Freedom—September 30, 2025—If the N.H. Department of Safety (DOS) approves Wabanaki Campground’s request for 31 boat moorings on top of DES’s approval of 11 boat slips, it will increase in the legacy number of boats at the Ossipee Lake business by 35%.
That’s an unreasonable increase, according to a coalition of local groups. They have asked DOS to deny the application or defer a decision until DES can conduct a deep dive on the cumulative environmental impact.
Boats became an issue at Wabanaki in 2023 after owner Mark Salvati installed docks that increased the number of watercraft from 31 to as many as 68. The business announced it was accepting down payments on the purchase of campsites and could accommodate boaters.
Neighbors complained to DES, which ordered the unpermitted docks removed. DOS then voided Salvati’s long-time mooring permit because of the presence of the docks, and because ownership of the property had changed. Mooring permits are not transferrable.
Lake conservation group Ossipee Lake Alliance asked the two State agencies to work jointly to consider the number of boats at the site. But that did not appear to take place.
In August DES approved a “5 ft. x 80 ft. pier with a 3.6 ft. x 75 ft. walkway running parallel to the shoreline and containing three 5 ft. x 20 ft. fingers, and an ‘L’-shaped pier comprised of a 5 ft. x 60 ft. pier with a 5 ft. x 10 ft. finger along 809 feet of Ossipee Lake frontage.”
DES’s decision created 11 boat slips while Wabanaki’s application to DOS for 31 boat moorings was still pending. A DOS hearing was announced for September 9 in Concord, and letters began to be submitted.
Ossipee Lake Alliance wrote to DOS that “separate approvals by DES and DOS that might seem on the surface to be reasonable will produce, when combined, an unreasonable outcome.”
The group asked DOS to deny the application in its current form and seek a compromise to balance the campground’s right to reasonably expand its boat capacity while protecting the environment and the rights of neighboring property owners.
Freedom’s Conservation Commission (FCC) echoed the argument that the two agencies “risk producing a cumulative outcome that neither would likely intend on its own.”
“Evaluating that increase through a single, integrated water-quality lens—rather than separate siloed approvals—is essential and aligns with both the spirit of the Shoreland Protection Act and the intent of RSA 270:68,I that designated mooring areas be consistent with local master planning and resource protections.”
FCC asked DOS to defer a decision until DES’s Water Division determines “whether the site’s carrying capacity and near-shore conditions (depth, fetch, substrate, vegetation) support the proposed density without degrading water quality.”
Similar letters to DOS were submitted by Green Mountain Conservation Group, Broad-Leavitt Bay Association, Friends of Ossipee Lake and Berry Bay Association, as well as the campground’s neighbors.
The letters said the number of proposed boats at Wabanaki would be more than at other Ossipee Lake campgrounds. They said approval by DOS would set a precedent for other campgrounds to pursue a boat capacity increase by leveraging the separate regulations at DOS and DES.
DOS in August released one letter supporting the plan in response to a public information request. It was dated June 4 and the name of the sender, self-described as a neighbor, was redacted.
DOS explained the redaction was “due to invasion of privacy per RSA 91-A:5, IV.” Several letters opposing the plan were not redacted.
On Monday DOS responded to a second public information request for copies of all letters submitted for the September 9 hearing. The agency said it anticipated being able to provide the material “within the next 60 business days,” which would be December 22.
If DOS approves the moorings application it will go next to the Executive Council and Governor for review.
My family and I are campers at Wabanaki, and we are deeply frustrated by the continued opposition to our right to enjoy the lake responsibly. The New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services (DES) has already approved the new dock system, and the Department of Safety’s Marine Patrol has expressed support for combining docks and moorings. These are the state agencies tasked with protecting both safety and the environment. Their approvals and recommendations should carry far more weight than the objections of a few neighbors who simply don’t like the outcome.
This isn’t just about convenience — it’s about safety. Properly permitted docks and moorings ensure boats are secured, organized, and kept away from trees and fragile shoreline. The alternative — boats tied haphazardly to trees or bouncing against the shore — causes real damage and creates unsafe conditions for boaters, swimmers, and the environment alike.
What makes this fight even more frustrating is that opponents haven’t brought forward any real data to back up their complaints. Meanwhile, boats are being dropped into Ossipee Lake every single day by visitors who don’t live here, don’t pay local taxes, and frankly don’t care about the lake the way we who live here and love it do. To suggest that responsible, regulated moorings and docks are somehow a greater threat than unmanaged drop-ins is simply backwards.
The voices of those of us who live here and use the lake with care have been left out of the one-sided coverage. If the conversation were truly balanced, our perspective would be included too.
I strongly urge continued approval and support of this plan. It is the safe, environmentally sound, and fair solution. Please don’t let a small group of complaints override the judgment of the state’s professional agencies — or the voices of the people who love and care for Ossipee Lake the most. This is getting absolutely ridiculous.
@Kyle Bishop, the alternative isn’t tying up dozens of boats haphazardly to trees. That was something the owner had to quickly arrange after DES told him to remove the illegal docks and DOS took away his moorings permit. A problem of his own making! It’s also not about a “small group of complaints.” Did you look at the list? It’s from everywhere around the lake! Yes, there has been little “real data” to back up complaints, but that’s what these groups are asking for. DOS doesn’t have that capability, and it is laughable that a statement by Marine Patrol that a 35% increase in boats at that spot if just fine. Sadly, Marine Patrol lost any credibility it still had by making that statement. You’re right that there are a lot of people who use and abuse the lake, so please don’t be one of them! You should be supporting DES’s water people (they are not the same as the dock people) taking an independent look at the environmental impact. Then we will all know who is correct.
If this is approved, Ossipee Lake Camping Area will be next in line for an increase. Then Danforth. The state doesn’t care.
“Our right to enjoy the lake.”
Ya, there is no “Right” to enjoy the lake dependent on having a dock or mooring. This is about passing muster for having the opportunity for such things. Rights are not part of this issue.
I am struggling with this reporter’s information in this article. David Smith’s reporting stated that Wabanaki will have more boats on lake Ossipee than any other property owner/tax payer, obviously not true. I hear crickets…. Has he not been to Westward Shores? Actually this forum never addresses the boats at Westward Shores, over 300 water crafts. I’m curious why? Looking for input on that situation, please respond.
That point was clear in the letters and should have been more clear in the story. The point the letter writers made was that Wabanaki would be an outlier if the moorings are approved on top of the slips. It would have a mooring-to-camper unit ratio of 42 watercraft for 77 units (only 68 of which are campsites) compared to Ossipee Bluffs Association, with 22 moorings for 107 property lot owners; Totem Pole Park, with 32 moorings for 456 condominium owners; and Mountview Property Owners Association, with 36 moorings for 200 property owners. Looked at another way: Totem Pole Park has 32 moorings but no slips; Mountview 36 moorings and no slips; Pine Landing Beach Club has 39 moorings and no slips; and Freedom Village Condominium Association has 43 moorings and no slips. Sun Retreats Westward Shores has a lot of boats for sure, but no moorings, according to the State.