Like every pond and lake, Chocorua Lake is home to myriad species of flora and fauna. Come learn who lives here!

On Saturday, July 20 from 7:30–10 AM, join Chocorua Lake Conservancy Stewardship Director Debra Marnich for a leisurely paddle on Chocorua Little Lake, down to the dam and back. We’ll leave from the Grove on Chocorua Lake Road, just off Route 16, and explore the vegetated buffer along the water’s edge with its many nooks and crannies. We’ll see what insects, reptiles and amphibians we can find and learn what plants grow with their “feet” in wet soils at the lake’s edge or on the bottom. 

While exploring the native flora and fauna, we’ll be on the lookout for signs of exotic aquatic species that could create problems in the lake if they become established. We’ll have with us some Weed Watcher Kits from the NH Department of Environmental Services (DES) to help with our searches and identification. Chocorua Lake is home to many native aquatic plants, and looking for clues to identification can help us all be more aware of what is around us.

Want to learn more in advance about what we can be looking for, both the species that belong here and the ones that cause trouble? Amy Smagula, Exotic Species Program Coordinator at DES, joined us for a webinar on “Protecting Our Lakes from Aquatic Invasive Species.” You can watch the webinar at chocorualake.org/gallery to learn how to identify the native plants in Chocorua Lake and on the shore, and what the ones we’re hoping never to find look like!

Participants must bring their own canoe or kayak, and paddles, and life jackets are required. Be sure to bring sun and bug protection, a hat, binoculars if you like, a water bottle, and snacks. Please register in advance above so that we can let you know of any changes in the schedule.

CLC Stewardship Director Debra Marnich holds a BS in Zoology and an MS in Forestry. Her major interests and professional focus areas include combining wildlife and forestry practices to manage for both sound silvicultural and optimum wildlife habitat, creating early successional and bird nesting habitat, pollinator habitat creation, promoting small diverse farms local food production/agriculture, promoting land conservation and protection, environmental education, and integrating all resources concerns to create a balanced conservation system.

Banner image: Sundew, one of the insectivorous plants that lives on the shores of Chocorua Lake. Photo: Alex Moot