[/media-credit] Millifoil and other water weeds (foreground) are choking Lost Lake and making swimming off Sargisson Beach problematic.
The Groton Line recently received this letter from Eli Sun, sent along with a brief report from his mom on a recent cleanup effort at Sargisson Beach. — Ed.
Dear Editor:
The last time I wrote about Sargisson Beach I was 8 years old. Then I wrote about Sargisson in an effort to keep it open. The town had stopped funding it, and so I was helping to raise money to pay for the lifeguard and the dock. This is the main lake in Groton and has the only real beach that is open to the public.
Sargisson has shade. It is set back in the woods, and is basically a nice place that you can go to without having to worry about overheating, because it is often cooler there than most beaches in this area.
There are no vendors trying to sell you stuff like bottled water or ice cream. It is pretty much a “bring what you bring” and “you take out your trash” kind of place – a community place taken care of by the community.
We raised enough money to keep it open for one year. For the next two years it wasn’t officially open. There was no lifeguard and no dock but we could still swim there. I like the fact that you can go down to the water and pretty much do whatever you want in the water, such as rafting, canoeing and kayaking.
Now I’m 11 and the amount of filth and muck in the water had grown so dramatically that it was nearly unbearable to swim in one half of the beach. However a couple of days ago a bunch of people got together and helped to clean up all the muck that was occupying one side of the water. While we were cleaning up the fish weren’t there but after the cleanup was over I’m glad to say that the fish are almost all back. We have a community that is willing to clean it up so that people of any age can swim in it. These are pictures that I’ve taken during the cleanup of the beach.
Eli Sun
Note from Eli’s mom: This year there are many individuals working to help maintain the Sargisson Beach area. Three women have adopted this area and every week they walk through and pick up trash. DPW workers have cleaned up the parking lot and path. Andrew Davis, an abutter, organized the clean up on a Saturday (June 30) and is designing a management plan to remedy the drainage problem and reduce the erosion that has occurred. The Conservation Commission has employed a part-time park ranger to help with regular maintenance. And, citizens young and older responded to a call for help, on fairly short notice, to begin the long-needed clean up of the shoreline and water, thereby doubling the size of the area that can be enjoyed by all. — Gail Somers Sun
Andrew Davis, who helped organize the cleanup, writes that a small group is “Looking to get the park/beach cleaned up and more maintained. Been working with Conservation commission to try and get the park/beach cleaned up and have signed up as the stewards of the park to volunteer.
“This may evolve into creating a Friends of Sargisson Beach, and I have been emailing with Gail Sun and Roger Cruz who led the previous effort and are helping advertise now. We may not be as ambitious as they were to get lifeguards and everything back.. but we want to make sure the trash is picked up, the beach is clean and safe to swim, and that we start to make efforts to clean up downed trees and control the erosion and runoff that is occurring throughout the property. Personally I think Sargisson Beach should be a model property for the towns conservation practices.
“Looking to get the park/beach cleaned up and more maintained. Been working with Conservation Commission to try and get the park/beach cleaned up and have signed up as the stewards of the park to volunteer. Also worked through ConCom to get the gate opened so that people can park inside the park, instead of on Whiley road which creates a safety issue. Biggest issue is getting the signage and message about the status of the beach clarified. Residence stickers are no longer required… we are working with Barbara at ConCom to update the signage and rules to reflect that it is swim at your own risk… no lifeguards and to make it clear where people may park safely. Barbara Ganem has been great at connecting us with volunteers in the area who have shared interest and can help and pulling in the right people from DPW, including Tom Delaney, who has his crew down cleaning up trees and the parking area this spring. Overall it has been a great town and volunteer team effort so far.
“Volunteers from Groton Local, led by Carol Quinn, have been picking up trash every week and are helping recruit volunteers. The Groton Lakes Association is trying to recruit people to come down and help clean it up. Brad from the Weed Harvester Committee is providing the trailer to remove the weeds. Boy Scout Troup 3 is sending the service event out to its scouts and I am still waiting to hear about Boy Scout Troop 1.
This may evolve into creating a Friends of Sargisson Beach, and I have been emailing with Gail Sun and Roger Cruz who led the previous effort and are helping advertise now. We may not be as ambitious as they were to get lifeguards and everything back.. but we want to make sure the trash is picked up, the beach is clean and safe to swim, and that we start to make efforts to clean up downed trees and control the erosion and runoff that is occurring throughout the property. Personally I think Sargisson Beach should be a model property.”.
