The 2022 Annual Meeting Minutes and the Audit Report for fiscal year 2021 are now available on the website. Click on the “News and Important Info” tab above and then choose the “PLA Annual Meeting Minutes” from the drop down.

Enjoy!

The PLA

Hi All,

As you all should be aware, the Province Lake Association Annual Meeting will take place this coming Saturday the 23rd of July at 9:00 am at the Edge Lake Farm over at the golf course.

There will be a few items requiring a vote of the members.  Remember, you must be a member to vote.  So if you haven’t joined yet, you can join at the meeting itself.  On a couple of the items, we felt we should give you information in advance to read.  Those items are as follows:

The first item is for the Officers and Directors of the organization.  All the officer terms and several board member terms are expiring and need to be renewed or replaced.  In addition, we have a few open board positions we are proposing to fill.  We thought it would be helpful if we were to send some information about each nominee so that you have a feel for who they are.  As such below is a link to brief bios of all those to be voted on at the meeting.  Nominees from the floor will also be considered at the meeting and should be prepared to discuss why they would like to be on the board etc..

The second item to be voted on is the approval of last years (2021) annual meeting minutes.  You can review those before the meeting on our website at this link …… https://provincelake.org/news-2/annual-meeting-minutes/   They are the top bullet on the website page.

That’s it for now.  Hope to see you there.

The PLA

2022 PLA Board Nominees Bios

We have several events for your calendar. 

Our Annual Meeting will be Saturday, July 23 at 9.00 at Edge Lake Farm (PLG). We hope you will be able to attend and look forward to seeing you there. We will send a reminder closer to the date.

We will have a Rt 153 beach clean up on Saturday, July 9 at 9.00.  It usually takes about an hour. We will meet near the entrance to the Donville Campground on Rt 153. Gloves and trash buckets/bags will be provided. Just bring yourself and the desire to help beautify our lakeshore following this coming weekend holiday. We will send a reminder closer to the date.

And remember, you can acquire PLA branded items to celebrate the holiday at https://provincelakeassociation.myspreadshop.com/

Have a wonderful July 4th celebration.

The PLA

Hi All,

While we all are getting ready for the summer season and cleaning up our beaches etc., we thought we should remind you all and/or educate you all to the fact that you need a permit to put new sand on your beach or if you want to build a new perched beach, you need one for that as well.  Sand can only be replenished with a permit every 6 years and the sand can’t be added below the high water mark.

Here is a link to two NH DES info documents in regards to all this.  Beach Sand and Beach Permitting In addition, here is a link to the wetlands section of NH DES that has a lot of information for you on beaches, docks, structures, permitting etc..  https://www.des.nh.gov/water/wetlands

As you all should be very well aware, we struggle with cyanobacteria blooms in Province Lake.  The biggest contributor to that is the excess phosphorus we have in the lake and one of the major contributors to the phosphorus is sand and dirt running into the lake.  As such, it is critical that we all do as much as we can to avoid sand and dirt runoff into the lake.

Thanks for your assistance in maintaining and improving the quality of the lake, and happy fathers day to all the fathers out there.

The PLA

Hi all,
It appears summer will arrive this weekend. Enjoy what looks to be a glorious summer weekend. We’d like to share a few items of interest to get you in the summer frame of mind.

Our membership mailer has gone out and we hope you will support the PLA as we work to keep our lake waters healthy. Your contributions make all the difference. You can also join on our website at https://provincelake.org/about/membership/

Our PLA apparel shop is fully stocked. You can design and select the items you want that show you are a Province Lake supporter at https://provincelake.org/photos/apparel/#!/

We have a full contingent of lake host inspectors. They will be at the Towle Farm Boat ramp (thank you Towle Farm CC!) this summer to inspect boats coming into and going from the lake. This is so important in keeping those nasty invasive species out of our lake. Stop by and say hi to our hosts when you have the chance.

We will also be doing the weed watch cruises again. If you would like to be a weed watcher, send us an email. We can provide training and information to assist you in identifying any invasive weeds.

We will be doing our water sampling program in conjunction with the NH Lay Lakes Monitoring program. In addition to routine sampling, we will be on the alert for any cyanobacteria blooms, also referred to as harmful algal blooms (HABs). Attached is a very interesting video sponsored by AWWA Water Talks where Dr. Haney of UNH discusses cyanobacteria https://youtu.be/EaAWfpxCVBM. If you see a bloom, you can report it to NH DES by calling or texting the hotline at (603) 848-8094 or email HAB@des.nh.gov , as well as contacting us directly. And remember, you can help mitigate against cyanobacteria blooms by keeping your septic systems in good working order, stopping erosion of sediment into the lake or drainage areas, not fertilising your lawns with high phosphate/nitrate fertilizer and not encouraging waterfowl with food handouts. Our partner, AWWA, has a number of programs you can check out for ideas and assistance at https://awwatersheds.org/programs-activities/

Thanks for loving our lake!
The PLA

The Province Lake Association is in need of one or two paid Lake Host Inspectors for the summer of 2022, so apply early. Interested parties (must be 18 years and older) and the position pays $15 per hour. College students, teachers, retirees and seniors are encouraged to apply.

As a Lake Host you will be on the front lines of one of Province Lake’s most important environmental initiatives while spending time in the summer sun.

Lake Hosts greet boaters and provide a complimentary boat inspection to uncover and destroy invasive plants as boats enter and leave the lake. If you’re selected for the program, you’ll receive online and in person training along with a uniform.

If interested in this position, please contact Lee-Ann Cammett at cammettl@gmail.com for further information. Thank you for your interest.

Hi All,
It’s no joke! April 1 was Province Lake’s official ice out date. Summer is coming!
The PLA is looking for a few volunteers who can assist us by providing a pontoon/party boat for our water sampling program this coming summer. This program is run in conjunction with UNH and the NH Lay Lakes program. We have trained and equipped personnel but need boats to do the sampling. The sampling typically takes 2 hours and starts at 9am. The dates of sampling are:

Monday June 6

Monday July 18

Monday August 8

Monday August 29

Monday September 26

You can express your interest, any dates you could volunteer, and provide contact information (email & phone#) to provincelakemembers@gmail.com. We will follow up with more specific information. 
This is a great excuse for spending a morning on the lake while helping to keep it healthy.

Thank you.  
The PLA

Hi all,
Below you will find information from NH Lakes regarding House Bill 1066 which will be before the committee this coming Wednesday, January 12. We would like to encourage you, if you support the bill, to provide that support by email, letter or phone and register your support through the links provided. We believe passage of this bill will be a start to substantively address the increasing threat from cyanobacteria blooms in our lake.
Thank you,

The PLA
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The New Hampshire 2022 legislative session has just kicked off and YOUR voice is urgently needed at the State House!  On Wednesday, January 12, at 1:45 p.m., House Bill 1066, establishing a commission to investigate and analyze the environmental and human, and animal health impacts relating to cyanobacteria blooms in New Hampshire waterbodies, is being heard in the House Resources, Recreation, and Development Committee. Our lakes—including YOUR favorite lake—need you to write or call your legislative representatives before Wednesday, urging them to support this bill. In 2021, a record number of public health advisories were issued for toxic cyanobacteria in New Hampshire’s lakes. People were told to avoid wading or swimming in the water and also avoid drinking water from the lake for fear of becoming sick. They were told to keep pets out of the water, too. Cyanobacteria blooms are not only a health hazard for humans, pets, and wildlife, they negatively impact tourism and the economy. Cyanobacteria is a statewide problem and statewide solutions are needed. It is time for the legislature to take a comprehensive look at ways to tackle this issue.  If passed, the study commission would be the first time experts from the New Hampshire Departments of Environmental Services and Health and Human Services, environmental conservation groups, veterinarians, universities, and policymakers would come together to address the increasing frequency and severity of cyanobacteria blooms in New Hampshire’s waterbodies. Our legislators need to hear from YOU! Call, email, or write members of the committee, or testify at the State House, and tell policymakers how toxic cyanobacteria blooms have impacted your favorite lake and your enjoyment of the lake. Stories and public testimony, especially from advocates like you, will make a difference in getting this critical legislation passed. Below, I have included tips for writing and calling legislators, and providing verbal testimony. And, a link to register in support of the bill. Thank you, in advance for responding to this call for action, giving New Hampshire’s lakes a voice at State House! Our lakes are counting on you.Committed to clean and healthy lakes, Michelle Davis, Policy and Advocacy Program Manager mdavis@nhlakes.org   P.S. Please cc me on your emails and letters and let me know if you have made calls! If you plan to testify in person on January 11, let me know so we can plan our strategy.

How YOU Can Support HB 1066 Send an email to:  HouseResourcesRecreationandDevelopment@leg.state.nh.us. Mail a letter: NH House of Representatives Resources, Recreation, and Development Committee Legislative Office Building, Room 305 Call committee members: For phone numbers, see committee member bios —————-—–> Register In Support Here! Select Date of Hearing: January 12, 2022 Select the Committee: House Resources, Recreation, and Development Choose the Bill: HB 1066 Indicate Who You’re Representing Choose Your Position: Support, Oppose, Neutral Advocating at the State House

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The Fall 2021 Newsletter is now available for your reading pleasure. You can access it from this website under News or you can just click this link to bring you to the page of all the Newsletters in case you missed one.

Hi all,
We wanted to notify you that we are experiencing intermittent and sporadic cyanobacteria blooms at Province Lake. They have been coming and going along the shoreline of Bonnyman and Point Roads and Lake Shore Dr. It is appearing as green stringers, surface blobs and cloudy green water. This has occurred over the weekend.  We suspect it will likely continue until conditions become unfavorable for its development. 
We cannot say if the water is safe at this time. Each individual needs to make the determination on whether to go in or not, but the guidance is to not go into the water if a bloom is present. It is particularly important to keep pets and children out of the water when a bloom is observed.
The NH DES will be notified and follow up with any other advice.
The PLA