"My son and I purchased a camp on North Shore Drive back in 1999. I call it 'my Heaven on Earth'. We had been looking all over New Hampshire for a long time. When we found Lake JoSylvia we immediately fell in love with it. Coming from the big city and the "fast lane" life, we found our heaven on North Shore Drive and enjoy spending all of our weekends, holidays and vacation time there year after year.

I want to thank P.O.W.E.R for all you are doing to save my 'Heaven'. I hope to meet you at the court hearing next month. I will be there. I am on the email list, so if I can help in any way, please let me know. Enclosed is a small donation for now. I will send more in the near future."

Annette Natale | Leominster, MA

"I can't begin to tell you how dismayed I am that Hopkinton has seen fit to move this project ahead. In Maine, the Land Use Regulation Commission would never have allowed this without months of public input and hearings. And even then, I can't conceive of it being passed.

The environmental damage to the watershed of this small lake will forever diminish - if not destroy - the quality of this recreational area for the people of this region who have not only lived here for decades (for us since 1953) but have also contributed our time and financial resources to the protection of this lake.

I cannot believe the breech of faith demonstrated by the people of  the Greek Orthodox Church last summer when they assured Lake Joe-Sylvia property owners that they were only planning a "small, one-story conference building". It is obvious, they were intent on misleading those with a vested interest in the impact of this proposal. A project of this magnitude has obviously been in the planning stages for a considerable period of time. What was once Camp Merrimack pales in comparison to the environmental impact of a church conference center the size of this proposal. The church knew exactly what it was planning, and deliberately chose not to share this information with local camp owners who have cherished and protected this area for decades.

The planning board of Hopkinton should be ashamed of themselves. To offer approval for this project without extensive environmental studies is a breech of faith on their part. Obviously, money played a large role in this decision. How much is the town gaining before it loses something irreplaceable?"

- Nancy M. Dysart | Carmel, ME

"For the past ten years my wife Andrea and I have had the opportunity of experiencing the beauty and tranquility of Lake JoSylvia. We have been fortunate to have owned two seasonal cottages on this pristine lake. We anxiously await the warm spring days of snow melt so that we can open our cottage and begin our “too short” season.

Our entire family and our close friends have also been drawn back year after year to enjoy the benefits of swimming, kayaking and the relaxation that JoSylvia delivers. We dread October and the end of the season of our summertime getaway. The many memories we have are the only bright spots for us this time of year.

My wife and I are saddened to think that our neighbors, St. Methodios are willing to change the feel of our community with the construction of a huge conference center on the shore directly across from our cottage.  Never again will the beautiful sunsets be the same!

We sold our first cottage to St. Methodios in 2002.  The cottage sits right on Camp Merrimac Road and the increase in traffic over the five years we owned it were eventually unbearable for us.  This cottage proved to be a strategic purchase for St. Methodios as it is now the sole piece of property separating their entire compound from the rest of the community.  This purchase allegedly released the responsibility of the Diocese from having to notify “other” abutters as they do not exist due to this property transfer.  I will tell you, if we had known about this “strategy” it would still be in our possession!

Please consider signing our petition page on this web site which will not only send a message to our community leaders, but also to the ones in your community that this type of development is not acceptable!!"

- Mark & Andrea Riel | Pittsfield, NH

"Forty-five years ago we chose a lifestyle and residential home site on Pine Street in Contoocook, NH to raise our family because it was a rural, quiet, natural environment that would offer experiences for us as a family not commonly found in more densely populated areas.  At that time, there were no neighbors. 

We've built and transformed our home over our lifetime with the help of our two children. Five years ago we deeded acreage to our son and his wife to build their home, life and raise their family in this familiar and special place.  Our story was chronicled in a New Hampshire Sunday News article dated October 28, 1979. 

Blessed with good health, stamina, and a love of natural things, we transformed our landscape into a place we consider as close to heaven as a mortal could be. We witness beautiful sunsets, the sound of spring "peepers", migrating birds and beautiful woodland scents every single day. We always knew discovery of this special place would bless the neighborhood with other residential families and yes, more vehicles. 

Now, at age 65, and having reached a point in our lives that we could even more enjoy what we've always known was a special place, a decision made in a matter of minutes by our zoning board designed to protect our residential rights, unless reversed, will erase the landscape of our past and daily residential lives forever and subject us to a neighboring "non-profit" commercial convention center and hotel that has been disguised as "dormitory lodging" by the Greek Orthodox Metropolis of Boston (60 churches) on the shore of beautiful, small, tranquil and pristine Lake Jo-Sylvia in Contoocook, New Hampshire.  It's organizers have referred to its intrusion as a "small inconvenience in our lives" compared to its important ministry.

The sadness and sense of loss we feel can't be measured." 

- Jayne & Dick Schoch | Contoocook, NH

"JoSylvia Lake has been our paradise on earth. Looking over the lake at sunset, watching canoes and sailboats drift by with barely a sound, seeing the beauty Mother Nature attaches to each seasonal change... that  has been our family's cherished legacy.

Beginning in 1802, more than eight generations have shared the magnificence of Lake JoSylvia. Year after year, the people we love arrive at the Lake. Even our pets rush to their favorite haunts to smell, feel, taste and share the best in life that New Hampshire offers. Children becoming parents, becoming grandparents, becoming great-grandparents... what a great gift. We have treasured our time together.

A city has no place here. Peace and quiet are rural amenities that take both knowledge and understanding. There is so very little left.

Please help us preserve it. Sign our petition, and support our cause. Thank you!"

- Sylvia Willoughby | Contoocook, NH

"Lake Joe-Sylvia, also known as Clement Pond, is home. I have spent every year of my life traveling to the lake to swim in these familiar waters, walk through the tall pines and admire the sunsets; the quiet fireworks at the end of day. It is an opportunity to share the lake with my family, those who gather from around the country and those who were there before.

We sit beside the lake, we swim in it, row across it and we teach our children how to enjoy and respect it, as we were taught by our parents and grandparents. These small lakes of New Hampshire are not a commodity to be packaged and sold. There is an investment that generations of families have made to ensure that their children can enjoy and learn from the pristine experience that has been there for so many years. We rely on the local community to understand and respect the preservation of the quiet harmony of the lake."

- Paul Myers | Reston, VA

"I’m one of the lucky ones. For more than 50 years I have summered at JoSylvia Lake with my family, extended family and friends, first at my grandfather’s camp and now in my own. Little changes year to year except that through our time there, we got a little taller, a little bolder, a little wiser and a lot closer to our families and friends. Through all of the changes in my life – from childhood to motherhood, from state to state  – “camp” is the constant in my life. It is always there -- pine trees, quiet lake and summer breezes -- waiting for us. My fondest wish is that my children and my children’s children will feel the same way that I do – that this is my emotional home.

A special memory of mine, that I try to recreate with my family each summer, is to stand on our dock in the silent dark of night and marvel at the stars, trying to pick out the constellations out of the inky black sky to the chorus of local bullfrogs.

We live in a cottage that is both on the lake and on the access road leading to the camp. The increase in both the speed and volume of traffic going to and from the Lake is a constant and growing intrusion, as well as a safety issue. Cars and trucks speed past our house from dawn to dusk without thought or restraint.

They say that change is good.  In most cases, I embrace this concept. But in this case, the change this project would bring is not good:  more traffic, more noise and light pollution, more cost to taxpayers. If a project like this is approved, the area will never be the same -- there is no turning back.  I pray that the goodness that is Lake JoSylvia is preserved for future generations."

- Karen Harman | Contoocook, NH

"I'll never ever forget this... I was just a little girl, 8 years old, rowing in the darkness to the middle of the Lake with my dad. It was just the two of us, which was a very rare experience for me in a family of six. We laid down the oars and gazed up at the Milky Way, splashed over the arc of the Lake. It was so quiet we could hear the bats whiffing by. A loon keened. The tall firs on the shore caught the wind and brushed the air with their long soft limbs. My father, once an Eagle Scout, pointed out all the constellations he knew, and it was so many... I was lost in the magnificence of the blazing radiance, the vastness that stretched into the Universe, the hush of my father's voice as he reveled in it all, and pointed up.

This lake has always been our sacred space. This is where our spirits soar, where we have come to celebrate the exquisitely simple lake life. And some times, we have come to grieve. We lost my father long before he could fulfill his dream of retiring by the Lake. In recent years, we lost our beloved Uncle Stan, who spent his last days looking out on the lake.

Imagine a large hotel structure, three-quarters the size of a football field, sitting across a lake so small some call it a Pond. Imagine all those 42 rooms occupied, all those windows open - with the sound and the light spilling out and up and across the night sky. If I allow this to happen, our children will never see the stars. It may already be too late to restore the quiet. The teen camp across the way has expanded to eight weeks. There's karaoke on the beach every night, until late. The existing buildings are already winterized and rentable all year round.

I sincerely hope that you take the time to read through the material on this website. It's important that everyone understand why we have gone to all this trouble; why we have given money from our own (sometimes meager) bank accounts to fund this legal challenge. We really believe that if we lose, you lose, too. To allow this massive business enterprise in a residential area, to allow this hotel to proceed under the guise of a nonprofit religious retreat, to allow this wealthy institution to pay only $12,099 - a fraction of the property tax that ought to be levied on 191 acres valued at over 1.3 million dollars, while this business exponentially increases its need for local services, and stresses the roads and environment. All this in a town that is losing Gould Hill because of staggering property tax increases. It's just not right. It's just not right that we are not protected by the zoning and planning boards and Selectmen whose wages are fed by our taxes. We have to hire an attorney to defend us against the Hopkinton Town attorney!

Please, sign our petition, let us know you stand with us. Let us know you care. We need your help in any way you can give it. Forward this link to your friends. If you can come to the hearing on 3/05/07 please do. If you can take up a collection and help us with legal fees, we need it. With your help we will keep on, and we will prevail. And New Hampshire will win, as well. Thank you. Bless you for giving your heart and time just now."

- Sheri Myers | Contoocook, NH

"The lake has been a place to call home in the summer for many years, more so when I was younger, but still a great hiding spot to get away from it all. I learned to fish with my Dad and Grampa H. on the lake, in the summer as well as in the winter. Great family times have been spent there, from birthdays, to boy scout ceremonies, to family reunions. It’s a place to sit back and watch the sun go down, seeming to set the hills on fire. Or to watch a full moon, not only in the sky but reflecting off the still waters. Now that’s Mother Nature at her best!

In the fall, the leaves are full of color. It's probably the prettiest time to see what the lake has to offer. Then again, one could argue that early morning is best, with the loons out fishing for food, floating silently across the water and making their haunting, yet majestic call that seems to echo forever.

It’s a beautiful place and one I hope does not change forever. The people of Hopkinton might say that the planned changes for the Medios Camp wont affect me, if that’s true then answer one question for me....what if a similar church group bought Gould Hill Apple Orchard?"           

- David White | Contoocook, NH 

"I’ve been going to Lake JoSylvia since I was born. I’ve spent a lot of time there with my family. Lots of barbeques, birthday parties near the shore and ping-pong tournaments down in my grandparent’s basement. This is the place where all of my cousins and I go swimming or just relax on the docks. Then there are other up-beat times when my dad takes us on the tubes and sends us flying over the wakes from the boat and trust me there are a lot of funny stories from tubing.

There are also serious times at the lake though. The one that sticks out most in my mind is when my family gathered together to remember my grandfather before we laid him to rest. We gathered there because that was his spot, his relaxation place to get away from all of the fast paced people that couldn’t stop for a minute to smell the roses or listen to the loons.

I want to be able to still have these times when I get older, I’m only 15 now and I have a lot of memories of the lake. When I’m 25 I’m hoping to have a lot more. Please don’t just look at this website and not do anything, sign the petition and don’t let this hotel destroy all of the good times people could have in the future."

- Jenny White | Contoocook, NH

"It's a good place" my grandfather said.

"A great place" a somewhat younger me replied on that sandy lakeshore, eyes focused on the tree-rimmed horizon and that oh so cool freshwater smell; those sunset stained skies. "And I hope it will never change."

He just studied the lapping water, nodding absently, the way he did when you stated the obvious.

Many years later, 1,500 people gathered on the opposite shore of Lake JoSylvia to celebrate a new home and to congratulate themselves on a new vision. The lakeshore had probably never felt so many feet upon it; three thousand of them planted in the sand like hungry new taproots.

To me, this celebratory migration portends the beginning of a deluge: the arrival of a new phalanx of values and money, spearheaded by plans for the largest facility ever constructed within this small New Hampshire setting. By the swipe of a simple pen, Hopkinton's elected officials will set an example for the next large development, the next big plan.

Such is the way a place is changed forever, such is the way the world's places always have been. It's not an isolated event, tomorrow; it could be your backyard.

In the course of my studies and travels I have experienced time and again, the frightful obstinacy by which we unknowingly and unwittingly degrade our most unique and cherished places. It's a slow trickle at first, which gradually increases in speed and prominence. Here in Montana, our natural amenities are like giant magnets filling valleys with condos, and once charming towns with chain stores and hotels.

If we as a community can learn nothing from the past, it's that we must recognize our unique landscapes, and protect them, through foresight and proper planning. We must measure the heartbeat of place before we tell it how it should be. Actions that affect a community's quality of life should be informed by an entire communities membership; not by the interests of a select few, not performed through the mechanism of duplicity, and not without a thorough understanding of the ramifications.

My grandfather would have said a thing or two about recent developments on the lake he loved. In his stead, I feel obliged to write that Lake JoSylvia is a good thing to a good many people who have spent their lives comforted by its presence. We, as a collective, must learn when to let a good thing be, and should demand of our elected officials and leaders the necessary forethought and knowledge required to make decisions which respect our quality of life and inherent need for unique places, which speak to our souls."

- Jared A White | Bozeman, MT

"The first camp on Lake JoSylvia, so named in 1909, was built in 1880 as a shelter for fishermen. It was and is across the pond from the litttle village of Cloughville which became Camp Merrimack and now St. Methodios Faith and Heritage Center.

Generations of family and friends have enjoyed our camp and the natural beauty of the area. More camps have been built around the lake, all in keeping with its residential nature. An increase in traffic (service trucks and buses) traveling to St. Methodios Faith and Heritage Center and additional noise and lights will not be in keeping with the residential environment established on our shores."

- Carol Duston & Family | Contoocook,NH

"A clear, crisp November morning in 2003, my family, children, grandchildren, my sister, nephews, nieces, and cousins stood hand in hand watching as Gregg Peterson, Carrie's fiance rowed my son-in-law, Devan Currier, from the shore. The Fall colors were muted, few clouds graced the grey sky and the only sound was the ripple from the oars dipping into the still water. Ever so gently, Stan's ashes drifted from Devan's hands....what better place for his eternal spirit.     

Everyone who knew Stan, also knew of his affection for the Town. Somehow he found time to serve on the School Board, as a selectman, on the budget committee, and others, all while involved in Little League, Boy Scouts, and other organizations. His decisions were always considered in the best interests of all.

Unfortunately, not so today. Our local boards are ignoring our zoning regulations, by-passing planning ordinances and with the blessing of our Selectmen, they are establishing precedents which will open the doors to a commercial "Lake Tahoe" type of atmosphere..... saying goodbye to the peace and tranquillity lake residents have enjoyed for so many years. 

This is happening far too often, not just at Lake JoSylvia in Hopkinton, but elsewhere, throughout our country. Please, anyone who reads this, raise your voice and be HEARD!!!"                                                 

Most Sincerely,

- Ruthie White | Contoocook, NH

"Spending my spring semester abroad in Florence, Italy has proved to be an amazing, enriching experience. While communicating with friends and family back home in the United States I find that there is a black streak being painted into my picturesque experience in Italy. That black streak would be the news of what will happen to Lake JoSylvia if the building goes as planned, and we find a resort nestled into the tranquil surroundings of the lake, completely stripping the lake of its natural beauty and peacefulness.  

Being so far from home, I find myself thinking about my friends and family and what I cherish most in my life. Often my thoughts travel to Lake JoSyvlia and my childhood which was spent growing and playing on the beach and in the various camps along the edges. During the summer months, there was always an entourage of family arriving from all over the country, ready to relax and spend time together with the lake as our beautiful background. 

I spent my time playing with my cousins, picking blueberries, catching crayfish and catfish, tubing and waterskiing, playing king of the mountain on the raft, fishing, exploring "the island", sinking the boat, and ending countless summer nights in plastic white chairs with Tiki lamps burning and the voices of my family lulling me into a tranquil sense of comfort. JoSylvia is a huge part of my childhood and an important part of my life; it is where I can still find myself acting like an eight-year-old with my fellow cousins as we return every year and reminisce about the past and create memories for the future.

Not only is the lake an important part of my childhood memory, but it has also become a place of retreat from the world. A seven minute drive from my house, I escape from the world when I need to get away. I cannot comprehend the amount of time I've spent at the lake writing in my journal, reading, or just being among friends and family. The lake has a sense of peace and tranquility that allows me to escape from the every day life, and become calm and rational again. This environment would disappear if, as I gaze across the water, I find my eyes taking in a commercially built resort (which would bring noise and traffic), instead of the natural beauty of the woods. 

I hope that when I return to the US I don't find Lake JoSylvia a changed, commercially driven place. The lake is important to so many people for so many reasons, and for me, it's where my childhood memories are most clear. It's a place where I can go and be by myself, with family, or friends and relax and enjoy New Hampshire's beauty at its best."

- Bethany White | Florence, Italy

"My sister and I are very upset to hear about the construction proposed at Jo-Sylvia Lake. We visit our parents in Warner yearly and spend time at the Lake with family and friends we have met while visiting the US. We would be disappointed to see a huge hotel-like building constructed on such a beautiful Lake. A Lake that is enjoyed by so many."

- Sue & Dean Alexander | South Wales, UK
- Georgina & Dan Richardson | South Wales, UK

"My father, Arthur Sharpe, visited Clemet Pond and JoSylvia Lake throughout his childhood during the 1930’s. His family rented cottages on the south shore of the lake -- cottages with nicknames such as “Red Cottage”, “Brown Jug” and “Mouse Cottage”. My father grew up visiting the lake from his home in Cambridge Massachusetts and he grew to love it and the people there.

While serving his country in World War II, my father saved most of his money and dreamed of coming back to the lake. When he returned from WWII in 1946, my father bought land on the north shore from Mr. Patch. My father then built the road which is now called North Shore Drive. Our cottage was the only one on our side of the lake for many years.

My family (wife Marianne and daughter Amy) all live at the lake now. We love this lake as much as my father did and we'll do what it takes, as he did, to defend it. Our lake is not just a mud hole, it's a way of life -- our way of life."

- Chef Richard A. Sharp | Contoocook, NH