Moultonborough Conservation Commission

12/10/2024

Too many areas of Moultonborough's shorelines look like the first picture by February. Please help lock in the ice to improve safety and water quality.

Winni hasn’t iced over yet, but now is the perfect time to plan for lake-friendly dock de-icing practices! ❄

Dock de-icers, like aerators or bubblers, can harm the lake if not used properly. They may alter water temperature, stir up sediments, and release nutrients that fuel algae and cyanobacteria blooms. Overusing de-icers can also damage your dock by allowing ice floes to gain momentum in windy conditions.

Here are some lake-smart tips for dock de-icing:

🧊 Keep it small: Use the smallest size necessary to maintain an ice-free area.
🧊 Focus locally: Position the device to create a narrow open-water zone around your dock. Bubblers work best for this purpose.
🧊 Mind the angle: Point circulators straight down rather than at an angle, to avoid dangerously thin ice forming farther out into the lake.
🧊 Limit run time: Run the de-icer for just 2–4 hours a day to minimize its impact.

08/29/2023

Conservation Commission members Max Hoene and Marie Samaha stand next to the new signs for the Berry Pond Trail.

03/18/2022

The spring snow melt brings a lot of water into our lakes and ponds because the ground is still frozen and water is not sinking in.
Any delay in the runoff reaching lakes and ponds, helps reduce nutrient loading that leads to reduced water quality.

Here's an example of an easy DYI project that diverts water running down a dirt driveway into the woods, where it will move more slowly. A small angled trough is scratched across the driveway with a shovel or pick-ax. As a side benefit, your driveway will dry out faster.

11/06/2021

09/16/2021

NH LAKES next webinar, "Shoreline Tree and Vegetation Management Rules for Waterfront Properties" is on Wednesday, October 6, 7:00 – 8:00 p.m.
Do you live along a lake, pond, or river? The Shoreland Water Quality Protection Act was established to protect these natural resources and to oversee the management of shoreline properties. If you are considering re-designing or adding any additional landscape features to your waterfront property, this webinar is for you! Tune in to hear from John Stephens, owner of Stephens Landscaping Professionals and NH LAKES LakeSmart Service Provider Partner, to help you maneuver through local and state regulations—it’s not too early to plan for your spring landscaping project and get the permits you will need.
Presented by John Stephens, Owner of Stephens Landscaping Professionals.
Our webinars are free but registration is required! Register here:

We are offering monthly webinars through the end of 2021! Explore our lakes through the seasons from the comfort of your own home! These webinars are FREE but pre-registration is required.

09/03/2021

The Moultonborough Falls Conservation Area sign is in place in the MFCA parking area. Thanks to Bill Gassman for designing and putting up the sign.

10/17/2020

From the Lake Winnipesaukee Association.


The Lake Winnipesaukee Association has completed its Watershed Management Plan for the Moultonborough Bay and Winter Harbor subwatersheds has been completed. The executive summary is at http://winnipesaukeegateway.org/lake-management/plan-4-moultonborough-bay-and-winter-harbor-wmp/introduction/

Based on modeling and field surveying presented in the plan, both Moultonborough Bay and Winter Harbor are at risk for continued water quality degradation from future development under current zoning. The combined effects of increased development and climate change will likely continue to exacerbate the prevalence of potentially-toxic cyanobacteria in these waterbodies.

Lake Winnipesaukee is a 44,586-acre lake located in central New Hampshire (NH), with a 215,133-acre watershed area that includes the 29,870-acre Moultonborough Bay watershed and the 5,095-acre Winter Harbor watershed. The lake and its embayments are currently listed on the NHDES 303(d) List of Impai...

04/17/2020

Have you seen the vernal pools this spring? From WikiPedia: Vernal pools are seasonal pools of water that provide habitat for distinctive plants and animals. They are considered to be a distinctive type of wetland usually devoid of fish, and thus allow the safe development of natal amphibian and insect species unable to withstand competition or predation by fish.

Moultonborough has many vernal (or spring time) pools, but they are uncounted in the natural resource inventory. If you have vernal pools on your property, please protect them. They support the diversity our our ecology.

11/24/2019

Moultonborough Falls Conservation Area is shaping up to be a nice area for a stroll along Lees Pond and the Red Hill River.

07/25/2019

Another day of shoreline surveying with the Lake Winnipesaukee Association. In the areas we surveyed, most people are taking care of their shoreline buffers. The biggest threats are sheeting surfaces like grass or sand and suspiciously green lawns. Erosion is a problem on some lots. Here are a few examples of shoreline erosion.