First Cyanobacteria Warnings of 2024 Issued for Lake Winnipesaukee

[imyourhuckleberry]

Then we can't have nice things.

If people can't act responsibly then they cant have access to the stuff thats causing the issue.

I read the law and its pretty soft. Eg, there's exceptions for people "growing new lawns" which allows stores to stock high phosphorus fertilizers. Leaving it up to the discretion of homeowners never actually works.

Time to update that law huh?

[John Mercier]

10-10-10 is pretty common for a farm... but not really made for turf grass. Starter for Turf Grass is usually x-x-4, so a lot less phosphorous than what we would use for farming.

So not sure how they could update the law to make it more effective.

Slow release can help... in that the turf grass has more time to absorb it... but a soil sample before application would go a long way. Which should be what the professionals are doing; just guessing that they start most lawns.

[rodgcsa]

Do people really think Geese are a major cause of this?? Really think about it.

[Biggd]

Originally Posted by rodgcsa

Do people really think Geese are a major cause of this?? Really think about it.

They are one of many!

[sunfishman]

The geese contribute to the problem. The question is why do people tolerate the mess from the geese. If the mess was from the dogs, would it be tolerated.
For some reason, people don't mind stepping in goose poo.

[Biggd]

Originally Posted by sunfishman

The geese contribute to the problem. The question is why do people tolerate the mess from the geese. If the mess was from the dogs, would it be tolerated.
For some reason, people don't mind stepping in goose poo.

Dogs are pets, and their owner is responsible to pick up their mess. Geese are not pets so who is responsible to pick up their mess?
We tolerate it because we don't want to pick it up. Maybe you should volunteer.

[sunfishman]

The solution is not volunteers picking up after a never ending overpopulation of geese. They need to be 'thinned out'. Once they became a federally protected species their population exploded. Why do we have hunting seasons on everything else, but not the geese?

[SAB1]

Geese are migratory waterfowl birds and under control of the federal government. They are hunted.

[tis]

Originally Posted by sunfishman

The solution is not volunteers picking up after a never ending overpopulation of geese. They need to be 'thinned out'. Once they became a federally protected species their population exploded. Why do we have hunting seasons on everything else, but not the geese?

I agree. In Paugus Bay one group had 17 babies a week ago or so with another group across the bay. I can't imagine the s--- that was coming out of them.

[fatlazyless]

This June 21, 2024 New Hampshire news report from In Depth NH ..... Lake Winnipesaukee's Under Siege By Cyanobacteria ..... includes a link to the NH-DES to report any new cyanobacteria blooms in N.H. water bodies.

https://indepthnh.org/2024/06/21/lak...cyanobacteria/

It also has a link to this here thread.

Yesterday was the very first calendar day of the summer and hopefully all the cyanobacteria blooms reported in Tuftonboro, Wolfeboro, The Broads, Governor's Island, Meredith, and Center Harbor will dry up and disappear, quickly.

Time will tell what's happening with the green/blue cyanobacteria blooms? I was swimming in Meredith and the water seemed less clear than usual, and more difficult to see the rocky lake bottom. The water was obscured with less visibility but there was no green/blue growth on the water surface? With water temp at 68 and air temp a sunny humid 92-degrees, it was a happening swim in the lake.

Swimming the lake is different from swimming a pool, and wearing a swim flotation belt is a good suggestion for swimming the deep water with the waves, wind, and wakes.

[Biggd]

Originally Posted by sunfishman

The solution is not volunteers picking up after a never ending overpopulation of geese. They need to be 'thinned out'. Once they became a federally protected species their population exploded. Why do we have hunting seasons on everything else, but not the geese?

I agree, but they are protected. Maybe we should deport them back to Canada.

[Lake Fan]

Originally Posted by Biggd

I agree, but they are protected. Maybe we should deport them back to Canada.

10 years ago or so, you didn't see geese on the lake. Now they are a scourge.

Maybe they've been protected enough?

[John Mercier]

They aren't protected from hunting.
You simply purchase a Duck Stamp.

We can't hunt with a shotgun in the areas that they congregate.
That is a landowner problem... not a policy problem.

[Lake Fan]

I never said they couldn't be hunted. Daily bag limit of 2 could be tripled and we'd still have too many of that invasive species. That, and we need more hunters.

[John Mercier]

You mean for Canadian Geese in the second session?
First session is five, and Snow is 25

Most of the watershed in our area is closed... and other restrictions exist.

The federal law is from 1918... so the law is not the problem.
It is the changes we make to the land that causes the problem.

No geese at Middleton Meredith until the town required the large greenspace in the back... now it is a hangout... but can't be hunted.

[Susie Cougar]

Has anyone thought of habitat modification. If we take these open expanses of green grass, which attract the geese, and replace them with different plantings that are not attractive to the geese, like trees and bushes of varying heights, then they have no reason to go there and will learn to go somewhere else.

[Descant]

Originally Posted by Susie Cougar

Has anyone thought of habitat modification. If we take these open expanses of green grass, which attract the geese, and replace them with different plantings that are not attractive to the geese, like trees and bushes of varying heights, then they have no reason to go there and will learn to go somewhere else.

Exactly. Years ago we had flocks of sea gulls on the lake. The Witches were a favorite spot. So much guano the rocks looked like they had been painted white. After the dumps ("sanitary landfills") were closed, the sea gulls went away.

NH DES already has guide lines for shore front plantings in the Shoreland Water Quality Protection Act, but "existing" landscape can be maintained, so there is no incentive to rip out your lawn and do other plantings.

NHLAKES has a program called "Lake Smart" to give guidance on shore front landscaping and will certify your place as "Lake Smart" if you qualify.

[Mr. V]

There's A LOT of money on the lake, and more seems to be pouring in.

It would be great to use a chunk of it to build sewers surrounding the big water and require ALL to hook up.

Prohibit the use of fertilizer on or near the lake.

Feature "locally-sourced goose" on the menu of local restaurants.

[Susie Cougar]

Originally Posted by rodgcsa

Do people really think Geese are a major cause of this?? Really think about it.

Four adult Canada geese produce as much phosphorus as a septic system!

[Rosemarie Rung]

The June onset of cyanobacteria blooms in NH lakes has been a wake-up call for many about the fragile health of lakes. The main culprit is warming water temperature that has been trending up for many years (see ice-out history). This will continue as climate change worsens, but there are things in our control that can be done. First, reduce phosphorus to lessen the role of warmer water temperature in triggering blooms. It's not just from fertilizer but septic systems that run off into the water (must be inspected to know for sure), stormwater runoff from impervious surfaces (go out when it's raining and see where water goes, it needs to soak in where it falls or close to it), animal waste (don't feed the ducks or let animal defecate near water), and erosion (don't create boat wakes in shallow water which pulls out aquatic plants needed to take up phosphorus and add oxygen to water. Deep wakes can disrupt phosphorus-rich sediment which add phosphorus to water). In addition to reducing phosphorus, add vegetation near the shoreline to prevent run-off and take up phosphorus, maintain trees and bushes at shoreline to shade and cool the water, don't disrupt aquatic plants, have septic systems evaluated. A study done in 2014 for areas of LW identifies needed action: https://winnipesaukeegateway.org/lak.../introduction/
Finally, become educated and educate others on what a bloom looks like. You cannot rely on DES to stay up to date as not all blooms are reported and tested and they drift. Don't go into water during or just after a bloom as toxins take time to degrade. The cyanotoxin, BMAA is linked to ALS, even breathing droplets from a distance away, so the threat is not just water contact. See this presentation for more on that research: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dfDtMqnBjvk&t=1452s The folks at DES are great, but they are short-staffed and underfunded. NH LAKES is a great resource, too, on proactive measures.

[barefootbay]

Originally Posted by rodgcsa

Do people really think Geese are a major cause of this?? Really think about it.

Contributing cause. Their numbers have dramatically increased !

[tis]

At least all warnings have been removed.

[chasedawg]

I find it interesting all the causes of the bloom that have been reported. I agree with them all. Even the NH State fish Harvesting that has been going on for decades. But for us from what we have experienced over the last several years is the change in water temperature with all the other causes.

For example, this recent bloom. When the bloom was first reported in 19 mile bay the water temp was 80. Out beyond in inside our break wall the temp was 74 degrees. During the Dome Heat Wave our temp increased by 4 degrees. Then the rains came and the temp dropped back to 74 degrees off our beach on Chases Island. Today I cruised 19 mile bay area and the water temp is 78 degrees and now the bloom alert has been lifted.

We have not seen any evidence of the Cyanobacteria yet this year. Last year when the water temp reached 82 we could look down in the water column and could see yellow specks in the water. Then after a few days of rain and it was all gone not to be seen again.

Then this year and many several years before hand the broads use to freeze over and i remember even a few years ago fishing derby's were called off due to poor ice conditions. It really didn't freeze over like in past years. Forty year and even twenty years ago we use to drive out to Chases Island in our truck with windows down and wearing PFD's and seat belts undone. It was my wife's truck and she was driving. At that time the ice would easily be 36" to 40". Those days are long gone.

What could make that much difference? Someone said the weather is changing.... Really.... ?

[Lake Fan]

Okay, everybody can get back into the pool.

[chasedawg]

I find it interesting all the causes of the bloom that have been reported. I agree with them all. Even the NH State fish Harvesting that has been going on for decades. But for us from what we have experienced over the last several years is the change in water temperature with all the other causes.

For example, this recent bloom. When the bloom was first reported in 19 mile bay the water temp was 80. Out beyond in inside our break wall the temp was 74 degrees. During the Dome Heat Wave our temp increased by 4 degrees. Then the rains came and the temp dropped back to 74 degrees off our beach on Chases Island. Today I cruised 19 mile bay area and the water temp is 78 degrees and now the bloom alert has been lifted.

We have not seen any evidence of the Cyanobacteria yet this year. Last year when the water temp reached 82 we could look down in the water column and could see yellow specks in the water. Then after a few days of rain and it was all gone not to be seen again.

Then this year and many several years before hand the broads use to freeze over and i remember even a few years ago fishing derby's were called off due to poor ice conditions. It really didn't freeze over like in past years. Forty year and even twenty years ago we use to drive out to Chases Island in our truck with windows down and wearing PFD's and seat belts undone. It was my wife's truck and she was driving. At that time the ice would easily be 36" to 40". Those days are long gone.

What could make that much difference in 40 years? Prety strong evidence that our weather has changed significantly causing issues we have never seen before.

[Biggd]

Originally Posted by chasedawg

I find it interesting all the causes of the bloom that have been reported. I agree with them all. Even the NH State fish Harvesting that has been going on for decades. But for us from what we have experienced over the last several years is the change in water temperature with all the other causes.

For example, this recent bloom. When the bloom was first reported in 19 mile bay the water temp was 80. Out beyond in inside our break wall the temp was 74 degrees. During the Dome Heat Wave our temp increased by 4 degrees. Then the rains came and the temp dropped back to 74 degrees off our beach on Chases Island. Today I cruised 19 mile bay area and the water temp is 78 degrees and now the bloom alert has been lifted.

We have not seen any evidence of the Cyanobacteria yet this year. Last year when the water temp reached 82 we could look down in the water column and could see yellow specks in the water. Then after a few days of rain and it was all gone not to be seen again.

Then this year and many several years before hand the broads use to freeze over and i remember even a few years ago fishing derby's were called off due to poor ice conditions. It really didn't freeze over like in past years. Forty year and even twenty years ago we use to drive out to Chases Island in our truck with windows down and wearing PFD's and seat belts undone. It was my wife's truck and she was driving. At that time the ice would easily be 36" to 40". Those days are long gone.

What could make that much difference in 40 years? Prety strong evidence that our weather has changed significantly causing issues we have never seen before.

I've been coming to the lakes region for over 50 years. I've seen, first-hand, the temperature warming, not just here but all of New England. When I first started coming up snowmobiling, the lakes were always frozen and the snowstorms were light and fluffy powder. Now the storms are heavy wet snow and the lakes freeze later and thaw earlier. That is a fact, we can argue the causes forever, but it has happened!

[SAB1]

Originally Posted by Biggd

I've been coming to the lakes region for over 50 years. I've seen, first-hand, the temperature warming, not just here but all of New England. When I first started coming up snowmobiling, the lakes were always frozen and the snowstorms were light and fluffy powder. Now the storms are heavy wet snow and the lakes freeze later and thaw earlier. That is a fact, we can argue the causes forever, but it has happened!

Snowmobiling - what’s that lol!

[ishoot308]

Originally Posted by imyourhuckleberry

Then we can't have nice things.

If people can't act responsibly then they cant have access to the stuff thats causing the issue.

I read the law and its pretty soft. Eg, there's exceptions for people "growing new lawns" which allows stores to stock high phosphorus fertilizers. Leaving it up to the discretion of homeowners never actually works.

Time to update that law huh?

Since your in the business, you can probably confirm this but I heard that "guano" (Bat / seabird poop) is an excellent phosphorous free (or much lower in phosphorous) fertilizer that is completely safe to use around waterways and also works excellent. If so why isn't more of this being used??...is it a cost related issue??

Thanks!

Dan