Dear Members, Friends, and Lake Lovers:

We hope 2023 finds you and your family well, healthy, and at peace.  Here is your first Lake Lover Gazette (LLG) for 2023.

Ice Out Lottery:  The year promises to bring plenty of activity at our gem of a lake.  For now, there is no ice in, but you can support the SLA by purchasing tickets to predict ice out.   Tickets are $10 a piece.  The winner (s) of the correctly chosen date of ice out will win 50% of the total purse.  Last year the winner came away with $725.00.  Ticket sales will end on February 15, so get yours now.  Tickets can be purchased and all the details found on our Ice Out Lottery page.  Good luck!

Spofford Lake History:  The Chesterfield Historical Society (CHS) needs your help.  You can extend a hand from the comfort of your couch.  Many SLA families have deep roots in the area.  CHS, knowing that there is a wealth of untapped knowledge, asks for your help in identifying homes and their owners from the turn of the last century.  We’ve loaded the first tranche of CHS photos to our Historic Homes page, which contains a separate discussion forum for each photo.   From here you can post comments and provide feedback about each home so that the CHS will have a more complete picture of the story of Spofford Lake.  On behalf of CHS, thanks for any insights you can provide. 

For more history on Spofford Lake, check out the SLA’s web page, Our History, with more on the Camps of and Tourism at Spofford.

Town Watershed Committee:  We have previously reported on the work of the Town’s Watershed Committee.  SLA President and Vice President, Bayard Tracy and Dan Syvertsen, respectively, serve on the Committee.  Chris Oot, who heads the SLA’s Water Quality Monitoring Program, provides vital input as well.  On February 15, the Committee will hold its first public information meeting to report on the committee’s progress.  Items to be discussed are:  1) 2022 water testing results and future plans, 2) status of ‘runoff’ grants, 3) short-term recommendations to the BOS, and 4) longer-term thoughts/recommendations on changes to Town building and zoning ordinances.  Check the SLA Events Calendar or the Town website for details and a Zoom link. 

Membership Lapsed: The SLA’s membership and content management system has reset itself for 2023. Please be aware that our fiscal year corresponds to the calendar year.  As a result, SLA members who have not made a membership payment in 2023, which is most everyone, will see “Membership Lapsed” notifications when they log in.  These notifications are generated by our web host and are not something over which SLA has much control.  However, as soon as your 2023 membership dues renewal has been recorded these annoying notifications will stop! 

We wish you a very Happy 2023.  Cheers, 

The Spofford Lake Association