Tin Mountain will be hosting a seminar on the recent changes in the New Hampshire Shoreland Protection Act. Take advantage of this opportunity to get up to speed on current legislation that can affect water and land quality on and around Conway Lake. The seminar will be held at the Tin Mountain center January 12 from 12pm-1pm. For more information visit the Tin Mountain website.
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Rain has not been far from anyone’s mind around here since the end of August. With Tropical Storm Irene dumping over 6 inches of rain on parts of the Mount Washington Valley and the more recent rain we saw this last week Conway Lake home owners should have a pretty good idea of any areas of their properties that might be subject to lake damaging water  Courtesy Linda N. runoff. Tropical Storm Irene, an extreme rain event for the area may very well have left its mark on your property in the form of narrow runoff channels near sloping terrain, natural water courses or near gutter outlets. These all great areas for a rain garden! The University of New Hampshire Cooperative Extension office will be hosting a free Rain Garden Workshop at the Conway Public Library on Tuesday, October 4, 2011 from 1:00pm to 5:00pm. This will be a great way to learn how best to capture some of the storm water runoff that may occur on your property and help protect the water quality of Conway Lake. The workshop will cover the many aspects of a successful Rain Garden such as location, design, correct planting, ongoing maintenance and the many benefits of a Rain Garden. For Registration or additional information call the Carroll County Cooperative Extension office at 603-447-3834. The Loon Preservation Committee will be hosting a couple of great events to benefit loons. The Sqaum Swim will be held August 5th. The Carl R. Johnson Golf Tournament is on August 15 Follow the links for more details on these events The nest wasn’t there this year. Two years in a row high water combined with boat wake has flooded the mat of sticks and sand. The year before that the loon pair had fledged two young loons. Humans have it easy despite claims by parents to the contrary. While I was disappointed there would be no young loons along our shore this year I knew the birds would come back again next year and the year after to try again. At least that was what I thought.  Courtesy http://flic.kr/p/387CYa Not one week later the story for those two loons had changed. To set the stage you need to under stand that the birds nested in a shallow sandy spot surrounded by large rocks just under the water. In short, a perfect spot for swimming. The day before we returned to the island. People had been there from early morning until almost dark. When we arrived, one beach down from the loon’s nesting site we were concerned. More than fifteen years ago a small trail had led over to where the loons had been nesting. Toady we saw a freshly cut path through the blueberry bushes, most of the cut branches bearing unripe fruit. Knowing there was no nest and that the birds were fishing farther north this morning we waded around to view the nesting area. The worst was true. All the bushes that had previously hung low guarding the nest had been cut away exposing a now sandy beach, just right for kids to play but perfectly wrong for nesting birds wary of eagles or ravens or any other predator in search of a snack. Swimming in the area would likely have been of little consequence for the loons at this point. Once the nest had flooded and it was too late to try again the birds moved back to the water. But now the site, a site that had proven successful in the past, was eliminated; no straight thinking loon would nest in the middle of an open beach.  Courtesy http://flic.kr/p/86DWQi Loons typically return to the same nesting spot each year. This saves time and energy, increasing the odds of a successful clutch. Next year when the Loon pair returns they will have to find, and secure, from competing loons, a new nest site. New nests frequently fail. Habitat alteration is a frequent consequence of waterfront development but through careful observation negative impacts can be avoided. Homeowners with a clear stake in the preservation of the natural ares they have purchased can help to maintain the quality of the waterfront both for their own property values and for the benefit of resident species. The sad story above was not perpetrated by homeowners but occurred on private, protected land by day visitors who likely thought they were doing others a favor putting the old trail back into place. Balancing our own needs with the needs of other species will always present challenges. Solving these challenges requires knowledge and each of us to get out, talk to neighbors and to visitors on the lakes we call home. Which sound to me like a fine time. -Rick
 Photo Courtesy of Drew Mack One of the things I remember best about the waterfront home I grew up with was catching fish right off the shore. We had a boat and went out fishing often, but that was hardly necessary. Just cast from shore and reel them in. Conway Lake is a lake like this, where you can catch great fish from just about everywhere. Bill Thompson, the Valley Angler, posted some great stuff on Conway Lake fishing. Right here on Conway Lake Homes you can get a species list and depth maps, view our Conway Lake fishing page. See you on the lake!
 Photo by http://www.flickr.com/photos/suckamc/21472765/sizes/s/in/photostream/ As we move into July the news doesn’t look good. While nesting has been reported at a few locations there appears to be no success. The loon observers will still be keeping a keen eye out for nesting pairs in hopes of finding signs of young loons this year. Please remember, your presence can be a stressful to nesting loons. As they divert time and energy to dealing with the presence of people the chances of successful nesting declines. Please keep a very good distance between you and any possible nesting activity. You can use binoculars to observe this beautiful animals from a safe distance. Mable Island
Doloff Cove on Hourglass Island
Thorne Nest
South Cove
Driveways, your access to your waterfront home and a suite of potential problems for water quality. The first thing to remember is that a driveway is a surface and will therefore be exposed to rain and snow melt. As lake stewards knowing how your driveway can affect the quality of the water where you own your home can help you to make the best decision regarding driveways and driveway maintenance. There are three main types of driveways:
Dirt and gravel driveways present an erodible surface to rain, snow, wind and tire damage. In order for dirt or gravel driveways to work (not let your car sink out of sight) they need to either shed or quickly absorb water. When water is shed from a dirt or gravel driveway some sediment will be carried along too. These sediments can carry contaminants from vehicles and driveway treatments as well as nutrients. Surfaces that shed water force more water to be absorbed by surrounding areas. This can sometimes lead to greater erosion and even more bad stuff going into the lake. A well constructed dirt or gravel driveway will shed very little water. The water will pass through the road so the road stays firm and any water that does runoff is directed in such a way to minimize erosion. This construction can be accomplished by the correct layering of materials in the driveway and by the application of special mulches made for driveways. Definitely avoid the old-time method of using oil on the road to harden it. Oil on the road will eventually end up in the lake. Paved driveways offer great convenience and keep both car and house a little more tidy. However, paved surfaces are not permeable to water so driveway runoff must be controlled. If you have a paved driveway be sure to watch where the water goes. Try planting run-off gardens or other buffers to control driveway run-off water. One of the problems with paved driveways is cracking. Underground frost can deform the surface enough to cause cracks in the pavement, as anyone who has driven New England roads in the winter can tell you. Most people seal these cracks with a variety of commercial products. Beware! There was an interesting article at the NH Lakes website about driveway sealants. This is a must read before sealing your lakefront driveway. A great alternative to both the gravel and paved driveways for waterfront homes is the water permeable paver. These pavers are essentially concrete pavers with open spaces for crushed rock. The crushed rock allows water to pass through easily, eliminating nearly all runoff and preventing the frost heaves that can crack paved driveways.
Ask a scientist when spring begins and he will tell you March 20, the vernal equinox. Ask an Angler and the answer is April 1, first day of salmon season on NH lakes. As one of the 14 New Hampshire Lakes managed for landlocked salmon, Conway Lake offers the spring angler a crimson opportunity to reel in a landlocked salmon. Finding these salmon takes a little looking and you are not likely to hear any give away a good spot for free but open water areas near inflows to the lake may just be a good spot to start. As a tip you can head over to our Conway Lake maps page to scope out your spot. Fishing salmon takes can be done with a few different techniques and there are many guides to be found online. If you are looking for a little humor and a good salmon recipe to boot you could check out Clay and Dave, Catch’m All post on Landlocked Salmon. While these landlocks are smaller they can taste just as great!. Remember that for salmon as well as other fish to be caught in Conway Lake or elsewhere in New Hampshire, specific rules may apply. You can learn everything you need to about the legal stuff at the New Hampshire Fish and Game. And don’t forget your license while you are there. A frozen lake offers great opportunity for winter recreation. Ice skating, cross country skiing, ice fishing and ice boating are all popular on lakes around the Mount Washington Valley. But despite the very cold temperatures lake ice may not always be thick enough to hold your weight. Even on an apparently solid frozen surface a variety of factors below the surface can conspire to create thin spots. Below the surface means that you won’t necessarily be able to see the trouble. Things like moving water, springs and rocks can alter the ice from the bottom up. Last year some friends of mine were snowmobiling on a lake in Maine when they stopped to get a picture. As one friend stepped back near a rock he fell through the ice. Luckily the water at the spot was only a few feet deep. He was able to roll out, then was wrapped in all available clothing and returned quickly to the warmth of a wood stove. After thinking about the incident we all concluded the ice must have been weakened by water from deep in the lake channeling up to this shallow spot. Regardless, the risk was not apparent, even to people familiar with the lake in winter. Knowledge is the best way to keep yourself safe on lakes in the winter. The New Hampshire Fish and Game Department offers these great tips for anglers and others who venture onto frozen lakes. Falling in is rare and a risk that you can control with knowledge. Knowing how to get out if it does happen is an important part of readiness too. Below is a video from discovery channel showing what to do if you fall in. - Rick Closing camp in September reminds me of a favorite line from a long cherished book of childhood, Time of Wonder
I didn’t spend summers on the coast but each year as September rolled around we began to think about closing up the family camp. Of course as a kid I only worried about making sure I had my stuff. Now I know there is more to it than the rock collection I still have in a shoebox under the bed. While every camp is different, closing for the winter is bound to include a few common tasks. Looked at in the light of protecting water quality some of these are things all lakefront property owners should consider this time of year. Fall Grounds work for lakefront properties:
Docks and Toys
Lakefront homes, camps and other buildings
Many folks hire out some or all of these services. It is a good idea to ask if these precautions are followed. And if you are looking for one more day at the lake, just head out after the work is done to see for yourself. Closing up camp can be some work, but the payoff comes from a property that maintains its own value and the local water quality. For myself I enjoy a day when I can think back to the fun times I had that summer and ahead to the next year. |
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