The last few weeks at NLRA have been busy and fulfilling. We are working on a number of projects to conserve the Newfound watershed, with our primary focus of late being the care of the gardens at Grey Rocks Conservation Area.
My cohort Colleen and I have been focused on weeding and mulching the garden beds, which have seen some incredible transformation since the season started. Everything from bee balm to wintergreen has had an explosion of growth and it’s a beautiful sight to see. These native plants benefit the shores of Newfound Lake by attracting pollinators which increase productive growth of the area as well as acting as a vegetative buffer that soaks up stormwater before it pollutes Newfound Lake.
One exciting and unplanned adventure occurred during a routine water quality testing trip on Newfound Lake. The NLRA boat, Madelaine, suddenly died and wouldn’t restart. I was stranded on the Lake for several hours, but considering the beauty I was surrounded by it hardly felt like an ordeal.
With the help of West Shore Marine we will have the boat up and working just in time for some late summer EcoTours on Newfound Lake. I look forward to working with NLRA’s EcoTours to give passengers of the two hour boat tour an educational and scenic tour of Newfound Lake.
Trail work around the area has been a great way to explore the watershed, including at Bear Mountain Sanctuary where we spent several hot days in July. With the help of the Youth Conservation Corp, we performed some basic trail maintenance such as lopping and side cutting on the trail to create a level walking surface on side slopes and add trail definition. We will likely be spending a few more days here before the end of the summer. This aspect of the job is one of my favorites due to my love of hiking. It feels great to be able to give back to a community that I belong to and allow others to enjoy these trails more comfortably.
In addition to all of this work, we have coordinated with the NLRA’s Youth Conservation Corps to help with stormwater mitigation projects such as a driveway trench at Paradise Lodge in Bridgewater. Seeing these kinds of community outreach programs come together and make a real impact feels great. Hopefully as time goes on we will be able to coordinate on more projects with the YCC and I can learn more about mitigating stormwater pollution. I feel a real sense of pride with this conservation work and it keeps me going. The work we do is helping to make a positive lasting impact on the watershed and will help to keep it as one symbiotic ecosystem for the future.
