Hello Everyone,
This past weekend was picture perfect summer weather!! Maybe we can say summer has arrived!
I hope you all have received the WLA Spring newsletter and have enjoyed reading it. Thank you to those who have already sent in their dues for this year. Special thanks to those who added an extra donation to their WLA dues. Don’t forget to send in your forms with updated information for phone numbers and addresses. If you have a neighbor or friend who is not yet a member of the WLA, please let me know and I will send them a newsletter and membership form. We all love our lake and the more informed residents we have, the better chance we have of keeping our lake healthy. I hope you have marked your calendar to attend the WLA sponsored events this summer, Breakfast on the Beach, Boat Parade, Weed Watcher Program, Yard Sale, Annual Meeting and Ice Cream Social/Food Drive. At the Annual Meeting on Aug 3rd, I have invited Andrea LaMoreaux, from NH Lakes, to speak about a new program they are launching called LakeSmart. This program gives lake homeowners tools and information on lake-friendly living. Our Little Free Libraries are now stocked with books. Stop by and take a book or leave a book at the Steadman Pavilion at Griffin Beach, 75 Webster Ave or at our newest location, 30 Lake Shore Drive.
Peggy Cain, one of our lake loon spotters, has informed me that we have a nesting loon on the lake. We hope to have a successful hatching of a chick in early July. Peggy shared a photo, that was taken with a telephoto lens quite a distance from the nest, and I have included it in this email. It is very exciting news. We need to all be very cautious in the area of the nesting loon and once the chick has hatched, we need to be very mindful of these beautiful beings as they nurture the chick. For more information on loons, see the link that has been added to our WLA website or go to Loon Preservation Committee Peggy and Bill Cain have also generously offered to donate 3 loon tote bags that will be raffled off as a fundraiser for the WLA. Tickets will be available at the Breakfast on the Beach, the Yard Sale and the Annual Meeting. The winning ticket will be drawn at the Annual Meeting. The attached photo of the nesting loon is what is being put on the tote bags.
Our Lake Hosts have been on duty at the Lagace Beach Boat Launch since Memorial Day Weekend. We have 3 Lake Hosts who will be sharing duty on weekends until Labor Day. This is a very valuable program in keeping invasive species from entering our lake. If you see them at the boat launch, thank them for being here and helping to educate boaters about keeping Webster Lake healthy. The beaches will also be tested weekly for Ecoli bacteria and the lake is tested once each month in June, July and August to monitor phosphorus, clarity and conductivity. All these components tell us how healthy the lake is. Cyanobacteria blooms can occur when too much phosphorus is present. Please be mindful of factors that lead to nutrient loading of the lake and let us know if you see anything that looks unusual to you in the water. Also please clean up after your dogs, when walking them around the lake.
Hopefully there are many more picture perfect summer days to come and it will be a great summer. Get out there and enjoy our beautiful lake. As always be safe too. I hope I can get to meet more of you.
Happy Summer,
Val