No Dogs at Boat Launch

[Bear Islander]

Originally Posted by Gavia immer

... EVERYTHING pooped ends up in the lake, but the lake can deal with most of the natural variety poop, as it has for centuries...

NO, IT CAN'T!

This is the attitude that causes pollution. Centuries ago 1 in 3 children died before puberty, mostly of illness. A large percentage of these deaths were caused by coliform and parasites in their drinking water. As a society we spend billions every year to keep excrement out of our drinking water.

But then some idiot lets junior in the lake with a diaper full, or decides the lake will take care of what Fido left behind.

Forget about the big chemical companies, the polluters are in your mirror. One of the things about Winnipesaukee that is not beautiful is its bacteria count.

[LilacHill]

OK having been gone most of the week with a dog having surgery I come back to a LOT of misinformation on this thread.

FYI Hazelnut that link was part of a cut and pasted forum signature from elsewhere and had been the SAME since 2004. You're just now getting around to picking at something else because the arguments you all were using about private property versus public held no water?

Jersey Girl thank you for emailing P&R. I was off the computer until today and not around so I couldn't go down to the town hall nor email anyone.

As to the "website selling things". Give me a break. How many people here would buy things with pictures of MY dogs on them in a shop set up for me and my kids to get things from? Not many I'd warrant. So the comments of doing my business no good, I have to ask, WHAT business? There is no business. Again that link had been there since 2004 here it is 2007 and you needed something else to gripe at.

As to the pit bull comments, very funny. Likree I haven't heard it all before. Or were you one of the people spitting on my dog from their car as we took a walk on Avery Hill the other day? If so, thatnks a bunch. You're more of a threat than they are apparently.

I used to send people here a lot to keep up with what's going on in town and around the lake. I'm not doing that again. Hope you have a wonderful time being nasty to the next person.

[hazelnut]

Well this is a discussion I regret getting into. Originally my post was a positive suggestion that met with no response. Me second post was an observation that you had made a comment that seemed to go against your point. Nothing nasty or derogatory. I encourage you and anyone else to reread the entire thread. As soon as I pointed that out you proceeded to demean my argument. No problem I tried in vain to explain the point to you and it fell on deaf ears.

I will say my last comment was not really directed towards you but at ONTHEBAY who stuck their nose in on the tail end of a discussion with misinformation. I will take the high road and apologize to you Lilachill I am very sorry if I have offended you. My intention was originally to try and offer a differing viewpoint and possible suggestions to a problem that we now know does not exist. I am sure you are a very nice person and had no intention of causing and disruption. One inherent problem with public discussion forums/email/online communication is the lack of inflection present in conversation. Often times we read things with a different "voice" in our heads which can lead to misinterpretation and misunderstandings. When I made a comment regarding your comment about the dogs off lead at downings I meant no disrespect to you I was merely trying to illustrate a point that some feel threatened by unleashed dogs or even leashed dogs in public places. Anyway, things seemed to escalate from there and conspiracy theories arose, others got involved etc. etc. Well it became a mess.

The funny thing here is I am PRO-DOG. Love dogs would probably gush over your dogs and love to play, pat, throw the ball for them. I hope that you change your mind about directing others to this site. There is a lot of great information to be had here. I believe the Webmaster here does an excellent job with the site. Please continue to post and read the forum and do not let one little debate ruin it for you. Once again I am sorry if for any comments that you felt offended by. I truly hope that your dogs find the perfect swimming hole and it looks like from the info posted here that the public boat launch is fair game!

[onthebay]

Hazelnut although I was not a participant in the thread I had been reading the posts throughout as I do most of the forum discussions. Although I did not weigh in on the topic of whether dogs should swim at the the ramp. (I haven't had a dog in years and do not use the Alton ramp) I did weigh in on the assertion put forth by some participants that LilacHill had started the thread with the express purpose of advertising her business.
I didn't direct my comments to anyone in particular but as they say 'me thinks you doth protest too much"

[ApS]

Originally Posted by Bear Islander

"...A large percentage of these deaths were caused by coliform and parasites in their drinking water. As a society we spend billions every year to keep excrement out of our drinking water...

We spend billions to chlorinate our drinking water—something that was unnecessary some thirty-plus years ago for Lake Winnipesaukee when it was a "Class A" water supply. Chlorine adds its own problems to our drinking water—namely trihalomethanes—carcinogens. "Treated" sewage only delays the resurgence of bacteria.

We can only hope that individual septic systems will keep a high bacteria count from the lake. Other solutions haven't worked out so well—with Gilford's several spills into the lake, Alton's big spill, and Wolfeboro's looming spill into Back Bay. (And Mirror Lake).

Originally Posted by Bear Islander

"...But then some idiot lets junior in the lake with a diaper full, or decides the lake will take care of what Fido left behind...

Were beaches monitored 30-40 years ago? Diapers are only closing the beaches in recent years.

I'm reminded that in 1938 the United States only had one hurricane! (We didn't know of any other hurricanes because we weren't monitoring them—or naming them—as we do today.)

Tamworth's pristine shores were closed last summer, but it wasn't because dogs had overrun the beaches!

Originally Posted by Bear Islander

"...Forget about the big chemical companies, the polluters are in your mirror. One of the things about Winnipesaukee that is not beautiful is its bacteria count....

The polluters are in your mirror—true enough—but "pollution" itself is multi-sourced.