Lake Chauncy - Love it or Lose It (Part I)

Imagine, right at our doorsteps, a beautiful resource that many of us don't know about or, if we do, think about. Imagine, too, the possibility that development could damage, aesthetically or environmentally, this resource. Perhaps ruin it.

For many years my family (we live in Northborough) and I enjoyed the beach (until mid-August when algae comes around), and now I enjoying the odd picnic on the shores of the state hospital. It's a great place to stop with sushi in winter after a swim at the health club. And there are nice trails to follow around the lake and into the woods.

I first started canoeing on Chauncy about 20 years ago. For many years, I fished there. Hooked many a big bass (rumor has it a state record one was caught there), and a pike (sorry guys, I ate that one). One day I saw a huge tiger muskie beneath my canoe. As time went on I gave up on the fishing pole and took a camera out instead and have enjoyed shooting up swans, herons and a lot of other wildlife.

Now that the state is selling off large parcels on land near the lake the sometimes ugly head of '"development" is raising its head. I say "sometimes" because there can be development that is healthy if designed well and highly sensitive to both the environment and public nature of the environment. My hope is that Westborough and Northborough can get their acts together to go one better and protect this beautiful area from large housing projects or even development itself. This is a very fragile enviornment enjoyed by many who ought to be able to pass it on to their children and grandchildren. 

With all that as background I will be publishing photos of the lake and some of the waterways connected to it via streams, such as Bartlett Pond in Northborough. Blogs don't last long on this Patch so I will be doing all this as a series, referring back to prior posts.

For photographers among you I use many different digital cameras, ranging from a very small waterproof Pentax for windy or really cold days, and Olympus single lens reflexes with many different manual and automatic lenses for most of the rest. I would be happy to discuss any of the photos. And, help you keep an eye on our beautiful natural resources.

Enjoy and share your ideas and pics.