​What is the Amos Lake Association?
The Amos Lake Association (ALA) is an advocate for current and future generations. As a local nonprofit made up of concerned neighbors, we help landowners and all other interested people maintain, protect, and enhance the water quality of Amos Lake, its surroundings, and its waterways. Our goal is to keep this beloved public resource accessible for a wide variety of recreational activities for generations to come.
We love sharing tips and educating likeminded friends on how they can save their local lake and protect its ecology, health and enjoyment for both the present and the future! 

Every month on the third Wednesday, we meet online to share current issues, vote on potential solutions, and discuss the needs and care of Amos Lake.
We need people just like you and us in order to ensure this lake—and others like it—thrive! If you're interested in helping our cause, please check out our membership page or the link below or email us at [email protected] for more details.
http://bit.ly/4kLhahk
Or, if you are unable to join ALA as a member, please consider offering your expertise or knowledge on this blog.  Donations are also welcome so that we may continue essential projects such as landowner education, boating safety, and watershed management and our various monitoring programs.
Whether you're a member, donor, sponsor, or an interested neighbor, THANK YOU for your help protecting and preserving Amos Lake and other bodies of water! We can't do this without you.

​What is Clean, Drain, Dry?
It is a vital program to prevent the spread of harmful invasive plants! In three simple steps, protect both your equipment and the bodies of water you enter.
First: clean off all plant parts, animals, and mud from your boat(s) and equipment.
Then, drain onto land (not back into the lake, river, or other body of water!) everything that may have collected water during your venture.
Finally, thoroughly dry all items before launching your vessel(s) into another body of water.
This helps prevent aquatic invasives from spreading, both within the body of water you were exploring and into any other waters you'll enter. Whether or not you can visibly spot potentially invasive plants on your equipment, following this program ensures that none remain on your vessel (which improves its lifespan and functionality) and none are returned to the lake or transported to other lakes to spread. This is imperative for the health and longevity of all waterbodies! Please share this information with other boaters so we can protect our local environment.

If you have any questions or wish to be a part of the solution, please comment below or email us at [email protected].

Thank you for partnering with us to protect Amos Lake and your neighborhood watershed!

During the golf tournament last week, we held an Aquatic Invasive Species Workshop in the Pequot Village Ballroom at Lake of Isles. Many thanks to the 100+ attendees who supported us there!
A storyboard at the workshop summarized Amos Lake Association’s twelve-year fight against invasive species, including:
• A detailed account of our experience with ProcellaCor
• A comprehensive identification of aquatic invasive species (AIS) currently in Amos Lake
• A section outlining ways in which individuals can contribute to prevention ePorts
• A QR code linking to a complimentary WebApp designed to guide boaters through the self-inspection process for AIS, encompassing proper cleaning, draining, and drying procedures.
We presented live specimens of Hydrilla, Eurasian watermilfoil, and variable-leaf watermilfoil for attendees to examine and observe, as well as a sample of Elodea to illustrate how certain native species may be easily mistaken for invasive ones.
We also had 5” x 8” AIS identification cards for attendees to take home.
Additionally, our president, Pat Monahan, delivered a presentation detailing
challenges faced statewide due to invasive species, with a focus on hydrilla. She addressed the ease with which AIS spreads, and highlighted the importance of collective ePorts in prevention.
Keep an eye out for posts announcing other similar educational events! As well, take a peek at the resources we have available on our website, amoslake.com, to learn more about AIS and how you can prevent its spread and care for your local watershed. 
And tell us—what was your favorite memory with us at Lake of Isles last Wednesday?

​Do you know your aquatic invasives?
Purple Loosestrife is a very hardy perennial which can rapidly degrade wetlands, diminishing their value for wildlife habitat. Wetlands are the most biologically diverse, productive component of our ecosystem. Hundreds of species of plants, birds, mammals, reptiles, insects, fish and amphibians rely on healthy wetland habitat for their survival.
However, when purple loosestrife gets a foothold, the habitat where fish and wildlife feed, seek shelter, reproduce and rear young, quickly becomes choked under a sea of purple flowers.
If you see this plant on your shoreline, please remove it! If you are unable to remove it, cut the blossoms off so the plant does not go to seed.
It's imperative we steward our environment and its natural resources well. Let's ensure Amos Lake and all other bodies of water survive and thrive to be enjoyed by the next generation!
Thank you so much for your support and partnership in our efforts to protect and preserve Amos Lake and spread awareness of common environmental issues.

Did you know?
Here's why experts recommend NOT feeding ducks bread crumbs:
• It’s junk food that offers little-to-no nutritional benefit to the ducks. “White bread in particular has no real nutritional value, so while birds may find it tasty, the danger is that they will fill up on it instead of other foods that could be more beneficial to them,” says a spokeswoman for the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds.
• Reliance on human-supplied junk food keeps ducklings from learning how to forage healthy food for themselves. 
• A high-carbohydrate, high-protein diet is associated with a wing deformity known as “angel wing” or “airplane wing”. This is a condition where the last joint on the wing is distorted and causes the end feathers to stick out sideways instead of lying flat against the body, preventing the bird from flying. It's caused by a high-protein diet that causes the wing bones to grow too fast, twisting the joint and making the wing too heavy. Angel wing is incurable in adults.
• Uneaten bread crumbs attract predators, grow mold that makes ducks and other riparian critters sick, and contribute to the growth of cyanobacteria and harmful algal blooms.
Is there anything else we should AVOID feeding ducks, swans, and geese?
Yes. Avocados, onions, citrus, nuts, chocolate, popcorn, carbonated beverages, and alcohol should never, EVER be fed to ducks.
Thank you for helping us #savetheducks and prevent them from eating harmful foods! 
If you'd like to know what we CAN safely feed them, keep an eye out for the next post where we'll dive into their natural diet.

What's safe to feed ducks?
A couple weeks ago we shared what we should NOT give wild ducks; but what CAN they eat in the wild?
Ducks are omnivores, meaning they regularly consume a variety of foods, including plants, animals, algae, and fungi. Their diets are dependent on their habitat. 
Having said that, ducks regularly eat:
• algae and aquatic plants
• worms, crustaceans, and snails and other mollusks
• small fish and fish eggs
• insects
• berries, fruit, and nuts
• small amphibians such as frogs, newts, and salamanders
However, we’re unlikely to collect eye of newt and toe of frog for our friendly neighborhood waterfowl! What is safe and healthy for us to give them?
• Lettuce and cabbage! The good folks at the British Canal and River Trust even did a ducky taste test, and kale and pea shoots came out on top.
• These safe-for-waterfowl foodstuffs: cucumber, corn, peas, beans, broccoli, beets, squash, flowers, alfalfa, tomatoes, eggplant, bananas (without the peel), pineapple, pomegranate seeds, scrambled eggs, dry cat food or dog food, and rice.
Wait a minute—rice? I thought rice made birds’ stomachs explode!
No. This is an urban legend that has no basis in fact.
We hope this list helps you you have a great time caring for and safely interacting with your local waterfowl. There's an abundance of foods you can share with them once you look!  Thank you for helping us #savetheducks and prevent them from eating harmful foods. 
If you'd like a refresher on what ISN'T safe to feed them, check out our post from a couple weeks ago.

​Summer may be winding down, but your lake use doesn't have to! 
While out on the lake, please pay attention to the posted guidelines, some of which have changed for the upcoming cooler seasons:
• Waterskiing is NOT permitted until the summer season starts up again on June 15th.
• Speeds in excess of 8 mph are prohibited at ALL times until June 15th.
• No person shall operate a vessel within one hundred feet of a flag, buoy or other device, marking the location of an underwater swimmer or diver.
• No person shall operate a motorboat, excluding a personal watercraft, at a speed in excess of 'Slow, No Wake' within 100 feet of shore, or a dock, pier, float, or anchored or moored vessel.
• No person shall operate a personal watercraft at a speed in excess of 'Slow, No Wake' within 200 feet of shore, or a dock, pier, float, or anchored or moored vessel. 
• All vessels shall be operated at 'Slow, No Wake' when within 100 feet of buoys marking a restricted swimming or boat access area. 
Thank you for keeping your fellow boaters and swimmers safe this Autumn and Winter!
To view other lake regulations, visit this page: https://bit.ly/3HSOhC2
Please email us at [email protected] with any questions about how to safely operate on Amos Lake.

​Do you operate a power boat or personal watercraft in Connecticut?
Please double check your registration and decals!
The Aquatic Invasive Species (AIS) stamp used to be included in your vessel registration, but as of last Fall it now must be purchased SEPARATELY through DEEP’s Sportsmen Licensing System. This stamp is required of ANY person operating a registered power boat or personal watercraft on Connecticut inland waters, whether the vessel is from in or out of state, and is valid for the calendar year in which it is purchased.
If you're unsure of your boat's status, need to replace or update your current AIS stamp or registration, or just want to know more, check out CT DEEP's AIS Stamp flyer here: https://bit.ly/45XRE4q
The flyer also has CT DEEP's contact information if you have any questions.
Please help prevent the spread of aquatic invasives by maintaining your AIS stamp and sharing this post so other boaters are aware! Your registration fees go to a competitive state grant fund for controlling the spread of AIS, conducting research on Connecticut’s lakes, rivers, and ponds, and enhancing public awareness. We love our lakes, and want you to be able to enjoy them too!
Thank you for protecting and preserving Connecticut's beautiful waters.