Sunrise on the Lake. Photo courtesy of Mark Guerringue

What's New on the Lake

Annual Loon Count - 2025

The Conway Lake Loon Census was held on July 19th between 8am and 9am (this is part of the statewide loon census). We are pleased to report that there are:

13 Adult Loons and 3 Chicks

16 Grand total -- Loons observed in 2025

Please be careful of posted areas with loon chicks and give them wide berth.

Keynote Address of the 2025 NH Lakes Congress: The Evolution of Lake Management – Learning from the Past for a Clear Future

Lake management has come a long way over the past six decades. The keynote address at the 2025 NH Lakes Congress traced this evolution, highlighting how science, technology, community involvement, and economics have shaped today’s best practices in lake conservation. Here is a summary of the key points from that talk.

What We’ve Learned Over Time

The talk emphasized that lake health is influenced by a dynamic combination of factors—particularly phosphorus levels, land use, and internal nutrient loading. From the 1970s onward, research has shown how phosphorus, especially when released from lake sediments, drives algal blooms and reduces water clarity. Developed land and agriculture have added to the problem by increasing phosphorus runoff into lakes.

In recent years, internal phosphorus loading—the release of nutrients from the lake bottom—has emerged as a major concern. Even when external sources are controlled, phosphorus stored in sediments can continue to fuel harmful algal blooms, especially under low-oxygen conditions.

Did you know? Internal loading is often invisible but powerful—nutrients quietly build up on the lakebed, then suddenly trigger blooms when conditions change.

Spotlight on Science: Women Leading the Way

Breakthroughs in understanding cyanobacteria—commonly known as blue-green algae—have come thanks to pioneering research by women scientists, including Caitlin Carey (Dartmouth), Holly Ewing (Bates College), and Cathy Cottingham (Dartmouth). Their work revealed that cyanobacteria:

Grow primarily at the sediment-water interface where the lake bottom intersects the photic zone - generally at depths less than 15'
Absorb phosphorus directly from sediments
Form gas pockets that allow them to float to the surface and form blooms.
This explains why some lakes appear clean one day and bloom the next.

These insights changed how scientists understand and manage cyanobacterial threats—and showed how important it is to monitor what's happening at the bottom of the lake, not just the surface.

Modern Monitoring: From Lab Coats to Lake Apps

Monitoring tools have transformed. What once required painstaking water sampling and lab work can now be done using drones, remote sensors, and GPS-enabled sondes. Volunteers, once considered less reliable than professionals, are now essential contributors to lake data collection. Their work provides real-time information critical to managing threats like invasive species and harmful algal blooms.

Smart Economics: Lake Health Pays Off

Keeping lakes clean isn’t just an environmental goal—it’s an economic one. Studies show that:

Property values drop 2–8% when lakes become eutrophic (nutrient-polluted)
Lake protection investments typically yield a 3–4x return on investment
Lakefront homeowners are encouraged to budget about 2% of their property value toward long-term lake protection

Evolving Management Approaches

Lake conservation has matured from relying solely on in-lake fixes (like herbicides and dredging) to combining those efforts with watershed-level strategies (like controlling runoff and restoring wetlands). The most effective approach is a balanced one, considering both upstream causes and in-lake symptoms.

New techniques include:

Phosphorus inactivation agents
Advanced herbicides
Benthic barriers to manage invasive plants
Watershed best management practices (BMPs)

Take Action: What You Can Do

✅ Know your lake’s challenges: Is your primary issue external (runoff, land use) or internal (sediment phosphorus, legacy pollution)?

✅ Support science and data collection: Join or donate to monitoring programs. Better yet, become a volunteer monitor—your data matters.

✅ Manage the watershed: Reduce runoff from lawns, driveways, and roads. Even small actions help.

✅ Track internal loading: Encourage sediment testing and cyanobacteria monitoring for your lake. It’s not always visible but can be managed.

✅ Advocate for prevention: Get involved in local and state policies that support proactive lake management. Prevention is cheaper and more effective than cleanup.

Final Message

Successful lake management isn’t one-size-fits-all. It’s a local effort rooted in scientific understanding, smart investment, and committed community involvement. By learning from the past and acting now, we can ensure a clear future for our lakes.

GPS Enabled Water Depth Map for Use on Conway Lake Now Available

There is now a GPS enabled version of the Conway Lake water depth map that is available for boaters on the lake.

It can be imported to and used with a phone app such as Avenza Maps to actively show your position while on the lake. The map shows water depths in 5' increments, the location of submerged and exposed rocks, potential hazards, and buoys. The map is not for navigation but can orient you to your position on the lake. Download the map from the link below:

GPS Water Depth Map

Congratulations to the 2024 Homeowners on Conway Lake who Earned the Lake Smart Award!

We continue to encourage all homeowners on the Lake to participate in the free Lake Smart program offered by NH Lakes. The following homeowners received Lake Smart Awards in 2024: Rick & Robin Blank, Maria & Tom Gross, Rose Hache & Dean Malouta, Gitch Whalen, and Julie Bosak & Lawton Harper. Two other properties in Dolloff Cove also had visits by the Lake Smart representatives: Ken and Carol Rock, and Deidre & Ben Soraci. There was positive feedback about the LakeSmart inspection process, which provided useful information on maintaining the lake’s health.

From the NH Lakes Newsletter - Congratulations to Judy for her Zebra Mussels Save in 2024

Photo Credit: Dr. Jennifer L. Graham | U.S. Geological Survey Photo Credit: Organisme de bassin versant de la baie Missisquoi

Invasive Spiny Water Flea Reported Increasing in Lake Winnipesaukee - Sept. 1, 2024

The Laconia Daily Sun has reported that the Spiny Water Flea has increased in numbers across Lake Winnipesaukee this season, based on feedback from anglers who report fouling of fishing lines. Why is this important to us on Conway Lake? Spiny Water Fleas are very small and hard to detect and once in a lake they cannot be eradicated. The key to stopping their introduction to Conway Lake is to thoroughly clean, drain and dry all gear, boats, and trailers that have been to another lake before using on Conway Lake.

The spiny water flea is not harmful to humans; however, it can be a nuisance to anglers when it accumulates on fishing lines, and more importantly, it wreaks havoc on the local ecosystem by decimating the food chain that fish and other native aquatic species depend on. The New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services will conduct formal surveys in fall 2024, but early indications show densities of the invasive plankton have increased since its discovery in fall 2023 by state biologists. State biologists warn transient boaters and fishermen to always clean, drain and dry their recreational gear between waterbodies, but especially after being in Lake Winnipesaukee, as well as the two downstream lakes — Lake Opechee and Lake Winnisquam. All fishing gear, especially fishing line, should be wiped down and left to dry for at least 24-48 hours before being used in another waterbody. These organisms spread by moving with transient boats, fishing gear, and other equipment that comes in contact with the infected water.

See the photos of Spiny Water Flea below. If you find this on your fishing gear in Conway Lake please report it to Maria Gross or Don Yurewicz. If you fish or boat elsewhere it is extremely important to clean your gear!

Conway Voters Approve Changes to Shoreland Regulations - April 2024

Conway voters approved Warrant #20 in the April election. The warrant clarifies and strengthens regulations pertaining to the Conway Shoreline Protection Overlap (SPO) District (all land within 300’ of the lake). Some of the key changes include:

Specifically states that the more restrictive statue between State or Town regulations will apply.
A single boat shed must be at least 50 feet back from the shoreline.
Any cutting in the buffer zone must be dispersed evenly throughout the lot.
No fertilizer or chemicals may be used in the district.
No grass in the district.
Docks and ramps shall not extend more than 30 feet into the Lake.
Docks and swim floats shall not present a hazard to boating.
Docks are for the exclusive use of the resident and cannot be rented or leased.

Ice Out Declared - 2nd Shortest Year for Ice Cover - April 2024

Tom Deans is the official/unofficial tracker of ice conditions on Conway Lake. Ice-In was declared on January 9, 2023, and Ice-Out was declared on April 1, 2024. The lake was frozen for 82 days which is one of the shortest on record. The average ice coverage for Conway Lake is 107 days, and the shortest was 77 days in 2015/2016.

A New Invasive Threat - Spiny Water Flea - Found in NH Lakes!! - October 2023

The spiny water flea was discovered in Lake Winnipesaukee and Lake Winnisquam this past September, marking the first time this aquatic invasive species has ever been detected in New Hampshire. The tiny animal was likely introduced to the lake by boaters who visited a waterbody with an existing infestation and carried eggs or live organisms on fishing or recreational gear, or in the bilge or live well of a boat.

Multiple spiny water fleas on a fishing line. Microscopic view of spiny water fleas.

Why this is significant: While not harmful to humans, spiny water fleas affect the overall ecosystem of a lake by competing for zooplankton that fish and other aquatic animals feed on, thereby reducing the fish population and wildlife, such as ducks, loons, and eagles, that feed on fish.

Unfortunately, it will be difficult to spot by our Lake Hosts because of its minute size and there is currently no way to control the species once it enters a lake. The best and only management option is to prevent its introduction into uninfected waterbodies by cleaning, draining and drying all boats and recreational gear after leaving a waterbody, as required by New Hampshire state law.

NH is on Trend this Summer, for the Fifth Year in a Row, to Set a Record for Cyanobacteria Blooms

This past year (2023) was the fourth year in a row that NH lakes have set a record for the number of toxic cyanobacteria blooms and 2024 is on trend to set another record. Cyanobacteria are photosynthetic bacteria that occur naturally in lakes, but when conditions are right (abundance of nutrients, e.g. phosphorous and nitrogen), they can multiply rapidly and create blooms on the surface of the lake. Some cyanobacteria blooms produce toxins (“cyanotoxins”) that are harmful to animals and humans.

Toxic cyanobacteria blooms and their consequences. Note that cyanobacteria blooms can occur in different colors – not just green as shown here. They can also look deceptively like the pollen floating on the lake each spring that we are all familiar with.

For more information on cyanobacteria check out the following:

NHDES Fact sheet on the variety of cyanobacteria: fact sheet.
NH DES now has an interactive map that allows you to see which lakes currently have advisories or warnings. Check it out: map link.
To report a bloom to the NH DES, follow this link.

If you see a film on the surface of the lake that you feel could be a cyanobacteria bloom, contact Maria Gross (maria.m.gross@gmail.com) or Don Yurewicz (don.yurewicz@gmail.com).

Lakes experiencing cyanobacteria blooms are still usable for boating or other activities. But individuals interested in swimming or wading should avoid areas with a green surface scum and water that is not clear.

Don’t wade or swim in the water.
Don’t drink it.
Keep pets out.
Wash your hands if you’ve made contact.

Work on the New Boat Ramp is Complete

Work on the new boat ramp on Mill St. was completed in the fall of 2023. The new ramp includes a gravel and rock base, two steel I-beams running the length of the ramp, and preformed concrete pads laid on top of the I-beams. The ramp has a perimeter of coarse rocks to protect it from erosion.