Dear Members, Neighbors, and Lake Lovers:

Loons:  After a chick-less 2025, the Spofford loons are now a family of four.  Chicks, first spotted on Sunday June 14 in the sanctuary, are now swimming and feeding, mostly, in the Silverdale cove.  

Please please please be extra cautious when motoring or jet skiing as they are difficult to see.  To advise day visitors, signage has been posted at the boat ramp and the Lake Hosts will pass the word. 

Annual Meeting: Ticket sales are now open. Thanks to the Spofford Yacht Club for providing the venue.

At the Annual Meeting, we will vote on a slate of Board members and officers. Thus, to attend the Annual Meeting, you must pay your 2026 membership dues between January 1, 2026 and July 18.  (The SLA operates on a calendar basis.)  To pay online, login to your account or post a check promptly.  If you are one of the many who have already made a payment in 2026, thank you.  You are all set.

Ticket pricing is $65pp.  Beginning July 18, the price increases to $80pp.  Visit our Annual Meeting webpage for event details and to buy tickets.

We are pleased that Laura Diemer, Certified Lake Manager, Sr Project Manager, FB Environmental Associates will present, in-person, the current state of the Lake and what our future stewardship efforts are likely to encompass as we work to assure that Spofford remains an ecological and recreational asset to Chesterfield, Cheshire County, and beyond. 

FBE and Laura have guided our work for years.  She conducted the phosphorous sediment testing last August and reported to us in November.  To hear her presentation, click here.

Independence Weekend Celebrations:  

July 4:  

• Boat parade, ⛵️ 🛶 begins at ~2pm in the cove by North Shore Beach. A cannon starts the lead boat, a catamaran, with a large American flag as its “main sail.”  Cannons and bells 🔔  sound off as the parade passes the South Shore Road and Silverdale areas about 3pm.  
• Fireworks:  Double the fun.  Camp Spofford will again offer a fireworks display around 9:30pm.  

Remember NO WATER BALLOONS 🎈, even the “compostable”     kind.  Compostable water balloons take months or more to break down and can easily be ingested by our loons, fish, eagles or other animals that live here or visit.  

No drone show this year.  A group of lake residents has again organized fireworks, 9:30pm in the Echo Cove area.  They will honor the late Scott Samson (see below).  🎆

To assure July 4 festivities continue into the future, these same folks have established the Scott Samson Annual Fireworks Fund.  Donations should be directed to: Venmo@Spoffordskyshow or checks made out to 51 Uniform.  

July 5:  

• Spoffest Concert 🎶, held waterside on the west side of the Lake near the intersection of N. Shore Rd and Route 63, afternoon, attend by boat or float on over.

July 12:  

• Declaration of Independence, 250th Anniversary , “Return to 1776" 🇺🇸 Sunday, July 12, 4:00pm, Chesterfield Town Hall
  

Chesterfield's celebration will feature a reenactment of the town's first look and public reading of this revolutionary document. And like in olden days, it will be delivered by an express rider! Then as required by the Exeter Government, the town's men will have to declare publicly whether they are a Patriot or not? Finally, the bell will ring thirteen times to honor the fellow rebellious colonies. 

This late afternoon return visit to 1776 will feature colonial games, crafts, a relevant historical scavenger hunt for young and old, an antique quilt display in Asbury Church, recognition of our Revolutionary War veterans, and more!

Park at the School.  Bring lawn chairs.  Costumes are encouraged!

Be Weed Wise:  Spofford is surrounded by any number of waterbodies where invasive plants and animals thrive.  Through good practice and a bit of luck, we remain free of invasives though our Hosts have already submitted a number of suspicious samples for testing.  

As the water warms our weed watchers will again be surveying the lake’s littoral area.  Many thanks to the folks at the B&K Club who have recently volunteered to survey the club and Echo Cove areas.  

You, too, can help by familiarizing yourself with your patch of lake.  Here is how to go about it. Visit our Weed Watch webpage for more info. 

1. Hit the Water:  Familiarize yourself with the weeds in your own front yard.  That way, if something unusual shows up, you will notice. 
   
2. When:  For better viewing, pick a calm day, early (8-10am), with little boat activity and plenty of sun.
   
3. Method:  In shallow waters, walk the shoreline. For deeper waters use a kayak, canoe, snorkel or scuba or a short shaft motorboat.  
   
4. How:  Using the shoreline as a guide, move in either a zig-zag or parallel pattern surveying the lake bottom 15 feet out into the water.  Alternating these methods, helps assure better coverage.
   
5. Once you have a handle on your front yard, review the NH DES Exotic Aquatic Species Program. 
   
6. Also familiarize yourself with the "Look-Alike" plants.
   
7. Repeat a couple of times every year. 
   

What should I do and whom should I contact if I think I have found an invasive species?  Please follow these steps:

• do NOT take a sample and do NOT touch it,
• with your phone camera take a photo of the weed or animal (e.g., Zebra mussel).  This will provide GPS coordinates.  If you don’t have a phone/camera with you, please make a mental note of the location, and
• text Lauren Turner with the photo. Or call her with your observations. Her number is 413-427-5402.  She and the team will investigate promptly. Thanks for your help in keeping Spofford invasive-free!

Invasive Variable Milfoil:  With 100 lakes infested, a statewide program gets a small grant program to help with control and eradication.  Read the New Hampshire Bulletin article, Dozens of NH Lakes are at War with Invasive Plants.

Headway Speed: To prevent erosion and disturbance to the lake bottom, we urge you to follow motorboat best practices.  Motorboats use headway speed within 200 feet of the shoreline, swim areas, floats, docks or other boats. Wakeboats 300 feet.  And go slow between Pierce Island and Route 63.  Visit our Smart Boating page for more info. 

Request for Lake-related Stories:  ELF (a Keene Sentinel publication) reached out to the SLA .  It “is looking for lake lovers and boaters to share unique stories about their experiences on our local waters. Whether you have a fond memory, a tradition, or just love spending time on the lake, we’d love to hear from you!”  If you're interested in sharing your story, please reach out to Editor Michael Shine directly at mshine@keenesentinel.com.

In Memoriam:  We wish to acknowledge the passing of lake resident and past President of the Spofford Lake Association, Scott Samson.  We send our heartfelt condolences to the Samson family.  

Raise a glass 🍷 🍹 🍺   to all the dads who do so much.  Have a wonderful Father’s Day.  

And enjoy July 4 and our 250^th Anniversary holiday. 🇺🇸

With kind regards, 

The Spofford Lake Association