By Sue Pratt
“Love our Lake” is the motto of the Lakes and Streams Committee at Eastman. There is no better way to do that than to learn as much as possible about its history and ecology. Education has long been a focus of the committee and starting young appeared to be one of our best strategies. As a result, the committee offered to provide lake ecology lessons for the campers in last summer’s Eastman Recreation programs. Four weekly lessons based on excellent materials developed by the New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services Water Division were provided to preschoolers through sixth graders in the “Kid City” and “All Day Gang” camps. The materials included hands-on experiments as well as guides for field studies. We are also most grateful to the NH Fish and Game Department for wonderful laminated cards on frogs, salamanders, turtles and snakes that fit easily into a child’s pocket or backpack. We were able to connect to their website to click on each frog and hear its distinctive croak (www.nhfg.net/nongame)!
Was Eastman Lake always here? Where does our lake water come from? Where does it go? These questions started our first lesson. Has your curiosity been aroused? Our lake formation lesson described how Eastman Pond was formed by glaciers and doubled when the community was developed and an earthen dam was constructed at the south end of the lake. Eastman Lake is fed by eight streams, some of which are seasonal. The main source is Stoney Brook, which comes in through West Cove via Mill Pond. The outlet of the lake is at the dam and continues into Eastman Brook, the Sugar River in the Newport area, the Connecticut River and finally into the Atlantic Ocean. The campers took a hike to the dam and made observations on the shoreline of our lake to determine the decisions the developers and the Eastman Community Association made and continue to make to keep our lake healthy and beautiful.
Did you know that our lake “turns over” at least twice a year? All of us who have dived down near the lake bottom have experienced different thermal layers in our lake. The lesson on water properties taught us that cooler water sinks to the bottom and warmer, and in the case of ice, less dense water floats to the top. Changes in temperatures during the year cause the cooler water to sink and warmer water to rise. This causes a lake turnover creating a good mix of oxygen and nutrients, which ensure food for our fish, mammals and birds as well as a healthy lake for swimming, boating and fishing. The campers did experiments on evaporation and condensation and how water density is affected by temperature.
How many Eastman lake and land dwellers can you name? Who eats whom? The lesson on the food chain emphasized that each individual organism is of equal importance in the ecosystem. If one element of the food chain is reduced or eliminated, all members of the ecosystem suffer. Plant-like algae, which take in carbon dioxide and water, combined with sunlight, produce sugar and give off oxygen, which is important for all aquatic animals. Algae is eaten by tiny animals called zooplankton, which are eaten by small fish and crayfish, which in turn are eaten by big fish. We all know who eats the big fish! Our wonderful resident loon family and blue heron are dependent on this food chain, too. We don’t want to disturb it!
For our last session, campers came prepared to share potential sources of pollution to our lake. Our college intern, Evan Goldsher, a member of Eastman’s Youth Conservation Corps, used the Enviroscape model to demonstrate how runoff flows into the lake. The students were able to identify a number of pollutants such as salt, soil, paints, pesticides, fertilizer, oil and drugs as well as flow from septic tanks that have not been maintained properly. The students participated in an activity to learn how long it takes different items to decompose. They are now committed to keeping our trails and beaches clean.
The program, which culminated in Lake Appreciation Day, owes its success to the staff of the Eastman Summer Camp and to Eastman volunteers. Camp Director Tracee Barden and the counselors led the students through preparatory activities to stir their interest and were active participants in all the sessions, often lending their expertise to enrich the lessons. Thanks go to the volunteer instructors from the Lakes and Streams Education Subcommittee. Ronnie Freiberger, Susan Pratt, Diane Sheehan and Jackie Underhill prepared lessons, sought out curriculum materials and age-appropriate books, put together experiments, and found games and activities for the various grade levels. It was a team effort enjoyed by all.
The lake ecology program will continue this summer but will be offered solely during the first week of camp, July 8-12. The “Kid City” theme is Exploring Eastman and will highlight a hike along the Lake Trail with a visit form the Lakes and Streams Committee. In the “All Day Gang” program, entitled Eastman Lake, we’ll provide new lessons and will include kayaking/ canoeing on the lake and associated field studies. Check it out! We hope to see you at camp!
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