Greetings!
On behalf of the Board of Directors for the Lake Warren Preservation Association, I would like to welcome you to the beginning of the 2023 Season on our beloved Lake Warren! Once again, we were very active over the winter revising the By-Laws and thinking of ways to bring a more vibrant community to life here in Mill Hollow. Thank you to all of you who provided input to these revisions and voted for their acceptance.
We are continuing with our theme from years past of “many hands make light work” while also looking for ways to add more “fun” to the calendar. We have heard from many, and also share the desire, to have more social events. The Covid-19 pandemic took its toll on our outreach efforts, and combined with the very real threat of repeated Cyanobacteria outbreaks, our efforts have been focused on those near and present dangers. So, with your participation, we are looking forward to hosting more community events. Phil Sanford has proposed and created an organization chart which will be presented at our first in-person meeting. We hope this will give everyone a clearer picture of what is in place along with current needs of the organization to help achieve our goals towards preserving and protecting Lake Warren. We wish to create a more vibrant lake community for all to enjoy.
As I sit on my porch looking at the beautiful sunrise, which is an extraordinary shade of pink due to the wildfires in western Canada, I am reminded that some things are outside of our control. However, we, as a community, should be mindful of how our actions directly affect the health of our lake and the probability of repeated Cyanobacteria blooms. First, not using fertilizer near the lake - it is illegal in the State of NH to apply fertilizer (other than lime) within 25 feet of the water’s edge! Fertilizing your lawn, which runs directly into the lake, also provides conditions that encourage plant and algal growth. As noted in the attached newsletter from NH Lakes, there are things we can do to have green lawns without fertilizing. Secondly, septic systems need to be inspected and pumped on a regular basis. Leaky and outdated septic tanks/systems directly pollute the water and add unnecessary phosphates. Climate changes have exacerbated this effect by warming the water.
Best practices are not limited to lakefront properties as our water test data shows all inlets feeding into the lake contribute phosphorus and other pollutants. In order to address these issues further into the watershed, we will need additional help in educating those who live in the watershed. This is why we have expanded our membership to include interested parties from the Alstead area. In addition, we are continuing our successful partnership with the Mill Hollow Heritage Association. Their theme this year is “Celebrate Wood” and the list of events held there will be available June 1st. We are grateful for their continued support and collaboration!
In an effort to meet the needs of our membership, we will be sending out a poll in the next day or two to determine which dates/times for our annual membership meetings will be convenient for the majority of folks.
Lastly, I will continue as point person for the Lake Host program for this season and would like to thank Phil Sandford/Weed Watchers and team Karyn Kaminski/Rose Dowling for continuing to keep the very important invasive weed and water test programs in force.
LWPA President
Annie Hess
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Lake Warren Preservation Association
P.O. Box 331
Alstead, NH 03602