NH Lakes Association News
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This New Year’s why not consider making a donation to or joining the NH Lakes Organization? NH Lakes works to ensure that New Hampshire’s approximately 1,000 lakes and ponds are healthy and safe for the use and enjoyment of current and future generations.
Whether you are a homeowner of visitor on Conway Lake you benefit from the efforts of NH Lakes. Conway Lake is one of the cleanest lakes in New Hampshire and the efforts of NH Lakes help to keep it that way. Here are just a few examples of how:
Helping to pass bills that
- reduce phosphorus pollution to our lakes
- increase funding for the prevention of exotic species
- improve the Comprehensive Shoreland Protection Act
- modify the state-owned waterfront leasing policy
and by promoting proactive educational and application programs
- Summer Youth Employment Program for Lake Protection
- Lake Host Program
- Lake Conservation Corps
- Lakes Congress
To learn more about NH Lakes visit their website at NHLakes.org. If you are ready to donate visit their secure online donation page.
Most people in New England close up their summer homes on Labor Day; some as late as Columbus Day. We wait for December or the first snow. There’s only one other year-round resident on our little dirt road and the ½ mile drive off the main road is quiet, peaceful, and beautiful. Tonight I almost ran over a raccoon. Well when you’re going 15 mph – OK 20 – it’s easy to miss almost anything.
 This morning I awoke to these scenes, and stopped before getting in my car, to renew my appreciation of this wonderful place called Conway Lake. The dogs were playing and chasing each other, with plenty of energy left after our walk down Winding Lane, a one-car width “street” that deserves its name.
I spent most of the afternoon driving to Meredith and meeting with other Board members of the NH Lakes Association as I Chair the Marketing Committee and we have a lot to do. People frequently question the need to join this state organization, when they are already members of their local lake association like CLCA: Conway Lake Conservation Association. So we’re writing a brochure to explain that local associations only contribute 25% of the non-grant income for this non-profit, and individuals donate the other 75%. Without this support there would be no NH Lakes Assoc, or NH Lakes Host Program (to prevent the spread of killer weeds) or any other programs to maintain water quality and property values, and educate the kids on these issues to protect our lakes for their children and our grandchildren. I’m pretty passionate about protecting the lakes. Can you tell?
Lakefront properties are hard to come by on Conway Lake. There are only 5 for sale today and 3 of them are land. Don’t give up on your lake house dream just because it’s almost ski season. All of these are on roads that are open year-round. In 15 minutes you could be skiing Cranmore Mountain, just like that!
Enjoy November, the quiet month.
One of our goals here at Conway Lake Homes is to help home and land and homeowners on Conway Lake maintain the value of their investments. If you live on Conway Lake you already know how wonderful this location is, like a well kept secret in the heart of beautiful country. The New Hampshire Lakes Association publishes some great information on preserving water quality. These two issues came across my desk earlier today.
If you didn’t see the small amount of snow that fell last week you didn’t miss much. One thing is for sure however. There will be more. And with snow comes snow removal. That’s right, moving the white stuff out of driveways, off steps and away from doors. On top of that keeping those surfaces ice free can be an ongoing challenge. The usual technique is to pile the snow in the first convenient spot and salt surfaces. Both of these practices can have consequences for the quality of water in Conway Lake. This article gives some good advice for lake safe snow removal. And this gives you the low-down on salt and lakes.
 Layers form in Conway Lake during the summer. The warm days of summer by now are a pleasant memory, running, jumping from the dock, boating and swimming. The warm waters of Conway Lake that cooled you off on even warmer August days are part of summer enjoyment on a New Hampshire lake. But as summer wanes seasonal changes begin. Lakes in New Hampshire and throughout New England begin to cool during September and continue into October and November. The seasonal changes in lake temperature are an important part of the renewal of Conway Lake’s ecosystem.
One of the characteristic fall changes that happens on Conway Lake is fall “turnover”. Fall “turnover’ is essentially a complete mixing of water in the lake, from bottom to top to bottom. The reason why this happens in autumn (and spring too) has to do with the unique way water freezes. Water, unlike other substances becomes less dense when it freezes. That is why ice floats. All other types of matter become most dense at freezing and therefore would sink. As it turns out water is most dense at 4 degrees celcius. That means that in a deep lake the water at the bottom will usually be around 4 degrees celcius. Warmer water is less dense and therefore floats. The result is that the lake forms two nearly distinct layers which do not mix.
As the the air temperature begins to cool in autumn the surface water cools as well. When the water at the surface reaches 4 degrees celcius the entire water column (from top to bottom) is one layer. Throw in typically windy days and the lake can now mix thoroughly. This mixing from top to bottom is what is referred to as “turnover”.
 Conway Lake Fall Turnover The water at the bottom of the lake accumulates nutrients throughout the summer. With fall turnover, nutrients are mixed throughout the water column. This brings nutrients to the surface where algae can make us of them, although in fall this is somewhat minimal because the temperatures are cold. At the same time, anything in that was in the surface waters can be mixed down into the lower part of the lake. This can pose a problem for lakes that have excessive storm water run off. Any excess nutrients washed into the lake during the fall will likely end up thoroughly mixed in the water column.
Fall turnover is a natural part of a lake’s ecosystem. Excess nutrients are not. If you are a Conway Lake homeowner you can protect the quality of your lake and your lakefront property by being aware possible sources of excess nutrients coming from your property.
Are you interested in owning property on Conway Lake in New Hampshire? Search for Conway Lake properties on JTRealty.com
The pitter-patter of rain drops on the roof has long been a sound that can soothe our minds. Picture a cool summer morning, maybe on the porch, a warm cup of coffee, a good book, the view of the lake and that lovely sound.
 Rain falling on land does more than just wet the ground. Rain drops vary can vary in size from extremely tiny (0.5mm) mist-like droplets to the biggest drops 5mm in diameter. And as you might expect the larger raindrops tend to fall faster. Rain can fall from anywhere between nearly still and about 20 mph, with most drops coming down somewhere in the middle of that range. While this may not seem very fast for something falling from the sky speeds like this at the small scale of a raindrop can have quite an impact on the ground they strike. This physical impact of rain on ground can have a dramatic ecological impact on the water quality, therefore affecting lakeside homeowners.
 When a rain drop strikes the ground, small particles can be dislodged. Once dislodged it is easy for these particles to be transported downhill by moving water. This is essentially erosion and the first step in the process of run-off. Bigger and faster drops can stir up more particles. If may seem that there is nothing you can do to control the size of rain drops but that isn’t true. A land owner can reduce the size and speed of rain drops falling on his lake front property by allowing trees, shrubs and other land cover to break up and slow down the drops as they fall. If you have ever walked in the woods on a rainy day you have experienced this exact process as you walk through more of a mist when under the cover of a forest canopy.
The other factor that determines the amount of particles stirred up by falling rain is the ground itself. When rain hits dirt, the drops directly strike and loosed sediments. This is the worst possible scenario. Extensive erosion and run-off can occur very quickly where there is exposed soil. Dirt driveways and lake roads can contribute significantly to lakeside run-off. On the other hand, when rain falls on typical forest litter or duff- the accumulated leaves and sticks normally found on the forest floor, drops are again broken and slowed before they strike soil. This gives time for the water to soak into the ground, preventing run-off. Lawns, even with the most lush grass, offer little protection. While the grass blades may slow some rain down, there is no duff layer to allow water to soak in. Rain can begin to run-off grassy lawns very quickly. And when it does, the rain will often carry whatever fertilizers may have been applied.
Here are some things lakefront property owners can do to reduce run-off from their properties.
- Maintain as much of the natural forest cover as possible.
- Minimize raking to maintain the natural forest floor.
- If you must have a lawn, skip fertilizing all together or use a phosphate free organic fertilizer approved from lake front application.
- Eliminate direct paths to the water. Not only will this slow run-off but a curving path can add beauty to your landscape!
- Maintain a minimum six foot buffer zone at the water’s edge.
- Other lakefront home friendly landscaping practices
As lakeside home owners our property values and the life value of our lakeside homes is directly linked to our water quality. Protecting our shared resource benefits us all. For more information on how you can green your landscape and help to protect water quality give Joy a call (603-356-7200) or send an email. As a Conway Lake Homeowner and member of New Hampshire Lakes Association Joy can point you towards the most up to date information on water quality in the Mount Washington Valley.
 Summer at the lake is full of fun in the sun: days on the water boating; swimming; picking berries. But sometimes it rains. The next time you and the kids are inside on a rainy day try catching raindrops! Here are three great ways to capture and study raindrops with kids.
- Place a peice of contruction paper out in the rain for a short time. The drops falling on the paper will be of different sizes. Have your kids compare the different sizes or try to connect the “dots” to make different shapes.
- Take an oven proof plate of flour (sifted is best but any flour will do) about half an inch deep out into the rain. Collect drops until the surface of the flour is well pitted. Place the plate in a warm oven for about an hour. When you take the plate out have the kids carefully dig out the “rain-drops”. They will love finding the little hard flour shapes. Now really, how many are teardrop shaped?
When landscaping on a water front property consider how your project will affect rain water run-off. Rain water run-off can pose a serious threat to water quality. Protecting the water quality of lakes such as Conway Lake helps to preserve a resource for current and future generations while maintaining the value of lakefront property investments. Here are some great projects that can help to slow the flow of run-off.
 Build a rain garden
A rain garden is a great way to capture rain run-off and allow the water to soak into the ground. By planting a garden and mulching the soil in a heavy erosion area rain water run-off can be slowed down and potentially absorbed into the soil. At the same time you can enjoy the beauty of your new garden.
Catch roof run-off in a rain barrel
Run-off from roofs on lake side homes can pose a high risk to water quality. Drops falling from a roof edge can cause substantial erosion near the edge of the home. Water moving through a downspout can accumulate and pick up a destructive amount of speed. Collecting this rain water in a large barrel for later use during the drier parts of the summer can both prevent run-off and save on using other water resources at other times of year.
Plant a buffer zone
If your Conway Lake property doesn’t have an established buffer zone, then this is one of the best projects to begin. The simplest method, though slowest, is to stop discouraging (by moving or otherwise) local vegetation. Otherwise you can plant many locally available species to help absorb water run-off. Blueberry plants are a great choice, protecting water quality and providing a late summer treat too!
Leave the rake in the shed
This is one of my favorite projects. I like to do this one while sitting on my porch with a nice glass of lemonade. The duff that is often raked up from in and around trees and other vegetation acts like a sponge to absorb rain water and transfer it into the ground. When that duff is raked up the underlying soil is exposed and more easily eroded. So leave the rake in the shed.
 Avoid trimming branches or cutting trees
Branches that overhang roads and driveways will break up and slow falling water, lessening the impact of raindrops on the roadway. Leaving these branches intact goes a long way towards preventing roadway run-off. The best part is that branches naturally grow better toward the open, well lit space above a road!
Conway Lake is one of the cleanest lakes in New Hampshire. Taking on any of these projects will help to protect this resource and maintain the value of your property. For more information on protecting Conway Lake through responsible land ownership, contact Joy Tarbell. As a Conway Lake homeowner and a member of the New Hampshire Lakes Association she can help.
Conway Lake has one of the highest densities of adult loons
The results of the annual New Hampshire Loon census are in. It looks like another overall poor year for young loons. On the upside, Conway Lake appears to support one of the higher densities of adult loons in the survey.
| Lake Name |
Acres
|
Obs-ervers |
Adult Loons
|
Loon Chicks
|
Immature Loons |
| Lake Winnipesaukee |
44567
|
67
|
51
|
2
|
1
|
| Squam Lakes |
7170
|
60
|
34
|
6
|
0
|
| Lake Winnisquam |
4263
|
18
|
14
|
0
|
0
|
| Conway Lake |
1298
|
10
|
11
|
1
|
0
|
| Massabesic Lake |
2990
|
16
|
19
|
2
|
0
|
| Mascoma Lake |
1114
|
31
|
7
|
1
|
0
|
| Lake Sunapee |
4088
|
7
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
| Newfound Lake |
4104
|
51
|
15
|
0
|
2
|
| Lake Wentworth |
3016
|
24
|
12
|
3
|
0
|
| Silver Lake (Harrisville) |
333
|
6
|
3
|
0
|
0
|
Bigger isn’t always better
 Conway Lake supports a higher density of adult loons than some larger NH Lakes. This data is part of the Loon Monitoring program sponsored by the Loon Preservation Society. Relying on the work of numerous volunteers around the state, data have been collected since 1975 creating the largest data set on loon populations. For more information please visit the Loon Preservation Society monitoring page.
If you would like to learn more about living on Conway Lake please feel free to contact Joy Tarbell. A long time Conway Lake resident Joy knows Conway Lake.
It looks like the overall tough year for loons on Conway Lake has at least one survivor thus far. I received an email from Dick yesterday indicating that the one loon chick is growing and appears to be doing well. That at least is good news.
Loon eggs and chick face many dangers as they grow. During rainy years, nests can be flooded causing eggs to be lost. Meanwhile various predators roaming the shoreline love the easy nutrition of a loon egg. Those chicks that hatch and move onto the water now face the challenges of other predators as well as other causes of mortality. As with most bird species, as loons grow older and bigger, their chances of survival increase. With so few young from Conway Lake the past few years it is important to remember to give these birds wide space. It will be most important to remember this next spring when the birds begin nesting again.
Hopefully we can continue to get positive reports from Dick this year!
This came through the middle of July and I am just now posting it. Sad news for sure. Predators are always a risk for loons. Combined with all the rain we have had it will be a tough year for loons all around.
Harrison called late yesterday; bad news, S. cove nest was apparently attacked by something, egg is broken and no loons sitting!
Maybe next year;
Dick
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