The PLIA Annual Meeting held at the Pawtuckaway State Park Pavilion on June 11 attracted a crowd of over 80 people. The weather was fine, spirits were high, and attention was focused on issues of importance to wildlife and recreation on the lake.

The featured speaker, Krystal Costa Balanoff of NH LAKES, addressed the gathering on the topic of making shoreline properties lake friendly. She stressed the harm caused by runoff of polluted water into the lake and ways to mitigate such damage through landscaping and other practices. NH LAKES offers a program called LakeSmart designed to help property owners assess conditions on their property, suggesting methods to improve their land and its impact on the health of adjacent water. The program is free of charge and completely confidential. To learn more, click here.

Reports on the PLIA’s programs were given, updating members on the status of various issues related to the lake and its community.

A fundraising effort initiated by one of our youngest members was also introduced.

The annual Local Hero award was presented to Jamie Burleigh for his tireless work and countless volunteer hours extracting milfoil from the lake with his diving partner Sarah Patey. Neil detailed the efforts of this exceptional team of volunteer divers over the past several years, starting as early as April with ice still on the lake until October amid the lake drawdown. Because she could not be present at the meeting, Sarah was presented with her award at the home of Milfoil Team Chair Neil Santos. Thank you, Sarah and Jamie!

Folks who attended the Annual Meeting came away with a fresh sense of enthusiasm for the work of the PLIA and their part in that work as supporters and volunteers. Below are photos of this wonderful crowd! See you on the lake!

On April 16, 2022, a crew of PLIA members volunteered to take on the Town beach as a service project for Nottingham Clean Up Day. They brought their tools, rolled up their sleeves, and got  to work on reversing the neglect of five years without maintenance. From 8:00 – 11:30 AM on April 16th, volunteers wielded picks, hoes, rakes, saws, loppers, and wheelbarrows in an effort to reclaim the sand that had been taken over by grass and bushes.

It turned out to be a more challenging task than anyone had anticipated. The grass had roots that were holding together a lot of soil on top of the underlying sand. The bushes had roots that were long and tough and resistant to being pulled up.

One observant worker noticed the layering of soil and sand under the grass. The top part was darker brown and clearly the product of decomposing plant matter over a number of years, while the sand beneath remained a lighter inorganic shade. Very dramatic! However, it made the group’s job clearer – remove as much organic matter as possible and expose the sand to the surface rays of the sun. Backbreaking but rewarding work.

As for the bushes, well, they often required a reciprocating saw to trim their branches and a lopper to tame their roots. Thank goodness for the wheelbarrow to transport the discarded plant matter into the woods where its decomposition would benefit the trees and wildlife.

All in all, a successful morning amidst beautiful scenery. Fresh air, a breeze to blow away the bugs, good company, plenty of exercise. And Pawtuckaway Lake looks good from every angle!

Now, so does the Town beach!

On April 3, 2022, at the Town of Nottingham Community Center, the PLIA held an Aquatic Invasive Species Training. They called in experts and tapped their Program Chairs to offer free Community Workshops to anyone in Nottingham interested in protecting a local water body from invasive species. For those who were unable to attend or attendees who wish to review some of the materials presented, there are links in the article below to each Power Point presentation.

First: Member Therese Thompson provided instruction on identifying aquatic invasive species in or around a lake or pond. Her lecture was very comprehensive, covering both native and non-native plants. It included pointers on how to recognize and distinguish between both, which can sometime be a difficult challenge. She highlighted the invasive plants that have been found in and around Pawtuckaway. In particular,  she urges everyone to pay special attention to the last slide in her show, that has links to resources to help with identifications:  Aquatic Invasives

Next: Lake Host Coordinator Dee Decker explained NH LAKES’ Lake Host Program and the PLIA’s participation in it. Her presentation included instruction on inspecting boats and trailers to detect invasive “hitchhikers” before they enter a water body, plus how to clean, drain, and dry watercraft to avoid the spread of these invaders. When the gathering moved outside, Lake Host Manager Mary Hervey assisted Dee to demonstrate actual boat and trailer inspection protocols. They also offered advice about courtesy, efficiency, and education when talking to boaters about these inspections:  Lake Host

Then:  Milfoil Team Chair Neil Santos demonstrated how milfoil has spread  in Pawtuckaway Lake since 2015. He explained why a milfoil infestation is harmful and how his team searches for and removes this weed, one of the most pervasive of the invasives. He reminded people to contact him, Dee Decker, or Steve Soreff if they saw a suspicious growth so it could be located and identified. There are  two Power Point presentations that illustrate his talk: Milfoil Procedures and PLIA Milfoil Team

Finally: Chair Pete Wawrzonek introduced the PLIA’s Road Representative (or “Road Rep”) Program that enables residents and members to learn about the organization and its activities and encourages newcomers to join: Road Reps

Last but not Least: Attendees enjoyed a complimentary pizza lunch and a selection of free T-shirts to take home.

We have learned much over the years with our experience on Pawtuckaway and are happy to share it with the entire community.

CORNHOLE RESCHEDULED – Mother Nature has forced us to postpone our Tournament!

The organizers of the PLIA’s first Cornhole Tournament on the Ice have been watching the weather forecasts and have concluded that extreme weather will make the original date of the event too dangerous. Blizzards are not friendly! Sunny skies are more to our liking:

On Sunday, September 26, the PLIA celebrated the accomplishments of its volunteers at a cookout held at the Pawtuckaway State Park Pavilion. We are grateful to Park officials for making the Pavilion available for this event – a beautiful setting, a beautiful day, with beautiful people! Last year, COVID concerns prevented us from holding this annual celebration. That made us doubly lucky that we could gather once again in person to thank the folks who actually bring the PLIA’s mission to life.

As the saying goes, volunteers are unpaid not because they are worthless, but because they are priceless! For the PLIA, the important job of keeping the lake healthy and safe would be impossible without our tireless, and yes – enthusiastic – volunteers. Below are some of the things they do:

• Educate boaters about the dangers of aquatic invasive species and how to prevent their spread, thenperform courtesy boat and trailer inspections
• Search the lake all season for evidence of invasives like purple loosestrife, phragmites, variable milfoil, and Chinese mystery snails
• Mark plants that are located and remove them; with Chinese mystery snails, extract them immediately
• Take water samples from the lake and tributaries for analysis in the State’s DES labs
• Pick up trash along a local roadside strip three times a year
• Monitor lake islands to prevent fires and keep them free of litter throughout the season
• Collaborate with government and conservation agencies to promote these efforts
• Inform the public about best practices for maintaining a healthy lake for recreational use and the benefit of wildlife

Anyone can be a volunteer, in whatever capacity and however your schedule permits! If you would like to join this merry band, please contact our President Steve Soreff at soreffs15@aol.com; 603 895-6120 (H) or 603 568-3202(C). We hope to post photos of you at the cookout next year. And meanwhile, see you on the lake!

Boating season always seems too short, but it is time to start thinking about the lowering of the lake this fall!

According to C. Wayne Ives, P.G., Hydrogeologist, NH Department of Environmental Services, the Dam Bureau has sent out the planned drawdown dates on its website and as a press release: https://www.des.nh.gov/news-and-media/state-announces-its-2021-fall-drawdown-lakes.

As usual, the Pawtuckaway Lake drawdown is scheduled to begin on Columbus Day, October 11.

The fall drawdown plan is still to release 70 percent of the water from Drowns Dam and 30 percent from Dolloff over the

fall and winter. Releasing water mainly from Drowns is part of the plan for exporting more phosphorus from the lake, especially during mid to late November into early December when phosphorus spikes have occurred at Drowns in the past. However, over a short period, we will still be letting the alewives out first by starting the drawdown from Dolloff before that period of higher phosphorus occurs. This is because the alewives will go over the dam at Dolloff (in photo above), but do not go under the Drowns gate. Dolloff needs to be opened by itself because when both dams are open, the alewives are more attracted to the larger flows at Drowns, but they can’t get out there. So to accomplish both goals of exporting phosphorus and alewives, we will again start releasing from Dolloff for the alewives, then, after a week or so, will open both dams at the 70/30 flow rates for the phosphorus export.

Wayne is still trying to get the Drowns gate replaced with one that would pass alewives. Then there would be no need to start the drawdown at Dolloff.

So, make your plans now for end-of-summer boating and get ready for taking your boat out this fall!

And meanwhile, see you on the lake!