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THE WEIRS TIMES & THE COCHECO TIMES, Thursday, July 7, 2011 ENJOYTHEWATER Get the most out of NH’s Lakes! DELI & TAKE OUT KAYAK & CANOE RENTALS FEATURING LAKES from 21
32 Suncook Valley Road • Alton Circle • Route 28 South 603-875-1000 • Open May - Oct.
www.RRDeli.com •
www.RRKayak.com
wading or swimming in a shallow area where it was hiding. If you find a leech on your skin don’t pull it off! The mouthparts of the leech could be left in your skin and could cause an infection. You might want to use an irritant, such as salt or heat (aim a hair
dryer at it), to encourage the leech to voluntarily let go of you. After the leech is gone, clean, disinfect, and bandage the bite to prevent infection. If the wound doesn’t heal prop- erly, contact your doctor. A leech attached to the skin of a person.
ICE DAMAGE? NEED DOCK or SHORELINE WORK?
Visit Our Stores To See All The Boatlifts & Docks
• Plan ahead - permits take time! • Make an appointment today for a site visit! • Schedule projects early!
www.docksource.com
Visit our store at 29 Gilford East Drive, Gilford, NH Winter Hours (or call for appointment)
Open Daily From 9:00-5:00, Saturday 9:00-12:00, Closed Sunday
29 Gilford East Drive, Gilford NH 603-293-4000
552 Route 11, Sunapee, NH 603-763-6440
Open Mon - Friday From 8:00 -5:00, Or call for an appointment... Crank-Up Dock
Are leeches dangerous? No, leeches are not dan-
LACONIA Sea Ray’s Demo Days
gerous. They do not cause serious physical harm to people as they really don’t take much blood from their host, and it has been reported that they do not transmit human diseases. However, leeches can cer- tainly inflict emotional harm on a host—I assume that most people would find a leech attachment disconcerting, to say the least! But, believe it or not, it is possible that leeches can be beneficial to humans—doctors have used (and some may still use) leeches to purposely drain blood from people to reduce swelling and heal wounds.
Can you get rid of leeches from the lake? Not really. There are
E X P E R I E N C E S E A R A Y ‘ S Boats in the water to run from 17’ to 40’
Saturday, July 16 • Hours: 9-4 •
www.irwinmarine.com • 958 Union Avenue • Laconia
no environmentally safe chemical control measures that will effectively reduce leech populations while not harming fish and other aquatic animals. (And, any chemical application in a lake or pond in New Hampshire by a non-li- censed applicator is ille- gal!) Bait trapping—using a metal coffee can with a plastic lid drilled with small holes and baited with raw meat and placed into a waterbody—may reduce leech populations. But, the easiest and safest way to reduce leech popu- lations is to make sure you and your neighbors
do not rake leaves, grass clippings, or other organic debris into the lake.
How to avoid leeches If you want to minimize
the potential for a leech encounter, consider swim- ming in deeper waters and in areas free of plants and other organic debris. Tak- ing these precautions will reduce the likelihood of a leech latching on to you.
Leeches are good to have in our lakes! Leeches are native resi-
dents in our lakes. They are an important part of the lake food web. Most leeches eat worms, snails, and insect larvae—rela- tively few actually feed on humans. Leeches, in turn, are eaten by fish, ducks and turtles. And, many fishermen use leeches for bait.
The New Hampshire Lakes
Association (NH LAKES) is a member-supported, non-prof- it organization dedicated to protecting New Hampshire’s lakes and their watersheds. Find NH LAKES on Facebook by searching for “NH LAKES (NH Lakes Association)” at
www.facebook.com and become a fan of their page. To receive NH LAKES’ free monthly e-news blast, Shore- lines, full of interested lake-re- lated information, sign up at
www.nhlakes.org. Join NH LAKES for their fourth annual LakeFest fundraiser on July 29th, 5-8pm, at the Church Landing Inn, Meredith, NH. There will be two live com- edy performances, gourmet food and wine, and a silent auction. Tickets can be pur- chased at www.nhlakes. org/
LakeFest2011.htm or by calling (603) 226-0299. Tickets are $50 for one, $75 for two.
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