Summer is here and we are ready to usher in another active season on Highland Lake. The Highland Lake Protective Association (HLPA) invites you to join us for festivities around the lake. Participating is a good way to show your support for keeping Highland Lake a clean, safe, and healthy place to live and play, and to get to know your neighbors.
The HLPA’s main responsibilities include running a volunteer water monitoring program to closely follow the quality of our lake water, supporting the loon population, and encouraging the monitoring of invasive weeds by lake users. We also provide lakeside services such as the Porta Potty by the boat launch/fire station and the trash cans by the ramp. All proceeds from any fundraising efforts help defray these costs, and we appreciate the support we receive.
Started in the 1970’s, the HLPA now has a current membership of around 100, which is a mix of year-round and summer Andover-area residents. With the costs of water testing and other expenses increasing, growing our membership to offset these costs is always important. Something to keep in mind is that the watershed impacting Highland Lake goes far beyond the immediate shoreline, so residents far from the lake might consider joining the HLPA, as well, to help continue to spread sensible local ecosystem management practices.
Events
A new event to attend is this year an “illustrated loon talk” presented by naturalist Kitty Wilson from Pleasant Lake. It will be at the East Andover Grange Hall on June 19 at 7 PM. The Andover Conservation Commission is sponsoring the event in conjunction with the Bradley Lake Protective Association and the HLPA, and it should be both interesting and informative.
The HLPA hosts a few events each summer around the Fourth of July to celebrate our great nation’s founding. This year the fourth falls on a Thursday, which will enable many people to enjoy a long weekend. Activities start with the lighting of the flares around the edge of the lake on Wednesday July 3 at 9 PM. New this year, you will have the option of ordering solar-powered lights instead of the traditional flares.
We’ll lead our whimsical boat parade around the lake on the fourth at 4 PM, when all boats large and small are invited to get decorated and join the procession around the lake, making sure to pass by the “judging stand” in front of the public beach. Like in past years, the best decorated boat wins a $50 prize!
Our annual “ice cream social” at the East Andover Fire Department follows on Saturday, July 6 at 7 PM. It is one of our key fundraising events, and is only $4 per person for a large, delicious sundae made with mouth-watering, locally-produced ice cream, so come on by!
The HLPA’s annual meeting will be held on Saturday, July 20 in the East Andover Fire Station at 10 AM. This year our guest speaker will be Sara Steiner, the Volunteer Lake Assessment Program (VLAP) Coordinator from the New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services (NHDES). Sara will be discussing the history and benefits of the state-wide volunteer water assessment program, and the economic benefits of protecting healthy watersheds. The following link takes you to an Environmental Protection Agency fact sheet filled with information: water.epa.gov/polwaste/nps/watershed/upload/economic_benefits_factsheet2.pdf. We hope you can join us for what will be a very informative talk.
We hope you will join us in celebrating the summer on Highland Lake!
Water Quality
VLAP Program volunteer Earle Davis will once again perform the monthly lake testing for monitoring the lake quality. He will continue the regular sampling throughout the summer as part of the state’s Volunteer Lake Assessment. Samples are collected at many points around the lake and brought to the NHDES labs. The samples are run through a variety of tests that indicate how healthy the lake is.
Our testing has shown that while they have been holding somewhat steady, we always have to be careful about rising phosphorus levels. High phosphorous levels can cause blooms of cyan bacteria, which can be fatal to pets and livestock if ingested. One of the most common sources of phosphorus is erosion from the shore around the lake. We’re hoping that everyone will do their part to protect the lake. As a reminder, here’s a list (taken from the NHDES web site) of things that you can do to help limit the amount of phosphorous going into the lake:
Maintain your septic system properly. Pump out your septic tank every 3-5 years, or whenever the sludge level exceeds one-third of the tank capacity. Be sure your system is designed to handle the load it receives. A leach field should be increased in size whenever the frequency (seasonal to year-round) or volume (additional people, washing machines, etc.) of use increases. Check your leach field for soft or wet areas or septic smells.
Do not bathe, shampoo, or wash boats, pets, or other objects in the lake with soap or phosphorus-containing detergents. Do not wash automobiles near lakes where the detergent can run into the water.
Keep land-clearing to a minimum. Maintain a buffer zone of natural vegetation along the shore to contain erosion. Roads and paths leading to the lake should be curved to reduce erosion. Tree cutting must be approved by the NHDES, per recently enacted laws, for a margin of 250 feet from the lake shore.
Do not use fertilizer near the lake shore (or only non-phosphorus fertilizers).
Do not burn brush or leaves near the shore; the nutrients remain behind to be washed into the lake during the first rain. Do not dump leaves or grass clippings in or near the lake. They also add nutrients to the water.