Connor Pond in Ossipee is a popular place to beat the heat but Fish and Game doesn't want people congregating around their boat launch. (JESSICA WILLIAMS PHOTO)
Jessica Williams speaks before Ossipee selectmen in July in favor of opening the Connor Pond boat launch to public swimming. (GOVERNMENTOVERSITE.COM PHOTO)
Connor Pond in Ossipee is a popular place to beat the heat but Fish and Game doesn't want people congregating around their boat launch. (JESSICA WILLIAMS PHOTO)
Jessica Williams speaks before Ossipee selectmen in July in favor of opening the Connor Pond boat launch to public swimming. (GOVERNMENTOVERSITE.COM PHOTO)
OSSIPEE — New Hampshire Fish and Game Department has said no to the town of Ossipee’s requests to allow swimming at the department-owned boat launch on Connor Pond and also has turned down requests for trash receptacles and port-a-potty facilities.
Connor Pond is located off Pine Hill Road. A coldwater pond of 85 acres, it’s stocked with brook trout. According to Fish and Game’s website, “petro-fueled motors” are banned there, and there is a speed restriction on the water.
The ban on swimming there really pains me, both as a lifelong resident, and also having swam there all of my life. My first memories of swimming originate from that pond. I feel that there are myriad places that one using a small boat could launch onto many different bodies of water in Ossipee.There seem to be far more places to launch a boat than to swim here. Unfortunately, Fish and Game apparently does not seem to care about the recreation of those without boats! I always dreamed that my children would one day be able to swim there and have the same memories of the cold, clear waters and the serenity of the mountains. I used to have pride in my town, the kind of pride where I felt a certain camaraderie with my fellow residents, a certain spirit of belonging and privilege at being a local in this fine area. As of late, I cannot say that I truthfully can stand behind my convictions anymore. It seems like there slowly are becoming less and less places that are "Ossipee", and actually accessible to all of it's citizens. More and more it seems like the locals are being excluded from places where they built their memories, and at an astounding rate. I will continue to swim at Connor Pond. Not illegally, mind you... But if I happen to be on a canoe and that canoe just "happens" to capsize, I think I may just have to swim to survive, right?
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The ban on swimming there really pains me, both as a lifelong resident, and also having swam there all of my life. My first memories of swimming originate from that pond. I feel that there are myriad places that one using a small boat could launch onto many different bodies of water in Ossipee.There seem to be far more places to launch a boat than to swim here. Unfortunately, Fish and Game apparently does not seem to care about the recreation of those without boats! I always dreamed that my children would one day be able to swim there and have the same memories of the cold, clear waters and the serenity of the mountains. I used to have pride in my town, the kind of pride where I felt a certain camaraderie with my fellow residents, a certain spirit of belonging and privilege at being a local in this fine area. As of late, I cannot say that I truthfully can stand behind my convictions anymore. It seems like there slowly are becoming less and less places that are "Ossipee", and actually accessible to all of it's citizens. More and more it seems like the locals are being excluded from places where they built their memories, and at an astounding rate. I will continue to swim at Connor Pond. Not illegally, mind you... But if I happen to be on a canoe and that canoe just "happens" to capsize, I think I may just have to swim to survive, right?
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Keep it Clean. Please avoid obscene, vulgar, lewd, racist or sexually-oriented language.
PLEASE TURN OFF YOUR CAPS LOCK.
Don't Threaten. Threats of harming another person will not be tolerated.
Be Truthful. Don't knowingly lie about anyone or anything.
Be Nice. No racism, sexism or any sort of -ism that is degrading to another person.
Be Proactive. Use the 'Report' link on each comment to let us know of abusive posts.
Share with Us. We'd love to hear eyewitness accounts, the history behind an article.