Prior GLA Meeting Minutes

Granite Lake Association Annual Meeting - July 15, 2023

Granite Lake Association. Annual Meeting July 15, 2023

Present: Derek Walton, Pres.; Damian Largier, Vice Pres.; Tom
Newcombe, Treasurer; Sally Ripley, Secretary; Mitch Greenwald, Member
-at -large.

10:06 Derek opened the meeting with the pledge of allegiance and
introduction of officers.

A motion to approve the secretary’s minutes from 2022 was appropriately
made and seconded. The vote to accept was affirmative.
A moment of silence and brief words of remembrance were given for those
who passed away in the past year: Sara Shephard, John MacAllister, Tom
Walton, and Anita & Walter Crewson.
Derek introduced our speaker, Kirstin Hugger, Aquatic Ecologist, from the
NH Department of Environmental Services (DES).
The DES has a water monitoring plan broken down into 5 yr. increments for
studying trends. The effort includes 500 volunteers and170 lakes. DES
has data for 150 lakes starting from 1985. Granite Lake has been
participating since 1989.

NH lakes in general are being impacted by several trends. Lake “browning”
is the term used to describe the reduction clarity which occurs as tannins
and other dissolved organic carbon compounds increase in concentration.
This browning is thought to be due in part to natural chemical processes as
our ecosystems recover from years of acid rain. Climate change has
brought more drought/ heavy rain cycles & warmer water overall. Cultural
eutrophication stemming from septic systems and other human related
nutrient load increases has led to greater likelihood of cyanobacteria
blooms. And run-off from roads and driveways has led to freshwater
salination syndrome.

For Granite Lake in particular, chlorophyl-a, phosphorous, and pH levels
have been stable in the short term, with Granite Lake in the 6.7, 18.4, and
34.5 percentile of lakes statewide of our class. Water clarity last year with
little rain was excellent and in the 91.9 percentile. Obviously not this year
after the huge amount of rain. For specific conductance, an indicator or
chloride concentration, Granite Lake has no long-term trend but significant
short term increase, and is in the 72.6 percentile. Kirsten’s
recommendation: Keep an eye on salt usage and storm water management
and encourage vegetation buffers. She says from a lake health standpoint
we are a “good place to be”.

Tom Newcombe was asked if DES ever sat down with the DOT to discuss
ways the DOT could more closely follow the DES best management
practices. Kirsten replied that, coincidentally, there is a new effort with the
DES to work toward better coordination with DOT. She provided us email
addresses of the DES folks leading this effort and suggested we alert them
that we’ve observed a lack of coordination and hope it can be addressed.
Membership report. 95 dues paying members 44 family & 9 individual
before 7/15/2023’s meeting. An immediate tally was not available.
Financial report. Tom Newcomb passed out a sheet with financials. We
have $15,236.16 in the Operating account; $1,042.73 in the lake host
account; $16,250.72 in the Water Quality account. Sally Ripely suggested
that some money could be put into a CD now that CD’s interest has
increased to around %5. A motion was made and seconded to for Tom to
put in $20,000. The vote was affirmative. Judy Walton expressed concern
that we need to keep some out to be available for emergency use. Tom
assured us that we wouldn’t transfer all cash in and that the state would
help with milfoil mitigation costs for the first year. Tom’s financial report was
approved.

Lake Host report. Sharon said we have 19 on the roster of volunteer lake
hosts, with 9 spots available for additional volunteers. We have 6 paid
weekend hosts but soon to be 5. Thank you all who volunteer.
Water quality report. The GLA has participated in the VLAP program for 35
years. In summer 2022 testing the lake had 11 meters visibility. This year
visibility was only 1.7 meters 5 days after the storm. The bottom was
completely scoured after the rain. What we have now is silt that floats up
when a person walks into it. Tom’s water quality report was approved.
AED. Bob Englund will organize AED /CPR training again this year on
Wed July 19th with slots available for up to 12 Granite Lake association
members. A motion was made a passed for the GLA to pick up the tab for
the participants once again this year ($50 for up to 12 participants).
Next year will be the 75th. anniversary of the Granite Lake Association. A
motion was made a passed to schedule the 75
th annual meeting of the GLA
to take place on July 20th, 2024 at the Chapel.

$350.00 was voted on and approved for use of the Chapel.

Lake drawdown discussion.
Management of the lake water level is up to the Granite Lake Village
District (GLVD) commissioners. Victor Pepin, a commissioner, spoke
about some of the water/dam issues. The commissioners took out one
board, then realized it was inadequate so took out the remaining boards.
The hole below the spillway is only 10” in diameter so doesn’t let enough
out in an emergency. Victor explained that the commissioners were
interested in feedback from the community on a deep draw down. The
current GLVD plan is to put the question of a deep draw down to a vote at a
future GLVD meeting, but if “emergency” repairs or cleanup is desired they
would consider a deeper draw down this Fall.
After a discussion of the pros and cons for a deep drawdown a straw poll
was taken to which showed that ~25 households would take advantage of a
deep drawdown to do cleanup or repairs on their waterfront. A small
handful of those present objected to a deep drawdown, the biggest
concerns being the potential harm to aquatic and amphibious life from poor
timing of the drawdown as well as the suspicion that a drawdown this Fall
would be too soon to allow residents to get through the required permitting
process and find contractors to perform work.
Joe Curtain reported on efforts he is spearheading with NH DOT and NH
DES to improve the handling of storm water runoff from Rt 9. This year
heavy rain events have caused excessive siltation as water flows down the
hill from Rt 9.

Nick Nicoletti reported that Dave Valencourt (Stoddard road agent) hinted
that there might be an emergency order in effect which eliminates the need
to obtain DES wetlands permitting for shoreline work.
A committee was formed to coordinate efforts to improve stormwater
drainage and to explore the possibility of “emergency” wetlands permitting
and a potential Fall 2023 deep drawdown. CeeCee Frechette offered to
host an initial meeting of the committee. Damian Largier, Tom Newcombe,
Rick Nicoletti, CeeCee Frechette, Mitch Greenwald, John Halter, Joe
Curtain, Mike Guida, and Butch Roeder expressed interest in joining the
committee.

There will be the usual annual Granite Lake Community Potluck Picnic held
at Sandy Beach on August 20th at 2:30 pm this year with the Nelson Town
Band playing. Hope to see you there.
The next annual meeting will be held July 20, 2024 at the
Chapel-by-the-Lake

A motion to adjourn was made, seconded and voted affirmative.

Respectfully.

Sally Ripley
secretary

Granite Lake Association Annual Meeting - July 16, 2022

Granite Lake Association. Annual Meeting July 16, 2022

Bob Maden, president, called the meeting to order at 10:04 a.m., followed by the pledge of allegiance.

As copies of last year’s minutes had been distributed, motions to accept, and seconded were made. passed.

He introduced our speaker, Amanda McQuaid, state specialist and professor of water quality and freshwater toxicology. We’ve already had a cyanobacteria bloom in the inlet this year. They can be any color not just blue-green. They cannot be identified as toxic just by looking at them. Take a picture and email it to the lab right away for immediate warning if needed. Get a sample and send it in. Lab analysis takes a little too long.

Nutrients flow right into the lake during these gullywashers we’ve been having of late. Some cyanobacteria are very toxic and can cause seizures while others may not be as toxic but stay out of the water and make sure any animals do too.

Causes include fertilizers, sediment, road salt, phosphorous, septic run-off.
The water inspectors have a meter now that can get results on-site in minutes. The EPA has a lot of resources we can use- check bloom app at EPA. NH Lakes has a Lake Smart program with extensive instructions on how to landscape one’s property to prevent much of the soil erosion and run-off. A book titled Landscaping at the Water’s Edge, put out by UNH is recommended.

Tom Newcombe reported that last year’s poor water quality due to so much rain has improved, but he was surprised how long it took to improve. This year’s test revealed stable phosphorous (epilimnion), chlorophyll-a, transparency, conductivity. ph (epilimnion) stable, but conductivity worsening. More detailed results for Granite Lake may be found at Volunteer Lake Assessment Program Individual Lake Reports Granite Lake, Stoddard. at DES’ site. Tom’s report was accepted after the usual motions.

Next up, Tom Newcombe’s financial report. Not including members signed up at the meeting, we had 83 family members and 13 individual members — $4675. great job Joanne and membership committee. Donation of T-shirt money $230. Thank You, Sharon. Phil Hamilton Memorial donations. $3745. Water quality donations $1800. Balance of all three accounts $29,358.59. Hurray for us. A motion to accept was made and seconded, passed.

Lake Host. Still looking for more volunteers — some of our older volunteers have opted for 2 hour shifts which is leaving some holes open. Whatever hours our volunteers work goes toward $$ credit to pay our hourly weekend crew plus any carryover goes to next year. New Hampshire Lakes Assn. does the banking and payroll.

Sharon thanked everyone who has worked so hard inspecting and recording boats.
Sharon’s (& Patty’s) report was accepted after motions made and seconded.

Bob asked us to remember those who have passed since last July. Dave Costin, who was a founding member of the Granite Lake Village District. Ron Slayton; Walt and Anita Crewson, & Tom Walton. All valuable members of the community.

Nominating committee representative, Nick Nicoletti, put forth the following names for 2 years terms in office. president, Derek Walton; Damian Largier, vice-president; Member at large, Mitch Greenwald. Tom Newcombe, treasurer and water quality monitor; Sally Ripley, secretary. Motions to accept and second were made. passed. Mike Guida stated that he thought Bob Maden was the best president we ever had and wished to thank him for a great job. Applause! then applause for the board and then for volunteers.

Other business.

Mike Guida requested that the board sent thanks to Mike Tarr for bridge repair. Rosemary Rafter suggested that the Lake Host on Duty sign be left out and turned around to read “Clean, Drained, and Dried”. This would be up to the Lake Host coordinators to agree and communicate with the hosts.

Bill Steiniger reported that the Loon Preservation Society visited the lake and reported that we have a pair of loon and one single male. Bob Maden asked that he pursue obtaining a nesting platform with avian guard for next year or look to having the GLA construct one.

Bob Englund has organized a group of 11 volunteers for AED/CPR training at the Chapel by the Lake on July 27 th. (first group…not sure when 2nd. group will meet). The GLA has kindly voted to pay for all the training this year. The AED’s are 1. Chapel-by-the Lake, 2. Enlgund’s shed. 3. at Nicoletti’s. Bob’s report duly motioned, seconded and passed.

Our next annual meeting will be held July 15th. 2023 at the Chapel-by-the Lake at 10:00 a.m. Motion made, seconded and passed.

A motion to pay the Chapel $300. for its use in 2022. Ear-marked money left from Phil’s memorial bench will be donated to the water quality account. A motion was made, seconded and passed.

There will be a summer community potluck picnic again at Sandy Beach, on August 21st. at 2:30 p.m. The Nelson Town Band will play at about 4 p.m. Bring your chair and see you there!

Respectfully submitted,

Sally Ripley, secretary

Granite Lake Association Annual Meeting - July 17, 2021

Granite Lake Association. Annual Meeting July 17, 2021

Present: Bob Maden, Pres.; Derek Walton, Vice Pres.; Tom Newcombe, Treas.; Sally Ripley, Sec.; Sharon Iagulli, Patty Maden, Lake Host Coordinators; Joanne Bartolotta, Membership Chair; & Cayla Pagniucci, Newsletter. Absent: Damian Largier, Member at large

Bob Maden opened the 72nd, meeting of the GLA with the Pledge of Allegiance, followed by honoring those who have passed this year: Joan MacAllister, Bob Dever-ill, John Shea, and Phil Hamilton who had lived here his whole life of 72 years.

Sally Ripley, secretary, distributed the minutes from 2020 for the members to review and for any discussion later on the agenda.

Next Bob, introduced Chris Martin, an eagle biologist with NH Audubon. Chris said they are always looking for more observers. When he came in 1990, there was 1 nesting pair in Coos County; now there are 80 pair in NH. The pair at Nubanusit is the longest-running pair, and there is a new pair at Sand Pond.

Eagle facts:

Adults are around all year refurbishing nest as needed Nesting eagles swap out every 2 hours when sitting on eggs for about 5 weeks. Eaglets take about 11-12 weeks to learn to fly and hunt, then drift south of here. Males average 10 lbs, females 12-14. Both may live 10 years or more. A nest may be as much as 8 ft. high and outlive its eagle pair. Eagles protect nests from territorial eagles, raccoons, fisher, bear. Loon mortality only 3%. Eagles and loons often do cohabitate on one lake. Eagles often have more than 1 nest. Water quality is more important than clarity as eagles see motion as well. Lead is a danger to eagles. Eagles fledge between early June and early August

Bill Steiniger met with the representative from the Loon Preservation Committee, but it was too windy to go out on the lake. We believe he has an appointment to come back this week. Bill could not attend the GLA meeting.

A motion to accept last year’s minutes was appropriately moved, seconded and the vote was affirmative.

Tom Newcombe gave the treasurer’s report. The GLA had 81 paid members last year. More island T-shirts are available — in xx large and small for $10. A lot of extra donations are going to the water quality fund. WQ fund now at $11,005.72.

A motion to accept the treasurer’s report was appropriately moved, seconded and the vote was affirmative

Tom Newcombe presented the water quality report. Last year DES was down to 1 collection to test the water quality and no biologist came. There are not enough interns this year to help with more technical water testing equipment.

Newcombe did a test on 7/15/21. The visibility was poor at 7.1 meters because of all the rain stirring up the water. Road salt has mostly come from Rte. 9 and Granite Lake Rd. The chlorides sink to the bottom until the water turns over. In summer we have 3 layers, the bottom is pushed up in winter and turns the lake over.

We will have 1 more test this summer, but we have to have a drop-off appt. so we can’t collect it when we think the best time may be.

Lake Host The Lake Hosting program has run since 1992, including a few volunteers who began in 1992. The group now includes 5 paid hosts and 18 volunteers who work 2-hour shifts. This year there is a new hazard — Chinese mystery snail.

Fortunately, both Stoddard and Nelson donate $2000/year to continue the program. We now have $2,047.73 balance left from before they did.

AED There will be 2 evening classes for 24 people this year — July 22 and 29 from 6:30 to 9 with a total of 12/ class. The GLA usually funds at the $50 level per person. Dr. Englund spoke briefly about the spread of Covid 19 and how the Delta variant is 2-3 times more contagious.

Membership Bob introduced the new membership chair, Joann Bartolotta. Joann reported that as of today we have 54 family memberships and 10 single member-ships. Joann will be calling on our neighbors to make them aware of the lake association and seek their support.

Chapel donations The membership voted to donate $100 to Sandy Beach for our use both in 2020 and 2021. We also voted to donate $200 to the Chapel-by-the-Lake for 2020 and again for 2021. Motions to accept passed.

Phil Hamilton recognition. Members asked that the GLA consider doing something to honor Phil and his contribution to the lake and community. A motion was made by Bob Englund and seconded to authorize the GLA executive committee to spend up to $1000. for some kind of tribute to honor Phil Hamilton. After discussion, Bob Englund withdrew his motion for a monetary authorization for the tribute. A motion was made that a committee be formed to work with the Hamilton family to find something mutually agreeable. The motion was seconded and passed.

Audubon Society A motion was made, seconded, and passed to make a one-time $100 donation to NH Audubon. Chris thanked us heartily. May vote next year to continue supporting them.

Harris Center A motion was made to donate $250 to the Harris Center Education Fund. It was amended to $100 which was defeated, and the sum of $250 was passed.

Unfortunately, the band has not been meeting during Covid and has no schedule to play for our usual community picnic nor are the powers that be ready to put one on. We look forward to improved circumstances next year.

A motion was made to hold next year’s annual meeting at the Chapel, July 16, 2022, at 9:30 a.m. The motion was seconded and passed.

A motion to adjourn was made, seconded, and passed.
Adjourned 11:40 a.m.

Respectfully,

Sally Ripley, Secretary

Granite Lake Association Annual Meeting

July 18, 2020 Saturday 10:00 am

Sandy Beach ( due to Covid 19 social distancing )

Present: Bill Steiniger, Pres.; Tyke Lavigne, Vice-Pres.; Sally Ripley, Sec.; Sharon Iagulli, Lake Host Coordinator; Cayla Pagniucci, Newsletter; Dita Englund, Membership Chair.
Andrea LaMoreaux guest speaker New Hampshire Lakes Association.

A beautiful, hot, sunny day greeted those who came masked and keeping the recommended social distance from each other. The meeting was held outdoors at Sandy Beach. Bill began by thanking Tyke Lavigne for his service and great help to the Association.

Nominations for new officers were made: Bob Maden, for President; Derek Walton, for Vice-President; Tom Newcombe, for Treasure; Sally Ripley, for Secretary; Damian Largier, for Member at Large; Dita Englund, for Membership Chair. Motion was made and seconded and passed.

The 2019 Secretaries Minutes were distributed and approved.

Bill introduced our Guest Speaker, Andrea LaMoreaux from New Hampshire Lakes Association. Andrea is the Vice President of Programs and Operations at New Hampshire Lakes Association of which our Association is a member. Andrea holds a masters in Environmental Services and grew up in New Hampshire at Lake Sunapee. She spoke about some of the lake concerns that many other lakes are experiencing. NH lakes are experiencing much busier boat traffic this summer as compared to other years. She spoke about Granite Lake’s positive features: clear water, quiet and wildlife. Some negatives we are seeing: boat wakes and its effect on shore line, overpopulation, salt run-off. Granite Lake is threatened particularly this season due to short ice season, warmer water, ongoing drought, hard fast rains which deposit phosphorus into the lake. Big wakes from boats are leading to eroded shoreline banks.

Jet Skis: Originally the 13 feet and under were outlawed. The jet ski industry quickly saw a work-around on the law and made longer ones which they called personal watercraft to seat three people so they could be termed a boat. Please call the Marine Patrol to report unsafe operation. Don't ty to confront the riders in question. Get the license plate and or a video. The Marine Patrol has been to our lake three or four times already to talk to some violators.

Wake Boats: Are boats filled with some form of ballast to make the boat ride lower in the water to make bigger waves for jumping. If we have a problem, the favored solution is to create an ad hoc committee to find what most residents want. Then to inspire the owners to act more responsibly, this should include jet skis as well.

Bob Maden talked about the Lake Smart program created by NH Lakes Association. Andrea spoke about this service. They have hosted a Lake Smart -Lake Friendly Living Webinar series. These are posted on the NH Lakes Association website. They show you how to take care of your property in an environmental way.

Bob Englund spoke about the Covid 19 virus, thanking the GLA leadership for holding the meeting outside with cautions in place. At this time there were 30-40 cases in the county, 0 in Nelson, 1-2 in Stoddard. One may get sick 3-4 days after exposure or not at all but can still spread the virus. He suggested having a mask in your pocket when walking around the lake, and putting it on if you stop to chat. We sponsored AED training last year, but not this year. Reminder that people need to renew their certifications every other year.

Lake Host Program: Lake Hosts inspected 878 boats, canoes and kayaks with no invasive species found. We have thanked both Nelson and Stoddard as each town donated $2000 to fund our ongoing Lake Host Program. Volunteers are still needed to fill in schedule gaps in coverage at the ramp.

Boating regulation books were made available for people to pick up. A reminder that life jackets are required for children 12 years and under. Many thanks to Andrea LaMoreaux for coming to talk to us on such a nice day.

Additional topics from Bill’s summer up-date sheets included information about a grant application for paving the the driveway at the Nelson fire station across from the boat ramp. The application was not accepted. The process allowed the GLA some good exposure with Nelson and Stoddard and the Harris Center as they all supported the proposal. An abandoned swim dock was duly rescued and later removed and disposed off, as it was in bad condition. There were two recommendations for the Lake Host Program: Need to reach out for full coverage on the ramp to stop any invasive species, and could Lake Hosts write down every registration plate number in case it is needed to trace any bad boating behaviors. Update on the loons, visitors but no nesting loon pairs this year. However, we have two successful eagle chicks, now flying and living on their own.

Tom Newcombe, although not able to attend ( at his daughter’s wedding) did send a financial statement. Available balances: Operating Account $11,684.22; Lake Host $3,164.99; Water Quality $9,665.72. After expenses balance : $20,819.95. Dues before the meeting 12 individual @$35 $420.00 62 families @$50.00 $3,100. Memorial donation Mark Bean $1,270.00. Donation GL T-shirts $145.00, Bob Kingsbury for Nelson Town Band $200.00 Water Quality 26 members $1,955.00.
Next Year 2021 Meeting July 17, 2021 10:00 am Munsonville Chapel by the Lake

Voted to adjourn meeting about 11:45.
Respectfully Submitted
Sally Ripley

Granite Lake Association Annual Meeting

 July 20, 2019 

Present: Bill Steiniger. Pres.; Tyke Lavigne, V-Pres.; Tom Newcombe, Treasurer; Sally Ripley, Secretary; Bob Maden, Member-at-Large; Mike Guida, Water Quality Chair; Dita Englund, Membership Chair; Cayla Pagniucci, Newsletter Chair/Membership; Patty Maden & Sharon Iagulli, Lake Host Co-ordinators, 

Congratulations to the GLA, founded 70 years ago this June, in Emil Grube’s barn for the purpose of protecting the lake. What foresight. 

After a salute to the flag, Bill got the meeting rolling at 9:35 by introducing the board members and our guest speaker, Scott Ashley from the office of DES. 

Secretary’s 2018 minutes were to put a vote and passed. Tom Newcombe reported that the Association is in good financial shape, dues and income exceeded expenses leaving us about $4,000. vs about $2,700. We continued to have donations for our water quality account: $1695. Last year we donated $1,000. to the Harris Center for kick-off campaign to purchase 515 acres across from little Granite Lake for the protection of the watershed and lake quality. Treasurer’s report also passed easily. 

Most recent lab reports on Granite Lake are posted on our website. Generally our numbers are well above the state average. Seeing the disc at deep level measures the transparency - about 8.4 meters [27-28 ft.] recently though our average is 3.3m (probably lower because of ll the rain last year)/ On phosphorous we didn’t do so well -- 5.micrograms/meter, which is still more than half of the state average. Tom’s water monitoring report passed. 

Scott began his presentation by saying we have data for only the biggest 200 or so waterbodies out of about 8-900 in the state. They have few analysts to collect all the info they would like, sometimes preferring winter to summer for a stable platform to take core samples. During the winter the lakes are ‘asleep’ and make for a good baseline. They have studied acid rain for 30 years and found the lakes are more stable than before and some are improving. They are doing long range monitoring for climate change, finding certain plant species dominate native ones and drive them out. We are having heavy rain events with warmer weather and water. The lakes are experiencing more storm water, abuse and overuse, toxins, and algae. One algae, cyanobacteria, is particularly troubling as some are found to cause neurological problems such as ALS. Much more study is needed, he said, because there are more than the 2 toxins we even know about, and nitrogen may be involved as well. Biologists started noticing it n the 70’s that nutrients and raw sewage had somehow an impact in the ’80’s. A few weeks ago Bill noticed a blue/green algae bloom in the brook nearby which stank badly; luckily it got flushed away in a rainstorm. Scott said that pond scum can also vary widely in toxins. Other causes may include: pharmaceuticals, fireproofing materials, lawn care products and micro plastics. 

Many of the problems NH has are due to the fact that we have many pristine lakes which are attractive to many tourists and potential new residents. It’s all a balancing act, Scott said. Tourism is NH’s second largest industry. We have some ok plants [ Jewell weed, alien brain, wild rice, cranberries] and some invasive ones such as Eurasian milfoil.  New ponds continue to have more and more vegetation: the natural progression is to turn them into bogs and eventually dry land. If you would like to ask him additional questions his e-mail is scott.ashley@des.nh.gov 

Bill reminded us that there is good news too. More awareness and more new sewage systems installed every year. Our water is in pretty good shape, partly due to the efforts of the GLA, We go to local planning board and selectmen's' meetings in order to keep tabs on waterfront permits, road culverts and runoff issues. For instance, little Granite Lake was getting higher and higher so DES was invited to come down and take a look. The water could no longer exit; the owner decided not to repair the old dam; it is now returning to its natural state. 

Sharon reported for the Lake Host program by giving a big thank you to the volunteers. They have inspected over 300 boats & kayaks & canoes so far this year. Her report passed. 

Sorry, no loon chicks or even a nest this year. The Loon Preservation Society representative said it could not pinpoint why the adult loon died last year. The chick was pecked to death by some loon. The number of chicks born this year state wide is down, but they are not sure why. 

Bob Englund spoke about another CPR/AED course to be held this year. It will be Aug. 1 st. at 5:30. He said that a life can be saved with an AED if administered in 2-3 minutes. The AED’s are located at the Chapel in the kitchen cabinet, Nicoletti’s entrance way, & in the garden shed at the Englunds’: the Chapel is the only one useable in winter. If people were certified 2 years ago, they need to be again this year. 

To conclude - Bill knew how hot the weather would be so he passed out a summary of what he would say. To be brief, the Harris Center was able to purchase the 515 acre land tract for conservation - now amounting to 30% of our watershed. “The project was made possible by grants from NH Dept of Environmental Aquatic Resource Mitigation Fund, the Quabbin to Cardison Partnership, as well as donations from the Granite Lake community and many friends of the Super Sanctuary. “ The parcel also connects with a corridor of wilderness from Spoonwood Pond all the way to Rte.9 for animals and people. 

Thank you for helping to conserve this valuable piece. 

The Granite Lake Association bought the water rights in 1951 and the island in 1958 for the use of its members and their families. It voted to pass on the water rights to the Granite Lake Village District which was formed to purchase liability insurance at a municipal rate. The GLVD now has control over the dam, but the state has some say over the levels. It was rated a high risk dam last summer, which incurs some higher fees so the tax did go up some for 2019. 

The board is currently working with the state coordinator for road salt in NH. Please try to reduce/eliminate any you may have coming into the lake at your residence. When if gets too thick on the lake bottom, it prevents the water from ‘turning over’ in the spring and fall thus preventing oxygenation leading to an anoxic zone where fish cannot live. At the same time allowing phosphorous to escape from the lake sediments. 

The beaver deceiver is doing well as designed. Granite Lake road has 3 new or up-graded drains as well as drainage ditches filled with stone and has finally been repaved after 22 years. helping to keep the run-off cleaner. Finally, after much nagging, there may be grant money coming to improve the gravel fire station parking lot which drains right across the road into the ramp culvert. There are more areas of concern on North Shore Rd, and West Shore Rd. Bill and Bob talked about the need for setbacks -- primary building setback 50 ft. from shore, natural woodland buffer another 150 ft.& best of all would be 250 ft. buffer. Please check to see what you can do for your property by having shrubs or plants along the shore to keep water from rushing into the lake. Putting crushed stone along the drip edge of the roof is another good way of filtering the water entering the lake. 

Bill took a few questions - one was about lowering the lake 5 ft. instead of just 2 as we usually do. The GLVD would have to decide that...go to their meeting in April...short answer is that the Lake trout eggs need to be covered mid- Oct. Also if we take the water down for the whole winter, there is lots of erosion. 

Motion to pay the Chapel for use of the building was passed $350.

Next Year’s Meeting Date: July 18, 2020 9:30am

Adjourned by vote at 11:30 

 

Annual Meeting of the Granite Lake Association July 21, 2018

 

Harry Flanagan, President, called the meeting to order at 9:36 a.m. & stated that we had a quorum. He then thanked everyone for coming. This is the 69 th. year of the GLA, having begun in 1949 - making it the longest running lake association in the state.

Harry then asked to take a couple of moments to recognize the deceased over the past year: Marion Frazier, Jane Kirk, & Anne Bunce.

 

Sally Ripley (secretary) ‘s  report of 2017 was appropriately moved, seconded and approved.

 

Next Harry introduced Jeremy Wilson from the Harris Center who took the floor. The HC is looking to preserve 2 parcels of land -some 515 acres above Little Granite Lake. This watershed section includes 2 headwater streams feeding Granite Lake. About 3 years ago a logging operation was responsible for some major siltation coming into the lake after heavy rains. Two of the Associations goals are controlling siltation and species, both plant and animal.

Harris Center’s 3 main directives are these: environmental education, land conservation, & conservation research. It is attempting to raise $250,000. to purchase this land by Dec. 31, 2018.  One of HC’s major goals is to preserve large tracts for wildlife and backcountry activities. Much of Silver Lake is already in conservation.(80%) HC is working on getting a conservation easement on Fletcher Hill.  Green Crow, a logging company, bought the land 5 years ago and has sold it to a conservation minded buyer who has extended the opportunity to purchase it to the Harris Center. The price is right - under $500/acre. HC is also hoping to get a grant from the state. Jeremy said that the HC does do a little logging but only for forest management or to fix a problem for animal habitat.  Some wildlife has been seen there and includes black bear and moose. Any donation is tax deductible.  Bob Kingsbury made a motion for the GLA to donate from its water quality account $1000.00. Membership thought it was a good use for the lake’s quality.  The motion was appropriately moved and seconded; motion was approved.

 

Tom Newcombe and Anita Flanagan worked together with John Edie from the NH Lakes  Association to finally complete the 501c3 application. John was very helpful is walking them through ....had to re-apply as the original number we had was no longer valid. (We did get the 2nd. application fee back ) Our membership with NH Lakes has paid off several times, and they do the payroll for the Lake Host program too.

Tom’s treasury  report was also appropriately accepted.

 

VLAP water samplings showed an increase in phosphorous and a decrease in clarity due to heavy rains last summer -1 storm of 5+ inches.  Clarity was 8.7 meters before the storm and only 7 meters 3 weeks after the storm. The results are up on our website. This year an intern from the state was in the boat with Tom and had some additional equipment for plankton,etc. The impact from fireworks is also factor as they have lots of chemicals and metals, and the wrappers end up everywhere.

 

Our website has been very busy while no one was really watching...64,745 visits in just a few years -that’s an average of 170/day. wow.

 

Lake Host  Only 7 fragments statewide have been bad ones. Over 15 years of Lake Hosting they have inspected 1 million boats. kayaks, canoes, watercraft in NH

At Granite Lake 792 boats in 2017.  Also at Granite  381 boats so far this year,  166 motorized  195 non-motorized.

207 hours logged so far this year.

 

 

Loons   They came late and bred late, having had 1 chick on July 5 th., Everyone worried about the eagle and eagle nest being so near. Well, it has been abandoned. The loon preservation society agent came, collected the egg(shell), checked the bands...the male is banded. They said the biggest risk for loons is still lead poisoning.

 

AED    Bob Englund spoke about AED training again this year to be held by the Keene Family Y.  Last year Peter Sebert did a wonderful job he said. The GLA  will pay the $50/person so it is free for anyone to take it...a sign up sheet was passed around.

 

Sandy Ferguson read the nominations for officers: Bill Steiniger, Pres.; Tyke Lavigne, Vice Pres.; Tom Newcombe, Treasurer; Sally Ripley, Secretary; Bob Maden, Member-at-Large; Dita Englund & Cayla Pagniucci, Membership/Newsletter; Mike Guida, Water Quality Chair.

The slate was appropriately moved, seconded, and approved by membership.

 

Beaver deceiver working well this year - siltation is good partly because no logging has been done in the area.

 

Sally reported on change in the Granite Lake Village District status. We have been raised to a high risk dam with accompanying higher costs- higher dam membership fees, inspection every 2 years instead of 5, etc.  We were raised due to house below the dam and generally more extreme weather events as are many dams. We still need to find a new dam engineer for repairs. (minor right now).

 

Harry gave a nod to Cayla on the very nice job on the newsletter this year. Only 1 mistake to note, the Granite Lake Community Picnic will be held August 19 at 3. The Nelson Town Band will start at 4 pm and hopefully be able to set sail at 5 for its round-the-lake tour.

 

Membership - 51 family memberships & 9 individual members....nowhere like it used to be. Several members have volunteered to go around the village and solicit new/renew memberships.

 

Sharon O’Brien spoke about a tee shirt project  in which she and Wendy Wollaeger designed and wish to sell - profits to benefit the GLA.The wording included the phrase “Meet Me at the Island” Granite Lake  and a picture of pine trees  Many members appeared to be enthusiastic; some had reservations.

 

Mike Guida suggested members ask their neighbors if they were members and,if not, to discuss its benefits  He also asked if members would be interested in an “ice out” contest for next winter.

 

Patti Maden and Sharon O”Brien have stepped up to share the position of Lake Host coordinator for 2018/2019. Anita said that she would help get them started.

 

1 member asked if we could invest in a microphone for next year’s meeting.  (there are battery powered ones available, I think) .

 

Harry made a motion to donate $350. to the Chapel for use. seconded and approved.

 

Next meeting is scheduled for July 20, 2019 at 9:30

 

Motion to adjourn was appropriately seconded and approved. 11:20 a.m.

 

Respectfully submitted, Sally

 

Annual Meeting   Granite Lake Association

July 15, 2017

The meeting was called to order at about 9:30 a.m. July 15, 2017 with the pledge of allegiance.

A moment of silence was called for remembering for Betty Ripley, Dick Capelli, Robertson Mackay, and Sue Kingsbury, who have passed away this year.

A motion was made and seconded to approve last year’s annual meeting minutes. Approved

 

Guest speaker Andrea LaMoreaux, Vice-President of NH Lakes Association, spoke at length about invasive plants and animals in NH’s lakes.  NH Lakes Assoc. is a state-wide, non-profit organization which seeks to inspire responsible care and use of NH lakes.  There are about 1000 lakes and ponds which are at risk - some of which are already contaminated with invasive plants or animals. We have 85 infected waterways, of which 72 have variable milfoil. The waterways are almost impossible to navigate by motorboat and dangerous to swim in for people, pets and other animals due to entanglement.  The plants are virtually impossible to get rid of and fantastically expensive to contain.  Andrea quoted a price of approx. 1 million dollars in contracting fees ---or $500-1500/day.  She said that there are some funds available for the first year from the state, after that grants are available but the localities will need to pay up. Another reason you don’t want these invasive species, is that they reduce your property values by an average of %16. Andrea said there has been one good note - in the past 4 years lake hosts have reported a much higher awareness of the dangers. Weeds are not the only culprit either.  There have been 5 saves in NH from various invasive species infestations including one by zebra mussels.

 

The Lake Host program was initiated to help catch these invasive plants and animals before they reach the lake. So far at Granite Lake since the beginning, there have been 7,512 inspections with 3 saves.  We also need to keep up the weed watch program. Anita Flanagan, our coordinator, reported 390 inspections so far in 2017. 2 new volunteer lake hosts have joined this year.

 

Tom Newcombe summarized the financial report and VLAP reports.

As of July 1, 74 members had paid membership dues. The operating balance with deductions (total bank) totaled $14,499.84.

Last year’s water report, the VLAP, had 2 good months of 10 meters and 9.8 meters clarity.(we get 3 tests/year every 2 years)  Unfortunately, we had one bad month when we had a deluge of 5 or so inches of rain, and the number went down to 6 meters. In the inlet brook (downstream from the D.O.T. garage) phosphorous was at 27 when it usually is 9-12.

A motion to accept was made and seconded. His reports were approved.

 

Tom gave an update on our application to the federal govt. for a 501 c3 non-profit status.

John Edie, board member of NH Lakes Association, whose area of expertise is tax law, helped the GLA executive board with questions they had about the application for 501c3 status. He volunteered to walk us through many of the application questions. When Tom Newcombe completed the original application there was a problem with the account number he used. This was resolved when he applied for a new number.

$275.00 was approved by the board in June for the application fee. When we get this tax status, donors will be able to deduct their donations from their federal taxes.

 

Sally gave the loon report in Bill’s absence. The loon parents arrived right after the ice went out (April 13-14), and had 2 chicks born June 15. On the 19 th one chick was found dead on the beach after being pecked by its sibling. Both the dead chick and the egg shells were taken for testing by the Loon Preservation Society. Bill will get a report eventually.

 

Bob Englund passed around a paper for volunteers to sign up for AED training. The GLA will pay $50 which covers most of the fee for up to 12 people. AED machines are located at Nicoletti’s, Englund’s, and the Chapel for 3 seasons - below 40 degrees they need to be inside so only the Chapel one is available in the winter.  AED machines have proven to be very effective in saving lives with trained personnel and possible with the untrained.

 

No new officers - 2 year terms. Harry Flanagan- President; Bill Steiniger, Vice-President; Tom Newcombe, Treasurer; Sally Ripley, Secretary; Tyke Lavigne, Officer-at-large,;, Mike Guida, Water Quality Chair;  Dita Englund, Membership Chair; Cayla Pagniucci, Newsletter; Judy Walton, Nominating Committee Chair.

 

The beaver deceiver is working correctly and efficiently. The purpose is to keep the water level of Nye Meadow from getting too high - preventing the D.O.T. from cutting a chunk out of the dam and letting silty water to flow into the lake.

 

There are certainly some other silt concerns. One is on West Shore Rd. where the road is so close to the lake and the way it is graded. A meeting with Mike Tarr and David Vallaincourt will be planned soon.

Harry and Bill checked on the parking area above Nye Meadow. The RR ties left after Eversource used them at the time of the fire in 2016 have been removed, and the area has been cleaned up and hayed.

On another site, Bill, Harry, Mike and I met with Swift Corwin, forester who will be starting to log an area west of Farm Rd. near its junction with the Monadnock Sunapee Trail. This area drains directly down into Granite Lake. He assures us that proper precautions will be taken to prevent run-off.  At least he knows we are watching. It was to start 7/4/17.

 

The lake level will be drawn down 2 feet beginning Oct. 1.-15 for the lake trout spawning season.  We are lucky enough to be 1 of 3 lakes with native lake trout. If the weather is dry, Phil said he may be able to wait another few days.

 

Membership: 50 full members & 7 single members as of day of meeting.

 

Barbara Ropiecki sought a volunteer to take over her job as Treasurer of the Granite Lake Village District as she is going to resign whether there is someone to take her place or not.  Also on the subject of the GLVD, Butch Roeder [Commissioner] said that the Commissioners had received a letter from the State saying that our dam will now be considered a high risk dam following an inspection called for by John Cucchi. John wants to place a building down below the dam where the old mill was located. There is also another building further (200 or so yards?) down below the dam which would certainly be affected in case of serious flood.  Due to the changing weather patterns - heavier rains at once - they are upgrading their expectations for more severe flash flooding statewide. We do not know yet what this may mean for our dam --it may mean widening the spillway or reinforcing the dam in some other way. In any case, more money may be needed from our tax base.

 

A motion was made and seconded to schedule next year’s meeting for July 21, 2018 at 9:30 a.m. motion was approved.

 

A motion was made to pay the Chapel-by-the-Lake $350.00 for the use of the building.  It was approved.

 

A motion was made and seconded to adjourn. Approved

Adjourned 11:13 am

Respectfully submitted,

 

Sally Ripley, Secretary