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The Newsletter of the Newfound Lake REGION Association

April 2012

TheMonitor

T he generous donation by long- time NLRA members Andy and

Linda McLane of thirty acres of

Cockermouth River delta to the NLRA

has created substantial and lasting ben- efits for your watershed organization, the

Town of Hebron and Newfound Lake.

The property, most recently occupied by

the former Newfound Marina, consists

mostly of wetland and shallow embay- ments where the river has made a path

to the Lake. Combined with the Bean

Wildlife Sanctuary, the Hebron Marsh

Land Donation Launches Next Forty Years

of Watershed Protection

and NH Audubon properties this richly

diverse, wild and fragile delta area is part

of a significant intact ecosystem at the

north end of Newfound Lake. The new

NLRA property has been protected in

perpetuity by a conservation easement

donated by the McLanes to NLRA’s

project partner, the Lakes Region Con- servation Trust (LRCT).

Land transfers of this magnitude are

incredibly complex and including the

added protection of a conservation ease- ment makes them even more so. This

project has been in the conceptual stage

for several years and was made possible

with the time and talent of several key

advisors. Special thanks are owed to Don

Berry, President of the LRCT (one of

the largest and most successful land con- servation organizations in New Hamp- shire); Ed McNierney, NLRA member

and Chair of the NLRA Land and Wa- tershed Committee; Peter Carey, Esq.

NLRA member and former Trustee;

Roger LaRochelle, NLRA member and

Undisturbed wetlands habitat adjacent to Cockermouth River, western portion of NLRA property in Hebron, NH

Continued on page 11

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2xxxxThe Monitor/April 2012

Welcome to the Spring 2012 edition of The Monitor, your newslet- ter of the Newfound Lake Region Association. Looking back at

previous newsletters, you can follow our progress as we set and

accomplish strategic goals, design and deliver educational programs, support

sustainable land-use policy development and advance land conservation in

the watershed.

As you peruse this newsletter and reflect on what your Newfound experi- ence means to you, please consider how you can help our mission succeed.

Become a Water Watchdog by controlling stormwater runoff on your property;

purchase (many books) of Raffle tickets for friends and family; join us on an

Eco-Tour to learn about the Newfound environment from the deck of our

new pontoon boat; recruit not-yet-members to join our cause; volunteer for

an event, Task Force or Committee; and continue to keep the NLRA as one

of your top recipients of charitable giving.

There will be many opportunities to meet and share Newfound ideas over

the upcoming year. Please join us at an NLRA event, and feel free to contact

me, Nikki or one of our Trustees if you want to be part of the team leading

year-‘round efforts to protect Newfound’s clean water, healthy forests and

rural character.

See you around the watershed!

— Boyd Smith, Director

S

pring in the Newfound watershed

is a time of renewal. NLRA’s big

news for the year is the gift from

Andy and Linda McLane of a 30 acre

parcel of land on the Cockermouth River

in Hebron (formerly the Newfound ma- rina). This gift was shepherded by NLRA

Director Boyd Smith, the NLRA Land

& Watershed Committee and Don Berry

of the Lakes Region Conservation Trust.

The NLRA Board is embarking on a

strategic plan to look at what we can do

to make the next 40 years as successful as

the past 40 years.

NLRA’s work to educate the public

about the importance of protecting New- found Lake’s clear waters and encourag- ing the responsible stewardship of our

watershed land continues. We’re prepar- ing to launch several initiatives to help

Lake front and Watershed towns, camps

and residents learn the simple steps to

reduce storm water runoff from roads and

properties near the Lake.

From the Executive Director

Newfound Lake Region Association

800 Lake St. Bristol, NH 03222 P: 603-744-8689 info@newfoundlake.org

The Monitor is a publication of the Newfound Lake Region Association.

NLRA Officers and Executive Committee Members: Rosemary D’Arcy, President;

Ken Weidman, Treasurer; Helga Stamp, Secretary; Jan Collins, Andy Connolly, members-at-large

Trustees: Jennifer Berry, Trish Connolly, Jen Hayes, Ed McNierney, Laura Moore, Rob Moore, Greg Wagner

Staff: Boyd Smith, Executive Director; Nikki Wooster-Goodwin, Program Director-Events Coordinator;

Karen Boyd, Volunteer Membership Coordinator

President’s Message

Join us! We’re hoping to increase

awareness and membership this year and

will be encouraging all of our members

to invite a new member to join. Watch

for more during our membership renewal

campaign in the coming weeks.

On the leadership front, Jen Hayes,

joins the Board of Trustees bringing a

wealth of knowledge in social media,

marketing and communication and we

welcome her.

— Rosemary D’Arcy, President

Newfound River in spring

(Photo courtesy of Newfound Photography)

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The Monitor/April 2012xxxx3

Around the Lake

Newfound Water Watchdogs are

people who take simple steps

to stop stormwater pollution by

helping rainfall and snowmelt soak in to

the ground. In 2011 four summer camps

(Berea, Circle, Onaway and Mayhew),

the Whittemore Shores Homeowners

Association and the

Towns of Alexan- dria, Bristol, Groton

and Hebron pro- vided letters of com- mitment to become

Water Watchdogs

that helped us secure

our third watershed

protection grant (see

page 6). Early in 2012

Camp Pasquaney

joined these lo- cal leaders of the

Watchdog movement.

Newfound area

camps depend on

the clear water of the

Lake and healthy for- ests of the hillsides to

maintain their long

traditions of outdoor

education and stewardship. Generations

of youth have attended Newfound sum- mer camps, their personal experiences

becoming an integral part of their family

lore. With missions that focus on raising

young women and men to be responsible

and active community members, and fa- cilities that encompass hundreds of acres

and miles of shoreline, a stewardship

partnership between the NLRA and local

camps has obvious and lasting benefits.

NLRA Director Boyd Smith is meet- ing with senior camp staff to develop

stormwater management plans that in- corporate facility operations and educa- tional programming. Project plans require

base maps that show buildings, roads,

property boundaries and topography, as

well as existing and proposed locations

of stormwater treatment features (Best

Management Practices; BMPs). Site

visits and meetings with program direc- Newfound Camps Are Lead Water Watchdogs

tors and councilors will identify areas for

BMP construction, with camper involve- ment planned to provide hands-on en- vironmental education. NLRA staff will

be available for consultation, site visits

and support during construction plan- ning and implementation, and to perform

pollutant reduction modeling to estimate

BMP effectiveness. Finally, a long-term

maintenance component will be includ- ed to ensure BMPs continue to function

effectively.

As part of our latest round of federal

watershed management funding, the

NLRA is committed to recruiting and

training at least 25 Water Watchdogs

in both 2012 and 2013. In addition to

Newfound’s Lead ‘Dog camps, home- owner’s associations, Towns and your

NLRA Trustees have all committed to

join the movement. Of course, the Cum- mings Beach project fits the definition of

a BMP, making Bristol

another leader of the

Water Watchdog pack.

We anticipate that

Watchdog projects

will help instill envi- ronmental steward- ship through hands- on experience. While

Watchdogs serve their

own immediate needs

by recharging their

wells, preventing soil

erosion and protecting

their environment, their

actions create a “ripple

effect” of neighbor- to-neighbor conversa- tion and action that

will build grass-roots

leadership.

We enthusiasti- cally encourage you to become a Water

Watchdog, controlling stormwater on

your property with simple BMPs such

as rain barrels, infiltration trenches, in- filtration steps and rain gardens. You can

find Do-it-Yourself instructions for these

and other BMPs on the Water Watch- dog page of the Watershed Master Plan

at www.NewfoundLake.org. For help

developing a project plan for your prop- erty, please contact Boyd at 744-8689 or

NLRA.Boyd@NewfoundLake.org.

Now, let’s do our Doggone best to pro- tect the watershed!

Simple steps, such as infiltration trenches, rain barrels and rain gardens,

conserve water and prevent stormwater pollution.