VOLUNTEERS ROCK!

In a tradition started many years ago by Co-President Donna Danis, the PLIA invited all its volunteers to a cookout to thank them for their time and dedication.

On a wet Sunday afternoon – undeterred by the weather and perhaps used to it by now this summer – over 40 volunteers gathered at the State Park Pavilion to celebrate their accomplishments of the past year.

Thanks to an intense letter writing campaign promoted by the PLIA and accompanied by close monitoring of and communication with state and local officials, the planned expansion of Pawtuckaway State Park campgrounds to include 35 RV campsites with hookups along the water was abandoned.

Further, NH DES stepped up to help our Milfoil Team fight the overwhelming infestation of this invasive weed in Pawtuckaway. It launched a campaign that included surveys, education, DASH boat and crew extractions, and a targeted herbicide application. As a result, sightings of milfoil have dropped dramatically and our Milfoil Team has been able to catch its collective breath.

President Steve Soreff welcomed the crowd and listed the many activities that our volunteers have participated in throughout the year. A slide show of photos illustrated those accomplishments.

Vice-President Pete Wawrzonek thanked Secretary and Communications Director Pam Kelly for her work on most of the PLIA committees that implement the organization’s mission and for keeping the Board in line.

Jean-Ann St. Pierre guessed the correct number of ‘fish in the barrel’ and all attendees were invited to take home a floating “sound signaling device” to comply with NH Marine Patrol regulations on their power boats. A small thank you for big efforts by our outstanding volunteers! Please let them know you appreciate their work whenever you see them on the lake.