Get Involved
You can help protect the Lake and the waters that sustain it by adopting some common sense practices at home and play, and by getting directly involved.
Caring for the watershed is the responsibility of everyone who lives, works, or plays here. Monitoring for changes, wisely stewarding the land, outreach and education, enacting public policy, are all activities that will result in keeping Lake Winnipesaukee a “beautiful water in a high place” (one of the Native American definitions of Winnipiseogee) for many generations to come.
What can you do?
From water quality monitoring to installing a rain garden on your property, there are many ways in which your actions can have a positive impact on the health of the lake and watershed. Here are some starting points:
FINANCIAL SUPPORT
This initial plan and website were funded primarily through limited grant dollars. Continued outreach, educational initiatives, implementation of Best Management Practices (BMPs), water quality monitoring, expansion and development of subwatershed management plans throughout the watershed, and the continued development of this website will require extensive funding. We need your support and ask that you consider making a donation to the Lake Winnipesaukee Watershed Association to continue the work begun here.
MONITORING
- “Adopt Winni – Be a Bay Watcher!” Both financial support and volunteers are needed to conduct water quality monitoring on the lake and streams. Contact the Lake Winnipesaukee Watershed Association for more information.
- Be a Weed Watcher! – The New Hampshire Dept. of Environmental Services will train volunteers to be on the look out for invasive plants. Email Amy Smagula, NH DES if interested in finding out more about the program.
- Participate in the Lake Host Program! The Lake Host™ Program is a courtesy boat inspection program implemented by NH LAKES in cooperation with local participating groups to prevent the introduction and spread of exotic aquatic plants, like variable milfoil, from lake to lake. Each spring NH LAKES offers the Lake Host Payroll Grant program to local groups. Visit NH LAKES for more information or contact lakehost@nhlakes.org
STEWARDSHIP (Keep Winni Clean)
On the Water
- “Put a sock in it!” If you are a boater, please consider using a bilge sock in your bilge compartment. These socks are designed to absorb excess oil and gas that may leak from your engine, helping to keep the lake water clean.
- Use Pumpout Stations! It is illegal to discharge raw sewage and gray water (shower and sink waste) from a boat into New Hampshire inland waters. Please know and use the facilities located on the lake.
- Don’t wash your boat in the lake! Many boaters seem to be unaware that it is illegal to wash their boats on the water. It is illegal to discharge any wash water to surface or groundwater without proper permits. Boaters should only wash their boats at designated wash areas.
On the Land
- “Infiltrate, Infiltrate, Infiltrate!” Manage your stormwater in a manner that eliminates runoff to streams and the lake. Disconnect gutters from impervious surfaces or direct them to a rain barrel. Install rain barrels and rain gardens, wash cars on the lawn or grassy areas instead of driveways, sweep up sand instead of hosing it down the driveway into the road. Keep rainwater and runoff on your property to stop your “P” from reaching the lake.
- “Don’t P in the Lake!” Overuse and misapplication of fertilizers in lawn care pollute the water and affect fish and wildlife habitat in our lakes. Test your soil before applying fertilizer, and only use phosphorus free fertilizers on your lawn. The Town of Meredith and Lake Waukewan Association have produced some pamphlets on the use of phosphorus and pesticides in lawn care.
- Maintain and inspect your septic system The Granite State Designers & Installers Association has developed a septic system recordkeeping and owner’s guide which provides valuable information on the proper care and maintenance of your onsite wastewater treatment system.
Visit the Lake Winnipesaukee Watershed Association website for a 12 month calendar of ideas for Keeping the Lake Clean.