A picture is worth a thousand words. Our members have a history of taking great pictures of wildlife, scenery and lake activities which can be seen in our Photo Gallery. Instagram is another great platform which allows us to easily capture images, videos, and stories to share Pawtuckaway Lake with the world. Please follow our new Instagram account to stay in touch with PLIA activities and to see beautiful images of the lake from our members and fellow lake lovers.
Please feel free to tag @pawtuckawaylake_plia in your lake pictures or share them via a direct message if you would like them to be featured on the PLIA page.
The turnout of volunteers to pick up trash along a stretch of Route 156 on Sunday morning was the best ever! Because so many folks showed up to help, mountains of refuse were collected in record time. The sun was shining, a breeze kept the air fresh, and one or two passing drivers even slowed down to yell their thanks to those toiling by the roadside.
The PLIA has participated in NH’s Clean and Scenic roadside trash removal program for many years. Not just content to keep the waters of Pawtuckaway Lake clean, our volunteers bring their talents to dry land to remove the bottles, bags, cups, wrappers, containers, and other litter that accumulates over the months from motorists tossing these items out their windows. This summer one volunteer even found a discarded artificial Christmas tree!
Heartfelt thanks to all who came out at 9:00 AM on a beautiful Sunday morning to dedicate themselves to this civic effort! It was a show of love for this Town and appreciation for the entire community.
For those of you who missed the 2020 Annual Meeting held live via Zoom on July 25th, 2020 or attended but were not able to re-join after the “technical difficulties”, the recordings of the presentation are available for your viewing below.
Wondering what the Pawtuckaway Lake Improvement Association does for Pawtuckaway Lake?
Join us for our Annual Meeting and find out!
We care about the health and safety of our members as much as we care about the health and safety of Pawtuckaway Lake. So In recognition of the restrictions imposed on all of us by the coronavirus epidemic, we have planned our Annual Meeting to be enjoyed from the comfort and safety of your homes, or wherever you have access to a computer, smart phone, or tablet.
We will be offering video clips and presentations about our work. There’s a lot to share about what we are doing and what we have planned for the coming year, so PLEASE JOIN US!
The PLIA is planning this year’s annual Independence Day Boat Parade with some precautions to accommodate distancing protocols and out of courtesy to others. Below are guidelines that will ensure the safety of all participants during coronavirus conditions, from the New Hampshire Fire Academy & Emergency Medical Services:
The date for the event is July 4, 2020; rain date July 5, 2020. Starting at 10:00 AM, all boats gather at the northern end of the lake by Twin Islands. At 10:30 AM, John Decker’s boat will lead the parade in its clockwise progress around the lake ending at the State Park beach.
Decorate your boat—and yourselves!—however your fancy takes you.
PLEASE, NO WATER BALLOONS!
So, what’s wrong with water balloons?
1. Water balloons can cause injuries and they hurt
2. Water balloons are harmful to wildlife
3. And there is the danger of potential virus contamination For these reasons, even if you personally love a good water balloon fight, please resist the temptation at least until after the boat parade, and keep it on land. Super soakers are the perfect alternative, but only with others similarly equipped. Not everyone welcomes the spray!
Every Spring, we mail out printed versions of our newsletter, the PawPrints. This year, we have focused on the topic of invasive aquatic species because Variable Milfoil continues to threaten our lake.
There is information about our Annual Meeting this year as well, and we promise more details as the time nears.
Meanwhile, you can read the color version of PawPrints by clicking here.
Stay safe, keep social distancing and, See You on the Lake!
(This article was originally published by NH LAKES. As long as you’re going to be at home, you might as well do some yard work!)
In New Hampshire, we take mud season and winter storm damage clean-up in stride. Despite the complaints, I think most of us actually enjoy mud season-often referred to the ‘fifth season’ in New England. Mud season typically starts in March and extends through April, and is advertised by the gaudy orange load limit signs that are posted on many town roads. After a long winter, mud season brings a welcomed opportunity to go outside and get some fresh air, sunshine, and exercise-just what the doctor ordered for a bad case of cabin fever. It is a time to clean up the yard, plan home improvement and landscaping projects, and guess when ice-out will occur on the lake. (Ed. note: it was March 11 this year on Pawtuckaway)
If you are looking for an excuse to get outside this spring and enjoy what mud season has to offer, here are a few things you can do to clean up your property and protect the health of local lakes, ponds, rivers, and streams…
Sweep your driveway, walkways, and steps to remove leftover sand. Sand used to help keep roadways, driveways, and walkways passable during the icy and snowy winter months can cause serious problems when washed into waterbodies by spring rains. Sand deposited in aquatic environments can destroy fish spawning or nesting sites and sand particles suspended in the water can clog fish gills. Deposited sand also causes waterbodies to become shallower, often facilitating plant and algal growth-while having some plants and algae in a lake is a good thing, too much of either is not good for the health of the lake, or our enjoyment of the lake.
Survey your property for areas where runoff water has caused erosion. Take a walk around your property to see if recent rains have created any gullies or other eroded areas. If possible, fix eroded areas before the next rainstorm occurs. If you aren’t sure how to fix an erosion problem, contact a local landscaper or NH LAKES to get pointed in the right direction.
Remove storm debris in accordance with the Shoreland Water Quality Protection Act. If your property is located within 250 feet of a lake or river, downed and damaged trees and trees posing an imminent hazard or threat may be felled and removed.
But, be sure to leave the stumps in the ground since stumps do a very good job preventing soil from being eroded off of the landscape and polluting the water (and, it is also illegal to remove the stumps). Trees and storm debris from severe weather events can be removed from waterbodies. If equipment is necessary for the removal of debris from a waterbody, be sure to monitor the equipment for fluid leakage and use temporary work pads to lessen the impacts to the shoreline. The New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services recommends that property owners take photographs of damaged trees and structures for documentation.
For the sake of our lakes-and for my mental health!-I’m looking forward to the next warm day to get outside and clean up my driveway and yard. Are you?
NH LAKES is the only statewide, member-supported nonprofit organization working to keep New Hampshire’s lakes clean and healthy, now and in the future. The organization works with partners, promotes clean water policies and responsible use, and inspires the public to care for our lakes. For more lake-friendly tips, visit www.nhlakes.org, email info@nhlakes.org, or call 603.226.0299.
The 2020 Pawtuckaway Lake Improvement Association stickers have arrived! This year’s beautiful design features a photo captured by PLIA member Susan Medeiros: the Mama Loon with her chicks, our favorite lake residents.
Lake Association membership starts on January 1st and is good for the calendar year. Membership dues go towards educating the public on the conservation, protection, and improvement of water quality, natural shoreline, wildlife habitat, recreational resources, safety, and natural resources as they pertain to the welfare and interests of Pawtuckaway Lake.
The largest threat to lake health currently is milfoil and the PLIA has taken the lead on locating and eradicating it, scaling up and supporting a network of weed watches, snorkelers, and divers.
Please help support the PLIA by joining or renewing your membership for the 2020 year. It’s easy to do online or through the mail, by clicking here. You’ll be in good company!
The polls open early this year–7:00 AM! Both poll workers and the public will welcome refreshments throughout the long day.
We would like to offer food and snacks to the folks working at the polls as well the voting public on Nottingham election day, March 10, 2020. The polls are open from 7:00 AM – 7:00 PM.
To do this, we need volunteers willing to help coordinate a “food bank” for donations of baked goods, sandwiches, and crock pots with soups, stews, casseroles, and chilis to have for sale while the polls are open. You can bring your donation with you when you come to vote! We are also looking for volunteers to take a shift overseeing the food tables during the day.
We would love to hear from those of you willing to help with the coordinating, but also those able to donate sandwiches, baked goods, or crock pot dishes. This is a new venture for the PLIA but we hope it will be a successful one, and a chance to let the general public know who we are and what we do!
Please email Info@PawtuckawayLake.com with your name, contact information, and message with how you can help. Thanks!
This article was authored by Paul Goodwin of Watermark Marine Systems, LLC, and was published in the Winter 2020 issue of the NH LAKES quarterly newsletter Lakeside.
There are a lot of myths and misconceptions regarding de-icing around docks, breakwaters, and boathouses during the winter months. First and foremost, everyone seems to call these units something different. I’ve heard bubbler, aerator, circulator, pump, aquatherm, and de-icer used interchangeably for as long as I can remember. In the end, they all mean the same thing: some sort of mechanical or electrical device to keep the freezing ice from wrecking waterfront structures.
Let’s review the theory and physical properties of de-icing around a dock. One of the unique properties of water is that as it starts to freeze, its density changes. Around 39 degrees Fahrenheit, water reaches its maximum density, creating a flip-flop effect that brings less dense, slightly warmer water to the lake surface. This occurs until all the water in the lake cools to 39 degrees. From there, the surface water continues to cool to 32 degrees (the point at which water is its least dense) and it expands to form ice. This is why lakes, ponds, and rivers freeze only on the surface and fish can survive in the relatively warm water below.
During the winter months, the ice expands and moves around. If a dock is frozen in the ice, it is likely to be damaged. If the water levels are low, and the ice rises due to rain and inflow, then pilings can be pulled out of the lake bottom. It is this combination of factors which causes the ‘ski jump’ type damage often seen on piling docks in the spring. The goal with de-icing is to open-up just enough water to keep structures disconnected from the ice sheet, but only enough to accomplish this separation.
It’s important to understand that a de-icer only prevents ice damage due to freezing expansion and water level changes. A de-icer does not protect a structure from large ice floes moving randomly around in the spring. Spring floe ice is best counteracted with ice protection pilings or by removing a dock. Some areas of our lakes are more regularly susceptible to ice floe damage from year to year. Of course, ‘ice out’ and the thawing process is not an exact science, so almost any structure can be at risk from ice floes.
Years ago, and this is the origin of the words ‘bubbler’ and ‘aerator,’ small air compressor pumps were used on docks during the freezing months and a garden hose-like pipe was wound around the structure, resting on the lake bottom. The air flow through the hose, which had numerous pin-holes along its length, allowed air bubbles to escape and race to the surface, bringing up warm water and causing weak spots or open water in the ice at the surface. These compressors ran non-stop and were relatively noisy. Neighbors were typically unhappy with the cumulative noise and often a cover was constructed to make them quieter. Covers could cause units to overheat and fail and, once the ice refroze, it was usually impossible to restore open water. One advantage of this type of unit was the relatively small amount of open water at the surface; however, as they ran constantly, they were not energy efficient.
This is an example of how to de-ice around a dock without creating an open water area that extends beyond the property. (Photo Credit: Watermark Marine Systems, LLC)
Most people today are probably more familiar with the propeller-type aerator units. These can be floating, hanging, bottom mounted, or dock mounted. These types of units can open an incredible amount of ice, if run constantly. These work by bringing relatively warm water up from the bottom and pushing it around the docks via the spinning propeller.
So, the question everyone asks is: what will work best for me? Unfortunately, there is no easy or correct answer. Each site is affected by freezing ice differently and one must consider a number of factors, such as, winter uses, sun exposure, currents, depth contours, prevailing winds, and other site specific factors to maximize efficiency and minimize too much open water. Do you like to snowmobile, ice fish, or skate and need safe access to the ice? Do you have a long dock, wide dock, or a special shorefront consideration? Are you around in the winter to monitor the ice? All these factors must be considered in choosing your best alternative.
We suggest having someone available to monitor your ice protection gear and starting out with either a bottom mount circulator in shallow water and a hanging unit in deeper water. By actively managing the circulators during the changing season, you can control the amount of open water and electricity used. Using a timer and a thermostat will allow you to accurately regulate the open water around your dock. Every site is unique. Through some simple experimentation and intelligent management of your ice protection gear, you can custom tune de-icing to your specific conditions without stirring up sediment or undermining structures. You will save a considerable amount of electricity and reduce the amount of open water around your shoreline structures, too!
BE ADVISED:If you operate a de-icing unit…Effective July 14, 2019, the New Hampshire Legislature passed House Bill 668 which amended RSA 270:33. This amendment restricts the placement and operation of “aquatherms” to limit open water to directly in front of a lakefront owner’s property. Additionally, “THIN ICE” signs must be visible from ALL directions approaching the area, which means a minimum of three signs, arranged in a triangle so as to be visible from all angles. As in the past, all shoreline de-icing equipment operation requires registration with the New Hampshire Department of Safety under RSA 270:34. Registration forms are available from your local Town or City Clerk for $0.50.
containers, and other litter that accumulates over the months from motorists tossing these items out their windows. This summer one volunteer even found a discarded artificial Christmas tree!
For these reasons, even if you personally love a good water balloon fight, please resist the temptation at least until after the boat parade, and keep it on land. Super soakers are the perfect alternative, but only with others similarly equipped. Not everyone welcomes the spray!
Every Spring, we mail out printed versions of our newsletter, the PawPrints. This year, we have focused on the topic of invasive aquatic species because Variable Milfoil continues to threaten our lake.
Sweep your driveway, walkways, and steps to remove leftover sand. Sand used to help keep roadways, driveways, and walkways passable during the icy and snowy winter months can cause serious problems when washed into waterbodies by spring rains. Sand deposited in aquatic environments can destroy fish spawning or nesting sites and sand particles suspended in the water can clog fish gills. Deposited sand also causes waterbodies to become shallower, often facilitating plant and algal growth-while having some plants and algae in a lake is a good thing, too much of either is not good for the health of the lake, or our enjoyment of the lake.
Remove storm debris in accordance with the Shoreland Water Quality Protection Act. If your property is located within 250 feet of a lake or river, downed and damaged trees and trees posing an imminent hazard or threat may be felled and removed.
But, be sure to leave the stumps in the ground since stumps do a very good job preventing soil from being eroded off of the landscape and polluting the water (and, it is also illegal to remove the stumps). Trees and storm debris from severe weather events can be removed from waterbodies. If equipment is necessary for the removal of debris from a waterbody, be sure to monitor the equipment for fluid leakage and use temporary work pads to lessen the impacts to the shoreline. The New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services recommends that property owners take photographs of damaged trees and structures for documentation.
