Lake Winnipesaukee Alliance: A new name, but same mission

GILFORD — Leaders of the Lake Winnipesaukee Alliance shared their official name change and rebranding at the end of September, and are looking forward to a new era of conservation and advocacy centered around community engagement. 

The Lake Winnipesaukee Alliance, formerly known as the Lake Winnipesaukee Association, are leaders within the Lakes Region in protecting its waterways — paying particular attention to the largest one, Lake Winnipesaukee.

President Pat Tarpey said Friday organizers didn’t think the word “association” properly reflected their mission and the work that they do — including outreach, water quality testing and monitoring, ecological management of the lake, restoration and water and watershed analysis, among other activities — noting sometimes people confused them with something akin to a homeowners association. 

“To us, 'alliance' better represents what we do, in that we’re a bunch of partners,” Tarpey said. 

So far, feedback from the community regarding their rebranding has been positive, she said.

Tarpey noted every person in the Lakes Region is invested in the health of Lake Winnipesaukee, whether they live, work or recreate upon it. 

“It’s everyone’s responsibility,” she said.

The organization, founded in 1976, has employed dedicated staff since 2011, who work to safeguard the water quality and natural resources of Lake Winnipesaukee. 

“This name change reflects our renewed focus on collaboration to address the growing challenges threatening the lake today and in the future,” read a press release in part. “The word 'alliance' was chosen to highlight the critical role that property owners, businesses, municipalities, and recreational users all play in protecting Lake Winnipesaukee’s water quality. Lake Winnipesaukee is an exceptional resource of statewide, regional, and even national importance. Now, more than ever, we must intensify efforts to preserve its water quality and, in some cases, restore it.”

The rebranding comes complete with a new logo, an abstract upper-case W made up of blue pieces, representing Lake Winnipesaukee, Tarpey said. They’ve added a new tagline, too: “Our lake. Our future.”

“This new branding reinforces the shared responsibility we all have in ensuring clean, clear waters which are essential to both the environment and the local economy of the Lakes Region,” the press release read.

“With the increase in cyanobacteria blooms this past summer, public awareness about the lake’s vulnerabilities has risen significantly. If we are going to effectively address this threat, we need to galvanize public concern into effective action,” Board Chair Peter Glick said, according to the press release. “LWA’s proven science-based approach to water quality protection has been successful in guiding advocacy and action to date, but we need to expand our efforts and attract broader support to tackle the challenges Lake Winnipesaukee faces.”

Earlier this year, leaders of the alliance received $650,000, allocated from Congressionally-directed spending through Sen. Jeanne Shaheen’s Office to fund a comprehensive watershed management plan for Lake Winnipesaukee, focusing on phosphorus contamination, which leads to ill effects such as cyanobacteria blooms. That grant is contingent on raising $163,000 in further support. 

The LWA publishes a weekly report card regarding the health of Lake Winnipesaukee’s waters, noting temperature, lake level and indicating whether any of its regions is impacted by cyanobacteria and, if applicable, to what degree. 

To learn more about their operations, visit winnipesaukee.org.