Weed Watch

IMPORTANT WEED WATCH INFORMATION

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Dear BLPA member, 

Thank you for being a weed watch volunteer. Through your efforts we aim to protect Blaisdell Lake's water quality and keep invasive plants out of the lake. Please fill out the form below with the dates that you are available for weed watch duty. With our new on call weed watch system we are encouraging weed watch volunteers to sign up for Monday - Friday, Saturday & Sunday, or full week time slots. Rather than volunteering for a two-hour shift sitting at the beach, you can now conduct weed watch duty from home, only going to the beach when it’s necessary to inspect a boat. On-Call hours are 8 AM - 4 PM ONLY and you will not be the only person on-call. You can go about your day, run errands, take a shower and not be tied to the phone for the entire shift. Because of the low probability that a single day user needs inspection during your shift, its quite likely you will never be called to the lake at all. If you would like to sign up for more than one time slot you can either fill out multiple forms or email your contact information and full schedule to Blaisdell.Lake.NH@gmail.com

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Beach weed watcher and waiver procedure

(printable version)

When a boater approaches the launch, introduce yourself as a BLPA Weed Watcher and explain that your mission is to keep invasive plants out of the lake.  It’s useful to ask if the boater is familiar with the very real threat that invasive species pose to NH lakes.  Hand the boater literature about invasive species (if available).

Ask to see a BLPA membership card or a BLPA issued Season Fishing Pass.  If the boater does not have his card, check the name against the member list in the mailbox.

If the boater has neither, ask them to complete a “Release of Liability Form” found in the beach mailbox and collect $10 for a motorboat and $5 for others.  This nominal fee helps pay for the boat launch insurance.

 

INSPECTION

BEFORE the boat is in launch position:

Ask where the boat has been before arriving at the boat launch and if it has been washed.  A boat must be washed if its last launch was in an infected lake.  There is a list and map of contaminated lakes in the mailbox.

Tell the boat owner that you will conduct an inspection of the boat and trailer for weeds (dried and otherwise) that may be attached.  Visually inspect these areas of the boat:

• Trailer Hitch and Tongue


• Propeller and Cavitation Plate (horizontal plate over the prop)


• Anchor


• Rollers


• Remove and bag the vegetation in the plastic bags in the mailbox.  Leave it in the mailbox.
  The boat may not be launched if there are too many weeds to remove.

Ask if the bilge (lowest, deepest part of the boat where water collects), live wells (where fish are kept), and bait buckets are empty.  The boat may not be launched if any of these contain water because the water may harbor larva of invasive species (Asian Clams, Zebra Mussels) or minute pieces of vegetation from other infected lakes.   

LEAD SINKERS/HOOKS/FLIES
Remind boaters that lead fishing tackle is ILLEGAL and directly responsible for loon death.  The birds ingest the lead tackle and it poisons them.  Lead tackle is the number one cause of loon death in New Hampshire.  Ask boaters “to get the lead out!” the next time they clean out their tackle box.
(OVER)

 

THANK YOU FOR VOLUNTEERING YOUR TIME TO KEEP BLAISDELL LAKE WEED FREE!!

USEFUL PHONE NUMBERS

 

Sutton Police Emergency                          911
Sutton Police Non-Emergency                 603-927-4442
Rainbow Garage                                          603-938-5100
Sharon Kenrick                                            603-938-2665
Vicki Willard                                                  603-938-2547

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