lake morey protective association logoHelp Preserve this Upper Valley Gem!
The purposes of this corporation are preserving the natural environment of Lake Morey and its immediate surroundings and promoting lake related interests.

Join families, friends and residents in activities focused on the lake and its environs. Volunteer for the various programs, report adopt-a-lake hours, and help at an event. Learn to identify invasive species and maintain an ecologically-sound, environmentally-friendly waterfront.

Enjoy all Lake Morey and its surroundings have to offer.

Fairlee Unified Development Bylaw Voter Adopted 2023

Under provisions first adopted by the Selectboard as an interim bylaw amendment and then adopted permanently by the voters last month, most soil disturbances such as MAJOR DIGGING, OR ANY EXCAVATION now require an administrative zoning permit. 
 
Primarily this was done to put local eyes on an area regulated by the state but without actual enforcement on the ground, and the requirement to get the zoning permit is that the state has reviewed your project and if needed, imposed conditions to mitigate silting and phosphorus exposure which is a major feeder of the cyanobacteria blooms we are trying to control. 
 
Before you cut the soil,  call the Zoning Administrator at 802-333-4363 X3 and he will cheerfully steer you though the process.
 
The bylaw reads as such:

“Except as provided herein, no land development may commence unless a Zoning Permit has been duly issued by the Zoning Administrator in conformance with the Town Zoning and Subdivision Regulations.  Land development is defined as the division of a parcel into two or more parcels, the construction, reconstruction, conversion, structural alteration, relocation or enlargement of any building or other structure, or any mining, excavation or landfill, and any change in the use of any building or other structure, or land, or extension of use of land.  No permit issued shall take effect until the time for appeal has passed or until the final adjudication of such appeal (24 V.S.A. 4449(a)(3).”

For the complete FAIRLEE UNIFIED DEVELOPMENT UDB, click here.

Zoning Administrator webpage, click here

Update from the Town of Fairlee

CYANOBACTERIA, ALUM AND LAKE MOREY

The Town of Fairlee, Lake Morey Commission, and Solitude Lake Management have an effective partnership with Vermont’s Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC), in part due to the persistent attention of Lakes and Ponds Manager Oliver Pierson.

The Lakes and Ponds program believes that Lake Morey is eligible for an alum treatment. From a permitting perspective, an alum treatment in early summer 2024 is feasible based on recent conversations with DEC Lakes and Ponds. The accelerated funding and Solitude’s rapid completion of the Lake Morey Sediment Study (a.k.a. alum feasibility study) has significantly shortened the timeline. DEC Lakes and Ponds appreciates Lake Morey and Solitude as key sources of valuable scientific data.

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News from LMPA

WASTE MANAGEMENT

We know that excess nutrients in the lake can aggravate cyanobacteria blooms. Potential sources of nutrients include erosion and dirty runoff from shoreline properties, as well as poorly functioning septic systems.

A Waste Management Workshop was held recently at the Fairlee Town Hall in the interest of sharing the latest innovations on septic system function and maintenance.

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