Bow Lake News and Events

Summer 2008

We have a lot of exciting and informative news below! Plenty of new loon updates also!
If you have any updates to these events or other relevant news items, please contact us and let us know.

Lake Host Program: Grant Funding from The NH Lakes Association

The goal of the Lake Host Program is a matching state grant program designed to prevent the spread of exotic milfoil and other invasive aquatic plants in New Hampshire. Trained Lake Hosts stationed at public motorized boat ramps distribute brochures, complete a brief boater survey, and conduct voluntary courtesy boat and trailer inspections. Last year, throughout the state, paid and volunteer Lake Hosts inspected more than 34,000 vessels, recording 54 ‘saves’ on twelve lakes.

During the summer of 2007 our BLCOA Lake Hosts inspected over 250 boats as well as greeted and educated boaters who enjoyed our most beautiful lake. Each boat was tagged with an inspection sticker reminding them to clean their boat and trailer before and after every launch. We proudly report that we submitted 3 suspicious samples of exotic material to the state lakes association lab and are happy to report that none were identified as a viable invasive species (milfoil and others) which could have taken root in our lake.

Across the region, the saves have confirmed the importance of the host program. Had any of those plants, identified at other lakes, made it to Bow Lake, both the quality of life and the pristine beauty of our most beautiful resource would have been greatly diminished. Milfoil turns shallow areas (up to 15" depth) into tangled, lifeless swamps and its growth rate is measured in feet per day. We must keep up the fight until a permanent solution to this problem is found.

BLCOA remains committed to this most critical program and will again access all state matching grant funds available to us. If interested, please become an official Bow Lake Weed Watcher. Attend a NH DES training session to be offered August 2nd at the Grange. Please feel free to contact Linda for further information. We thank you for your continued membership support. It allows us to secure these most important grant and training opportunities. Please share this information with your neighbors, friends and families.

Bill Latham Youth Sailing Program

We are pleased to report that the Bill Latham Youth Sailing Program had another most successful year 2007. This year promises to be even better as many young sailor registrations are piling in. Under the watchful eye of our three most accomplished instructors last year, our program flourished with more than 40 students in attendance. Fortunately, all three of our instructors are returning in 2008... thank you Stan, Bob & Guillaume! Stan Stone, an accomplished sailor with a large diversification of experience, is also a school teacher in the Manchester school district who brings excellent skills in that regard to the program. Guillaume Joffres is our very own, home grown, junior sailing instructor and Bob Lee has served many years as our Lead Instructor. Inquiries may be directed to him at (603)664-9516 or by e-mail.

Our youth sailing program is focused on basic sailing and boating skills emphasizing safety and fun for all participants. Our objective continues to be one that strives to develop and encourage a long lasting attachment to the sport of sailing and is available to kids 8 years and older. The program runs from July 7 to August 8. There are one week sessions of groups of 10 students. All ability levels welcome: sailing novices to experienced youngsters back from previous years of instruction and experience. A simple swimming test must be passed to participate.

This year the program will again offer students an opportunity to contribute to the community and the sailing program by way of volunteer Instructor Internships. We are hopeful this allows students and graduates to expand their interest in sailing, to achieve further development in the many facets of sailing, boating, safety and teaching - while at the same time supporting the program.

An "Instructor Intern" is a volunteer position to support and help the instructors on a day-to-day basis. The amount of involvement and responsibility each individual is assigned will be a function of knowledge, skill, experience and enthusiasm demonstrated. This position is for a minimum of a one-week duration based on interest expressed from the individual and others to participate.

Again your membership dollars support this vital program for our youth. Developing a passion for this sport and appreciation of our most beautiful lake continues as a focus for BLCOA. July 7th is coming soon! Please e-mail Bob Lee if interested. Welcome Aboard!!

BLCOA Memorial Golf Tournament: Nippo Lake Golf Course

This annual event supports our youth sailing program and has been moved to the month of August to avoid our repeated rendezvous with hurricanes... it worked! Businesses, golfers and BLCOA members, your support in the past has been tremendous. Mark your calendars and SAVE THE DATE: join us for a great time! August 23rd. For more information, please e-mail Linda.

Bow Lake Loons

-Cheryl Mrozienski

sounds will reload after 25 seconds
stop playing

The 2007 breeding season resulted in the usual 3 nesting pairs at Caswell Cove, Murray Island, and Bennett Island. Three chicks hatched (1 at Caswell Cove and 2 at Murray Island). The Murray Island chicks did not survive the territorial loon disputes, so that left us with 1 fledged loon chick at the end of the season. The first known loon sighting of the 2008 season was on Friday, April 11th when the lake ice was still covering the majority of the lake. The loon was spotted flying by the west shore, but it is not known if it found enough water to land. The following Wednesday, one loon was spotted swimming near Bow Lake Estates. More loons appeared each of the following days around the lake as the lake ice melted. The ice was pretty much gone by Friday, April 18th, and the loons can now be seen and heard constantly. As the boating season approaches, please help protect our loons by retrieving all broken fishing line, keeping your distance from nesting loons, and helping slow down boats when the newly hatched loon chicks are hard to see in June and July.

June 11 Update
Good news - the first Bennett Island loon chick hatched today and there appears to be a second egg the loons are still incubating. Please pass the word and ask folks to be careful boating around Bennett Island as the chick is hard to see at this age. Let's hope the loon parents are smarter this year and keep the chick(s) out of the boating channel!

Some other good news from The Roy's who live on Kooaukee Island: There is a new loon nest on the small island that's just under the bridge of Kooaukee Island. The loons started nesting there sometime around Memorial Day.

Regarding the Murray Island loon pair. I believe I have seen what looks like a pair around the east end of the lake the past few weekends. But, they are not currently nesting on Murray Island and I haven't found a nest in the immediate area. If anyone is out and about, look around to see if you can find another nest someplace down that end of the lake (just in case the pair I have been seeing isn't really the Murray Island pair).

June 14 Update
-Jeannie Ferguson
The Caswell Cove pair hatched a chick. There appears to have been only 1 egg which is weird. I don't have a good camera so this shot is the best I can do. The little chick is on the edge of the raft. Also, the pair at the dam end of the lake seem to have just started nesting within the last week or 2 (we think) on Blueberry Island. If it is true that they nested so late, let's hope for the best as the lake gets busier.

June 22 Update
-Cheryl Mrozienski
Good news at the Kooaukee Island loon nest this weekend: The first chick has hatched and the loons appear to still be sitting on another egg. Thanks to the Roys and others on Kooaukee Island that have been keeping a close eye on this nest site. And for those that are wondering, the 2nd Bennett Island nest egg did not hatch. We found it still on the nest and the Loon Preservation Committee biologist has taken it to be analyzed.

July 8 Update
-Jan Williams
This morning the Blueberry Island Pair - formerly the Murray Island pair - are traveling the coves with baby on back. Dave and I took some BLCOA friends on a tour yesterday afternoon, the loon was on the nest and the guard loon was in the area. We traveled all the way around and saw all the pairs and all the chicks. The Caswell Cove pair still in Caswell Cove, the Kooaukee pair seem to have taken over the Piper Cove nursey, or at least they were visiting there. It gave us a few moments of concern when no one around Kooaukee Island had seen them all day, but there was a pair fishing away with a chick. We proceeded to Bennett's Island and sure enough, another pair with a chick on the Northwest end of Bennett's Island. Hoorah!!

This morning, the pair seemed far from the nest so we canoed out to the nest site. We determined that there was only one egg. The number of shells suggest there couldn't have been more. I collected some shell from the water for the biologist. They are a noisy pair, lots of all kinds of calling when no one is apparently around. Perhaps they are imprinting this new baby. I don't know. There have been a pair of rogues at this end a lot in the last couple of weeks, so keep your collective fingers crossed.

I also heard there were four rogues up around Kooaukee yesterday, perhaps that is why the pair headed for Piper's Cove. Looks like the head of the lake loons are redefining their territories!

See the following articles for more detailed loon protection information:
Loon Preservation Committee
Call of the Loon
Living with Loons
NH Fish & Game Contacts
NH Wildlife Rehabbers

Local Loon Contacts:
Cheryl Mrozienski: 664-7911, Jeannie Ferguson: 664-9627, Jan Williams: 664-9708
Loon Preservation Committee, Moultonborough, NH: 800-828-0324

 

Bow Lake Eagles

By Cheryl Mrozienski

Two bald eagles returned to Bow Lake last August and could be spotted regularly until the lake froze over in December. Some of their typical perches were on Brown Island, Loon Island, Beech Island, and Bennett Island. They did spend some time working on their Bennett Island nest and chasing Ospreys for fresh fish! Since December, our eagle pair has only been seen a few times around the lake with no sightings since February. The NH Audubon biologist, Chris Martin, would like our help with trying to find this pair. He believes they must be working on another nest someplace in the local area, and would appreciate hearing about any new sightings, so we can figure out where to look for them. Sightings have been reported from Bow Lake, Jenness Pond, and Pawtuckaway Lake. If you see them, please send email to these three people. Thanks for the help. Here’s some links to NH bald eagle monitoring information:

NH 2007 Breeding Season Summary
NH 2008 Mid-Winter Bald Eagle Survey
NH Wintering Bald Eagle History
National Mid Winter Bald Eagle Count

Landscaping at the Water's Edge

Strafford’s own Jeff Schloss gave an excellent presentation on shorefront landscaping to the Garden Club in April. If you would like to learn how landscaping can help improve Bow Lake water quality, please consider purchasing a copy of the "Landscaping at the Water’s Edge" publication from UNH Cooperative Extension. I believe the Garden Club purchased a copy that can be found at the Strafford Library, but it only costs $20 to buy your own copy. See this page for more details.

Bow Lake Water Quality Monitoring 2007

By Kathy Steinmuller

This is a report on the activities of the volunteers who participated in the lake monitoring program in 2007.

Our reliable team of Mary Velluto, Susan Sciascia, Janet Mayo, and occasionally Jim McCarty, went out on the lake with me almost every week during the summer. Jeff Schloss, the coordinator of the NH Lakes Lay Monitoring Program, who lives on the lake year-round, went out with us as usual for training purposes, and also brought students to do more comprehensive testing.

2007 was another remarkable year, weather-wise, so we were able to collect an early sample on May 30th, and then tested both sites almost every week through September, collecting our final sample of the year on October 3rd. We got a little more efficient, averaging two hours on the lake and one in the lab. Again, it was a joy spending a couple of hours a week in a boat on beautiful Bow Lake!

We also started a "community-education" component to the program in 2007, by distributing Lake Testing reports and other information, as well as fielding questions, at the Lobster Cookout in August. We promoted the new UNH Extension Service book, Landscaping at the Water’s Edge: An Ecological Approach, of which our own Jeff Schloss was a major contributor.

BLCOA remains most committed to this important endeavor. Your membership dollars allow us to purchase the monitoring equipment needed to continue. If interested in becoming a volunteer for our 2008 Water Quality Monitoring program, please contact Kathy Steinmuller, BLCOA Director at 664-5508.

Stephen R. Steinmuller Memorial Tree Program

By Kathy Steinmuller

Since 2002, the BLCOA has funded the Memorial Tree Planting Program as a joint project with the Strafford Garden Club. Each fall, we have been planting elm trees around town, to honor the memory of past directors and BLCOA friends.

In 2007, five trees were planted in memory of Bill Latham, Ed Sweeney, Don Allen, Nathan Lake, and Ted Huckins. The trees are on both public and private properties, where they can be seen from a town road or the lake. They now number somewhere around 24 trees.

The new American Princeton Elm tree is highly resistant to Dutch elm disease, and is considered one of the prettiest American elms, with an elegant vase shape. These trees not only beautify the town, but are also the lifeblood of air and water quality. They grow rapidly, and tolerate ice and salt, air pollution, drought, and even some degree of flooding.

If you know of someone you would like to commemorate with a living memorial, or if you would like to make a donation to this program, please contact Kathy Steinmuller, BLCOA director at 664-5508.

top of page