Turning knowledge into action
by Nancy Ritger
Executive Director
I am often asked what Green Mountain Conservation Group does in the Ossipee Watershed. The answer tends to be long winded because we are busy! For more than 20 years, Green Mountain Conservation Group (GMCG) has helped communities throughout the Ossipee Watershed understand and protect their most important natural resource: clean water.
GMCG AmeriCorps member Cassidy Gersten and summer intern Anna Bentley collect water quality data and samples for the Volunteer Lake Assessment Program (VLAP), helping monitor the health of the Ossipee Lake system.
GMCG brings science directly into the community through hands-on education, citizen science, volunteer training, public programs, water quality monitoring and accessible water quality information. Each year, GMCG reaches approximately 800 students through 60+ school programs in New Hampshire and offers 30–40 programs for community members, including teacher and volunteer trainings. Participants don’t just learn about water—they get outside, test streams, sample lakes, explore groundwater, collect data, and discover how everyday choices can affect the watershed.
Since 2001, GMCG has built a 20+ year record of water-quality data, monitoring 29 rivers and streams biweekly from May through October and 10 sites year-round. These data help identify trends and emerging concerns and are shared with towns and state agencies. Annual community water-quality reports are shared with the 7 watershed towns. The 20 year report will be available at the beginning of 2027.
GMCG also provides practical resources for homeowners and communities. Through online programs and day long events, community members learn about local pollinators, landscaping for lakes, and ways to prevent stormwater erosion. Programs offer access to private-well testing and groundwater sampling to provide data that contributes to analysis of arsenic and uranium in local water sources.
And the learning doesn’t stop with data. Through programs like Salt Responsibly, GMCG helps communities turn knowledge into action—reducing unnecessary road salt, protecting groundwater, and keeping pollutants out of our lakes and streams. New eDNA testing capabilities add another powerful tool, helping detect invasive species and species of concern early, when there is still time to respond.
MCG’s educational sign, designed by Outreach Coordinator Moselle Spiller, was reinstalled this spring at the Pine River Boat Launch kiosk in Ossipee. It promotes responsible recreation and stewardship of the Ossipee Lake Natural Area’s rare plants and sensitive habitats.
The results reach beyond education. GMCG has helped five watershed communities strengthen groundwater protection and currently protects more than 2,500 acres of watershed land.
Every student who tests a stream, every volunteer who monitors a site, every homeowner who tests a well, and every community member who takes steps to reduce stormwater erosion adds to a larger effort.
