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Healthy Water, Healthy Communities…

…Looking at 10 Years of Water Quality Data

Thursday, November 15th, 6:30 – 8:30pm

Runnells Hall,

25 Deer Hill Road, Chocorua Village, NH

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The West Branch draining Silver Lake into Ossipee Lake

Co-hosted by GMCG and the Ossipee Watershed Coalition (OWC), scientists from the University of New Hampshire (UNH) and Plymouth State University (PSU) will present analyses of over ten years of water quality data for tributaries of the Ossipee River watershed. Twenty years of Ossipee Lake water quality data will also be presented. Residents and stakeholders of the watershed interested in learning about water resources are encouraged to attend.

The agenda will include:

* UNH limnologist Bob Craycraft and research scientist Michelle Daley will explain observable trends in the data. They will also point out areas where data show consistently high quality water in order to clarify where planning may help to protect fragile resources.

* PSU paleolimnologist Lisa Doner will present recent findings from the analysis of sediment cores collected from the major basins of the Ossipee Lake system this past June. The sediment analysis will begin to shed light on historical conditions in the lake and the impacts from land use changes that have occurred in the era following European settlement.

* Steve Whitman of Jeffery Taylor and Associates will facilitate a discussion with attendees and invite questions about the state of the water quality. There will also be a discussion about next steps for the water quality monitoring program.

* GMCG Program Director Eric Senecal will explain how watershed management planning can support growth and development in ways that can limit degradation to water resources. He will share some recent examples of plans developed for the Lake Wentworth Watershed and the Upper Salmon Falls Headwater Lakes Watershed. Following the presentation GMCG, OWC, and Bob Craycraft will introduce a steering committee to work on watershed management planning in the coming years.

The forum is open to the public. Municipal board members, camp directors, lake association representatives, and anyone with

A sediment core taken from Ossipee Lake in June 2012

an interest in the future development of the region are especially encouraged to attend and participate in the discussion following the presentations. For those unable to attend, the forum will be recorded and made available through the GMCG website.

Anyone interested in joining the watershed management steering committee can contact Eric Senecal at 539-1859 or email Eric at gmcgnh@roadrunner.com.