You know the saying, “Time flies when you’re having fun”? That couldn’t be more true for my time here so far. It’s weird to think that I’ve been here for almost 3 months now. I feel like it was only last week that I was driving 15 hours to get here from my hometown of Cincinnati. But when I stop and think about it, I realize that I’ve already done so many things in my short time here in New Hampshire. Both with and outside of the Squam Lakes Association.
With the SLA, where I serve as one of the Watershed Resource Assistants, I’ve learned how to take water samples on a frozen lake. Before I had never even walked more than a couple feet away from shore on an icy lake, much less drilled a hole through to get a sample and data readings. Winter sampling definitely took the majority of my time this past winter, but I can say with full sincerity that I enjoyed the vast majority of my time out there. Even though I could have done without the 10 inches of snow we had to plod through to get to our sampling sites.
I’ve also had the opportunity to start a couple of individual projects. For example, I am in charge of setting up a new fish tank that the SLA will have to show off some of the native fish from Squam Lake. While the tank isn’t here yet, I’ve had a lot of fun thinking about which species of fish would work well, how to design the tank, what kind of hardware we would want, and how best to take care of it after my time here comes to an end. I love aquarium keeping and had 10 tanks set up at home before I moved out here, and I have missed having one to care for. So yeah, I’d say that this project has been right up my alley.
My other individual project is episodic stream sampling, which I go into more detail on in a blog post on the Squam Lakes Association website. But the basic idea is that whenever a large runoff event occurs, be it snowmelt or a rainstorm, I will be going out to some predetermined streams and collecting data. These water water samples will be used to measure incoming phosphorus and other nutrients. Volunteers will also support me on this project, so we can sample more streams than I can do by myself. All of this will help us to understand the effects of runoff events on Squam Lake and create a baseline dataset for future stream sampling after I am gone.
Some of the other things I’ve participated in are things like the Salamander Brigade, which is where we help amphibians cross the roads at night towards their vernal pools to breed. I’ve also assisted with banding saw-whet owls to help track their spring migratory patterns. I also have rekindled my love for skiing, continued my hobby of bird watching, traveled to Montreal for a day, played many a board game with the others in my cohort… yeah I’ve been busy. But I can say for sure that I’ve been enjoying my time here, and I am looking forward to the upcoming months.
Eric is serving as one of the Watershed Resource Assistants at the Squam Lakes Association. He graduated from Miami University with a Bachelors of Science in Biology in 2023, and worked for a parks system back home in Cincinnati for 2 years. He’s an avid birdwatcher and has always had a passion for freshwater ecosystems and conservation. Learn more about him here.