Author Archives: Jon Samuelson

IT’S A BOY! NO IT’S A GIRL! MAYBE IT’S BOTH!

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We have some exciting news to share for all of us around Province Lake. The Loons have had a pair of chicks! This is the first time that we are aware of this occurrence. Although very exciting to us on the PLA Board, the folks at the NH Loon Preservation Committee, and possibly to you, WE NEED YOUR HELP!

PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE do not go near them. Keep a very keen eye out when driving your boats and skiers … the young ones are not able to react like the adults can. Also, please spread the word to watch out and stay clear. If you must see what the chicks look like, check out the photo’s below and on the home page scrolling photo’s, compliments of Thom and Jan Townsend with a zoom lens camera. You will also start seeing red warning signs as pictured below.

One final note … a huge thanks goes out to Steve and Mary Craig and Thom and Jan Townsend who every year put out the nest and signs and monitor what is going on. There is finally success for the proud Grandparents.

Again, please help us out and educate others! And watch our website and Facebook page for any additional news.

Photo’s are from Thom and Jan Townsend, copying, re-posting etc. is strictly prohibited without their written consent.

 
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RFQ for Shoreline Restoration and Stormwater Managment

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The Acton Wakefield Watersheds Alliance requests qualifications for consultants to assist with the following project:

Province Lake Watershed Management Plan Implementation Phase 1 – Residential Shoreline Restoration & Stormwater Management.

To download the RFQ, click here:AWWA PL Landscape Design RFQ July 2015

Response Due Date: RFQ Responses are due by 2:00 pm on, July 17, 2015  to Linda Schier, Executive Director, info@AWwatersheds.org

LANDSCAPING FOR HEALTHY LAKES – JUNE 27

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unnamedHi Everyone,Do you love our LAKE? Of course you do.

Would you like to learn how to improve lake water quality while beautifying your property? Sounds like a WIN-WIN.

How about getting a free lunch with that?
OK – I will tell you how………………

AWWA is conducting a  “Landscaping for Healthy Lakes” workshop on June 27th!
All are welcome to join in for this hands-on workshop in which you will learn how to plan and build simple rain gardens that will help prevent sediment from entering our lake. This event will be held at the Greater Wakefield Resource Center (254 Main St., Union, NH). The added benefit will be improving the senior center with some attractive landscaping! Springvale Nurseries will be bringing lots of low-maintenance, native plants and sharing their knowledge about which plants are suitable for various conditions around our lake. The workshop will begin at 9 AM and end with lunch for those who RSVP by June 24th.
I hope to see you there!
Pete Dinger
PLA President and AWWA Director

 

WEED WATCHING … HELP PROTECT YOUR LAKE!

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Hi Neighbors,

Summer is approaching fast, and for that we are all grateful. With the increased usage of the lake come responsibilities. We all need to contribute to protect it’s purity. I am referring here to the lack of invasive weeds.

This year we will have a monthly “patrol’ of the lakeshore to look for new or changing weed patterns. Weed watching is but one of many methods that the PLA is engaged in to maintain our weed free condition. Given that there are 11.2 miles of shoreline, we need to share the weed watching duties. I am currently recruiting volunteers who would be willing to survey a section of shoreline on a monthly basis and report in to me about their findings.

I hope to have enough interest from the entire lake community to be able to assign each volunteer the area in front of, or at least close to, your property. That should make it the most convenient for us all. The survey is general done by boat and usually takes approximately an hour (if we have adequate interest).

Having done this before, Donna and I have made this into a routine we do early in the morning, enjoying the peace and tranquility of the lake. It is also much easier to see into the lake and view the weeds when it is calm. After a few “weed watching rides” you become very familiar with the existing weed growths and the survey becomes routine. For any of you that want to volunteer, but are unsure of weed types, we at the PLA will be happy to train what to look for.

Reporting in will be done via Email (or phone if email is not available), so that portion will be quick and easy. The hope is that each volunteer will, in general, survey the lake in front of about 10 to 12 properties, or about 1000 feet of frontage. That may sound like a lot, but it can be done quickly. Of course, if we can get participation, the survey we each do will be minimized.

There are a few key areas we really need to focus on and those are where public use occurs. The boat launch on Bonnyman Rd., Route 153 beach area and Province Shores Campground are the most critical. If you can do any of those areas, please let me know.

Please Email or phone me with your interest and where you would prefer to survey. I will put a plan together and respond back. Thanks for your interest and participation.

Carl Davis                                    112remickcd@gmail.com                                                                                                            539-3344

 

Septic Evaluation of Septic Risk – RFQ

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Septic Evaluation of Septic Risk to Province Lake RFQ

The Acton Wakefield Watersheds Alliance (AWWA) has been awarded funding from NHDES, through a grant from Section 319 of the Clean Water Act, for implementation of the “Province Lake Watershed Management Plan Implementation Phase 1: Addressing High Priority Actions and Building Local Capacity” project. Province Lake lies in Wakefield and Effingham, NH and Parsonsfield, ME and is listed on the NHDES 303(d) list as impaired for Aquatic Life Use due to high levels of phosphorus and chlorophyll-a and for Primary Contact Recreation due to recurring cyanobacteria blooms.

AWWA invites interested contractors to submit qualifications for the development of the “Evaluation of Septic System Risk to Province Lake” program. The selected consultant will work closely with AWWA, the Province Lake Association, NHDES and other project stakeholders to evaluate high risk septic systems within the Province Lake watershed. 

For the full project description and to download the RFQ, please visit: Evaluation of Septic System Risk to Province Lake RFQ 2015

Request for Qualifications: Province Lake Road Management Plan

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The Acton Wakefield Watersheds Alliance (AWWA) has been awarded funding from NHDES, through a grant from Section 319 of the Clean Water Act, for implementation of the “Province Lake Watershed Management Plan Implementation Phase 1: Addressing High Priority Actions and Building Local Capacity” project. Province Lake lies in Wakefield and Effingham, NH and Parsonsfield, ME and is listed on the NHDES 303(d) list as impaired for Aquatic Life Use due to high levels of phosphorus and chlorophyll-a and for Primary Contact Recreation due to recurring cyanobacteria blooms.

AWWA invites interested contractors to submit qualifications for the development of a Road Management Plan for Bonnyman Road and Route 153. The selected consultant will work closely with AWWA, the Province Lake Association, NHDES and other project stakeholders to implement surface water quality restoration tasks within the Province Lake watershed.

For the full project description and to download the RFQ, please visit:

http://awwatersheds.org/province-lake-road-mgmt-plan-request-for-qualifications/

Who Were Those Blue Shirts on Aug. 23rd?

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If you were out and about on the morning of August 23rd, you may have seen a bunch of people walking along Rte 153 with blue shirts on .. so who were they and what were they doing?

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On that sunny morning, members of the Province Lake Association (PLA), Acton Wakefield Watersheds Alliance (AWWA), and concerned citizens in the area took to cleaning up the RT-153 beach at Province Lake. The cleanup began bright and early on Saturday morning as volunteers set out along the Rt-153 beach, picking up every piece of trash and debris they could find. Items found ranged in size from cigarette butts to signs, and over 2,400 pieces of trash were removed, resulting in 273 pounds of garbage being taken to the dump.

 

Yes we did use a household scale to weigh everything!

Yes we did use a household scale to weigh everything!

Some of the more disturbing items found on the beach were the 19 soiled diapers, 10 pieces of animal waste (i.e dog poop), and a used tampon. Sadly, we expected the hundreds (if not thousands) of cigarette butts picked up along Rt-153, however the most astonishing thing we found were the hundreds of remnants of fire crackers. Little bits and pieces of plastic, paper and cardboard littered the beaches from Fourth of July and other celebrations. The chemical issues with fireworks fired over lakes have been discussed before, however we were all surprised by the physical effect their casings leave on the landscape. The sheer amount and variety of trash on the beach is a sobering reminder of the need to increase the value of the lake in the minds of those who enjoy it.

The PLA beach cleanup was a resounding success this year, and we hope it becomes a lauded tradition on the lake as the summer winds down. With a bit of hard work, we might just find ourselves picking up less and less trash each year.

Special thanks to volunteers: Pete Dinger, Neil Rowe, Lorna Connelly, Ashley Connelly, Linda Schier, Donna Davis, Larry Moody, Carl Davis, Don Harrison, Rick Zani, Kathleen Zani, Phil Colburn, Marylyn Colburn, Kathi Healey, Loretta Campbell, Peter Campbell, Mindy-Schumann Vye, Tucker Vye, Jon Samuelson and Sam Wilson. Thanks for coming out on a Saturday morning to make Province Lake a better place to visit and live!

The Volunteers ... or most of them.

The Volunteers … or most of them.