WAKEFIELD — To help prevent injuries and snares of wildlife and people, the Town of Wakefield and the Friends of Lake Quannapowitt (FOLQ) have partnered to provide fishing line recycling canisters around Lake Quannapowitt.
Anyone who fishes at the Lake is encouraged to use these canisters to help make the lake safer for all wildlife and visitors. Recycling canisters are available at Hall Park, Veterans Field, Gertrude Spaulding Park, and Belanger Park. Additional canisters will soon be in place on the Lower Common and at the end of Willard Road off North Avenue. Fishing line, hooks and bobbers can be recycled in the canisters. More information is available at FOLQ.org.
This effort came about after a Great Horned Owl and a Common Loon were entangled in fishing line on the Lower Common of Lake Quannapowitt in early 2024. These sad incidents sparked a public discussion about managing discarded fishing line (a.k.a. monofilament) along the shores of the lake.
Advocacy from Wakefield resident and professional wildlife photographer Carin Macnamara prompted FOLQ to learn more about this issue. With helpful input and support from James Joyce of the Friends of Horn Pond in Woburn, which had successfully implemented its own fishing line recycling several years ago, the Friends of Lake Quannapowitt partnered with the Town of Wakefield to create a recycling program for fishing line at Lake Quannapowitt.
FOLQ would like to thank everyone who assisted in this collaborative effort. This would not have happened without support from a variety of people and groups, including Carin Macnamara, James Joyce of the Friends of Horn Pond, Dennis Fazio, Carmen Sorrentino, and Nick Dacova of the Parks Dept / DPW, the Town Council, The T Stop which donated the canister decals, and the dozens of people who wrote in to support and help refine this plan. This was a true community effort.