East Pond Initiates Water Clarity Treatment

by Esther J. Perne

East Pond is awesome! It's the headwater of the Belgrade Lakes chain. It has the second oldest lake association in the Belgrades. It is home to one of the chain's four remaining traditional fishing camps — Alden Camps — an historic cottage complex — Sadulsky's — and two thriving youth camps — Manitou and Matoaka. And it has just successfully raised one million dollars to implement an alum treatment plan to prevent algae blooms.

Historically East Pond — like all the Belgrade lakes — was just part of farm country. The first settlers in the 1800s were the Webb family who ran a dairy farm of sorts, attracting customers who took the trolley to the end of the line from Oakland and continued by buggy to purchase milk. Later the railroad in Oakland facilitated the establishment of six boys and girls camps when the summer visitor boom began in the early 1900s.

Such camps, and private summer homes, set the pace for much of what East Pond has remained: a lake with highly loyal landowners and not overwhelming public access. It was a group of these owners that got together on July 28, 1948, established the East Pond Association and issued stock to 29 charter shareholders at $7.50 a share.

Although the Association's original objective was to own, operate and maintain the East Pond dam, control the lake's water level, which it still does, and to sponsor the annual sailboat races, 25 years ago the group rallied around a far more pressing mission: water quality. In August 1993 lake residents had the awakening experience of a major algae bloom and depth visibility on the lake was reduced to three to four feet. In 1994, acknowledging that East Pond had experienced a half dozen previous blooms, a DEP annual report downgraded the lake to "poor restorable." (In 2000 it was re-designated a priority watershed.)

In response, East Pond has continually distinguished itself as one of the most proactive lakes in the state concerning water quality research and remediation from passing out buffer plants to initiating the current leading-edge phosphorus curtailment program that is non-toxic and that has been proven to help prevent algae blooms.

Phosphorus, although hard to imagine on a clear day by a clean, sparkling lake, is the nourishment for the ugly clumps of green (algae) that pollute water clarity and can curtail recreational enjoyment, cold water fisheries and real estate sales — unless, of course, a group of shorefront and watershed property owners invest time, money, research, labor, a positive attitude and even love. Such a group is the East Pond Association.

From the water quality awakening in 1993 to the present the East Pond Association can be credited with investigating every aspect of phosphorus, algae, remediation, education and plans of action. Brainstorming retreats have been held, committees formed, reports issued, collaboration established with the other lake associations of the Belgrades, with Colby College, with private water quality companies, with state departments and agencies. Annual meetings have been turned into forums of information and education about everything there is to know about East Pond and don't be afraid to ask, about all facets of maintaining good water quality, about yes there is a sometimes problem and this is what we can do and are doing about it.

Landowners, residents, vacationers, visitors, watershed businesses and boat launch users have responded impressively. In 1999, when a call went out along with the annual dues notice for $15 for supplemental funds for The Fund for the Preservation of East Pond Water Quality, $33,000 came in. In 2017, when a campaign was established to raise funds for the alum treatment, according to Jerry Tipper, Fundraising Chair of the East Pond Restoration project, "The outstanding support of approximately $600,000 from residents and commercial camps reflects how clearly they understand the need for the alum treatment."

Tipper also cites two substantial grants in support of the project. "The first is from the Maine Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) for $232,000 demonstrating its confidence that the project's science is sound and our plan is effective. The second is a $200,000 grant from the Harold Alfond Foundation. The Foundation's support underscores the effective collaboration of the East Pond Association, the 7 Lakes Alliance (formerly the Belgrade Regional Conservation Alliance), Colby College, the DEP and other scientists. It provides a model for addressing similar problems on other Maine lakes."

As chair and spokesperson for fundraising, Tipper is representative of the unique dedication of East Ponders. His home is on the lake, he was president of the East Pond Association during the nineties, he has headed many of the remediation and research collaboration projects, including coordinating with Colby College since 1999, and he spearheaded some of the summer fun events including the former annual East Pond Association Lake Fests and the Belgrade Regional Conservation Alliance golf tournaments.

"East Pond has a reputation as the quintessential Maine lake," says Tipper. "The tree-lined, sparsely developed shoreline makes it ideal for getting away from it all. People who come to East Pond are expecting a clear, fresh, stunning lake. Clear water is critical to delivering on that promise. I think the alum treatment will go a long way toward returning East Pond to that beautiful body of water we all remember and love."

As the barge heads out this week and again in the fall applying liquid alum to approximately 676 acres of the lake's deepest areas where phosphorus laden sediment accumulates, East Pond will once again be providing a model in positive water quality planning, and action, in the Belgrade Lakes.

Update: In a subsequent letter to the editor, Gerald Tipper wrote:

Thank you for your coverage of the alum treatment we're doing on East Pond to alleviate algae blooms. The visibility you provided is valuable on a number of levels. We should, however, clarify that the source of some of the funding for the alum treatment of East Pond came from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency under Section 319. The funding is administered by the Maine Department of Environmental Protection in partnership with the EPA.

I was remiss in not making that linkage clear in my statement and I wouldn't want to slight our true benefactors. We are most appreciative of the EPA's support and hope to continue helping the agency with its important work here in Maine. We thank them for their support and for their confidence in the method we're using for the restoration of East Pond's chemical balance. It will go a long way toward returning the area to its former pristine condition.

The project has taken the contributions of many entities, all of whom have our sincere thanks.

Good Times at the Travis Mills Foundation, Summer 2017

by Kay Overfield

It's terrific to watch people who have never kayaked before, learn how, then get in a boat with their child in front of them and take off happily to paddle about — watching loons dive, seeing eagles overhead — and waving to other people on paddle boards and in boats.

Some take a fishing pole along, and we've seen a few catch good-size bass. Usually, after a fly-tying activity, the group heads out in a special fishing boat to try their luck with fly rods. All the activities are for families — for fun — and they all seem delighted to be doing things together in the Maine sunshine.

There is a monster six-person paddle board available. One morning, three people took off for the island on the board. There was one woman staff member, two vets who were double amputees, and an eager Golden Retriever service dog — the first to jump aboard. When they returned, both men on the paddle board stood on their heads facing the dock and flipped backwards into the lake — in unison. A great sense of fun. A Kodak moment. The dog followed. The men swam to the ramp and bounced around there. The dog tried to imitate their every move. You could almost see a smile on that dog's face. Laughter and light-heartedness. The lake, the sunshine, the family time — all healing.

Someone on the dock mentioned that lunchtime was almost over. "Better get on up to the dining room," he said. One guy replied, "Who cares?" His head-standing friend nodded in agreement. Another, also a double amputee, got into his wheelchair (no assistance needed) and asked if he should take his towel with him. "I'm coming back for sure after lunch," he said with a big grin. "This place is awesome."

It may sound easy, but what makes the program run smoothly is the staff of experts with know-how in adaptive sports. They also have great people skills as well, and make it easy for guests to explore and try new activities they can share with their families.

Kay Overfield is a volunteer at the Travis Mills Foundation Veterans Retreat.

Snowmobiles in The Early Years

by Rod Johnson

For the sake of this story, let's say that the early years were the 1960s up into the 1970s. Certainly snowmobiles were invented and lightly manufactured prior to those years, but it seems to me that they were not prevalent, at least in Central Maine.

The concept and manufacture of vehicles for commercial purposes, made specifically to go through or on snow, came about many decades before. The Lombard Steam Log Hauler, a behemoth cleated track vehicle made to pull sleds loaded with timber, was invented in 1901 and built in Waterville, Maine. These are available to see in museums, one of which is the Woodsman's Museum in Patten, Maine and would not be included in the recreational use of snow traveling machines.

Snowmobiles began to creep into our little town of Belgrade in the 1960s, and I remember the first one that showed up belonged to Clayton Grant. It was a Motoski brand with a cleated track and an 8 or 10 horsepower Rotax engine. Not much else appeared until the 1970s arrived.

Suddenly an explosion of demand and the supply to fill it overtook all the states of America where snow sports were possible. Manufacturers popped up everywhere and brands were showing up that had never been heard of. Here's more than a few that I recall: Alouette, Skiroule, SkiDoo, Fox-track, Polaris, MotoSki, Moto-Jet, SnoJet, Chapparalle and Whippit. Even the American-made outboard motor companies like Johnson and Evinrude put out machines. You may recall others, and several of the aforementioned were Canadian products.

Like the early century automobile business, competition became fierce and the weaker companies had to accept being bought out or just plain folded their tent and called it quits. Soon the Japanese entered the market with Yamaha that really put the press on American and Canadian manufacturers to put out quality products and stay competitive in the pricing.

This new influx of machines changed winter life considerably. Trails were established to some extent but in the early 70s most everyone just went anywhere and everywhere. For many families, the old snowshoes were retired to the barn wall and became décor. The machines broke down quite frequently, and the group in Belgrade that we rode with spent at least two hours tinkering after one hour of riding. Undercarriage problems were a constant issue, as were clutch and engine problems. These were mostly overcome by the builders during the 1970s.

During the hard winter, the lakes were great places to ride, congregate and picnic. Ice fishing and socializing out on the ice increased as it was easy to get out there and back.

As the years went by, clubs were established and some built clubhouses or met in member's homes, basements and garages. Maine has well over a hundred clubs with some fun names. Here's a few: Belgrade Draggin' Masters, Rome Rough Riders, Readfield Blizzard Busters and Farmington's Shiretown Riders. Gatherings were planned such as races on weekends, more and more trails were established and members spent several days in the summer clearing and maintaining trails for the coming winter.

The possibilities seemed endless, but as with all toys, the prices of these vehicles that started in the hundreds in the early 1960s, went into the thousands and later many thousands. Today, Google says the Polaris line of models seem to run between $10,000 and $15,000. In 1971 my brother and I bought a new MotoJet for under $1,000. Like so many of our recreational toys today, as well as our automobiles, the technology has come a long way, though the high costs have made them unaffordable for many.

Perhaps it's time to dig out the old snowshoes that are hanging on the barn wall — or maybe splurge and buy a pair of those new-fangled aluminum ones so we don't have to patch the broken gut webbing. As you can see, The Luckiest Boy has clung to many of the old ways of thinking!

Plain, Honest Men

by Martha F. Barkley

The making of the Constitution is right up my neighbor's alley. Richard Beeman fell in love with history upon reading Miracle at Philadelphia by Catherine Drinker Bowman years and years ago. When I discovered this mutual admiration for a particular history title, we both continued our walk on Point Road talking history the whole way.

Richard — he called himself Rick — appeared on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart about one of his history books. His full time work was with the Constitution Center in Philadelphia and teaching at the University of Pennsylvania. The founding fathers are portrayed as individuals in Plain, Honest Men. I love the title because it is a quote, simple and true. Beeman approaches each member of the Constitutional Convention as a friend, a very well known and understood friend. History buffs who heard Beeman's presentation several summers ago told me that he really knew his stuff!

His voice was beginning to fail at that time. Unfortunately he died last Fall of ALS and the Constitution Center held his memorial service in September. Jeffrey Rosen, among many, spoke to honor his life and work, along with his son Joshua. Rosen is President of The Constitution Center. Both Beeman and Rosen have been on C-SPAN many times revealing history at its best. Try the archives for American History on C-SPAN 3 to hear both speak. I promise you will learn something new about U.S. history.

I wish that I could ask Richard his opinion of the Hamilton smash on Broadway. Last summer, Hamilton: The Revolution by Lin-Manuel Miranda and Jeremy McCarter was published. Richard sat on his porch and was too ill to consult. His wife Mary kindly came to our car with their dog Abby (Abigail Adams) and related they needed to return to Philadelphia soon. The wheelchair access ramp had been added to his grandmother's farmhouse just before they arrived. Now the ramp has been removed this summer.

It is good to remember a neighbor like Richard Beeman and his life's passion about our country's beginnings. He loved Maine and he loved our founding fathers working on the constitution that long, hot summer. He loved his family and I often saw him throwing the stick for Abby. Read one of his history books. I highly recommend Plain, Honest Men: The Making of the Constitution.

Summer Is In Full Swing

by Pete Kallin

Sara and Jason Toner with their grandchildren, Carter and Brody, and dog Buddy.

Summer seems to be in full swing, with long lines at Day's Store and more out-of-state license plates than Maine plates on the cars parked in the village. The 7 Lakes Alliance (7-LA), formerly the Belgrade Regional Conservation Alliance, and the Friends of Messalonskee Courtesy Boat Inspectors (CBIs) have been on duty since Memorial Day weekend at the public boat launches in the Belgrades, doing their part to prevent the spread of invasive plants into our lakes. Last year, these CBIs inspected over 15,000 boats between Memorial Day and Labor Day and made multiple "saves" of invasive plants entering (and leaving) our lakes. Please help in this effort by learning how to properly inspect your boat yourself, especially when the CBIs are not on duty.

This past week has seen a mixture of weather — some hot, some cool, some wind and finally, the remnants of Tropical Storm Alberto brought a bit of rain in what has been a relatively dry spring so far.

As the weather has warmed, the trout and salmon have headed for deeper, cooler water while the bass, sunfish, and landlocked alewives have headed for shallower, warmer water. The pike have finished their early spring spawning and are hungrily chasing whatever they can catch.

On a recent afternoon, I was on Long Pond in the late afternoon and the water surface was like glass. I could see several large schools of alewives breaking the surface as they were being chased by a pair of loons in about 25 feet of water. Every now and then a large swirl indicated the presence of large fish taking part in the action. I moved in and began casting my 6-wt. flyrod with a weighted streamer fly that imitated the alewives. In the next 20 minutes, I caught and released four nice (3-4 pound) smallies casting into the school, letting the fly sink down about ten feet and then a slow jerky retrieve.

Suddenly I had a particularly vicious hit followed by a strong deep run. As I worked the fish in I discovered I was playing a pike about 28″ long. Luckily the fish was hooked at the top of its upper lip and wasn't able to chew through my 5X (~5 lb. test) leader and I was able to net the fish after a ten-minute battle. This one went home with me to become filets and chowder. They are quite tasty if cleaned and prepared properly.

Recently, some new neighbors moved into my neighborhood. Jason and Sarah Toner are avid outdoor enthusiasts and have already discovered many of the local biking and hiking trails. Even better, they have signed up for the 7-LA Stewardship Committee to help take care of those trails. Recently, they had their grandkids, Carter and Brody, over for a bit of kayaking and a little swimming, although the two young cousins and the dog seemed to be having more fun in the 65° water than the grandparents.

This area offers some great outdoor recreation, whether you like to hike, bike, birdwatch, fish, sail, or paddle a canoe or kayak. Pick up a map of the local trails at Day's Store or from the 7-LA at the Maine Lakes Resource Center. Get out and explore! Sign your kids up to learn to sail through the Great Pond Yacht Club. And make sure you take a kid along on your next outdoor adventure!

A northern pike caught on a white zonker fly.