Dear Friends,
The holidays always feel like a whirlwind of activity to me, but the recent storms, flooding, power outages, and travel issues have given the phrase fresh meaning. I hope you and your loved ones weathered any disruptions safely, and that you have found joy and peace over the holidays.
NLRA has also been a whirlwind of activity. Whatever the weather and in every season, we’re pushing toward our vision of cleaner, clearer water for Newfound. Here’s what is keeping us busy this winter:
- We’re engaging all ages with year-round programs. (Join us this afternoon at Grey Rocks for our popular Nature Station!)
- We’ve implemented a new program, Salt Watch, to monitor how winter salt use may pollute Newfound’s waterways.
- We’re diving deep into our three decades of water monitoring data, revealing important long-term and more recent lake health trends. Join us for the State of the Lake in February when we present our findings.
- We’re working in classrooms, at afterschool programs, and in day care centers, encouraging the next generation of conservationists.
We’re also laying the groundwork to expand our efforts even further in 2023. Here’s some of the exciting new endeavors we’re planning for the coming year:
- Over the summer, we’ll be monitoring high-use “shallows” areas of the lake to ensure the water is safe for recreators.
- We’ll be bringing watershed science and conservation programming to the lake’s summer camps.
- We’ll unveil our revamped small-scale stormwater program to help homeowners in the watershed protect their property and the lake from erosion and stormwater pollution.
Thank you to the hundreds of Newfounders who made a year-end donation to support our year-round work. Everything we do is made possible by you. If you have yet to make your donation and want to support our work today and our plans for the future, you can donate here: newfoundlake.org/annual-fund.
Along with our critical conservation work, NLRA is always available as a resource to this community. Get in touch any time with your questions about lake health, what the future holds for Newfound, or to learn about more ways you can help conserve the Newfound Watershed.
With best wishes for the new year,
Rebecca Hanson
Executive Director
