Volunteers call Winnisquam ice-out on April 6, raising money for conservation

Ice-out for Lake Winnisquam was April 6, according to the Winnisquam Watershed Network, a sign spring is truly here in the Lakes Region.

According to Brian LaRoche, board member and chair of the Education and Community Involvement Committee for WWN, Peter Dupak made the call at 6 p.m. on Monday. Dupak said ice-out on Lake Winnisquam is defined as 90% of the lake being open and navigable.

“This is the criteria we have used, and specifically our chief ice-out aficionado Peter Dupak has been doing this for years,” LaRoche said.

The process of calling ice-out for Winnisquam involves traveling the available roads and access points around the 12-mile lake. LaRoche said this means there is a good amount of surveying to do.

Dupak said ice-out this year was actually late on Winnisquam, saying over the seven years he has been making the call, the latest has been April 1. LaRoche said this was the fastest he has ever seen the ice disappear.

“I’ve been on the lake for eight years, and I’ve never seen it clear so quickly,” LaRoche said. “Right up to last week, even with open water, we still had a significant amount of water. It really disappeared between Saturday and Sunday.”

While ice can take time to build, Dupak said ice-out on Winnisquam typically happens almost overnight.

“It is amazing,” Dupak said. “Last year, the same thing happened. The entire lake was covered, and I got up in the morning, and it was empty. The thing about ice-in and ice-out is that it depends a lot on wind.”

Dupak said ice-in can happen quickly in cold weather, but if there is wind, the choppy water can prolong it. For ice-out, it is essentially the opposite, as the wind and warm temperatures speed up the process dramatically.

The ice formed on Winnisquam early this year, at the beginning of January, and LaRoche said with 13.4 weeks of ice cover, it is the longest since 2020. Last year, there were about 12 weeks of ice cover, but the year before, there was barely any ice at all, at only about 2.2 weeks.

“In 2024, that was a year we really had no solid ice cover across the whole lake,” LaRoche said. “The freeze depends on depths and water current, and things of that nature.”

Dupak said an interesting part of ice melt is that it comes from the bottom up, rather than the top down.

“The ice actually acts like a greenhouse roof, and on a sunny day the sun shines through the ice into the water,” Dupak said. "Then the heat from the sun gets trapped under the ice and melts it.”

While ice-out determinations are subjective, and can change based on weather condition variables, it is essentially when the lake is free of winter ice cover.

“There is no single universal definition of ice-out, and each lake or watershed organization may use a slightly different standard,” LaRoche said. “What matters most is that the definition is consistent year to year, so trends over time are meaningful.”

An example of how it differs is on Lake Winnipesaukee, where pilot Dave Emerson of Emerson Aviation makes the call when the M/S Mount Washington could reach its five destinations on a nautical map. Ice-out is looming for the Big Lake, with Emerson saying Monday one indicator is when smaller lakes, like Winnisquam, are clear.

As Emerson flew over Lake Winnisquam Monday afternoon in his single-engine Cessna 172, he pointed to the water, and commented on how Winnisquam appeared to be ice-free. He expects the Big Lake to join Winnisquam in the coming days.

The WWN held its first ever Lake Winnisquam Ice Out Prediction Contest this year. LaRoche said, traditionally, many people predict April 15 to 17. This year, guesses ranged from March 8 to May 2, but out of the 40 people and 110 total guesses — participants could make up to three guesses — only Toni Bowden chose April 6.

Bowden, a member of WWN, won $730 in the contest, and was the recipient of the Lake Winnisquam Ice-Out Trophy. She offered to donate her winnings back.

“She and her husband are great supporters of the lake, so it wasn’t surprising that she donated back,” LaRoche said.

Funds raised through the contest go back to WWN, for its work with lake preservation, water testing, invasive species and watershed education, a “trout in the classroom” program, and their sponsorship of the Lake Host program at the only public launch in Laconia.

“It goes to a variety of projects and initiatives, but all with the notion of preserving and protecting the lake for generations to come,” LaRoche said.

According to information provided by WWN, a key indicator of lake health and changing climate conditions is the length of ice cover each winter. Times with shorter ice cover periods have meant the water is warming earlier, which can impact fish habitats and aquatic plant growth, as well as reduce oxygen levels. The changes can lead to algal blooms late in the season, which can be harmful.

The WWN is a nonprofit organization fairly new in the grand scheme of watershed organizations, with just under 20 years in existence. Until last year, it was composed entirely of volunteers, before hiring on Sara Steiner as executive director.

A trained biologist, Steiner is semi-retired and works for the organization part-time. She was once their liaison with the Department of Environmental Services, coordinating with volunteers for water testing on lakes and rivers.

LaRoche said WWN is active in the community, with year-round residents as members, and the work they have been doing has gained plenty of traction. He said these are people who care deeply about the lake, and called them a “dynamic group of members.”

Dupak and his wife, Dawn, are some of these dedicated volunteers. They not only work with residents and board members on the ice-in and ice-out calls, but take part in other endeavors, like the loon count, each year.

“We are involved in keeping the lake in good shape,” Dupak said.

For more information, visit winnisquamwatershed.org.