It just hit 96 degrees here in North Conway NH. We are officially in a heat-wave and it’s only May. It is taking all of my self-control not to sneak out of the office for half an hour and go jump in the Saco River. So I thought while swimming was fresh on my mind I would share with you a couple of very “cool” waterfront homes; perfect for resetting your thermostat on these warm summer days.

Check out this getaway on Ettowah Cove, tucked away on a long winding private road, and just a few minutes from Fryeburg Maine.

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250 feet of owned Saco River frontage and a deep water dock right of the deck are only a few of the highlights of this fantastic river front cape in Conway NH.

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Pictures really are worth a thousand words. Not only do you get to enjoy this view, but you can go ahead and jump right into Upper Kimball Lake whenever you need to be refreshed. Go ahead and stick your toes in.

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Best of both worlds, Conway Village location, monthly payments the same as renting a 1 bedroom apartment, and Saco River community access.

You know you have always dreamed of owning a waterfront property in the Mount Washington Valley. So go ahead and call us at 603-356-7200 or email Info@JTRealty.com for more information or to set up a showing appointment. Summer has arrived, what are you waiting for!

Lovely Year-Round cottage on the shore of Lower Kimball Lake in Chatham, NH

July 15, 2009

By Suzie Laskin

In my last blog, I wrote about a few of my favorite hikes in the White Mountains. This time, I’m going to let you in on a couple of my favorite secret and not-so-secret swimming holes in the eastern White Mountains and western Maine.

Weston’s Beach is a well-known beach on the Saco River in Fryeburg, ME. There is a beautiful large, sandy beach where you can sit and relax in your beach chair for the day. There is a parking lot so it can get a little crowded, but nevertheless, it’s a wonderful place to swim and relax. From the Fryeburg Post Office, take 113N. You will cross the bridge over the Saco River and see the parking area for the beach on your right.

Rattlesnake Pool If you are looking for a spot that is very much off the beaten track, head up route 113 North from Fryeburg to Evans Notch. The drive alone will take you through beautiful farmlands and countryside. As you drive north, you’ll pass through Stow, ME, North Chatham, NH and then back into Stow, ME again. Evans Notch is spectacular, one of the most scenic and little-known places in the area.  The Blueberry Mountain Trail, as its name would suggest, is loaded with blueberries and has great views of the Baldface Ridge and the hills around the Cold River valley. Take the Stone House Trail, and in about a mile, you’ll come to a gorge with a deep pool in Rattlesnake Brook.  Rattlesnake Pool is like a quite, peaceful swimming pool–it  is just breathtaking! The water cascades over moss covered rocks into a deep pool. What a great spot for a dip on a hot, summer day.

Emerald Pool This hike is about as easy as they come. It’s a lovely walk through the forest, a great hike for the whole family. The kids will really like it because they can go swimming. Emerald Pool is a gorgeous swimming hole in the Charles Brook. On a hot summer day it can be quite busy, but certainly not as busy as the more well-known spots along the Kancamagus Highway. There is a “jump rock” where the more brave-at-heart can jump off a rock from about 10 feet above the water into the beautiful, deep, very cold, emerald pool below. On a hot day, there’s nothing like the exhilaration of jumping into Emerald Pool!  The trailhead location is about 14 miles North of Fryeburg Maine on Route 113.   The parking lot is located on the East (right) side of the road and the trailhead is about 20 yards further North on the West (left) side of the road.It takes about 15 minutes each direction and there is a very minimal elevation gain. The trail is about 3/4 mile each direction.

Langdon Brook Out in Center Chatham, NH you’ll find beautiful Langdon Brook. I love to walk my dogs along the dirt logging road that runs alongside the brook and stop at the waterfall for a dip. The road runs alongside the brook for several miles and it’s a beautiful scenic walk. From Fryeburg, take 113N to the old Stow Corner Store (now defunct). Continue straight ahead (no longer on 113N) at the Stow Store, and you will be back in Chatham, NH. Continue on past the Chatham Town Hall, onto Toad Hill Road until you see the brook. Park and begin your walk along the Langdon Brook and in a short distance you’ll come to a beautiful waterfall.

By MICHAEL COUSINEAU
New Hampshire Union Leader Staff
Sunday, Jun. 28, 2009

Recent rainy weather has fueled the growth of a bacteria that researchers suspect could cause “Lou Gehrig’s Disease,” and has required the state to post more warnings on the state’s lakes and ponds this year.

But the state has an extensive system to test many of the its 950 lakes and ponds, and residents and tourists alike shouldn’t fear going into the water, according to Jody Connor, a limnologist with the state Department of Environmental Services.

“I think we’ll find New Hampshire waters are very safe to swim in, and among the clearest in the United States,” Connor said.

The New Hampshire Sunday News reported this month that researchers found the risk of developing Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, a fatal neurodegenerative disease known as Lou Gehrig’s Disease or ALS, was 25 times higher than the norm for residents near Macoma Lake in Enfield.

Doctors and scientists at Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center in Lebanon say there is strong evidence that cyanobacteria — single-celled organisms that form on lakes and ponds, and release harmful toxins — might be a trigger for the development of ALS.

This month, the state has issued warnings about high levels of cyanobacteria for six lakes and ponds, though only one remains in effect, for Willand Pond in Dover and Somersworth.

“Typically, we don’t have a lot of cyanobacteria problems until late July or early August,” Connor said, noting June usually has only one warning. “I think the weather has a lot to do with it. What’s causing the cyanobacteria cells to increase is the phosphorous that’s coming from the water shed. It could be from fertilizers. It could be road runoff.”

Extensive monitoring

Cheryl Keeler of Merrimack said she grew up in Enfield Center and swam in Mascoma Lake 30 or 35 years ago before she read the recent news of the increased ALS levels.

“When I saw it, it made my heart drop,” she said.

Last year, her brother-in-law, Charles Keeler, died of ALS, and she wonders whether his death was tied to swimming in New Hampshire lakes, including Mascoma. Still, she plans to go camping soon along White Lake. “That won’t stop us, unless there’s something posted as warnings,” she said. “I don’t think it will hurt tourism.”

James Haney, who heads the University of New Hampshire Center for Freshwater Biology and has studied cyanobacteria for 15 years, said New Hampshire, unlike many other states, has a system in place to respond to cyanobacteria blooms, or concentrations.

“I would send people to New Hampshire first of all because they’re better protected here than elsewhere,” he said.

Haney and his team are using a sophisticated detector to measure cyanobacteria levels. They flash a green light at suspected areas and can confirm whether the bacteria is present if a red glow appears, he said.

Earlier this month, Haney said Willand Pond “looked pretty good” on the surface.

But below the water line, concentrations “were extremely high, even though you couldn’t see it,” Haney said. “There was a danger lurking below the surface.” New testing Friday revealed the high levels had shifted from the pond’s south side to its north end, he said.

In a lake with high concentrations of cyanobacteria, “the greatest danger is if you ingest it,” he said. “Touching the water is probably unlikely to cause any serious problem.”

Warnings issued

So far this month, the state has issued warnings, now expired, for high levels of cyanobacteria for Mascoma Lake, Locke Lake in Barnstead, Harvey Lake in Northwood, Goose Pond in Canaan, and Lake Monomonac in Rindge and Winchendon, Mass.

Cyanobacteria warnings

Six ponds and lakes have been under a cyanobacteria warning this month. The state discontinued all but one, for Willand Pond.

Source: N.H. Department of Environmental Services
MICHAEL COUSINEAU/SUNDAY NEWS

“Toxins can cause both acute and chronic health effects ranging in severity from skin and mucous membrane irritations, nausea, vomiting and diarrhea to liver and central nervous system damage,” state environmental officials warned in a statement.

DES suggests people and their pets avoid contact with the water where there is a surface scum or blue-green flecks.

This Wednesday in Concord, Connor will host a workshop on the topic for more than 70 people, including municipal workers and lakeshore residents.

He said New Hampshire was the first state to start a program to monitor cyanobacteria, at least five years ago. The state checks 180 public beaches for cyanobacteria and has volunteers who monitor about 200 lakes and bring samples to the state for analysis, Connor said.

“The thing people don’t understand with cyanobacteria is, it’s worldwide. It’s not just in New Hampshire lakes,” Connor said, noting most bodies of water contain only minute amounts.

DES, UNH and Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center have submitted a proposal for a four-year grant to study cyanobacteria and its possible link to ALS, Haney said.

“It’s a very compelling argument that can be made that there is a possible link between these two: ALS and cyanobacteria toxins found in some of the lakes,” he said. “However, until we test that hypothesis, we won’t know.”

Many Mascoma Lake residents became concerned after the ALS reports surfaced, according to Andrea LaMoreaux, education director of the New Hampshire Lakes Association.

“We did get calls from Lake Mascoma (residents), ‘I have company coming next week. Can they swim in the lake?’” she said. “Absolutely, unless you see a bloom in that area, we would recommend people swim in the water.”

LaMoreaux said the “ALS report does not raise our level of concern. There’s still a lot of science to be done to show a link.”

As far as the state’s lakes, she added: “We don’t want people to be afraid to use the water. We just want people to be educated about what’s in the water.”

Concord, NH

Is there a toxic algae bloom in your lake? You may have read it in the papers or heard it on the radio-a few of New Hampshire’s lakes have already had cyanobacteria (toxic algae) advisories issued this year and scientific researchers report that cyanobacteria blooms may be linked to unusually high rates of Lou Gehrig’s disease around a few of New Hampshire’s lakes, and other lakes in New England.

Attend this year’s Lakes Congress hosted by NH LAKES at Colby Sawyer College on June 26^th and find out exactly what this means for you and your summer on the lakes. Officials from the Department of Environmental Services (DES) will be there with specific information on this most current issue of concern. “State officials will be at Lakes Congress, so this is a perfect opportunity for people to come and get the most up to date details about the cyanobacteria blooms just reported in some of our lakes,” explains Andrea LaMoreaux, Education Director at NH LAKES and conference organizer, “they want to help clarify the facts and the myths for people. Not all algae that you see out there are cyanobacteria.”

Jared Teutsch, President of NH LAKES, seconds the need for clarity. “We don’t want people to be afraid to go in the water,” says Teutsch, explaining the need for awareness in helping to inform the public and create more eyes on potential lake issues of concern.

 Cyanobacteria scums typically look like paint chips or bright green balls floating in the water and are usually caused by excessive nutrient pollution into surface waters coupled by warming water temperatures.  DES advises that if you notice anything resembling cyanobacteria, to refrain from wading, swimming, or drinking the water.  Keep all pets out of the water and contact DES at (603) 419-9229 to immediately report a potential bloom.

 To learn more about cyanobacteria and what you can do to help prevent it from blooming in your lake, attend NH LAKES’ Lakes Congress to get first hand information. To find out more about the event, other lake-related issues being presented and discussed, and to register, visit NH LAKES online at www.nhlakes.org. For the latest advisories all summer long, click on “Beach Advisories” on the lower right hand side of the home page.

The 2009 Lakes Congress is taking place on Friday, June 26, 2009, at Colby-Sawyer College in New London, in the heart of the Lake Sunapee Region.  The theme of the 2009 Lakes Congress is “Partnerships Protecting New Hampshire’s Lakes.”  This sixteenth Lakes Congress offers an excellent opportunity for lake enthusiasts, lake association members, state agency personnel, researchers, lake and watershed management professionals, and political leaders to exchange information, ideas, and experiences.

NH LAKES is a statewide, nonprofit, member-supported organization headquartered in Concord. The organization is dedicated to protecting New Hampshire’s lakes, which are integral to the quality of life and economic health of the State. NH LAKES serves as a source of information about lakes and lake issues through educational materials and programs, and through its work with state legislators advocating on issues of water quality, boater education and boating safety, invasive species prevention, appropriate public access and a balance of lake uses.

For more information on the organization’s lake protection efforts across the state, please visit www.nhlakes.org.