New Hampshire's Squam Lake achieved national fame in 1982, for its starring role in the movie On Golden Pond.
Last week, Squam achieved another milestone of sorts. Unlike the filming of a Hollywood movie, this one almost went unnoticed.
On Friday, state officials dedicated the first publicly owned boat ramp on Squam. The ramp was a long time coming, and some people consider its dedication a milestone in New Hampshire's efforts to provide public access to all its lakes. Others see it as further evidence that one day access may have to be curtailed.
NHPR's Doug Macpherson reports.
EARLY FRIDAY AFTERNOON, NOT LONG AFTER THE RIBBON CUTTING WAS OVER AND ALL THE PUBLIC OFFICIALS HAD GONE HOME, THE PATSY ANNE BECAME THE FIRST SAILBOAT TO USE THE -- NOW OFFICIAL --SQUAM LAKE PUBLIC BOAT RAMP.
TAPE, SFX, SIDE 2
302 you gotta come this way.
306 ok, you�re ok now. You got it.
AL GOODRICH OF ATKINSON CAREFULLY BACKED HIS TRAILER INTO THE WATER.
310 SFX WATER. You�re ok now.
324 ok, stop her there, she�s floating, you can pull her out.
326 TRAILER EXITS WATER.
NO ONE BUT A REPORTER WITNESSED THE EVENT, WHICH WAS FAIRLY UNREMARKABLE AS FAR AS BOAT LAUNCHES GO. AFTER ALL, FOR YEARS, ANYONE WAS WELCOME TO LAUNCH A BOAT HERE, AND THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE DID � EVEN THOUGH THE RAMP WAS PRIVATELY OWNED.
BUT FROM THE STATE�S PERSPECTIVE, THAT�S JUST THE POINT:
THE RAMP IS NOW PUBLICLY OWNED. FROM JOHN THOMPSON�S PERSPECTIVE, AS FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE SQUAM LAKES ASSOCIATION, YEARS OF BAD PRESS ARE FINALLY OVER.
TAPE JOHN THOMPSON 070 there was at that time, in the mid 1990�s, a lot of stuff. Publicity about how squam lake was populated by a bunch of elitists who were trying to keep the lake to themselves and trying to close the lake down and so forth.
THOMPSON SAYS THE EXACT OPPOSITE WAS TRUE. IN THE MID 90�S, WHEN THE PRIVATE LANDOWNER DECIDED IT WAS TIME TO SELL THE RAMP, THE ASSOCIATION BOUGHT IT, MADE SOME REPAIRS, AND INVITED THE PUBLIC TO USE IT. MEANWHILE, NEW HAMPSHIRE FISH AND GAME DEPARTMENT CONTINUED TO LOOK FOR AN ACCESS POINT THAT IT COULD OWN, IN ORDER TO FULFILL A STATE LAW THAT SAYS IT MUST. AT ONE POINT, FISH AND GAME APPEARED TO HAVE FOUND A SPOT. BUT NEIGHBORS OBJECTED, AND WHEN THE STATE WAS SLOW TO BUY THE LAND, THE NEIGHBORS BOUGHT IT FIRST. THE ATTENDING BAD PUBLICITY HELPED CONVINCE JOHN THOMPSON TO GET THE LAKES ASSOCIATION INVOLVED.
JOHN THOMPSON, 1996-1999 FORMER PRES SQUAM LAKES ASSOCIATION, CENTER HARBOR 178 from the associations point of view, a ramp should happen. And, nobody was getting on with it with people throwing mud at each other. So we stepped in and made it happen.
THE SQUAM LAKES ASSOCIATION HAD OFFERED ITS BOAT RAMP TO THE STATE BEFORE, BUT THE STATE REJECTED IT, CITING SAFETY CONCERNS, INCLUDING A LACK OF PUBLIC PARKING. THEN THE OFFICE OF STATE PLANNING TOOK ANOTHER LOOK AT THE SITE. IT BROUGHT IN THE DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION AND OTHER INTERESTED PARTIES. PLANS WERE DRAWN UP TO REDESIGN THE SITE TO INCLUDE TWO RAMPS, A DOCK, AND PARKING FOR 26-VEHICLES. FINALLY, FISH AND GAME ACCEPTED THE LAKE ASSOCIATION�S OFFER TO DONATE ITS RAMP.
FOR RICHARD TICHKO, PROJECT LEADER FOR FISH AND GAME�S STATEWIDE ACCESS PROGRAM, THE DEDICATION OF A PUBLICLY OWNED RAMP ON SQUAM IS A CROWNING ACHIEVEMENT.
TAPE RICHARD TICHKO (TISH-KOH) 087 it does show that even though you have a very diverse interests out there with a multitude of concerns � if you can get these people all to the table, and talk, you find out you do have a commonality. The commonality is that squam lake is a state treasure. And that no one would like to see this state treasure impinged upon or spoiled in any way.
MORE THAN ANY OTHER INDIVIDUAL, TICHKO HAS THE JOB OF FINDING ACCESS TO ALL THE STATE�S 900-LAKES AND PONDS. TICHKO�S WORK IS DIRECTED BY TWO STATUTES: THE PUBLIC TRUST DOCTRINE, WHOSE ORIGINS PRE-DATE NEW HAMPSHIRE STATEHOOD, STIPULATES THAT ALL BODIES OF WATER OF 10-ACRES OR MORE ARE PUBLIC WATERS, FOR THE PUBLIC TO USE. A 1991 STATE LAW GOES A STEP FURTHER � IT ORDERS FISH AND GAME TO PROVIDE PUBLICLY OWNED ACCESS TO ALL NEW HAMPSHIRE�S LAKES. A RAMP OWNED BY A MARINA OR A LAKE ASSOCIATION DOESN�T QUALIFY. TICHKO SAYS WHENEVER THE STATE SEEKS TO ESTABLISH A NEW ACCESS SITE, THAT�S THE FIRST CONCEPT LAKEFRONT PROPERTY OWNERS HAVE TO UNDERSTAND.
TAPE RICHARD TICHKO 309 then the next concept is, I don�t believe that someone who hasn�t lived here for 50 years is going to respect this water body as much as I do. And you have to work through that -- that, the reason why somebody in Nashua would want to come to this lake is because of that uniqueness and that beauty. They don�t want to spoil that, b/c they want to return to that. the very reason they want to go there, is part of the reason they want to preserve that. // 315 you eventually come to realize that the guy in Nashua probably isn�t very much different than the guy who�s ancestors have lived on that lake for 50 years.
TICHKO REPORTS HE�S BUSIER THAN EVER - RIGHT NOW HE HAS ONGOING ACCESS PROJECTS ON MORE THAN 40-LAKES. THAT�S GOOD NEWS FOR PEOPLE WHO DON�T OWN LAKE FRONT PROPERTY.
BUT JOHN THOMPSON, THE FORMER SQUAM LAKES ASSOCIATION PRESIDENT, SAYS IN THE LONG RUN, MORE ACCESS MAY BE BAD NEWS FOR NEW HAMPSHIRE�S LAKES.
TAPE JOHN THOMPSON 191 when the public can have more access to the lakes, more boats appear. And we see larger, faster, gas guzzling boats. Gas guzzling boats harm the lake.
MORE ACCESS ALSO TRANSLATES INTO MORE INVASIVE SPECIES, ACCORDING TO JODY CONNOR, WITH THE DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL SERVICE�S WATER DIVISION.
TAPE JODY CONNOR 101 as you bring in more boats and trailers to the state you also increase the risk of spreading exotic weeds. And also zebra mussels, which are now in Vermont.
CONNOR SAYS THE INCREASING INTRODUCTION OF INVASIVES, ESPECIALLY MILFOIL, IS THE SINGLE BIGGEST THREAT TO STATE LAKES.
WILL ABBOT, HEAD OF THE SQUAM LAKES NATURAL SCIENCE CENTER,
SAYS IN ORDER TO ADDRESS OVERCROWDING AND INVASIVES, THE WHOLE CONCEPT OF PUBLIC ACCESS MAY NEED TO BE REFINED.
TAPE ABBOT 210 one of the things we�re coming to in nh is some sort of lake zoning.
ABBOT SAYS PAST EMERGENCY REGULATIONS PROVIDE AN EXAMPLE OF WHAT LAKE ZONING MIGHT MEAN.
TAPE ABBOT 235 there was a huge rainstorm a couple of years ago that resulted in a posting of no wake speed on the lakes. And everybody, I mean everybody who I know on winni and squam said, you know, maybe the time is come where we ought to have a couple of weekends every year, where the lake is no wake speed, and nobody is allowed to go more than 6 mph. And just that behavioral change I think would really leave a mark that people would respond to. And it�s not like you have to do that all year long. But I think we ought to experience a way of managing the lakes so that everybody can enjoy them.
THE CONCEPT OF LAKE ZONING IS ALMOST UNHEARD OF IN NEW HAMPSHIRE, AND SUPPORTERS ADMIT IT WOULDN�T BE EASY TO GET PEOPLE TO AGREE ON ANY SPECIFIC PLAN. STILL, THEY PREDICT THE DAY IS COMING WHEN NEW HAMPSHIRE WILL HAVE TO REGULATE ITS PUBLICLY ASSESSABLE LAKES. FOR N-H-P-R NEWS, I�M DOUG MACPHERSON.
