The Lake Wentworth Association
Volume XXIX, Issue 2
July 2014
Loons and Lead
A Lethal Combination
By Joan Green
Lake Wentworth has the dubious distinction of having
the first loon death from ingesting lead fishing tackle in New
Hampshire in 2014.
In May, a distressed male loon was found by walkers
near the State Park. The loon was staggering, unable to stand
up. The Loon Preservation Committee (LPC) took the loon to
a veterinary office for testing. Blood tests and x-rays showed
the loon had ingested lead tackle and suffered from toxic
levels of lead in his blood. Sadly, the loon had to be
euthanized.
According to the LPC, poisoning from lead tackle and
sinkers is the leading cause of adult loon mortality. Loons
ingest lead materials when they catch fish that are "trailing"
fishing line or by scooping up lead sinkers from the lake
bottom along with pebbles they utilize for digestive purposes.
The Lake Wentworth Association is a partner with the
New Hampshire Lakes Association (NH LAKES) in its
campaign to “Get the Lead Out, NH!” Recognizing the
damage ingestion of lead does to loons and other waterfowl,
NH LAKES is encouraging everyone to go through their fishing
gear and to dispose of all lead-based tackle and sinkers. Lead
materials are accepted at the Town's Solid Waste and
Recycling Facility on Beach Pond Road. The LWA will also be
collecting these materials at its next meeting and at the dinner.
Inexpensive alternatives to lead fishing gear are
readily available. The LPC maintains a list of vendors on its
website (www.loon.org). It also offers non-lead fishing
materials for sale at the gift shop at LPC headquarters in
Moultonborough. ●
EVENTS TO COME
(Check lwa.org website for any changes and more
complete information.)
Aug. 2 Sailing Regatta – co-sponsored by the
NH Boat Museum & Park & Rec
Aug. 9 Annual Meeting
Aug. 28 LWA/LWF Camp Bernadette Dinner
Note: This is the Thursday before Labor Day!
Aug. 30 Board of Directors’ Meeting
Page 1
By Peter Goodwin
LOON CHRONICLES 2014
by Hugh Crawford
The first loons were observed on the lake on
April 15th in a large open area at the west end of the lake.
The ice went out on the 19th. By mid-June there were
reports of a couple of nesting sites. The sites were clearly
marked to alert boaters to avoid the areas. The nests
were checked regularly and appeared to be doing well.
Unfortunately, when the Brewster Heath nest was
checked on July 3rd , it appeared to have been predated,
perhaps by a fox or raccoon. There were only small egg
fragments which were collected for examination and
testing. The nest in the swamp behind Point of Pines
remains active and the loons have been seen switching
nesting duties. Despite the dramatic rise in the lake level
over the past week or so, the nest is still above water and
with luck, the eggs will hatch before the next deluge.
Please be alert for loons, hopefully with a chick
or two on their backs or in tow, and give them a wide
berth of at least 150 feet. Remember that the chicks
cannot dive to avoid power boats.
On July 19th from 8-9 am, the Loon Preservation
Committee will conduct the annual Loon Census. If you
would like to participate on Lake Wentworth or Crescent
Lake, please contact Hugh Crawford at 569-1355 or
hjcrawfish@aol.com. Those who have participated in the
past have enjoyed the experience and do it year after
year. We can always use more eyes. And, we encourage
you to join the LPC (www.loon.org). ●
Ice Runner
By John Ouhrabka
Saturday April 19th: there was open water along
the shoreline's periphery and the islands' perimeters.
Several large ice sheets remained on Wentworth. The
one I was interested in was just off Allen "A" Beach
extending almost to Sister Island. All it needed was the
push of a strong west wind. Each melting mass was of
irregular thicknesses with many weak spots and the
fissures of which I was to take advantage.
I have been coming to Lake Wentworth since
the early 1950's and had grown up an islander. My
fondest memories are of those years - night crossings
while falling asleep to the humming motor, my father
carrying me inside to my warm sleeping bag or waiting
out thunderstorms in my mother's car at Mast Landing.
For the young islander the prerequisite to boat use
permission was navigational knowledge and skillful
boatmanship. Once gained; forever utilized. I can, over
the years, remember countless trips hauling lumber
dropped off at Mast Landing to build various additions,
docks and doghouses, towing refrigerators, bringing
groceries in the pouring rain, struggling with 200 pound
propane tanks and ferrying soaking wet company back
to shore. Perhaps we then, as islanders, learned the
lake better than most through the necessity of
transportation. The isolation afforded by copious rocks
with tricky channels and a life of outhouses, gas lights
and propane refrigerators bred in us a certain
ruggedness and spirit (At least that is how I remember
it). Perhaps late night boat rides where the stars were at
their most spectacular in that blackest of pitch are my
fondest recollections and still thrilling. I find no greater
pleasure than speeding around Stamp Act and the
islands while admiring the constellations; the
confidence in my navigational skills earned by years of
experience.
This past winter for the first time I spent the
winter on the shore. Yet it was the islands that still were
my focus and destinations. January 1st ( the day I
deemed travel safe using my ice chisel testing system)
commenced my morning's pilgrimages. So bundled and
frosted whether by snowshoe, crampon or skate, I
would travel between Poplar and Sister Island to Mink
and around Stamp Act finally returning to Holden Shore
- 4.7 miles; in snowstorms, rain and sun. Perhaps 90
times I have done it, missing only a few days; the
infatuation of a madman; or of one who still, even after
all these years, cannot absorb enough of this place.
The air, walks, views, memories and many ice fishing
characters met helped clear my mind for the day's
endeavors. There was one imagined experience left
and so finally came Saturday morning.
Page 2
The ice could have gone out any time that
week. A light east wind was all that kept it. As the
west wind started to build that Saturday morning, I
broke my way by kayak into that ice sheet off Allen
"A" and waited. It was my plan to float towards
Warren Sands and "go out" with the ice. As the winds
increased the ice mass began to move, not at a fast
rate, perhaps only a mile or two an hour. I kept my
paddles perpendicular to my kayak for balance; the
ice sounded like an old wooden boat creaking and
cracking; it and I as one. By the north end of Sister
the ice started to break up as the waves that at first
buffeted the edges now began their undermining. A
pair of loons floated alongside and a small flock of
Canada Geese ice roosted off to my right. All together
we moved; the loons fishing, the geese honking and
me mesmerized. By the north point of Stamp Act the
ice had broken into three or four foot sections. The
geese flew west; the loons to better hunting waters as
the ice scraped and ground along the shores of Bass
and Stamp Act. Onward it drifted towards the
Sandbar, Cate, Brummitt and Townsend Shore.
This was far enough for me. I paddled through
the now mostly ice cube sized pieces to the Sandbar
and rested in its dead calm sanctuary. Not 100 feet
away the creaking, breaking ice moved on along with
assorted dock planks, mooring markers and one
paddle. The sound was now more of the strong
westerly winds and rushing waves. I felt exhilaration
and awe; exhaustion too as perhaps I had gripped my
paddles too tightly. What I had expected to be a force
of immense power (which it was I guess) felt not at all
dangerous or foreboding but rather perhaps as a tiny
tectonic plate, its movement imperceptible. It would
have been foolish (perhaps more than I had already
been) to push my luck any further and risk being
"stacked up" against a beach or shoreline.
My trip home was a much more difficult task, a
paddle that normally was 30 minutes took over an
hour in the rough weather; 25 MPH winds and 1 to 2
ft. waves. It was necessary, twice, to pull off to Stamp
Act's southern shoreline where I grabbed onto brush
or rock allowing the passage of some peripheral ice
flow. Struggling west I glanced east between Loon
and Stamp Act, noticing the ice still off Triggs; it was
in motion duplicating what I had just experienced.
Finally and exhausted I made Holden Shore. I
sat in my kayak for a few minutes catching my breath
and gathering the strength to get out and walk inside
to a warming fire. Had I been foolhardy? Perhaps,
perhaps not - I'll do it next year if I can; this time
hopefully remembering my camera. I noted the time;
it was 12:15 - ice out was officially declared three
hours and fifteen minutes later. ●
Lake Wentworth Sailing Regatta
By Lisa Simpson Lutts
For all those sailors who love to sail competitively,
the New Hampshire Boat Museum, the Lake Wentworth
Association, and the Parks and Recreation Department of the
Town of Wolfeboro are teaming up to offer the Lake
Wentworth Sailing Regatta on Saturday, August 2. If
necessary, a weather delay to Sunday, August 3 will be
posted on the Boat Museum website, www.NHBM.org.
The event will be held at Albee Beach in Wolfeboro.
Registration will begin at noon on race day with the first class
of boats sailing at 2 p.m. Races will be held throughout the
afternoon. Following the Regatta, awards will be given out for
each class of boat and there will be a pot luck celebration
with snacks and drinks.
There are four classes of boats racing: Sunfish,
Optis, Mono Hulls and Catamarans. The event is open to
sailors of all ages. To encourage young participants who
have completed the Racing Instructional Class offered by the
Parks and Recreation Department, young people may
reserve one of the New Hampshire Boat Museum's Optis or
Sunfish through the Town's Instructor. These are available on
a first-come, first-served basis.
All participants are encouraged to bring a snack or
beverage to share with the group following the Regatta. For
further information about the Regatta, call the NH Boat
Museum's Sailing Chair, Joe DeChairo, at 569-1553. People
interested in volunteering for the event are encouraged to call
the NH Boat Museum at 569-4554.●
Raft-a-Palooza Event
to Protect NH's Lakes
NH LAKES Association is inviting kayakers and
canoers to take part in a family-friendly rafting festival at
Endicott Rock Park in Laconia on August 3rd. LakeFest 2014
will feature an attempt to set the Guinness world record for
the largest free-floating raft of canoes and kayaks on a single
water body followed by activities on land with food and
entertainment. The main goal is to educate people on the
practice of Clean, Drain and Dry! to prevent the spread of
aquatic invasive species (AIS).
Registration is $15/boat through July 31. You can
participate as an individual or as a team. If you are interested
in joining an LWA team, please contact Susan Goodwin at
sgwolfe66@gmail.com. Go to www.NHLAKEFEST.org for
more information and to register. Come have fun for a good
cause! ●
LWA Scholarship Awarded
Lily Greene was awarded the LWA scholarship this
year. She plans to attend the University of Vermont in the fall
with a major in Biology. Jeremy Fuller, a science teacher at
Kingswood Regional High School, stated that "She has the
talent, attitude and drive to make a positive difference in the
world." Lily ranked second in her class at Kingswood taking
honors as well as Advanced Placement Biology. She also
served as president of the National Honor Society. ●
Page 3
Parent eagle with Frick & Frack on the nest
by Peter Goodwin
Eagle Report
By Peter Goodwin
As was reported in the spring Zephyr, the eagles
are back. They started hanging out in their nest tree in
January and were then observed “brooding” the eggs in
March and April with each parent taking his or her turn.
Two chicks hatched and their heads were visible in May.
They are now full-sized birds, but as of July 8th, they were
still at the nest tree. They were up on branches above but
hadn’t seemed to have taken their first flight although that
could happen any day and may have happened by the
time you read this.
Many people are asking about the future of the
nest tree. Eagles will use the same nest year after year.
The pair add sticks to it as part of their mating ritual so
the nest grows bigger every year. The issue with this nest
tree is that it was struck by lightning a number of years
ago and is basically dead. There is a gash most of the
way down the trunk that has allowed bugs and rot to get
into the tree. It may stand for many more years before
falling. When it does, the people at Audubon suggest that
there are plenty of other appropriate trees on Stamp Act
for them to use. The only hope would be that they choose
one that can be seen from the lake as it makes it more
fun for those of us who enjoy watching them.
As the summer progresses, the two chicks will be
in “flight school” and if you see them in July, give them a
wide berth. They should fly only when they are ready to
rather than when they are scared and feel that they have
to fly. Their parents will still feed them, but they will be
learning to fish on their own. By the end of August, they
will be self-sufficient and will start making flights to
nearby lakes, basically seeing the sights. As winter
approaches, they will migrate south and may spend their
winter along the coast where the fishing is relatively easy.
This is the third consecutive year that we have observed
nesting eagles on the lake and that followed a long hiatus
dating back to before World War II. We hope they will
continue to nest here. ●
Milfoil Report
By Peter Goodwin
HAVE YOU SEEN THESE?
Chinese Mystery Snails
By Peter Goodwin
The Chinese Mystery Snail is a large freshwater snail
that has arrived at our lake. It is an inch or so in diameter and
generally a dark color while alive although the shell turns
white after the snail dies. It is a “trapdoor snail" because
there is an oval plate that seals their shell with their body
inside to protect itself from predation or other dangers. It was
sold in Chinese food markets in San Francisco in the late
1800’s and was found in Boston area waters by 1914. Since
then, it has found its way to NH waters including Lake
Wentworth where it was first reported along Governor's
Shore in 2013.
These snails like water temperatures between 68-85
degrees which is a typical temperature for our lake for much
of the summer. They prefer freshwater lakes with soft, muddy
or silty bottoms, slow-moving freshwater rivers and streams,
rice paddies and ponds with aquatic grass. It feeds by
creeping along the bottom or on aquatic grasses eating the
algae that is on the plants or the bottom. (We don’t have a lot
of rice paddies here but we do have aquatic grasses and
plants.) These snails are popular in aquariums because they
do not eat fish eggs or plants, they do not overpopulate
aquariums, and they close up if there is a water problem,
giving people an indication that something is wrong a few
weeks before the fish die.
How did these snails get here? It may be because
someone dumped their aquarium into the lake, which is how
some other aquatic invasive species (AIS) such as koi fish
have entered our lake. Or they may have been transported
by some unsuspecting boater, perhaps a kayaker who
launched from along 109. This is why it is so important to get
all boaters to Clean, Drain & Dry! their boats every time they
move from one water body to another.
The snails may live up to 5 years, with females
producing over 150 new snails in their lifetime. After the
young are born during June through October, the females
retreat to deeper water for the winter. So far, these snails
don’t seem to be a major problem in Lake Wentworth and, at
their present population levels, they don’t seem to compete
for food sources enough to cause problems for our native
species, but it is too early to tell the long-term effects. One
problem is that when they die, they are not pleasant to have
around so when you find them, throw them well away from
the water and where you won't smell them! ●
Page 4
Unfortunately, milfoil is alive and well, but
fortunately for us, our Weed Control group is doing its best
to keep in under control. In early May, Aqualogic, a
company specializing in aquatic invasive plant control,
surveyed Brewster & Tetherly Heaths and, using their
specially equipped Diver Assisted Suction Harvester
(DASH) boat, removed about 40 gallons of milfoil. Next
they surveyed Goodwin Basin which has previously been
chemically treated, and found a large amount of milfoil.
This area is connected to Crescent Lake by a large pipe
and so any milfoil there could easily re-infest Crescent. The
LWA Board voted at its June meeting to expend the
necessary funds to hire Aqualogics to tackle this milfoil
infestation. And, pull milfoil they did – some 2000 gallons
worth! The cost of all this work was about $7300. We're
grateful to the many LWA members who stepped up this
spring with an additional donation for this purpose.
While both the Heath and Goodwin Basin are now
basically milfoil-free, we know that the milfoil will be back.
We are fortunate to have our volunteer Dive Team (Tom
Ouhrabka, Kevin Donovan, Skip Oliver, John Lydeard &
Vince Reichheld with their surface tenders) who will now
try to keep it under control. They started up for the summer
season on June 28th and have worked the past two
Saturdays. They started clearing around Mast Landing and
then worked their way along the RR tracks toward Smith
River where they found a large 20x20 ft patch that
somehow eluded them last year. They worked along both
shores and got as far as the 1st red buoy as you come out
into Crescent from Smith River. Generally things seem to
be in reasonably good shape with mostly just individual
plants which have regenerated from the roots.
The Dive Team plans to continue working on
Saturdays throughout the summer starting at 11:00 from
Howie Hoyt's house (8 Zephyr Lane) on the left side as you
come into Crescent from Smith River. They welcome
surface helpers to protect them from other boaters and will
reward you with pizza and beer! ●
LWA/LWF Camp Dinner
The 4th annual camp dinner will be held on
Thursday, August 28 at Camp Bernadette beginning at
5:00. As in the past the dinner will feature an assortment of
hors d'oeuvres (including Wolfecatch shrimp), Mill Street
steak tips and chicken, tossed green and potato salads,
rolls & butter....and Bailey's make-your-own sundaes! Soft
drinks and water will be provided. BYOB if you wish.
Reservations may be made up until Aug. 21. Food
prices have gone up so we have had to increase the price.
The cost is $28/person through Aug. 16 and $33/person
from Aug. 17-21. Please send a check, made out to the
LWA, and mail to LWA, PO Box 834, Wolfeboro Falls, NH
03896 - or bring your check to the Aug. 9 LWA Annual
Meeting or the Aug. 16 LWF Annual Meeting.
Any questions, contact Susan Goodwin at 5692935 or sgwolfe66@gmail.com. ●
Comments/Suggestions: Contact Susan Goodwin at
sgwolfe66@gmail.com or 569-2935. Next issue: August.