Long Meadow Pond, Bethlehem - 2005

Long Meadow Pond has a surface area of 110 acres. It has a maximum depth of 7 feet and an average depth of 4.2 feet. At the northern end of the lake is an earthen dam. With the exception of the northern half of the eastern shore that is forested, the area around Long Meadow Pond is mostly developed. Most of the houses do not have shoreline buffers. Public boat access is controlled by the Long Meadow Pond Association. Twenty-two aquatic plants were found in Long Meadow Pond during our July 2005 survey with only curlyleaf pondweed (Potamogeton crispus) being invasive . 

The north end of Long Meadow Pond was covered mostly by floating-leaved plants: watershield (Brasenia schreberi), white water lily (Nymphaea odorata), and yellow water lily (Nuphar variegata). Coontail (Ceratophyllum demersum), Canadian waterweed (Elodea canadensis), large-leaf pondweed (Potamogeton amplifolius), and the invasive curlyleaf pondweed were found growing underneath the floating plants.

A number of submerged species were observed growing in mixed patches along the eastern shore including southern naiad (Najas guadalupensis), Canadian waterweed, coontail, marsh primrose-willow (Ludwigia palustris), large-leaf pondweed, ribbon-leaf pondweed (Potamogeton epihydrus), spiral pondweed (Potamogeton spirillus), eelgrass (Vallisneria americana), humped bladderwort (Utricularia gibba), pickerelweed (Pontederia cordata), curlyleaf pondweed, and the algae, charaphyte (Chara). Curlyleaf pondweed was more abundant along the southern half of the eastern shore. Several large patches of watershield also occurred in this area as did a patch of white water lily. Common bladderwort (Utricularia macrorhiza) was observed growing under the watershield.

Floating-leaved plants including white water lily and yellow water lily were sparse on the west side of the lake, except near the southern end where watershield was abundant. Submerged plants occurred in small patches of mixed species along the lake’s western shore. These submerged species included coontail, spiney-spored quillwort (Isoëtes echinospora), slender naiad (Najas flexilis), southern naiad, Canadian waterweed, ribbon-leaf pondweed, large-leaf pondweed, spiral pondweed, curlyleaf pondweed, bur-reed (Sparganium species), humped bladderwort, flat-leaf bladderwort (Utricularia intermedia), eelgrass, and charaphyte.

The southern cove of the lake had few species. The most abundant was large-leaf pondweed followed by watershield, coontail, needle spikerush (Eleocharis acicularis), white water lily, and yellow water lily.

Most of the bottom of Long Meadow Pond supported plant growth. White water lily, yellow water lily, southern naiad, large-leaf pondweed, common bladderwort, and charaphyte mostly were found in the northern half of the lake and southern naiad, curlyleaf pondweed, and charaphyte in the southern half.  Several smaller patches of coontail also were recorded in the deeper water.