Kayak for Conservation

People kayaking on a calm lake, surrounded by green hills, under a clear blue sky.

Join the Windham Conservation District in pulling water chestnut from the Connecticut River near Rockingham and Vernon! Volunteers will be trained on aquatic introduced (invasive) plant identification and proper removal protocols. No prior experience is required!

Bring your kayak or canoe (with life preserver) and we will provide you with removal gear, water, and some snacks. Don't own a kayak or canoe? Borrow one from us!

At each session, we will start by sharing how to identify water chestnut, remove it safely and how to clean your boats. After this, we will prepare our watercraft and survey our sites in Rockingham or in Vernon. Participants are encouraged to join us on the water for at least one hour, however, surveys can last up to 4 hours depending on the number of volunteers.

If you are interested in joining, please fill out this form or email sullivan.wcnrcd@gmail.com. Our schedule is provided below for each site. Note: this is subject to change due to weather. Updates will be emailed to participants that sign up for these dates.

Rockingham Pulls: Meet at 11 Pine St, North Walpole, NH 03609:

June 22: 9am - 12:30pm

July 18: 9:30am - 1pm

August 9: 9am - 12:30pm

September 19: 9:30am - 1pm

Vernon Pulls: Meet at 189-127 Prospect St, Hinsdale, NH 03451 (42.78691288893644, -72.50544532023393):

June 29: 9am - 12:30pm

July 19: 9am - 12:30pm

July 26: 9am - 12:30pm

July 27: 9am - 12:30pm

August 15: 9:30am - 1pm

August 31: 9am - 12:30pm

September 12: 9:30am - 1pm

September 14: 9am - 12:30pm

September 28: 9am - 12:30pm

What to bring? We recommend a life preserver, sunscreen, snacks, and a long-sleeved shirt. Wear clothing that can get wet. Shoes can either be flip flops or water-proof shoes.

Ages 14+ welcome. Participants need to be able to swim, be able to follow directions, and be able to kayak or be comfortable being in a canoe/other vessel with a parent.

We will be asking participants to fill out a Volunteer Service Agreement in case of incidentals.