OSSIPEE LAKE REPORT Volume 10, Issue 1 • January – March 2011

leavitt bay loons part of statewide gains in nesting success key dates: The following article is courtesy of the Loon Pres- loons, have combined to spell success or ervation Committee (www.loon.org). failure. Thus our fall loon report, like ESPN • Tuesday, March 8: Ossipee elections. FREEDOM — Like a good baseball season, commentary, provides the numerical results Town Hall, 10AM-7PM. each New Hampshire loon season produces - what was the score? - and the compelling its own organic collection of dramatic mo- narratives that defined the season - the loon • Tuesday, March 8: Effingham ments, record-breaking performances, and equivalent of Babe Ruth pointing to the stands or Buckner’s infamous error. elections. Town Hall, 11AM-7PM. underdogs who come out on top. Winning a World Series or fledging a loon One such story this year came from Leavitt Bay in Freedom where, at the start of the sea- • Tuesday, March 8: Freedom Town chick both require, in their own ways, an es- son, the loons were squarely in the under- Meeting (9AM) and elections (9AM- sential mix of heated endeavor, mad skills, teamwork, and blind luck. By the end of the dog position, after four years of failed nests. 7PM). Town Hall. season the stories and statistics attached to Their first try, in 2006, was flooded out. The each player and team, or each lake and its following season, it looked like a picnicker’s • Wednesday, March 9: Ossipee Town Continued on page 3 Meeting. Town Hall, 6:30PM.

• Saturday, March 12: Effingham Town Meeting. Elementary School, 9AM.

CONTACT US:

OSSIPEE LAKE ALLIANCE The boardwalk to the lake through wetlands at Constitution Park received new footings and other PO Box 173 improvements this year thanks to a grant obtained by the Town of Ossipee. Photo: Jean Hansen Freedom, NH 03836 people are gone, but not the frogs, fish [email protected] and turtles Phone: 914-588-3280 The following article is courtesy of the New of the world with a thick layer of ice for at Fax: 509-271-3838 Hampshire Lakes Association (www.nhlakes.org). least a couple of months. CONCORD — Winter is here and it’s pretty The aquatic organisms that weren’t able to OSSIPEE LAKE, THE BAYS, THE RIVERS quiet at the lake. The boats have been taken go south in search of warmer waters face AND CHANNELS, DANFORTH POND, LOON out and cottages and camps closed-up. the challenge of adjusting to water tem- LAKE AND ROUND POND The loons have gone to the ocean and the peratures low enough to freeze their homes ducks and geese have flown south. But, and declining levels of oxygen which could David Smith, Executive Director ever wonder how the frogs, turtles, and fish cause them to suffocate. Susan Marks, Development Director that stay behind are preparing to survive To deal with these adversities, frogs, turtles Board Members: Howard Bouve, Perry through the winter? and fish have adapted many unique strate- gies which allow them to survive. Fine, Barre Hellquist, Bob Reynolds, During a typical New Hampshire winter, Jean Hansen, Susan Marks, David Smith lakes and ponds are sealed off from the rest Continued on page 2 Page 2 Ossipee Lake Report

frogs, fish and turtles in winter

Continued from page 1 ing the winter and thaw in the spring without Frogs being harmed! As the air temperature drops throughout the Although, the activity level of these cold- fall, the body temperature of frogs (and other blooded aquatic animals drops during the amphibians and reptiles) drops as well, alert- winter, it typically does not stop entirely. ing them to head for their overwintering site. Instead of going into a constant state of inac- Some frogs overwinter by burrowing down tivity (commonly referred to as ‘hibernation’) in the thick layer of decomposed leaves along like some warm blooded animals, certain fish, the shoreline where their bodies may partially and many turtles and frogs go into a period of freeze. They don’t freeze completely, however, reduced activity called ‘brumation.’ thanks to a high amount of glycerol or glucose During a warm spell, like a January thaw, they that their bodies produce which acts like an- may get heated up enough to venture out of tifreeze. their winter home. Turtles The Biggest Winter Threat Most turtles burrow into the mud and become The biggest threat to the aquatic organisms inactive during the coldest winter months. that stay behind in New Hampshire each win- However, some turtles have an unusual ability ter is not the cold weather - it’s the loss of win- to survive very long periods of time without ter habitat. oxygen - in fact, their metabolism can continue uninterrupted without needing oxygen. Man-made alterations along the shoreline (such as retaining walls) can prevent frogs and These turtles enjoy their normal activities other amphibians and reptiles from reaching throughout the winter. Take a look under the their vital overwintering habitat on land. ice this winter and you might see a painted turtle or snapping turtle swim by! Unfortunately, the removal of natural vegeta- tion along the shoreline can eliminate over- Fish wintering habitat altogether. Ossipee lake report: Like other cold-blooded animals, fish adjust Also, water level draw-downs conducted too their body temperature to decreasing water quickly during the fall can strand organisms Writer & Editor: David Smith temperatures and can modify their metabo- out of the water before they are able to relo- lism to tolerate the cold. Design Services: Design Monsters cate to their overwintering site, causing them to perish. Printing: Minuteman Press Some fish are able to reduce the amount of fat in their bodies and, like frogs, produce an Draw-downs conducted too deeply can result antifreeze-like substance inside their bodies in ice reaching the lake bottom farther from Send mailing address changes to - trout, salmon, and yellow perch are particu- shore and to a deeper depth in the lake than in [email protected] or PO Box larly good at this. previous years, adversely impacting the am- 173, Freedom NH 03836. This allows them to remain active during the phibians and reptiles that spend the winter in winter, but their movements are slow. These the lake bottom. Ossipee Lake News delivers fish often migrate to the deepest part of the If you own property along a lake, one thing free up to the minute information waterbody where it is warmest. you can do to keep your lake healthy is to keep about the lake by e-mail, as Other fish, such as bass and sunfish, which or replant vegetation along the shoreline. events warrant. Sign up @ are unable to tolerate the cold water, spend By doing so, you will provide critical overwin- the winter in a resting state by burying them- www.ossipeelake.org/email. tering habitat for frogs and other amphibians selves in the mud and leaves at the edge of the and reptiles, and you’ll beautify your property waterbody. and reduce the amount of pollution that flows Amazingly, bullheads, and other members of into the lake. Need help figuring out what to the catfish family, can completely freeze dur- plant? Contact NH LAKES - we can help!

alliance memorial funds

FREEDOM — Ossipee Lake Alliance Memo- Contributions to these funds can be sent to P.O. rial Funds were established this year for Peter Box 173; Freedom NH 03836 with the name of Villari and Daniel Bouley. the fund clearly marked. The Alliance is a member of the In addition, the Alliance received In Memori- To establish a fund in the name of a loved one, New Hampshire Lakes Association am contributions for Benjamin Hull, Maureen contact Susan Marks at smmarks@ossipeelake. (www.nhlakes.org). E. Tobin and Terry Beesley. org or at (914) 588-3280. Ossipee Lake Report Page 3 leavitt loons successfully produce chicks

Continued from page 1 dog had sent them packing. And two years to borrow Tori’s slogan, at least for this sea- ago we actually found someone’s flip-flop in son, Leavitt was saved. A memorable success, the failed nest, with no sign of the flip-flop’s since it so clearly signals that the population mate or its owner, and no loons. is headed in the right direction with our help, reoccupying and succeeding at sites that had Determined to break the streak of bad luck, been deserted by loons, perhaps, for a half- intrepid field biologist Tori Kentner arrived at century or more. the island on July 3rd, 2009, armed with metal garden stakes and a kayak full of nest signs, The Numbers only to find huge boat wakes and a rising Nesting success at Leavitt was emblematic of lake level soaking the eggs in the nest as she an upward bounce in productivity this year watched, with the loons wailing nearby. Tori conceded defeat for the season at Leavitt but held out hope for the long run, and made the island nest her rallying cry, sort of a loon Alamo. At the bottom of the Leavitt page in her final data reports, an underlined and em- phatically punctuated “Save Leavitt!!!” hand- ed down this mandate to the 2010 crew. With recent history in mind, we were amazed last May to see the Leavitt pair persisting for a fifth year at the same spot, where the odds seemed so steep. Why hadn’t they thrown in the towel and looked for a better site? Leavitt Bay’s loon family, out for a spin under Once again, we floated a nest sign, made com- the lake’s watchful eyes. Photo: Joe Snow mon cause with local residents who could help watch the nest, and waited, without a lot of across the state. Drier weather meant fewer hope. But fortune smiled on this fifth try. flooded nests, and we saw 170 chicks hatched from close to 120 successful nesting territories, In late June we got a flurry of emails and calls a healthy 10% gain over last year. In addition that two chicks were hatched. This was the to better weather, there were fewer unpaired first successful nest here that anyone could re- adult loons, reducing the number of rogue in- member, and word traveled fast. trusions on some lakes. Within a few weeks I even heard from for- Leading the charge in this rebound were the mer LPC Director Jeff Fair in Palmer, Alaska, Seacoast, North Country, and Lake Umbagog whose correspondence from a New Hamp- regions, while Lakes Region and western New shire friend, a loon field biologist under Jeff Hampshire lakes saw slight gains. As usual, a “The loon hatch, of in the early 1980s, included a scribbled note scattering of normally productive pairs were course, was the end of in the margin: “Chicks hatched on Leavitt Bay off-kilter this year, at, for example, the Lakes where my family has a camp, first in 40 years!” Region’s Bearcamp Pond, Winnipesaukee’s one saga and the start Lake Community Pitches In Salmon Meadow Cove and Lake Winnisquam. The hatch, of course, was the end of one saga These empty nest sites were offset by terri- of another...as the and the start of another. As the two loon chicks tories where success was less expected, like and their parents threaded their way through Webster Lake in Franklin, Kanasatka Lake in parents threaded their summer weekend boat traffic on the Ossipee Center Harbor, Paugus Bay in Laconia, French bays, interested photographers and concerned Pond in the North Country, Orange Pond in way through summer fans kept a close watch. Andover, and little Iona Lake in Albany. weekend boat traffic.” David Smith and Susan Marks of the Os- These all joined Leavitt Bay as successful 2010 sipee Lake Alliance posted key information territories where loon chicks have rarely been and guidance for boaters online, and we soon fledged in recent decades, if not in recent found we could rely on their Facebook post- memory. ings and online forums to glean almost daily The Loon Preservation Committee is a non-profit reports on the status and well-being of the organization working to preserve loons and their chicks from a growing number of fans. habitats in New Hampshire through monitoring, By August, the success of the chicks was as- research, management and education. Visit them on sured. The loons had defied long odds, and the web at www.loon.org. Page 4 Ossipee Lake Report downy and hairy woodpeckers, familiar winter visitors at the feeder

Editor’s Note: The following article originally ap- plumage this season. She must have molted peared in the Conway Daily Sun and is reprinted just before the cold times set in. Even with- with the kind permission of the author. out the red nape patch the males of the species TAMWORTH — I often pause to look out the have, her ivory white vs. Coal black feathers window at my feeding station and observe the are remarkable. I like to witness her appear- hairy and downy woodpeckers--which always ance. accompany other birds frequenting feeders You might notice there is a gradation in the placed there. While the price of “meaties” and sizes of the larger hairy woodpeckers versus black oil sunflower the smaller downies, seeds can fluctuate, who seem more con- sometimes even be- sistent in size. It is all ing too costly for this about the amount of New England hobby forage they gathered of treating the birds over the warmer to winter sustenance, months, and the I can rely on the variation in size is woodpeckers need- about how well they ing only suet from the did in obtaining that meat counter to ade- growth. quately sustain them. Nutrition works in It remains a fairly the animal kingdom cheap commodity to just like its does for provide. our human race, and The white hunks of one can see globally fat come from the how diets turn out beef kidney area, and healthy people well, are located some- or not. where to the right or We are all bigger left of the meat cut- than 18th century ters’ various products people were, and for us to obtain in that out live them, too. display case. The mean age of 36 Several sizes can be after the foundation had to throw into of this country still the lobster bait bag stymies me, but after we have hanging out the Civil War, folks there, or in the wire got up into their fif- mesh holders also ties. Now look at the sold for this particu- Overall size and bill size and shape help bird obits, and you will lar use. Nuthatches watchers distinguish between the two species. see people living and chickadees like until 83 as the norm to peck at the greasy these days. white stuff too, but Globalization cannot help but bring up all so- the hairies and downies are the birds that re- cieties to better sustenance, and many will live ally relish it. longer than ever before on this earth as a con- The chunky white by-product of the meat cut- sequence. ter’s efforts gets put to good use by locals here, I leave dead pine snags in the woodlot for the and serves as a replacement for bug life in deep woodpeckers and nuthatches to pour over, and winter once those insect critters have become enjoy seeing them pecking their way along in dormant. Grubs that borrow under the bark branches over head, peering under loose bark are what woodpecker species like to devour, and other surfaces for their fodder. I like the but things slow down in the off season. So this sound of their work on a quiet winter day, is important succor for them. when no other noise may be emanating from I have a particular female hairy woodpecker the forest’s treetops. Says I am doing right that is resplendent in her black and white Continued on next page Ossipee Lake Report Page 5 winter’s downy and hairy woodpeckers

Continued from previous page by leaving such things alone. And I wouldn’t not a suburban woodpecker. A downy wood- have their visits to the bird feeder without this pecker can live in such environs, searching natural sustenance source being available. bark crevices for insect egg masses and dor- Downy and hairy woodpeckers are almost car- mant larvae, but the hairy cannot thrive on bon copies of each other, except that the hairy young trees. is always larger. Old denizens of the forest that have long We find one of the best ways to distinguish passed their prime, being subjected to wood between them is by looking at the proportion boring grubs and other insect lifes’ intentions of the length of their bill to the dimensions of of reducing them to rotten wood, are habitat their heads. In the downy, the pin-prick bill is for this brilliantly attired woodpecker. about half the length of their head; in the hairy, Hairy woodpeckers find their food by feeling the strong bill is almost as long as the head. the vibrations made by insects moving about Even when there are big downies, and smaller in the wood, hearing the large white grubs hairies, this rule works well. Males of both munching away underneath, and will flay species have a red patch, females do not. The away large sections of bark to get at their prey. white outer tail feathers on the downy wood- In addition to writing for the Conway Daily Sun, pecker are usually barred in black, giving a Dave Eastman broadcasts “Country Ecology” four spotted effect, while the hairy is largely pure times weekly on WMWV, 93.5 FM. For consultation, white. additional information, and to purchase his writ- Over-mature trees are vital to a hairy wood- ings., visit his website at www.countryecology.com. pecker’s subsistence, and you won’t find the illustration courtesy www.birds.cornell.edu. hairy where trees are not degenerating. This is fine tuning state’s natural area plan

OSSIPEE — The state’s Working Group of Os- to conduct water sampling tests again in 2011. sipee Lake Natural Area stakeholders met in After several years of creating awareness of October and found much to cheer about. the state’s regulations for the site, enforcement Natural Heritage Bureau representative Me- was stepped up this year to address visitors lissa Coppola repor ted that the property’s en- who ignore the posted signs - especially in dangered plants and exemplary natural com- the western portion of the preserve known as munities are holding their own and in some Short Sands. cases have shown signs of recovery. Bryan Nowell of the Forest Protection Bureau Fine grass-leaved goldenrod stems were more and Captain Mark Gallagher of the Marine Pa- plentiful west of the Pine River than last year, trol said 41 summonses were issued during the and new hairy hudsonia plants were observed summer and fall for trespass in closed areas of behind the public access area and west of Pine the preserve. They said the average fine was underwriting support for this River. The bulblet umbrella sedge open sandy $124 and the Marine Patrol would defend cita- issue comes from: pondshore community appears to be re-estab- tions in court if they were appealed. lishing in the protected areas of the preserve. Representatives of the boating community, en- The Natural Heritage Bureau, which is part forcement officials and Natural Heritage per- of DRED, conducted the surveys in May and sonnel reported scant trash, debris or waste at August as part of its ongoing monitoring plan the site this year and said the pre-season clean- for the site. up, periodic policing by boaters and the carry DES representative Jacquie Colburn summa- in/carry out policy were likely contributors to rized the summer’s water quality sampling the shore’s cleanliness. and concluded E. coli counts at the Natural For the coming year, the boating community the lake realty specialists Area were lower than the state standard on recommended re-emphasizing the rule requir- (603) 539-3200 each of the four sampling dates (in fact close ing boats to be afloat and not resting onshore. to or below detection levels), and lower than DRED said there will be additional signs and [email protected] counts at the Pine River and Red Brook sites. a fence along the western boundary of the pre- www.ossipeelakere.com The Working Group and other volunteers plan serve in 2011.

Page 6 Ossipee Lake Report

lake auld lang syne 2010

On January 3rd the Carroll County Indepen- The bottom line? The state says it will decide dent published a front page story on a meeting in January whether to lower the benchmark. the Alliance held with state and local officials At press time, however, the planned final to discuss an important but little known law search for evidence at the lake during the an- that defines the state’s ownership of shorefront nual draw-down has been hampered by con- property. For the rest of the year, the number tinued high water levels. 410 dominated the lake news. Just in case the state doesn’t act, the lake’s For most lake property owners it was a mild three State Representatives and its State Sena- surprise that the state owned anything other tor have a piece of benchmark-lowering legis- than the lake itself. For others, however, the lation ready to roll out. news that the state owns the shoreline to 410 ft. above sea level was devastating. It meant Milfoil Madness the state owned a large part of their property; Milfoil was also in the news, of course, and the and in 12 instances it meant the state owned year started promisingly with the announce- everything, including their house. ment of two initiatives.

One of two vehicles and several snowmobiles that went through the ice and made news in 2010. No one was injured, but the incidents are a reminder of how unpredictable the ice is in winter. Photo: Jean Hansen

Freedom and Ossipee Selectmen and State In Concord, what’s known as the Weeds Com- “The year started Representative Mark McConkey were quick to mittee said it was shooting for $5 million from respond – just ahead of the first request for a the State Legislature to fund the perennially promisingly with tax abatement based on what became known underfunded state milfoil control program. announcements of as the 410 Rule. Locally, meanwhile, the Alliance announced Local officials lined up volunteers to look for the formation of a Tri-Town Milfoil Commit- two milfoil control historical evidence that the lake’s “natural” tee for lake-wide coordination of weed con- high water mark was a lot lower than the trol. Each town’s conservation commission ap- initiatives. By summer, state’s claim. pointed two members who were approved by After a summer of sleuthing failed to uncover their respective Select Board. however, both were the figurative smoking gun, the Alliance con- By summer, however, both milfoil efforts were vened a public meeting on August 12 for the dead. In Concord the Legislature punted again dead.” state to answer questions about an array of on milfoil funding, leaving the heavy lifting to issues confounding lake property owners, in- lake communities like ours who have the no- cluding taxes and property sales. win choice of coming up with the cash to pay August 12 was hot and there was the poten- for eradication programs or letting the milfoil tial for hot tempers to match. But the meeting grow and spread. proved to be a refreshing exchange of facts and What of the Tri-Town Milfoil Committee? De- ideas – so remarkably different in tone from spite having informed and well-intentioned what it might have been that the Independent wrote a lengthy editorial about it. Continued on next page Ossipee Lake Report Page 7

The year in review members, the group quickly bogged down in Once again Mother Nature kept the Dam Bu- procedural issues that blocked progress and reau on its toes with more rain than usual after created frustration. the Columbus Day draw-down, hampering First Effingham dropped out, then Freedom the state’s search for information on the natu- and Ossipee similarly decided the current ral level of the lake. method of towns working on their own was sufficient. All was not in vain, however. Each town con- tinues to have a designated milfoil committee responsible for addressing issues from fund- ing to scheduling annual treatments. On the lake this year there were successful milfoil control treatments in Pickerel Cove and Danforth Pond; and a new patch of invasive weeds in the Ossipee River above the dam near Effingham’s shoreline was discovered and treated quickly. Donald Lee Madness Like a bad penny, the notorious Donald Lee A familiar face at the end of a favorite hike, Green case popped into view from time to time to Mountain Fire Tower watchman Harry Libby died remind us that the combined legal powers of in March. Alliance Photo DES and the Office of the State Attorney Gen- eral continue to be unable to resolve it. Baby on Board The Lee case’s legal complexities have become Bears were the buzz on Berry Bay in May, but too many and too arcane to detail in a news by summer everyone there was talking about story without a bibliography and footnotes. baby loons - the first documented birth of loons But you can follow its sluggish trajectory with on Ossipee Lake since the 1970s, according to the illustrated timeline we published in our John Cooley of the Loon Preservation Com- spring newsletter (now available on our web- mittee in Moultonborough, who described it site). as “a once in a lifetime experience.” This graphic illustration tracks the case The loons were born on Leavitt Bay but soon through seven presidential administrations relocated to Berry Bay, which Cooley said is a and encompasses the fall of the Berlin Wall, the technique they use to keep their natural en- death of Jerry Garcia, the end of the Red Sox emies confused. curse, the 9/11 terror attacks and last year’s The Alliance’s Facebook community took up Super Bowl victory by the New Orleans Saints. the task of ensuring the chicks’ well-being by Now in its 23rd year, the Donald Lee case has tracking their movements and warning curi- literally become part of history. Incredibly, no ous boaters to keep their distance. By all ac- “Bears were the one in Concord is surprised or embarrassed. counts, the chicks thrived and made it through the season without incident. Everyone Talks About It buzz on Berry Bay in Yes, it’s the weather. Compared to the bizarre Thanks May, but by summer weather of the past few years, this year was We are grateful to everyone who supported positively tame. Dull, even. our work this year with a contribution or a everyone was talking No floods or tornadoes (although there was a volunteer effort. We can’t do it without you! doozy of a wind and rain event in November Our special thanks go to Carroll County Inde- about the baby loons.” that put the lights out for several days). pendent editor Larissa Mulkern, who greatly Temperatures from January through March increased awareness of lake issues during her were higher than normal and snowfall was stay at the paper. We will miss her editorial less, according to the always reliable website voice and wish her well in her next position. northconwayweather.com. Kudos to our elected officials for their work March’s warm temperatures brought an abun- on the 410 Rule, and special thanks also go to dance of rain, but when April rolled around our Board of Directors, including new member and we were ready for spring, snow again Jean Hansen, for all their efforts this year. blanketed the ground, piling up six inches for Happy New Year to all, and it’s on to 2011. the month. Go figure. DLS Page 8 Ossipee Lake Report

INVEST IN THE FUTURE OF OSSIPEE LAKE

It’s New Hampshire’s best north country lake for fishing, boating and swimming. Home of the state’s finest remaining Dear Susan: examples of unique habitats. The location of one of your most important real estate Enclosing our annual check and sorry investments. It’s Ossipee Lake, and it’s so late. We’re headed up to the there’s only one organization dedicated to lake next weekend to stack wood preserving and protecting it: Ossipee Lake and rake pine needles. Reminds me Alliance. Please invest in the future of your of closing up with my parents when lake by joining us. I was a kid, and now I do it with my kids. I wonder how many pounds of Donor LevelS pine needles I’ve raked in my life? Our daughter Jen hiked Green Friend...... $10-19 Mountain while she was at camp Supporter...... $20-49 and now her brothers want to do it too. So it looks like we’ll also be stretching our legs next weekend. The lake has great mountain Sponsor...... $50-99 views but there’s nothing like being up Patron...... $100-249 on the tower. Guardian...... $250-499 I was eight when my dad first took me to climb the tower. Amazing all the Benefactor...... $500-999 mountains as far as you can see, and all those farmlands out toward Maine. The fire ranger let us look Champion...... $1,000+ through his binoculars and said on a clear day you could see the buildings in Portland and the sun reflecting NAME off the ocean. I think I saw that, but it was |||||||||||||||||||||| a long time ago. Do you know if there’s still a ranger up there in the fall? PERMANENT ADDRESS Anyhow, we close up the first week of |||||||||||||||||||||| November after our annual breakfast ||||||||||||||||||||| | cookout for lake friends, whoever is still around. I cook and my husband and kids LAKE ADDRESS serve and clean up. Everything gets done on ||||||||||||||||||||| | the grill. Another tradition from my dad! ||||||||||||||||||||| | It’s great to get your newsletters over the winter so we know what’s up. Just wanted to say EMAIL thanks for what you do and |||||||||||||||||||||| it was nice meeting you (briefly!) at the Calumet Send to: event. I hope you have Ossipee Lake Alliance a great winter. PO Box 173 Freedom, NH 03836 Betsy P. Ossipee Lake Report Page 9 new hampshire hits a decision point

[Editor’s Note: We posted this Concord Monitor waste won’t begin to be enough to balance the editorial on our website when it was published on budget. Some programs can’t be eliminated November 14th, and we reprint it here for those without losing federal funds that match or who missed it. The questions it raises have particu- multiply the state’s contribution. So unless lar relevance to lake communities like ours. Will the revenue is increased, whole programs or agen- new majority in Concord further decrease funding cies may have to go. for milfoil control, water safety, and environmental Every cut will have consequences for those in protection of state lakes because of pressure to cut need of services. But those needs will not dis- all spending? Is new legislation likely to place more appear – the responsibility for meeting them of the cost burden on lake property owners and lake will simply be downshifted. communities like Ossipee and Freedom? This article It’s time for New Hamp- begins a discussion that will shire lawmakers and citi- continue throughout the zens to decide what they year]. want their government to be and do. If they are not CONCORD — At dusk, willing to pay to have all not long ago, with the they want, they must put State House in view, a their priorities in order. woman and two young children tramped across a Where do they rank field along the Merrimack things like public safety, River and headed into the good roads, environmen- woods. They were carry- tal quality, public educa- ing sleeping bags. tion and social services? How much will reduced The social safety net has spending reduce the been unraveling for years, state’s quality of life? but lawmakers in the next session of the Legislature Republicans have men- could tear gaping holes in tioned a wealth of po- it to balance the budget. tential cuts. They include making state employees This winter, New Hamp- pay a bigger share of their shire will get only half the pension costs and requir- federal money it received ing them to work longer last year to help the poor heat their homes. to receive full benefits; postponing or eliminat- The mental health system is emaciated. Food ing a scheduled $140 million increase in state pantry supplies are inadequate. The local education funding and amending the Consti- waiting list for low-income housing is 600 ap- tution to allow state education aid to go only plicants long. Meanwhile, the state faces a gen- to needy communities; and reducing state sup- “Every cut will have eral fund budget deficit of nearly $700 million, port for higher education. by one reliable estimate. Health and Human Services, the state’s big- consequences... Gov. John Lynch, who asked state department gest agency, is once again a target. There is talk heads to prepare a budget 5 percent lower of seeking a federal waiver to make it harder but those needs will than their current one for the next biennium, for needy residents to qualify for Medicaid. believes that he can balance the books without That means a reduction in services and greater not diminish. The making draconian cuts. pressure on local welfare offices, jails, prisons, responsibility for If the economy picks up, he may be right. But police departments, hospitals, churches and for the first time as governor, Lynch won’t be local taxpayers. meeting them will in the driver’s seat. Republicans in the House Republican lawmakers have a new crop of and Senate enjoy a veto-proof majority. Many ideologues and firebrands in their ranks. They simply be downshifted.” of them want not just to cut spending but also will be under great pressure to make cuts that to lower taxes – which means cutting spend- diminish the quality of life for those receiving ing even more. There is no desire on the part state help and shift more of the cost of govern- of the governor, or Republicans, to raise more ing to property taxpayers. revenue. Before cheering state budget cuts, those tax- Most state agencies have suffered from years payers should consider what it will mean for of budget cuts. Finding efficiencies and cutting them. NONPROFIT ORG U.S. POSTAGE PAID north conway, nh PERMIT NO. 160 Ossipee Lake Alliance PO Box 173 Freedom, NH 03836 OSSIPEE LAKE REPORT - winter 2010

INSIDE: • Leavitt Bay’s Loons Part of a Trend • Fish, Frogs and Turtles in Winter • Natural Area Plan Gets Adjusted • Winter’s Confusing Woodpeckers • Lake Auld Lang Syne 2010 Preserve. Protect. Educate.