Freedom—June 1, 2022—Cyanobacteria are natural components of water bodies that can trigger algae blooms when there is an excess of nutrients in the water. A growing challenge statewide, there have been recent blooms on Danforth Pond.

A new group, Friends of Danforth Pond, will sponsor a public meeting on Danforth Pond’s cyanobacteria challenge on Friday, June 10, at 10:30 a.m. in Freedom Town Hall.

The speaker will be Dr. Amanda McQuaid, formerly a specialist with DES, and now Director of the Lakes Lay Monitoring Program and a State Specialist in Water Quality and Ecotoxicology with the University of New Hampshire Cooperative Extension.

As DES’s cyanobacteria point person, McQuaid’s name became familiar to Ossipee Lake residents starting in 2018 when cyanobacteria began being spotted around the lake, initially in Berry Bay above the dam, and later in Danforth Pond.

The blue-green algae and colored flecks of cyanobacteria may trigger harmful toxins. Since the impact of the blooms can vary, the state typically errs on the side of caution and recommends avoiding affected waters after cyanobacteria blooms are confirmed.

At the presentation, McQuaid will discuss how to identify cyanobacteria, the factors that facilitate their growth, and what can be done to reduce the threat.

Frank Lalumiere, a co-founder of Friends of Danforth Pond, said it is vitally important to protect our treasured waterbodies.

“The Friends of Danforth’s shared purpose is to improve the water quality of Danforth Ponds through water testing, establishing Best Management Practices, stressing the importance of maintaining our septic systems, and educating our homeowners,” Lalumiere said.

“For the past three years we have invited a variety of guest speakers to address homeowners on the importance of coming together to address these issues. We plan to continue our educational series next summer with another guest speaker.”

For more information on Friends of Danforth Pond or the meeting, contact Frank Lalumiere at frank.lalumiere@gmail.com.