Lake Sunapee's Lake Host Program

The Lake Host program at Lake Sunapee was originally established in 2000 and Hosts were called Launch Site Monitors. Unlike today, many plant fragments were removed from boats and trailers. Currently, this program is administered by the NH LAKES, a non-profit organization devoted to protecting NH waterbodies, and managed by individual lake associations.

The Lake Sunapee Lake Host program covers all five public ramps on the lake and usually consists of nine or more Hosts.

Lake Hosts are on duty from May through September and perform courtesy boat inspections while educating boaters and the public about how to prevent the spread of aquatic invasive plants and animals. Any plants or animals found on boats and/or trailers are removed and disposed of by the Lake Host.

Educational materials and lead-free fishing weights (swapped out with ones made from lead - courtesy of LSPA) are also provided as needed. 

2019 Season Statistics

Thirteen Lake Hosts conducted 4,887 courtesy boat inspections in 2019. The charts below display the number of watercraft inspections per ramp. There were no “saves” on Lake Sunapee this year, but 12 were recorded by NH LAKES statewide. A '“save” is when an invasive plant or animal species is found on a boat and removed before it enters a waterbody. According to DES, there have been no new infestations in New Hampshire this year, so the total of infested waterbodies remains at 89 (including 11 rivers). Regionally, there is still great concern about Fishhook water flea that was found in Lake Champlain in 2018 and has multiplied in numbers this year. Click here to see an interactive map of infested waterbodies throughout the region created by NH LAKES this summer. An aquatic invasive plant or animal species might be right in your backyard!

Click here to learn more about Aquatic Invasive Species (AIS).