​Mark’s great grandfather bought their lot on Horn Pond back in the 1940s. Mark has been coming up to Horn Pond for approximately 55 years and he has studied the water level over the years.
 
The Great East Lake (GEL) Dam that flows into Horn Pond as well as the Dam by the public boat launch on Horn Pond (off Route 109) are both controlled by the Dam Division of the New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services.  The NHDES decides when to start and stop the flow of water from GEL into Horn Pond as well as when the water flows out or remains in Horn Pond.
 
There have been no issues with the water level in Horn Pond all summer.  This is because the water has been steadily flowing from GEL, up until two weeks ago. GEL was running seven inches lower than normal. NHDES did maintenance of the Dam and at that point of time, the NHDES put an additional board, padlocks and locks on the Dam and stopped the flow of water out of GEL into Horn Pond.  GEL’s water level lowers one inch for Horn Pond’s water level to come up ten inches.
 
Water also flows into Horn Pond from Wilson Lake, which is privately held and controlled by Wilson Lakes Homeowners Association. Wilson Lake can drop one to three inches in two days by allowing water to flow into Horn Pond, so it is closely monitored. Wilson Lake was opened up yesterday (Monday, September 5th) and will remain open for a couple of days until their water level drop.  This is due to the amount of rain yesterday and today.
 
Mark confirmed that the water level of Horn Pond was at its proper level in the Spring (which is full pond level) based on a gage on the Horn Pond Dam (‘0’ indicates full pond level).
 
Mark does have a contact at the NHDES and keeps in touch with him on the water levels.
 
For more information, questions, concerns or issues, please contact the following:
 
NHDES - Dam Bureau
29 Hazen Drive
PO Box 95
Concord, NH 03302-0095
Tel: (603) 271-3406

Horn Pond is truly a magical place. We enjoy such a diverse offering of natural beauty which encompasses our ‘river pond’.
One such attraction is Davis Island aka ‘Blueberry Island’ located in the northern end near the marsh.

As a reminder, Davis Island is privately owned. The owner has asked me once again to ‘post’ the island and ask that our residents respect that choice. Recalling damage incurred in the past which included trees cut down and burned, litter and fecal matter, along with the fact that federally protected birds nest there, I think that their request is reasonable so please stay off.  The fact that previous signage has been removed or destroyed means that there are still a few bad apples out there.

Boats are still welcome to moor in its’ cove, circle it and pick the abundance of blueberries which grow there seasonally and enjoy it’s proud stature from afar.

We should work together in order to preserve all the treasures of our pond. FYI: I readily view and will monitor the island from the New Hampshire side while Michael Salusti has volunteered to oversee it from his perch on the Maine side.

Please encourage your guests or tenants to respect this request.

Thank you.
​Dean Hockenberry

​Please join us for our annual Horn Pond Association meeting and brunch at the home of  Tony and Regina Callendrellos's, 153 New Bridge Road, Acton, ME on Saturday, July 3rd at 10:00 a.m. 

All residents are welcome, members and non-members. 

Come join us for brunch and meeting and come meet some neighbors and friends on the lake. Please bring something to share such as muffins, bagels, or anything brunch related. Please bring a chair or two as well. 

Just a reminder, you can pay your dues on-line on the website www.horn-pond.org or in person at the meeting with a check made payable to HPA. 
Any questions e-mail us at info@horn-pond.org We look forward to seeing you all on Saturday!! 

Robin and Julie

Last fall, our paid Lake Host, Ruth Gutman, informed us of her decision not to continue in this capacity for Horn Pond in 2015. Ruth’s responsibilities as Lake Host were to interview, hire, train and staff the boat launch with Courtesy Boat Inspectors, and file interim and end of season reports on behalf of Horn Pond to the State of Maine and NH Lakes. These reports are required of us as recipients of grant monies for the Lake Host Program and they take a fair amount of time and effort to complete. Ruth worked with us for about 3 years, during which time she proved to be a terrific resource and a wealth of information. We parted on good terms and we still have regular contact with Ruth.

Although this news was disappointing, it made us sit back and take a good look at our current situation on Horn Pond. There are two major concerns. The first is how to best manage the threat of Invasive Aquatic Species (IAS) on our lake. The second is our limited financial resources. Let us address the latter first.

The Lake Host Program is very expensive to run, even on our small lake, staffing the launch only on weekends and holidays. For the 2014 season, we have incurred $1,700 of expenses above and beyond what the grants have covered, for a total cost of approximately $6,500. Horn Pond Association still owes NH Lakes approximately $365 for the 2014 season. Our only source of income is dues money. Of approximately 95 households on Horn Pond, only about 30 paid annual dues of $50 in 2014. So, it is easy to see how this deficit occurred!

If the launch is only staffed on weekends and holidays, is the Lake Host Program the best way to manage the threat of IAS on Horn Pond? Boat inspections on their own are not enough at any lake, as there will always be boats going in at some point when a launch is unstaffed. Ruth and Linda Schier, Executive Director at Acton Wakefield Watersheds Alliance, have suggested that we follow the example of Wilson Lake Association. Their lake association has put their efforts into training volunteers to “weed watch,” inspecting the shorelines and shallows for invasive plants and aquatic species. This could be an effective option for Horn Pond as well.

We cannot emphasize enough the importance of protecting our most prized resource, our beloved Horn Pond. We cannot do this without YOU- the residents of Horn Pond. We urge you to take a few minutes to watch a very inspirational video about Moosehead Lake called “The Hunt for Aquatic Invaders:”

http://www.mainevlmp.org/ipp-jumpstart/

Please watch and then let us know what you think! We do not want to wait for the annual meeting to hear from you. A big part of a volunteer weed watcher effort is education, and there are several organizations out there willing to inform and train us. We look forward to hearing from YOU!  

You can use the comment function right here to tell us what you think!

The Acton Wakefield Watersheds Alliance is seeking volunteer monitors for local lakes and rivers. Explore areas along the beautiful Branch and Salmon Falls Rivers in Wakefield, NH and Acton, ME!  River volunteers work with AWWA to determine the quality of local waters through the use of field probes. No experience or lab skills are needed; these are simple devices designed for use by volunteer monitors in less than 1 hour every other week. If you can lower a string in a bucket, you can play a crucial role in tracking the quality of our local water bodies.  The next training workshop will be held on July 9th at 9AM.  
We are also looking for volunteers who are interested in getting involved in lake monitoring on Horn Pond, Lovell Lake and Wilson Lake.  UNH has provided an intern for this season and anyone interested in learning how it is done is welcome to come aboard. You can also help if you have a boat on one of these lakes and are interested in being back-up transportation.
For more information or to sign up, contact AWWA at (603) 473-2500 or info@AWwatersheds.org.

As the summer comes along, thoughts of fireworks seem to be part of the season. I want to share some information regarding fireworks that has recently come to my attention. The NHDES Fact Sheet below deals with the impact of fireworks on our lakes. This information makes it obvious that fireworks contribute significant pollution to our lakes and puts our water related recreation at risk.  Fireworks during the July 4th holiday is a time-honored tradition, but it is important that you become aware of the impact the materials used in fireworks have on our environment. I must say that I was shocked to learn about all the different chemicals involved in fireworks production and it gives me great pause to think of swimming in the lake with my grandson after one of our big holiday weekends. In addition to the chemicals, a lot of residual paper and plastic ends up in the lake. We are all working hard to protect and improve the water quality in our lakes. I believe that keeping fireworks residue out of the water will certainly help. We know that fireworks displays are part of our heritage, but hopefully this information will inspire folks to minimize their displays or take measures to prevent fireworks residue from landing in the water of our precious lakes. Hope you all have a great summer. Thank you for all you do for your lake, 

Linda Schier, Executive Director AWWA,  lindaschier@AWwatersheds.org

Greetings Horn Pond folks! 

I hope everyone's 2014 is off to a good start. This message is my first 2014 YCIASP update for you. 

I hope that you, your Horn Pond organization or a group of your members will be able to participate in the Maine Volunteer Lake Monitoring Program's Invasive Plant Patrol (VLMP's IPP) Introductory workshop on Saturday, June 14th in Acton. A NH Weed Watch component is also planned for the workshop. It will be a collaborative effort by local groups to host the event, with Acton-Wakefield Watershed Alliance taking on the lead host role. York County Invasive Aquatic Species Project (YCIASP), the project that I coordinate, will be involved as one of the co-hosts of the event. Linda Schier, Executive Director of AWWA, has provided an invitation and useful information below.

It will be good to see as many of you there that have not yet been to this VLMP IPP Intro workshop training. Since it is happening in June, it will be a good, and very positive, way to "kick-off" the Invasive Plant Patrol surveying activities for Horn Pond in 2014! And for the rest of York County too. 

Please feel free to contact Linda Schier or me for more information. You'll be hearing more from me soon about 2014 YCIASP plans. 

Laurie Callahan, YCIASP Coordinator, 802-258-1877

Linda Schier, Executive Director AWWA,  lindaschier@AWwatersheds.org


Here are the details: 

Introductory Invasive Plant Patrol/Weed Watcher Workshop

The workshop is scheduled for Saturday, June 14th at a venue in Acton, ME (either the Town Hall or the Congregational Church, depending upon registrations).

The primary goal of this comprehensive, 6-hour workshop is to provide those who wish to join Maine and New Hampshire's early detection effort with information and guidance needed to get started. All IPP/WW training sessions are open to the public and FREE to anyone interested in learning more about the threat of invasive aquatic plants in Maine and New Hampshire. This is a ground-breaking event as it will be the first time the two states have partnered so we will all benefit from their distinctive expertise. 

The workshop is presented in four parts:

• Overview of invasive species issues in Maine, New Hampshire and beyond (native vs invasive is included in this section).
• Aquatic plants: plant communities; identification fundamentals; ID characteristics of New Hampshire and Maine's most unwanted and their native look-alikes.
• Plant identification hands-on exercise with live plants (natives and invasives).
• Conducting a screening survey: tools; techniques; documentation; certification; and how these programs differ by state. All workshop participants receive an Invasive Plant Patroller's Handbook, Maine's Field Guide to Invasive Aquatic Plants, and NH's Weed Watcher Kit. 

Welcome to the Horn Pond Association's  new web site. We are a small group of volunteers dedicated to the preservation of our beautiful lake.  Our main intent for the site is to get the word out that there is one "lake wide" organization in addition to several home owner associations around the lake.

Of course, we would like as many people as possible to join us.  The money we raise goes towards important programs like the Lake Host program.  Programs like this help to keep Horn Pond free of invasive plants, which have become a big problem in New Hampshire and Maine.  Check the "All Topics Horn Pond" forum for the latest report.

This blog page is open to everybody.  So, if you would like to post, just email your text to mail@horn-pond.org and we will post it for you.

Alternatively, you can use our forum page to start discussions in the more classic forum format.  There we also have a Lost & Found forum in the hopes that it will come in handy when things get lost.