The telltale signs of summer have begun to appear, meaning the days are getting longer and hotter, and seasonal Newfound residents are starting to return. Over the past few weeks, my fellow Watershed Stewards, Antoni and Sawyer, and I have been laying the groundwork for our many projects to come. Our first day with the Newfound Lake Region Association brought us over to Grey Rocks Conservation Area. We set up a loon nest raft that we hope a pair of loons will soon call home. Loons prefer to nest in marsh habitats, and the raft provides a sturdy, shielded spot for them. If we’re lucky, the loons will accept the raft and we’ll see one or two chicks popping up within the next few months!
Throughout the first few weeks of our service term, we spent our time training in preparation for the summer. We became Wilderness First Aid and CPR certified, which involved a lot of potential-injury scenarios with the help of fake blood from our instructor. We successfully received our New Hampshire Boater Safety certificates and are in the midst of preparing for our commercial boating license exam. With these certifications, we’ll be able to get out on the water to run water quality tests on the lake.
With summer quickly approaching and residents hoping to kick off the season with a Newfound Ecotour on Newfound Lake, our next goal was to restore the dock at Grey Rocks so that passengers could easily and safely embark. We spent a day pulling off the old, wooden boards that lined the dock, replacing them with thicker boards and new supports to reinforce the existing framework. We also managed to save the old boards from the dock to build three new composting bins at Grey Rocks. These will be used for composting materials from various ongoing projects around the conservation area, such as maintaining the native pollinator gardens and trails.
On May 26th, we began our first stormwater management project of the season. Stormwater runoff occurs when water falls on developed surfaces such as parking lots or buildings and flows into nearby water bodies. This water picks up contaminants or excess nutrients as it travels, causing declines in water quality. It also often leads to erosion that can further harm the water body or surrounding infrastructure. This particular project brought us to part of Route 3A with a short, steep hill adjacent to Newfound Lake. There was clear evidence of some erosion channels down the hill, so we brought in some grass seed, matting, and riprap, which are jagged rocks of mixed sizes, and got to work. By filling in the channels with grass seed, matting, and rocks, we were able to create paths to slow down the stormwater and filter it through the ground before entering the lake. With this initial experience, I am confident we can take on more stormwater management projects this summer.
Memorial Day weekend marked the first outing of the season for many boaters who had a few perfect, sun-filled days to go out and enjoy the lake. That weekend also marked my first time interacting with the community as a Lake Host. As a Lake Host, I check boats launching from Grey Rocks for invasive species such as variable milfoil to prevent them from establishing in Newfound Lake. I also get to teach boaters about how they can help prevent the spread of invasive species by cleaning, draining, and drying their boats each time they enter a water body. I was thrilled to find that many of the people I spoke with knew about the clean, drain, and dry rule, and had taken care to prepare their non-motorized boats for Grey Rocks. Now, I return to Grey Rocks Conservation Area each weekend to Lake Host, and I love getting to interact with everyone there!
With our initial training winding down and our schedules transitioning over to more independent projects, I feel confident that my fellow Watershed Stewards and I are ready to take on everything that the summer has in store for us. I look forward to working with the Newfound Watershed community more in depth and helping to protect our beautiful lake as best I can. As the weather heats up and the water gets warmer, I hope to see you all out there enjoying the summer sun!