Lake Winnipesaukee’s clear waters are an outstanding natural and economic resource deserving of protection.  The numerous lakes and ponds in the Winnipesaukee watershed provide recreational opportunities, habitat for our wildlife and scenic beauty.  These assets are crucial to the local economy, supporting tourism and the tax structure.  One of the most significant threats to water quality is stormwater runoff which causes or contributes 80% of the water pollution problems in New Hampshire.

Efforts to insure that the lake’s water quality is protected or improved go back decades.  Local communities have taken a variety of steps, all independently, to address pollution and many have achieved significant levels of control, especially in the communities with full time professional planning staff.  However, until now, there has not been an effective coordinated effort to link the interests, concerns and resources of the Lake Winnipesaukee Watershed communities and other stakeholders including local businesses and many quasi-governmental and non-governmental organizations.

The Winnipesaukee Environmental and Community Action Network (WE-CAN) is a multi-community, multi-stakeholder group that takes on the challenge of identification, coordination and implementation of needed actions within and outside of the network and serves as a vehicle of communication among partners.

The goal of WE-CAN is to provide the watershed community with an online forum and clearing house of resources to bring the various stakeholders in the Winnipesaukee watershed together to align efforts and resources on issues of mutual concern, such as the lake-wide aquatic invasive species management effort.