First Cyanobacteria Warnings of 2024 Issued for Lake Winnipesaukee

[Biggd]

Originally Posted by sunfishman

The geese contribute to the problem. The question is why do people tolerate the mess from the geese. If the mess was from the dogs, would it be tolerated.
For some reason, people don't mind stepping in goose poo.

Dogs are pets, and their owner is responsible to pick up their mess. Geese are not pets so who is responsible to pick up their mess?
We tolerate it because we don't want to pick it up. Maybe you should volunteer.

[sunfishman]

The solution is not volunteers picking up after a never ending overpopulation of geese. They need to be 'thinned out'. Once they became a federally protected species their population exploded. Why do we have hunting seasons on everything else, but not the geese?

[SAB1]

Geese are migratory waterfowl birds and under control of the federal government. They are hunted.

[tis]

Originally Posted by sunfishman

The solution is not volunteers picking up after a never ending overpopulation of geese. They need to be 'thinned out'. Once they became a federally protected species their population exploded. Why do we have hunting seasons on everything else, but not the geese?

I agree. In Paugus Bay one group had 17 babies a week ago or so with another group across the bay. I can't imagine the s--- that was coming out of them.

[fatlazyless]

This June 21, 2024 New Hampshire news report from In Depth NH ..... Lake Winnipesaukee's Under Siege By Cyanobacteria ..... includes a link to the NH-DES to report any new cyanobacteria blooms in N.H. water bodies.

https://indepthnh.org/2024/06/21/lak...cyanobacteria/

It also has a link to this here thread.

Yesterday was the very first calendar day of the summer and hopefully all the cyanobacteria blooms reported in Tuftonboro, Wolfeboro, The Broads, Governor's Island, Meredith, and Center Harbor will dry up and disappear, quickly.

Time will tell what's happening with the green/blue cyanobacteria blooms? I was swimming in Meredith and the water seemed less clear than usual, and more difficult to see the rocky lake bottom. The water was obscured with less visibility but there was no green/blue growth on the water surface? With water temp at 68 and air temp a sunny humid 92-degrees, it was a happening swim in the lake.

Swimming the lake is different from swimming a pool, and wearing a swim flotation belt is a good suggestion for swimming the deep water with the waves, wind, and wakes.

[Biggd]

Originally Posted by sunfishman

The solution is not volunteers picking up after a never ending overpopulation of geese. They need to be 'thinned out'. Once they became a federally protected species their population exploded. Why do we have hunting seasons on everything else, but not the geese?

I agree, but they are protected. Maybe we should deport them back to Canada.

[Lake Fan]

Originally Posted by Biggd

I agree, but they are protected. Maybe we should deport them back to Canada.

10 years ago or so, you didn't see geese on the lake. Now they are a scourge.

Maybe they've been protected enough?

[John Mercier]

They aren't protected from hunting.
You simply purchase a Duck Stamp.

We can't hunt with a shotgun in the areas that they congregate.
That is a landowner problem... not a policy problem.

[Lake Fan]

I never said they couldn't be hunted. Daily bag limit of 2 could be tripled and we'd still have too many of that invasive species. That, and we need more hunters.

[John Mercier]

You mean for Canadian Geese in the second session?
First session is five, and Snow is 25

Most of the watershed in our area is closed... and other restrictions exist.

The federal law is from 1918... so the law is not the problem.
It is the changes we make to the land that causes the problem.

No geese at Middleton Meredith until the town required the large greenspace in the back... now it is a hangout... but can't be hunted.

[Susie Cougar]

Has anyone thought of habitat modification. If we take these open expanses of green grass, which attract the geese, and replace them with different plantings that are not attractive to the geese, like trees and bushes of varying heights, then they have no reason to go there and will learn to go somewhere else.

[Descant]

Originally Posted by Susie Cougar

Has anyone thought of habitat modification. If we take these open expanses of green grass, which attract the geese, and replace them with different plantings that are not attractive to the geese, like trees and bushes of varying heights, then they have no reason to go there and will learn to go somewhere else.

Exactly. Years ago we had flocks of sea gulls on the lake. The Witches were a favorite spot. So much guano the rocks looked like they had been painted white. After the dumps ("sanitary landfills") were closed, the sea gulls went away.

NH DES already has guide lines for shore front plantings in the Shoreland Water Quality Protection Act, but "existing" landscape can be maintained, so there is no incentive to rip out your lawn and do other plantings.

NHLAKES has a program called "Lake Smart" to give guidance on shore front landscaping and will certify your place as "Lake Smart" if you qualify.

[Mr. V]

There's A LOT of money on the lake, and more seems to be pouring in.

It would be great to use a chunk of it to build sewers surrounding the big water and require ALL to hook up.

Prohibit the use of fertilizer on or near the lake.

Feature "locally-sourced goose" on the menu of local restaurants.