Mascoma Lake AssociationP. O. Box 9, Enfield, NH 03748

Mascoma Lake

MAPSUnframed $15.00

Please email usif you would like one:

mla@mascomalakeassociation.org

New Shaker Bridge project asof Friday, October 28, 2011. The old bridge is all gone, andis now just a memory.

Mascoma Lake AssociationNEWSLETTER

FALL 2011

Celebrations of the 250th Anni-versary celebration in several UpperValley towns offered both marvelousentertainment and education.

The Valley News did a wonderfuljob reporting and publishing theevents taking place in each town inthe area. People attending eventsfound themselves becoming inter-ested in the histories of their vil-lages. All at once, connecting thepast and present gave their townsreal meaning.

This awakening will ground resi-dents and make them appreciatechanges that have taken place in thelast 250 years. History has a way ofcreeping up on most of us, makingus more curious about our families’and our region’s past.

That happened to me recently,when a chance comment broughtout photographs that renewed myinterest in the land where my cottagewas built in the 1980s. They showwhat once was. Truly, seeing isbelieving.

My neighbors, Leonard Johnstonand George and Donna Butler, havelived in Enfield since the 1950s.Leonard returned to the UpperValley after serving in the armedservices and purchased land fromBernard Currier.

The Enfield history book tells usthat the Curriers were early settlersin Lebanon and Enfield. Their hugefarm extended along U.S Route 4 allthe way up Dry Bridge Hill. Most ofthe farm was sold in 1924. But onlyin the 1950’s did the descendents sella parcel of the remaining land toLeonard.

At that time, the land was meadowwith no buildings and extended tothe shores of Mascoma Lake. In fact,Currier’s Landing is still marked on

maps today. The steamboat Helena certainly would have stopped at its dockduring its service on the lake

The photos shown here were taken in the 1950s, when Leonard purchasedthe property. Study them closely and you will notice the land cleared all theway to the water. In addition, Johnston’s Drive is clearly visible (above).

The second photograph (above) shows the trees on the south side of thelake coming down to the water’s edge. The photographer took the picturesnear U.S. Route 4 looking west. My cottage (not yet built) and the cottage ofmy neighbors, the Rickers, would be to the right of the cove. Because theland was all meadow, you can see the transformation of the view seen as youcome down Dry Bridge Hill. Trees and buildings cover the landscape and thelake is barely visible. Once the view of these homes was of the lake; today itis of trees.

Photographs courtesy of George Butler Jr.

CELEBRATING THE PASSAGE OF TIMENancy Sanborn

Loon ReportTerri Lynch

Good News for a change. Accordingto the New Hampshire Loon CensusReport:

“Overall 2011 seemed to be a goodyear for loons in New Hampshire.Approximately 65% of the 270 territorialpairs nested on lakes and pondsthroughout the State, hatching 185chicks. This is the first time in 6 yearsthat we have gone above 0.48 CS/TPwhich is the level needed to maintain aviable population for the long-term!”

This is encouraging. Part of this success may be attributed

to the increased use of nesting rafts. Thisyear, 76 rafts were floated and 21% ofthe chicks hatched on these man-madesurfaces. These offer certain protectionfrom nest flooding and may also protectthe loons from predation.

It was a busy summer aboard the S.S. Milfoil. We (David Kelman andMartha Rich) joined the effort to control Eurasian milfoil as novice crewmembers this year, learning from veteran leaders Roger and Marta Barnes.We’re grateful for their knowledge, guidance and support. After thirteenyears of service, they know every inch of our lake and have shown unflag-ging dedication to milfoil control.

It is clear that the control program must continue. The total harvest thisyear was 2,271 plants removed. This is fewer than last year’s 3,039, but farhigher than some past years. (Since the program started in 1998, the lowesttotal was 221 in 2006.) Although some sections of the lake were free of inva-sive plants this summer, some areas had stubborn infestations that requiredrepeated harvesting. These are the sunken islands off Perkins Cove and thechannel where the Mascoma River joins the lake.

A new element this year was beginning to mark sites with a GPS device.Our goal is to create an interactive map that can track patterns of milfoilgrowth over time. While this will not replace existing record-keeping sys-tems, GPS-based documentation should be a useful supplement that allowsus to represent the data in new ways.

Everyone who uses this lake owes a big debt of thanks to our intrepidSCUBA divers: Bud Lynch, Jim Martel, and Dave and Rusty Michael. Thesepeople spend hours under water digging out plants one by one with handtrowels – a task that became especially difficult after tropical storm Ireneroiled the lake bottom in late August.

We are recruiting more divers for the future, and welcome anyone interest-ed in pursuing the necessary training.

We thank all the local “captains” who monitored their areas and reportedto Marta when they spotted plants. This shared responsibility is a vital partof our program. We look forward to having more volunteers for this kind of“neighborhood water watch” next summer.

The S.S. Milfoil has finished its service for this season, but we look forwardto launching “the barge” again next year. Battling the threat of Eurasian mil-foil will require continued vigilance and action.

We’re glad to be part of the effort and hope more of you will join us in 2012.

Martha Rich and David Kelman340 Shaker Blvd

Enfieldmartha.rich@ thet.net

tel: 802-233-9964

MILFOIL: THE BATTLE CONTINUESMartha Rich and David Kelman

On Mascoma, one loon hatched on anatural nesting site in Lebanon. Thechick, named “Lola” by the girl whoseproperty was home to the nest, has donevery well. Although in early October she– or he – was still partially dependent onthe parents for feeding, it was also ableto catch some of its food. Soon it will beon its own. Both parents will leave fortheir winter habitat in coastal Maine orNew Hampshire, and this young loonwill be left on its own; nature’s “toughlove.” We hope instinct and good luckwill help her find the way to the openocean and that more good luck will helpher return to Mascoma in a couple yearswhen she is of breeding age.

As the sounds of the loons vanish for2011, I am already looking forward totheir return when the ice goes out in thespring of 2012.

Best wishes to you all for a warm andhealthy winter!

For more information about loons, seethe Loon Preservation Committee’s fallnewsletter, which should appear on linein November.

www.loon.org/newsletter.php

Lola on right is nearly as big as her mom.

On August 28, Hurricane Irenemade a direct hit on Mascoma Lakedropping 3 to 6 inches of rain. Thiscaused the Mascoma River and othertributaries to overflow and transporta lot of sediment into the lake. Youmay have noticed suspended parti-cles and an uncharacteristic browncolor to the lake after the storm.However, most of the sedimentappears to have settled out.

During one of my dives for milfoila few days later, I noticed that thetop layer of water was relativelyclear, whereas the water near thebottom was very cloudy and visibil-ity was only about 2 feet. I expectthis sediment to continue settlingout over the winter months.

Samples taken on 13 September, 16days after the storm, containedslightly more total phosphorus andturbidity than those taken a monthearlier. This should also improveover the quiescent winter months. Itcould have been a lot worse.

In spite of state budget cuts, theVLAP water testing program contin-ues, although at reduced capacity.DES will continue to maintain thewater quality data base, but visits bya biologist to check our performancewill be cut back to every two years.The scope of the annual water quali-ty report is still undecided. We hopethey will continue to publish areport that contains recommenda-tions for improving water quality.

We have a great crew of volunteerswho take samples from 22 locationsin the lake and tributaries. Theseintrepid and hardworking volun-

WATER QUALITYJim Martel

Design & Layout of this Newsletterby MLA Member

Betsey Child, Owner/DesignerLasting Impressions Graphic Studio

Enfield, New Hampshire(603) 632-9307

betsey-last-imp@comcast.net

The 2011 MLA Annual Meeting onJuly 24th featured several specialevents, in addition to the usual busi-ness of electing officers and present-ing the final figures for finances andwater quality.

MLA member Mary Ann Haagen,gave a wonderful slideshow on thehistory of the Shakers on the lake.Haagen is a retired professor ofmusic at Dartmouth College and aspecialist in Shaker music and hasrecorded several collections ofShaker songs.

ANNUAL MEETING 2011

Mascoma Shores UpdateClaire Swanson

The 67-unit residential constructionproject proposed by Mascoma Shores Ltd.Partnership will not move forward at thistime.

The project was to have been built on Rt.4A in Lebanon (near the Enfield town line).

Members of MLA and other interestedparties persevered in providing informa-tion about their concerns to the NH DESand the Lebanon Planning Board.

These included potential negativeimpact on the lake's water quality as wellas increased traffic on our roads.

On September 7, 2011, MSLP's lawyersent a letter to the Planning Board discon-tinuing its subdivision development appli-cation.

No further proceedings are anticipated.

teers include Austin Flint, RogerBarnes, George Crowe, Jim Magnell,Jack Foster, Ray Buskey, Lee Ham-mond, and Erland Schulson. I haveall the data we collected this year ifanyone wants to see it.

We are purchasing a new dis-solved oxygen (DO) meter this year,thanks to a generous donation inmemory of Bill Martin. The oldmeter was getting cranky and unre-liable. The new meter will be muchmore user friendly. We want to knowhow much DO there is in the waterbecause it is essential for sustainingfish and other aquatic populations.

As a result of endorsements fromthe MLA Board, local conservationcommissions, selectboards, and plan-ning commissions, and our state rep-resentatives, the legislature approvedthe HB 336, which brings theMascoma River between CanaanCenter and the Connecticut Riverunder the New Hampshire RiversManagement & Protection Program.Governor Lynch signed the bill onJuly 27th. A good thing, because itmeans greater oversight of largeprojects in the watershed, includingthose around the lake.

Irene Wreaks Havocby Betsey Child

Tiffany M. McKenna, Director ofPhilanthropy of the Nature Conser-vancy, presented a project to protect14,000 acres of land in the Mascomawatershed. This ambitious project,currently on hold, would help con-trol the quality of water coming intoour lake.

Harry Trumbull announced abequest in honor of Bill Martin, long-time resident and inspiration to theMLA. The money was used to pur-chase new water testing equipmentas explained in Jim Martel’s story.

Many roads and bridges aroundthe area were badly damaged due to“Irene”. This bridge conneced resi-dents of Shaker Blvd to Route 4A.

Town Manager Steve Schneiderprovided the following account onOctober 10: “The Shaker Blvd. Bridgeover the Knox River was structurallycompromised as a result of Irene. TheSelectboard made the decision to removethe failing bridge structure and replaceit with a new bridge.

The new bridge will be 13'6" wide andshould be open for all types of trafficwithin the next week or two. The bridgecan handle any service vehicles for thoseShaker Blvd. residents – garbage, heat-ing fuel, fire trucks, ambulances, and allof our DPW equipment. The bridge asinstalled has a life expectancy of 50years.”

The bridgeis now openand residentscan get backto their nor-mal drivinghabits.

Thank you to all of the hard-work-ing and very-thinly-stretched roadcrews who have worked so hardthroughout the rebuilding process.