Wow. I can’t believe it’s been a little over a month and a half since I have arrived in New Hampshire and started with the Lake Winnipesaukee Association (LWA). The time has flown by and I have learned so much since I began in June. The mission of LWA is to protect the water quality and natural resources of Lake Winnipesaukee and its watershed now and for future generations. Gloria and I have been immersed in this mission throughout the various projects and activities we have been doing. From performing a watershed survey to identify potential “hotspots” of stormwater runoff and pollution loading into the lake to assessing homeowners properties and suggesting “do-it-yourself” remedies to help reduce their stormwater runoff, all our efforts are to help protect the water quality of Lake Winnipesaukee.
Pictured here is one of my favorite things Gloria and I get to do. The LWA has been working with the University of New Hampshire’s Lakes Lay Monitoring Program since the late 1970’s. This program trains citizen volunteers around NH to monitor the water quality of the lakes that they are associated with. Using a simple water quality monitoring kit, these volunteers are provided with the tools they need to collect samples on a monthly basis at a designated sampling location. Simply using a black and white disk, thermometer, and garden hose contraption, volunteers have everything they need to collect a sample, process it, and freeze it for UNH to collect at a later date.
When I arrived in June, I attended 3 training sessions with new volunteers to learn how to sample the water in Lake Winnipesaukee. Subsequently, Gloria and I offered to go out with volunteers if they weren’t comfortable going out themselves or wanted a partner to help with sampling. I love being out on the lake and working with volunteers who are dedicated to keeping the lake clean for future generations. Not only am I helping to collect long term data, but I am also learning about the generations of families who have lived on the lake through the volunteers I get to work with. I am always excited to go out with a volunteer and learn about their connection to the lake and share their enthusiasm for keeping it clean.
In the picture, I am holding a plankton tow. Gloria and I were trained to use a cyanobacteria monitoring kit. Recently cyanobacteria blooms have been popping up all throughout New Hampshire; since June at least 10 advisories have been issued at various lakes. Cyanobacteria (often referred to as blue-green algae) can be a threat to both human and animal health as well as the local economy. They are found everywhere in smaller numbers but when a bloom forms, this can cause an issue. People are advised to stay out of the water when a bloom is detected because there is a possibility that there may be toxins present. Therefore, cyanobacteria monitoring kits have also been created so people can sample for these organisms. Using this plankton tow, we collect a sample for UNH to analyze and a sample for ourselves that we can take back to the office and check under a microscope to see if we caught anything. So far, we’ve only been out with it once and nothing was detected. I’d love to see something under a microscope but I guess if nothing is found that’s a good sign too!
Alison is a recent graduate of Lafayette College with a BS in Biology. You can read more about Alison here!