Love Your Lake 2024 at Blue Marsh Lake

from the US Army Corps of Engineers

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is partnering with the Pennsylvania Lake Management Society (PALMS), Aqua Om Paddle, Penn State Extension Master Watershed Stewards, Berks Nature, and Tower Health at Reading Hospital to present Love Your Lake 2024 at Blue Marsh Lake.

The month of July has been designated “Lakes Appreciation Month” in the state of Pennsylvania and across the country. Lakes provide valuable environmental and economic benefits, but perhaps more importantly, they are places that people love to visit to recreate in many different ways. Join Blue Marsh Lake staff and partners in celebrating Blue Marsh Lake at the fourth annual Love Your Lake event with a fun evening focused on protecting yourself and our lakes and learning new ways to appreciate our lakes.

Love Your Lake 2024 will take place on Friday, July 19th from 5:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. at the Dry Brooks Day Use Area. The event consists of two parts.

Activities and paddle races: 5pm – 8pm

Visitors can participate in a variety of activities including:

• Paddleboard and kayak races (all participants must register in advance)
• Watershed formation
• Safety and information on harmful algal blooms
• Water safety education
• Bobber, the water safety dog
• Annual Secchi Dip-in for Citizen Science
• Prevention of invasive aquatic species

Evening paddling/finning: 8:00 p.m. – 10:00 p.m.

After learning about lakes, join us to enjoy the beauty of Blue Marsh Lake on an evening paddle and raft tour. Everyone is welcome to bring their own kayak/canoe/paddleboard to participate in this evening activity. Be sure to remember the required safety equipment; bring a life jacket for everyone, a sound device, and a means of producing a light signal.

Additionally, visitors are advised that due to increased paddling activity, the no-wake zone at the Dry Brooks Day Use Area and Swim Beach will be temporarily expanded to the right side of the Day Use Area throughout the event.

For detailed event information and links to race registration, visit https://www.palakes.org/lake-appreciation-month/.