Welcome to Otter Pond! We love our pond and hope that we will each show our care for Otter Pond by protecting the water quality while enjoying this wonderful resource.

About us

The Otter Pond Protective Association (OPPA) was founded in 1980 as a result of environmental concerns that threatened the pond. Our responsibility is to build on this legacy as described in our Mission Statement:

The Otter Pond Protective Association serves to improve and preserve the quality of Otter Pond, through the promotion of proper water, shoreline and watershed practices, avoidance of invasive species and pollution, and collaboration on protective efforts; all to ensure the value, enjoyment and longevity of Otter Pond for current and future generations.

OPPA Volunteers are the lifeblood of our community. People and businesses become OPPA members not only to offer their support for the protection of Otter Pond, but to affirm their commitment to our sense of place, share their capabilities, and have a voice in protecting the watershed. We welcome our newer residents and guests to join us in caring for the pond.

Our Pond

We love our pond for the beautiful sunrises, the view of the marsh and undeveloped land across the pond, and the all season recreation. We enjoy the call of the loons, the otters playfully swimming after eating mussels, or the herons feeding in the shallows.

We truly believe we can keep our pond clean and protected if we all help.

Otter Pond is a natural pond raised by damming with an altitude of 1, 125 feet. The pond, located in Sunapee (Georges Mills) and New London, NH, covers 187 acres and it is 32 feet deep. It is fed by springs and lake tributaries from Star Lake, Baptist Pond, and Little Lake Sunapee via Goose Hole. Its outflow over Otter Pond Dam provides over half the surface water (epilimnion layer) of Lake Sunapee. Classified as “mesotrophic”, it has clear water and beds of submerged aquatic plants.

The water is regularly tested under the oversight of the NH Department of Environmental Services Voluntary Lake Assessment Program.

Almost half of the shoreline is conserved or undeveloped, providing Otter Pond with some protection from human-based water quality decline. Several parcels are owned by OPPA and conserved by the Ausbon Sargent Land Preservation Trust, including a small beach which we allow public use of and ask visitors to show care for.

Recreation includes swimming, boating (jet skis are prohibited), waterskiing, ice skating, snowshoeing, cross-country skiing, and fishing.

Otter Pond is home to many forms of wildlife.

Fish

Birds

Mammals

Due to the Great New England Hurricane of 1938, when New England lost most of its pine trees, local saw mills filled Otter Pond with logs, some of which still rise to the surface today.

1910 Postcard
...
1938 Hurricane
...
Pine logs stored on Otter Pond
...

Care of our pond

We encourage you to learn about the challenges of New Hampshire lakes and ponds by reviewing resource information. We believe that those of us who understand the threats to our pond will become better stewards of their land and reduce the threats to our watershed.

While Otter Pond’s water is clean, it won’t stay that way without action by each one of us. Water quality in New Hampshire lakes and ponds is in decline and Otter Pond is no exception. Most is caused by runoff carrying contaminants that lead to algae and cyanobacteria growth, which, if left unchecked, will ruin the pond. Contamination includes phosphorus, herbicides, pesticides, salt, pet waste, trash and others.

The overwhelming majority of causes of decline are from the actions of those who enjoy the pond most – us. We control the pond’s current and future quality (it only takes 3-5 years for material on land to leach into the water). Not only is this an environmental investment, it is an economic one as the value of watershed real estate is directly impacted by the quality of the water.

We also need to be careful about invasive species in or near the water. Non-native plants and wildlife can overtake native species and/or the water.

Beyond individual actions, the opportunities to help through participating in one or more of OPPA’s Working Groups allows us to more quickly accomplish objectives through teamwork.

What can individuals do to preserve the enjoyment of the pond and their property investment?

  • Eliminate the use of fertilizer or use those without phosphorus
  • Use safe alternatives to pesticides and herbicides
  • Clean your boat and trailer of all plants before launching
  • Follow state and local building, zoning, tree and vegetation cutting codes
  • Don’t feed the waterfowl
  • To protect our loons, use no lead tackle
  • Use no soaps near the water
  • Use snow-melt salt sparingly or not at all
  • Reduce lawns and plant/maintain trees and shrubs along the shoreline
  • Pick up after your pet and properly dispose of waste with your household trash
  • Leave no trace of your visit - carry out what you carry in.
  • Resources

    Our affiliation with other environmental organizations provides our members and guests with abundant information.

    Photos

    Members

    Contact Us

    Don’t forget to join our Facebook Group page for access to current events, lost & found or to share information!

    Have a question or an idea? Want to become an OPPA Member and/or buy some swag? Spotted a dangerous log in the pond? Send us a note below.

    A name is required.
    An email is required.
    Email is not valid.
    A phone number is required.
    A message is required.
    Error sending message!
    Otter Pond Protective Association, PO Box 26, Georges Mills, NH 03751