Lake St. Catherine Conservation Fund, Inc.

16/06/2026

LAKE. ST CATHERINE CONSERVATION FUND, INC
501 c 3
PO Box 52 Wells, VT 05774
Mission Statement
LSCCF and Partners are committed to restoring and sustaining the public accustomed use of Little Lake. Navigable waters, family friendly swimming, healthy fish habitat and a resilient eco system through science-based community backed management aligned with the Public Trust Doctrine.
LSCCF core values and mission is built supporting the Vermont Public Trust Doctrine. We share the definition of the doctrine and offer a link to the ANR State website for further content and exploration of the Public Trust Doctrine.
https://anrweb.vt.gov/PubDocs/DEC/Decisions/wrp/1991/mlp89-17-dec.pd

The Vermont Public Trust Doctrine is a legal principle that states that certain natural resources, like lakes, ponds and the lands beneath navigable waters, are held in trust by the state government for the benefit and use of the public.
This doctrine originated in Roman law and was adopted into English common law, eventually making its way to the United States and Vermont.
Here are the key aspects of the Vermont Public Trust Doctrine:
• Scope of Resources: It applies to lakes; ponds and the lands submerged beneath navigable waters in Vermont. This includes lands that were created by filling a portion of the lake, for example:
• Public Use Rights: The doctrine ensured the public’s right to use these waters for various purposes, including navigation, recreation (such as fishing and swimming) and commerce.
• Government as Trustee: The state government acts as a trustee, responsible for managing and protecting these resources for the common good of the people. The state’s power to manage these resources is perpetual, coupled with a duty to exercise this power.
• Restrictions of Private Use: The doctrine places limitations on private entities using these public trust resources, particularly for activities that would obstruct public use or negatively affect the resource itself. While private use is not entirely prohibited, it must be consistent with the public good and not cause adverse effects of the resource or other public uses.
In practice, the Vermont Department of Environmental Conservation manages these waters and lands in accordance with this doctrine and related statutes. For example, individuals wishing to build structures (encroachments) on public waters must obtain a permit, and these permits will not be granted if the encroachment adversely affects the public good, such as negatively impacting water quality, fish and wildlife habitat or navigation.

Essentially, the Vermont Public Trust Doctrine functions as a legal framework to ensure the protection and responsible management of the state’s public waterways and submerged lands for current and future generations, balancing both public access and conservation concerns.

16/06/2026

Meet your directors:
My name is Peter DeOlympio. In 2019 I retired from The Dow Chemical Company where I was manager of The Model Shop/ Process Development area, after 30 years of service. In 2020 my wife (Terry) and I purchased a cottage on Little Lake. We loved the area and moved here full time in 2023 from Massachustes. The cottage was a 3-season cottage, so we decided to tear it down and build a new home. I joined LSCCF to help support and improve the lake. I have been a director on the board for 3 years.
Pete, Director

15/06/2026

Upcoming Third Annual Harvest Festival
June 27, 2026 11:00AM-3:00PM
Shout out to our sponsors:
Wellsmere Farm
NE Lakeside Realty
Southern Vermont Standby Power
Modern Woodmen of America
Telescope Furniture
Stewart's Shops

Thank you for your support!

15/06/2026

Meet the directors

William R. Steinmetz Bill and his wife Judy have been residents of Wells, Vermont for nearly 35 years. Bill was one of the founding members of the conservation fund and was its president for its first five years. Bill has created and managed nonprofit organizations in three countries. His professional background includes functioning as a civil engineer, an urban transportation planner, a management consultant and a senior pastor for churches in England, Romania, and more recently New York State. His interest include the environment, photography, and world politics. He and Judy have two children, seven grandchildren, and three great grandchildren.

13/06/2026

Join us June 20th at 9:00AM

Join the Lake St. Catherine Association, Lake St. Catherine Conservation Fund, and The Delaney Committee for a volunteer cleanup event at Wells Lakeside Park on Little Lake.

We’ll be working together to hand pull milfoil from the dock and beach area, clean debris from the lake bottom, and help restore a safe, beautiful swimming area for everyone to enjoy.

We’re looking for volunteers and helpful equipment to borrow, including:

• Floating mats
• Lake rakes
• Large plastic tubs
• Plenty of helping hands

The Delaney Committee will provide ice cold bottled water and handle disposal of all milfoil and debris collected during the cleanup.

If you’d like to volunteer or loan equipment, please contact us at [email protected].

Please save the date and watch for more details as we get closer.

Thank you for helping keep Lake St. Catherine beautiful!

09/06/2026

Congratulations go out to Russell Braun, ticket #243, on his win this month! A $1000.00 check will be on its way to him shortly. His winning ticket has also been returned to the drum for yet another chance to win again.

09/06/2026

09/06/2026

Meet the Directors
Dave LaFontaine has been loving Lake St. Catherine since his family first bought their camp on the Little Lake in 1976. As a kid, he spent summers sailing a Sunfish from one shore to the other, heeling over with the wind and hiking out against it for hours at a time. The family bought a new motorboat at an auction from Bartholomew’s Marina and he learned to water ski in the placid water of the Little Lake.
Decades later, he was inspired by the Little Lake to build from scratch a wooden sailboat capable of sailing up to the channel, rowing under the bridge and into the Big Lake; this goal was achieved in 2013. Sadly, the overgrowth of invasive aquatic plants has made sailing in the Little Lake virtually impossible since then. What had been a joyful and serene recreational activity is now only a memory. His own children are adults now, but they never experienced learning to water ski on the Little Lake due to the ever-worsening w**d conditions.
Dave’s fond memories of what the lake once had brought him to volunteer with Lake St. Catherine Conservation Fund in the hopes of restoring the customary usage for future grandchildren.

08/06/2026

Mark your calendars! The big day is coming soon.

06/06/2026

Meet the Directors
Tina Peterson
I have been coming to Lake St Catherine since the 50’s, as a baby, and learned to swim in the Little Lake! My parents were Mike and Ruth Geremia, and in 1960 they acquired beautiful lakefront from the Crawford family, and built on Little Lake East. This property is still in the Peterson Family. I joined the LSCCF as a member in 2011, and volunteered as a director in 2013 after I retired. I have been the Treasurer since 2018. The Little Lake is markedly different now, from when I spent summers there, the challenges we face to remediate this precious body of water are real. Support our Lake as best you can: join us, donate, volunteer…help do research, write grants…the list is endless.
The successes are rewarding.