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Lakes and ponds, as ecosystems, can exhibit age and maturity, and can grow ill in response to toxins. 听

In New Hampshire, the wellness of freshwater bodies is largely managed by watershed associations 鈥� organizations of residents who recognize that their own well-being is inextricably linked to that of their local waterways. While those associations are often rich with passion, where they come up short is in expertise. And that鈥檚 when they call UNH鈥檚 Lakes Lay Monitoring Program (LLMP).听

鈥淭he more data you have, the better you can make informed decisions,鈥� explains Lisa Hutchinson, chair of the water quality committee for the Lake Kanasatka Watershed Association. 鈥淭hey come out and collect data that we can鈥檛 with our regular volunteers,鈥� Hutchinson says one August day, standing on the shore of Wakondah Pond in Moultonborough, which feeds Kanasatka, and watching as UNH faculty and students in two boats collected samples in the middle of the pond鈥檚 placid surface.听

Though things can look fine on the surface, it can be a different picture beneath. This was a hard lesson to learn for the Kanasatka Association. It has struggled in recent years to manage a persistent cyanobacteria problem, which peaked in 2023 with toxic blooms that ruined much of the summer for lakeside residents and extended into the first days of 2024. Because Kanasatka flows into Lake Winnipesaukee, the problem had regional implications. 听

The association rose to the challenge, gaining unusual permission from the state to seed the lake with aluminum sulfate, a chemical that sequesters phosphorus in the lake bottom, preventing it from releasing into the water column as it had been doing at the height of summer, leading to unsightly and potentially harmful cyanobacteria blooms. Each treatment has its limitations, though, and the aluminum sulfate could only limit access to phosphorus already in the lake at the time of treatment. Wakondah, added to LLMP more recently, provides an opportunity to compare two water bodies in the same watershed.听

鈥淭hey really are connected,鈥� says Amanda McQuaid, UNH Extension professor of water quality and ecotoxicology and director of the LLMP. Despite their similarities, there are observable distinctions in the zooplankton found in the neighboring waters. 鈥淲e鈥檙e trying to get a sense of the connection between the two.鈥澨�

That day in August, McQuaid and a handful of student interns were giving Wakondah what she calls its 鈥渁nnual check-up,鈥� collecting samples to determine several water quality parameters such as clarity, nutrient load, and microorganisms. 听

The LLMP, managed by Bob Craycraft, gives students the opportunity to spend the summer studying the state鈥檚 lakes. That was too good for Jocelyn Brierley, Ingrid Siudzinski, Logan Tartsa, Owen Tucker, and Karina Mukavetz to pass up.听

Tartsa 鈥�26, a marine biology major, says he鈥檚 more at home in the field but is grateful for the chance to gain some comfort in a laboratory setting. 鈥淚 think it鈥檚 very beneficial to be doing this,鈥� Tartsa says. 鈥淚 live in New Hampshire;, the quality of the water is important to me.鈥澨�

Another marine bio major, Mukavetz 鈥�27, was the flip side to Tartsa鈥檚 coin, as she was eager to gain more field experience. She鈥檚 gained that, as well as an appreciation for the value of programs that incorporate lay people into the practice of science.听

鈥淭he volunteers are really cool,鈥� Mukavetz says. 鈥淚鈥檓 a really big fan of citizen science. In New England, since it鈥檚 so rural and wild, [the volunteers] really care about their environment.鈥澨�

For those who do really care, such as Hutchinson and the rest of the Kanasatka Watershed Association, it鈥檚 a powerful advantage to have a team of scientists on call.听

鈥淭he lake is constantly changing,鈥� Hutchinson says. 鈥淚f we take all these data points that we collect, and see what changes occur, we can hear what the lake is telling us.鈥澨�