Volume XIX ~ October 2019

Lake Sunapee Protective Association

A Flash Of The Beacon Welcome to A Flash of the Beacon! A quick look at what's happening here in the harbor, what's going on outside in nature, and highlights from last month.

Outside Observations ~ Autumn is lake turn over time! As our days and nights cool so does the temperature of the upper layer on our area lakes. As the surface water is cooled by the autumn air temperature the cooler water sinks below the warmer bottom layer because the cool water is heavier than the warm water. In this way the warmer lake water makes its way to the surface to gather oxygen. This mixing of the layers each spring and fall is essential… for without it the bottom layer would become depleted of its life-giving oxygen which is critical for supporting the abundant aquatic life in our lakes.  Autumn is also a time that offers a wide range of animal activity from migratory birds shipping out, to bears keenly focused on eating everything they can find in order to store up enough fat for the next five months, to notably high beaver activity as they make their necessary winter preparations. Here in our beautiful Lake Sunapee region the trees are turning their brilliant shades of red, yellow and orange, with the white ash tree throwing their reddish-purple leaves into the mix. It is a glorious time to be outside and marvel at all the amazing colors and the beauty that surrounds us! Delight in it all and truly enjoy the glory that October brings! To read more about what’s going during this time of year check out https://northernwoodlands.org

Harbor Happenings ~

NH Lakes CD3 Unit in Sunapee We are excited to announce the CD3 unit from NH LAKES has come to Lake Sunapee! Come see how it works and test it out on your boat between now and this Thursday (10/3) at the boat ramp in Sunapee State Park. See the link below to learn more about this waterless watercraft cleaning unit. https://nhlakes.org/cd3/

"Out and About" PreSchool Program! Join us on Tuesday mornings in October on the 1st in Sunapee Harbor No program on the 8th! October 15th and 22nd in Sunapee Harbor and October 29th at The Fells all at 10:00 am . "Out and About" is a weekly educational program designed for pre-school age children and their caregivers, with exploration at two different locations every month. Come to one session or all - each month's programs are organized around an ecological theme and each one is unique. All programs are filled with hands on learning through sensory experiences, guided exploration, creative play, art, and music.  Come join the fun! Stay tuned for the rest of the fall schedule.

As the colorful leaves fall from the trees, please be alert to where your leaves end up! Leaves that end up in our waterbodies rot and during that process use up oxygen. When too many leaves get blown into a lake or stream they deplete the oxygen levels that is so vital to the many aquatic animals that live there. Leaves that get dumped into the edges of lakes, ponds and streams can also change the bottom consistency and the water's chemical balance.

The LSPA buoy will be brought into the harbor to its winter resting place by the end of October.

Highlights ~

LSPA staff, Geoff Lizotte, Teriko MacConnell, Susie Burbidge, and Sue Godin spent one day last week doing seasonal maintenance on the water quality buoy and collecting the final plankton and deep water samples of 2019 from Lake Sunapee.

The  2019 Full Moon Cruise  was a cool but beautiful evening with the full moon rising at the very end of the cruise and putting on a show by peeking out from behind a line of clouds. A sold out crowd enjoyed good food, good company and full moon trivia. A big thank you goes out to Captain Kara Obey and the Fentons for supporting LSPA! Proceeds from this event support LSPA's educational programs. Thanks to all who attended!

Outreach and Educational Moments ~

Students here are learning about the key role a bog plays within a watershed.

Preschoolers hone their observational skills on an early morning nature walk.

School is in full swing and the education staff has been busy visiting with teachers, planning visits, going to environmental camp for a day with 5th graders, and working with area libraries for fall programs. We also had a visit from Wells School who ventured out on the lake to learn about water quality testing. Next week approximately 300 5th graders will come together at Mount Sunapee for  Watershed Discovery Day , where they will spend the day learning about watersheds and delving in to answer these 5 essential questions: How does water connect all earth systems? How does water quality directly affect plant and animal life? What are effective ways to improve water quality? What are the food web connections between aquatic and no-aquatic habitats? How do human actions and natural changes impact the balance of water systems?  Watershed Discovery Day is hosted by LSPA, Mount Sunapee Resort and the Grant McKenzie Memorial Fund.

Did You Know ... Lake Sunapee's elevation is 1093.15' which ranks it 6th highest in the state?!   (For some lakes, "Highest Altitude/Elevation" is unknown or does not apply.)

Snapshots of and around Lake Sunapee ~

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Lake Sunapee Protective Association 63 Main Street Sunapee, NH 03782

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