPISML this past month. The clean-up efforts were a success! At the last reporting, 364 volunteers removed 8.3 tons of trash and debris. Both of these numbers were more than double last year’s results.
A special thanks to our corporate sponsors: Appalachian Power (Diamond), Wester Virginia Water Authority (Platinum), Glenda McDaniel (Gold), Turner Building Inc. (Gold), Berkshire Hathaway (Gold), and SMLGP (Gold).
Also our site sponsors: Skelton 4H Center, Crazy Horse Marina, Gills Creek Marina, Magnum Point Marina, Waterwheel Marina, Pleasure Point, Bay Roc Marina and Walnut Run.
And our Like-Kind Sponsors: Bays Trash Removal, Bay Rock Marina, Bedford County Landfill, C. Clifton Byrd & Son, Crazy Horse Marina, Firefighter Dumpsters, Franklin County Landfill, Magnum Marina, Pleasure Point POA, Smith Mountain Eagle, W.E. Skelton 4-H Center, and Walnut Run POA.
Save Our Streams
SMLA Supports Environmental Education at Benjamin Franklin Middle School
The SMLA Save Our Streams (SOS) training team completed five days of Creek Week activities at Benjamin Franklin Middle School in Rocky Mount. From April 25th through May 9th, five members of our SOS team and 425 sixth graders participated in the educational program held on the school grounds along Powder Mill Creek. After learning the basics of stream ecology in the classroom, students completed instruction in macroinvertebrate collection and identification.
Ready, Set, Collect!
On May 21st, the SMLA Water Quality Monitoring Program (WQMP) began its 37th year of water sampling on SML. Keep a lookout for these 51 volunteers on the lake and please slow down if you see someone taking water samples. You might want to ask them what are they doing?
Appalachian Power Company (APCO) has funded the purchase of a new pontoon boat for Ferrum College to use for water sampling on SML. The new boat, which replaces the aging Boston Whaler, will be dedicated on June 10th at the beginning of A Day At The Lake. You don’t want to miss it.
Vessel Pump Out Program
The Smith Mountain Lake Vessel Pump Out Program (VPOP) began on Saturday, May 20th. VPOP is a cooperative effort funded by Tri-County Lake Commission (TLAC), Virginia Department of Health (VDH) and SMLA. SMLA also serves as the VPOP Committee Chair and provides operational oversight of the VPOP crew. The program operates through Labor Day and is free for boats docked at 19 marinas on the lake. If you have a boat that collects sewage, please take full advantage of this important program by contacting TLAC at (540) 721-4400 or pumpout@sml.us.com.
Spring/Summer Membership Drive
We Need You!
SMLA is conducting its Spring/Summer 2023 membership drive with a 50% discount for new individual and family members who join SMLA. I hope you will promote our membership drive to your family, friends, and neighbors by making them aware of SMLA’s mission to protect the water of Smith Mountain Lake and promote safe recreation. We rely on memberships and grants to fund the programs that keep SML clean and safe. Thank you for your help!
Did we mention A Day At The Lake is pet-friendly?
See you on June 10th at Crazy Horse Marina!