Reflections On The Lake
|
"The biggest challenge on the lake is that those old dirt roads weren’t designed with drainage in mind. When I first started this job in the 1970’s most of the camps were on stilts or on cement blocks. The water would run off of the road and just go right under the camps. People get upset about the runoff hitting their foundations but the water is going where it has always gone." John Fernald, Road Agent |
| Nottingham School 5th Graders Learn about Lake Ecology in PLIA-Sponsored Field Trip to State Park |
|
|
| Written by Site Administrator | |
|
On June 3rd, sixty fifth graders from Nottingham School took part in a day-long field trip focused on lake ecology at the Pawtuckaway State Park beach. The trip was hosted by the PLIA and conducted with the enthusiastic support of the DES. The event featured five stations that the students rotated through in groups of 12: Enviroscape -- This station introduced students to the concept of a watershed through the use of an interactive model. By exploring the idea that water always runs downhill to a water body, students discovered various sources of water pollution and came to understand that they and their families can play a role in keeping our water clean. The Pawtuckaway watershed was discussed during this presentation. This station was led by Barbara MacMillan of the DES and Steve Soreff, our very own Weed Watcher Captain. Lake sampling – Steve Donohue, the head of our VLAP water testing program, and Tom Duffy teamed up to demonstrate lake sampling equipment and introduce students to lake water quality. Equipment used included: Secchi disk (transparency/clarity of water), Kemmerer bottle (device used to collect samples from depths of a lake), plankton net (for collecting zooplankton and phytoplankton), and dissolved oxygen meter (to find temperature and dissolved oxygen concentrations). Students boarded boats to see how sampling is done on the water and for many this was one of the highlights of the trip. And while they learned all about water sampling, Tom and Steve learned all about Sponge Bob square pants and his co-hort Sheldon J. Plankton. Stream Survey – Led by Alicia Carlson of the DES, the students examined stream conditions such as stream bottom, water, and vegetation, as well as a look at riparian areas and land use. The students will examined the wildlife habitat of the area and learned about water quality sampling of turbidity, pH, dissolved oxygen, water temperature, and specific conductance using scientific meters. The students also collected and identified stream insects and helped assess their tolerance to pollution. Common Water Exercise – Former PLIA President, Dale Scott, led this Project WET exercise that illustrates how multiple uses of water resources can affect water quality and quantity. This fun exercise had students simulate changes in the Pawtuckaway Lake watershed over several time periods. The fifth workshop, led by the Nottingham teachers, was a writing exercise where students wrote a poem about the nature they were experiencing during this great day at the park. Thanks to the PLIA team – Steve Donohue, Tom Duffy, Steve Soreff and Dale Scott – and the great women from the DES – Alicia Carlson and Barbara MacMillan – as well as the Nottingham teaching staff – Laurie Ducharme, Barbara Henderson, and Christine Warnick, who all worked very hard so this field trip could be a fun and engaging learning experience for the Nottingham fifth graders. |
| Next > |
|---|
PLIA Mission Statement
The Pawtuckaway Lake Improvement Association (PLIA) is a Private, Non-Profit Organization formed to monitor and act upon environmental and safety issues in the Pawtuckaway Lake Watershed area. The PLIA also provides education, information, recreation and other services to its members.
The Association routinely conducts water quality sampling under the New Hampshire Volunteer Lake Assessment program of the State of New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services. Other activities (sailboat races, fishing derbies, etc.) may be coordinated by the Association, but are funded by program participants.
