Perhaps after reading this column, you’ll say to yourself, “I never knew that was happening in Rindge.” That’s what I said to myself recently after learning about John Sarasin Lake Education Day, a Lake Monomonac tradition for some 30 years.
It was Bill Gunther who reached out to me about the exciting return of Lake Education Day after a three-year pandemic-related hiatus. I had met Bill and Nancy Gunther last summer for a pontoon cruise.
They taught me about the Monomonac Lake Sailing Association’s exciting sailboat races, and we even watched one from their boat. I so enjoyed writing about that for this column.
Gunther connected me with Lake Education Day Coordinator Laureen Moran and Steve Gray, president of the Monomonac Lake Property Owners Association (MLPOA) to learn more.
Gray expanded on the history of Lake Education Day for me, which began with a concerned Monomonac resident watching out for the future health of the lake’s waters.
The origins of Lake Education Day go back to the early 1990s. The MLPOA treasurer at the time, John Sarasin, was an active member of the association and expressed concern that the health of Lake Monomonac relied on vigilance from both current and future generations. He felt that a program to build upon ecology curriculum in schools to protect the lake’s future could help. The hope was to educate young students from local public schools on how to keep lake waters healthy.
Around 1993, Sarasin formally developed a program in coordination with the New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services (NHDES), calling it “Lake Ecology Day.” Yearly educational field trips to Lake Monomonac ensued, with fifth-grade classes from Rindge Memorial School and the Winchendon, Mass., elementary school grouping up with NHDES limnologists on pontoon boats owned by lake residents.
The groups would then examine various areas of Lake Monomonac, with limnologists educating participants on the health of the lake from aboard the boats. Hands-on opportunities for school attendees to conduct water tests were provided.
The Rindge Acres Beach Association also supported the event, graciously allowing the use of their private beach off Swan Point Road as a place for attendees to gather on the shore.
As the years passed, Lake Ecology Day continued to grow, with up for 146 students attending at times from both the Rindge and Winchendon elementary schools. It was a clear testament of the event’s success, and the hard work and dedication put forth by Sarasin.
Sarasin died in 2005, and the MLPOA decided to rename the event in his honor — John Sarasin Lake Education Day. Since then, the lake community and the school communities alike continue to benefit from and appreciate Sarasin’s work.
Rindge Memorial School fifth-grade teacher Margaret Barney says the trip is an excursion the fifth grade really looks forward to each year.
“The learners always enjoy hearing from locals who study our ponds and lakes right here in town. As teachers, we appreciate the opportunity to work together with community members to teach our learners,” Barney wrote to me recently.
Laureen Moran stepped into the role of coordinating this year’s Lake Education Day, held on June 6. And while Winchendon children did not attend this year due to a scheduling conflict, nearly 50 Rindge Memorial School learners and their classroom educators had the good fortune to spend a day on the beautiful Monomonac waters.
While cruising on guided pontoon boats, young learners, the future stakeholders of our precious Earth and its resources, will have spent valuable time with NHDES limnologists learning how to care for and maintain the health of our treasured New Hampshire waters. Seems like this is just what John Sarasin would have hoped for the future of Lake Monomonac.
Now, was I right? Aren’t you saying to yourself, “I never knew that was happening in our town?” Either way, it’s just another instance of great people doing great things over in Rindge.
To share your stories, contact me at rindgecommcorr@yahoo.com.