Fourth of July Reflections

by Esther J. Perne

Taber and Joanie Newton relaxing in the water on the Fourth.

Relaxing, low-key, no pressure to gift-give or visit or travel somewhere better. The 4^th of July is a great opportunity to stay here, to take the day, the holiday, and enjoy what's nearby.

What's nearby are some beautiful lakes and rivers and streams, trails for all levels of exertion and heights of view, parks and playgrounds and picnic areas seemingly scattered everywhere, recreational and social activities outdoors all day and a simple structure of patriotic celebrations that everyone loves.

Everyone loves a parade, lemonade, flags flying high, floats going by and friendly crowds, mixing toddlers and oldsters and all the in-betweens, children excited, families unseparated, people from away and people who have never left and never will leave their home region.

Never to leave, except some of them did in the quest for their country and their heirs to be free and they didn't return to this place they loved and left, and that's why crowds sit on the side of the road, or river, watching a parade or quite contrarily individuals seek solitude among the calming waterways, the quiet trails, the peaceful parks. Either observance: a choice, a freedom.

The 4^th of July with its mouth-watering cookouts and color bursts in the sky marks a large world-change in independence, but the holiday also announces that summer is really here, a summer that is still young.

From the 4^th there stretch ahead days that are long and warm and activities that beckon. This is the year not to ignore all those summer outings and experiences that await, that maybe have awaited for years. Start today, start with the 4^th. Enjoy what's nearby!

The Day the Ents Attacked

by Rod Johnson

The storm of October 30, 2017 brought an incredible low pressure system that worked its way into New England. The resulting near-hurricane-force winds on the heels of four inches of rain, caused catastrophic damage throughout the entire region. Our own Maine communities were not spared and in some cases the destruction was beyond imagination. Descriptions of the carnage from homeowners, weather people, emergency providers and so on varied, but in one particular family's case, their perceptions of what happened to the family cottage takes us to the fantasy world of J.R.R. Tolkien's books where Ents exist.

Ents are intelligent beings that are the shape of giant talking trees and have various jobs and functions. One role they have been known to play is "Shepherds of the Trees", who protect all the trees from the dwarfs. In other roles they have been portrayed to be less benevolent and are capable of being VERY DESTRUCTIVE.

The family I speak of above is the Pentlarge-Radik family who have, for several generations, owned a lovely old log cabin neatly hidden away on the Mill Stream in Belgrade Lakes. After being alerted that their beloved heirloom had sustained major damage, the family arrived with friends from their Massachusetts homes to see the devastation and assess the damage. A flood of feelings, including shock, awe, grief and loss can only describe the psychological state that overtook the owners and their friends. Six large pines lay atop the multi-pitched roofs of the grand old lady lodge, and as if to add one more slap in the face, the forces had laid down four more on the tiny log garage.

What I personally saw in the pictures that Mara Pentlarge sent out was carnage, causing a true sense of loss. To see such an iconic, well-built log structure crippled to such an extent seemed like a horrible shame. My first thoughts were that it was a total loss and irreparable from any practical standpoint. After several days of revisiting the pictures and seeing other homes and camps that were damaged in varying amounts, it seemed that our little lake village would never be quite the same. I was personally enlightened and can only imagine the family was ecstatic when Kevin Hawes skillfully removed all the trees from both buildings and G&L Builders concluded that they could repair the major damage.

Bottom line is that the Ents may have won the battle by badly pummeling the century old log structure, but the old girl refused to give in and crumble. With her sheer will, coupled with log walls, hemlock framed and boarded roofs, the Granddame won the war. May she live for many more centuries — and may the Ents behave themselves for many years to come.

Queen Bee

by Martha F. Barkley

"Roxanne Quimby, Burt's Bees, and Her Quest for a New National Park" was headlines last summer, 2017. This summer it was her son, Lucas St. Clair in the headlines, running for office in the recent primary election.*

Practically every time you make a purchase, the famed Burt's Bees lip balm is right there at the cash register. The other evening we lit our pumpkin candle glowing in the dark on the screened in porch, listening to the lake waves hitting the rocks. A fellow reader gave these Burt's Bees souvenir candles at our Belgrade Library Book discussion because Queen Bee was her favorite history from the summer before.

Thomaston author Phyllis Austin wrote a comprehensive 2015 biography of Quimby and history of her very successful Burt's Bees business. It was not easy research. Austin persevered and gained personal access beyond the public record.

The Harvard Study alone would make Roxanne Quimby one of the most successful business women in the United States. She had the brave idea and wherewithal to move her business from Guilford, Maine to the Raleigh, NC into its thriving Research Triangle. Roxanne even wanted to move her business back to her beloved Maine, but the obstacles were surmounted and the business continued to grow.

What did she do with all those profits? She sold the business and came home to Maine and bought land near where she and her husband had built their home in the woods. They had twins, a boy and a girl, in 1978. The children were raised in the back-to-the-land movement with no electricity and growing one's own food.

Soon after the children were born, Roxanne found herself raising them by herself. It is odd to read in this thorough history that the famed bearded Burt of Burt's Bees was rather uninvolved with the work of the business. He certainly steals the show in the advertising! Roxanne credits her Russian grandmother's food stand at Revere Beach with her initial interest in natural products. The first year Quimby sold candles at an immediate yearly profit….Unusual success for a beginning.

No wonder she kept at the hard work. As a girl, she was constantly challenged by her father to match funds. When she entered the Univ. of Mass. she had to match her dad's $5,000. No wonder she dropped out (with her live-in boyfriend) and eventually earned her degree at the San Francisco Art Institute in 1972.

Her son Lucas became politically involved in the controversial gift of land towards a new national park. Apparently Trump's sending [U.S. Secretary of the Interior Ryan] Zinke did not change the [Katahdin Woods and Waters] National Monument declared by Obama. Lucas graciously conceded the primary election to [state Rep. Jared] Golden [of Lewiston] even though the final count is not in yet as of this date.

Read about how Roxanne, a single mother, raised her twins in the back woods of Maine. Read about her business sense and trials and final success. Read about her gift of land to Maine and Mainers and visitors who enjoy the natural beauty of our unequalled state. Read to learn the real story of accomplishment and twins who make their mother proud.

*Editor's Note: Lucas St. Clair competed in a four-way Democratic primary for Maine's Second District U.S. House seat currently held by Republican Bruce Polliquin. He came in second, losing to State Rep. Jared Golden of Lewiston. The district, which is geographically the largest congressional district east of the Mississippi contains the Katahdin Woods and Waters National Monument, created from 87,500 acres of undeveloped land donated to the federal government by Roxanne Quimby.

Buffers and Mulch

by Dale Finseth

This week I'll try and focus on two methods to slow down stormwater runoff. For those of you familiar with the LakeSmart program this will seem familiar.

Why slow down stormwater? Well, when we do get a rainstorm it often arrives with a great deal of rainfall in a short period of time. Over the past few years that seems to have been more the case. All that water running off our roof, driveway or other impervious surface, rushes downhill towards the lakes. In its travel it carries various chemicals and soil particles which, once they reach the lake, add silt, phosphorus, nitrogen or other toxins to our lake water. This article will focus on two methods for slowing that stormwater: vegetative buffers and mulching.

Vegetative buffers are located in the path of stormwater runoff to intercept the water, slow it down, and try and get the water to soak into the soils before it reaches the lake. Many of the plants in your buffer may be natural, but many properties may have most of the vegetation between their buildings and the water removed. A lawn is NOT an effective buffer. Water sheds off a lawn without being slowed much.

What most properties need include plants that will serve as a ground cover, plus some smaller shrubs and then larger trees. If this type of planting needs to be added, make sure you use native plants and plants appropriate for your property. Will they get enough sun? Will they grow in your soil conditions? Will you be prepared to manage their growth as they may demand?

Plant your plants in a manner to intercept the stormwater runoff. It also helps if you let the natural duff collect beneath your plants. It helps to slow runoff and soften the impact of water droplets to protect the soils beneath.

If you can, only maintain the needed pathways and open areas which you use. Many of us have more open space around the buildings and driveways than we use. Let it return to a relatively natural state. I've seen yards where people have swept the pine needles and other duff into piles and left the bare ground exposed. Avoid this type of practice. It can lead to stormwater runoff that is not impeded at all.

Mulch can best be used with your vegetative buffers. Erosion Control Mulch is the better type of mulch. Mulching is one of the most effective and cost efficient best management practices we should work with. For stabilizing construction sites, eroded banks, and topdressing buffer plantings, mulch is great in protecting water quality.

Mulch applied to an exposed site in the right amounts will serve several functions. A primary function is to protect the underlying soil from erosion and keep soil out of a water body. A secondary function occurs when a mulched area is located on the down side of a slope towards the water. The mulch will filter out most soil particles, fertilizers or toxins found in storm water runoff.

In some cases, a mulch berm between a driveway, lawn or parking lot and the water can be added to provide this filtration even if there is no exposed soil to cover. Another major benefit to mulching is the moisture holding capabilities of this product. Mulching landscaped areas with tree and shrub plantings ensures that water, either from rain or from a hose, will percolate to the roots and keep the soil cool and moist.

Mulch comes in many textures and colors. Sorting out the differences between "conservation mulch", "erosion control mulch", "bark mulch" and "wood chips" can become a daunting task.

Erosion control mulch (ECM) was developed to protect soil from erosion in areas that are heavily traveled, well exppsed to the elements, or steeply sloped. ECM, sometimes called "slope stabilizer," is not your standard landscape bark mulch.

The best way to describe ECM is "chunky". While regular bark mulch is fairly fine with strands of bark no longer than 6″, ECM has larger pieces of woody material, bark, and small stones. These small rocks mixed in with the bark provide additional structure to the product and add weight for keeping slopes intact.

One key to the effectiveness of ECM is the size and shape of the bark material. When applied, the long and thin material essentially weaves itself together and creates a kind of blanket over the soil. ECM traps plenty of moisture, like standard bark mulch. Thickness of application can vary depending upon several factors but 4-6″ is average. Sites with extreme exposure to wind and water may need more while mulch berms may be 18-24″ tall.

Buffer plantings plus ECM work very well. When the District installs a watershed buffer planting, ECM is what we mulch with. One important thing to remember is that 4″ is too much mulch around the trunk of a tree or shrub. Remember to pull back the top 2″ of material leaving 1-2″ around plants. If the look of the ECM is too chunky for your taste, putting an inch of standard landscaping bark mulch on top is fine.

Remember, there is a lot to do in working to protect water quality.

Fishing and Hiking

by Pete Kallin

Grandkids Nathan and Maddy with Uncle Avery and Rem and Taylor Briggs at Wolfe's Neck.

The week began with a Father's Day picnic at Wolfe's Neck Woods State Park in Freeport with two of my kids and their families, which happened to include both my grandchildren, as well as my grandkids' "other grandparents," Rem and Taylor Briggs. We hiked the perimeter Harraseeket Trail, a roughly 2-mile loop and then had a picnic lunch on the beach overlooking Casco Bay. The weather was perfect, the trails scenic and well-groomed and a good time was had by all. It was "Maine Day" at the park, with free admission for all Maine residents so we had plenty of company, especially as the day wore on. It is a beautiful park and well worth a visit.

My friend, Mike Guarino, who used to write this column, spent Father's Day fishing on Messalonskee Lake with his daughters, Elena and Kate. Kate is a Pre-veterinary student at the University of Vermont and Elena is a junior at Messalonskee High School, doing well on the girls' soccer team. The girls each caught a couple of nice smallmouth.

Earlier in the week, Mike, the new President of Friends of Messalonskee Lake, had been involved in the rescue of a loon on the lake that had gotten tangled in fishing line and couldn't feed. He helped capture the loon along with another friend of mine, Rob Jones, the President of the East Pond Association and dedicated volunteer for Avian Haven, who transported the loon there for treatment. Avian Haven is a wild bird rehabilitation center in Freedom, Maine, that has helped rescue over 15,000 birds since 1999. The story had a happy ending as Rob later transported the loon back to the lake after treatment and released it.

Avian Haven is a great organization and I encourage you to visit their website to learn about their work (and perhaps make a donation) and contact them if you find a bird in trouble. This incident is a vivid reminder of the importance of fishing "lead-free" and properly disposing of all fishing line. It is also a reminder of how many dedicated volunteers help take care of this special place in different ways.

I had one of my oldest friends visiting this week from Michigan and we spent time fishing on Long Pond and on the Kennebec with Mike. The day on the Kennebec was spectacular, with lots of fish but even more impressive, schools of herring and stripers in the river, and at least a dozen eagles soaring around or having lunch along the shoreline. Over the course of the day, we had at least twenty giant sturgeon leap out of the river within a couple hundred feet of our boat. All in all, a really special experience that will live on in our memories (and I suspect the fish will continue to grow!)

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 Lakes Alliance at the Maine Lakes Resource Center. And make sure you take a kid along on your next outdoor adventure.

Steve Jurmu plays a fish on an island in the Kennebec River.