Newfound Lake Eco Tours

Newfound Lake Eco Tours

By Lee Caldwell 

Driving along the North Shore Road in Hebron, you pass the Grey Rocks Conservation Area. Here, at the north end of Newfound Lake, is where the Newfound Lake Region Association (NLRA) starts it EcoTours of pristine Newfound Lake. The EcoTour program is the flagship educational program of the NRLA. The tour provides passengers with a history of land uses in the watershed, insight into the local animal species and water quality monitoring demonstrations. 

Arriving at the pontoon boat launch, you might see children with nets catching bullfrog polliwogs, families picking wild blueberries, and kayaks and canoes being launched into the man-made inlet. There are also 1.5 miles of hard packed walking trails suitable for both adults and children. 

Captaining the 22 ft. - 90 HP pontoon boat on the August day was Scott Kresge who informed the boat passengers that the tour would take about two hours and follow the Newfound Lake Shoreline covering about 2/3 of the lake. He went on to say that Newfound Lake is approximately 4,300 acres, and is 6.5 miles long and 2.5 miles wide running roughly north to south. The lake, he stated, is one of the most pristine (in the top 10) in the country due to low contaminants and excellent water quality. 

Once passengers were seated, he slowly motored the pontoon boat out of the inlet, pointing out painted turtles basking on rocks, a mother mallard duck and her ducklings, two beaver lodges, some Canada geese, and remarking that the inlet was a sanctuary for smaller fish hiding from the larger predatory fish. Scott also stated that it was not unusual to see loons and bald eagles (there are currently two nesting pairs on the lake) while on the tour, and that there are 22 species of fish in the lake, including lake trout and landlocked salmon. 

Leaving the inlet, the boat motored through a shallow, sandy area where the Cockermouth River empties into the lake. Scott explained that the sand was caused by soil erosion due to development upstream. He stated that two of the primary goals of the NLRA advisory board are minimizing storm water run-off and erosion control. He stated that erosion and contaminants are a constant concern and that the NLRA has seven water sampling sites in the lake itself as well as 42 water sampling sites in the streams, rivers, and creeks flowing into Newfound Lake which are manned by volunteers from the Youth Conservation Corp and Americorps. They test for a variety of things and have 22 years of data accumulated. The NLRA also encourages replanting of native species along the shoreline to help alleviate run-off and offers free consultation services. 

Continuing along the less-developed north shore of Newfound Lake, Scott pointed out the grey granite cliffs from which the Grey Rocks Conservation Area gets its name and also the home of the McLane family who donated the land and who play an active part in the NLRA. The boat then passed the Paradise Point Nature Center run by the Audubon Society, who have hiking trails along the lake and who rent kayaks and canoes. 

Stepping back 25,000 years, Scott explained that Newfound Lake is a kettle-hole lake originally formed by a glacier 1-mile thick. As the glacier retreated 10,000 years-ago, the debris formed a natural dam. The deepest part of the lake is 182 feet. The total watershed area as encompassed by the mountains surrounding the lake, is 63,000 acres. 

Jumping to the 1800s, Scott described the lake in that era as a cesspool - a dumping ground for the industries of that time. The trees were cut so that sheep could graze, and there was a tannery and a kiln which where polluting the lake. Later, the farmers discovered that they could make more money providing services to travelers along the Mayhew Turnpike, a toll road costing from one to three pennies depending on the number of horses, (currently Route 3-A) so they shifted their focus to taverns and inns. 

As the boat went around the tiny house on Loon Island, a big black dog came out to bark. There were a number of boats moored nearby, the sky was blue with puffy white clouds, and the scene appeared idyllic. A little further along the shore, a loon did pop up briefly to the “oohs and aahs” of the boat passengers and then disappeared again under the water. This same loon or its twin appeared again at the end of the boat trip. 

As we passed by Pasquaney Bay, the passengers were treated to the story of the Stella Marion, a 50 ft. wooden steam boat that hauled giant rafts of logs on Newfound Lake, and carried mail and passengers around the lake for 50 years. It caught fire and burned at its dock in Pasquaney Bay in 1915 and its wreck lies on the lake floor. 

A number of summer camps around the lake also had their own stories or bits of fun trivia. Thomas Edison’s son, Theodore, was a camper at Camp Pasquaney and Edison himself was a frequent visitor to the area. President Obama’s daughters stayed at Camp Wicosuta. A water sampling site of the NLRA is near the camp and when the NLRA boat would stop to bring out the equipment for water sampling, the Secret Service would jump in boats and rush out to investigate. Scott pointed out that the camps which have extensive acreage around the lake are helping to prevent parts of the shorefront from being heavily developed, thus aiding in the fight against erosion. 

Wellington State Beach on Newfound Lake has the only public power boat launch on the lake. The NLRA maintains Lake Host Program Inspectors there to educate the public about aquatic invasive species prevention methods and to help boaters remove potentially invasive plants and animals from boats, trailers, and gear. Among those invasive species is milfoil, which has not spread to Newfound Lake. 

Returning along the west side of the lake, the boat passed the ledges, some of the deepest water in the lake. There is a microcline at around 30 ft., which is a popular feeding spot for lake trout and landlocked salmon. The water in the lake itself “turns over” twice a year when the surface water reaches 49 degrees. The surface water is at its densest at the point, it sinks to the bottom, and the deeper water rises to the top, thus re-oxygenating the water. 

The EcoTour has something for everyone: a beautiful boat ride with a grand tour of the lake; a chance to enjoy seeing amphibians, birds, and mammals in their natural habitat; interesting historical facts and trivia; and an important science and ecology lesson. 

Newfound Lake Region Eco Tours run Thursday through Monday, twice a day at 10 am and 1 pm. Tours last approximately two hours. The cost is $20 for adults and $15 for children. NLRA members have a 25 percent discount. They also offer private tours and charter tours. You can reserve online, or for information call 603-744-8689.