Welcome Back!
Greetings to the greater Belgrade Lakes Community and welcome back summer residents and visitors. We are finally approaching what infectious disease experts call, “herd immunity” and appear to be finally approaching a bit of normalcy.
The pandemic has changed many things about how we interact with other people, do shopping, and the types of activities that we are comfortable carrying out. It has also clearly shown the great value we place on having clean, healthy lakes and forests where we can safely spend time with family and friends and at least temporarily find refuge from external stresses. Every study continues to show outside activities are far safer than those conducted inside.
When I was growing up and there was any kind of ruckus in the house, which was pretty common with six kids, my mother would tell us, “Take it outside!” We would then head out to the woods behind the house to find something to do. My mother was a wise woman. Fifty years before Richard Louv wrote Last Child in the Woods in 2008, she had an innate understanding of “nature deficit disorder” and knew that direct exposure to nature is essential for a child’s healthy physical and emotional development. Louv and others later proved that kids who spend a lot of time outside are healthier, have longer attention spans, and are less likely to suffer from depression or childhood obesity.
If you haven’t read Louv’s book, you should. I hope this column will inspire you to take advantage of all the outdoor recreation opportunities in our area and especially about the importance of getting youngsters outside and interacting with Mother Nature. Mother Nature is an amazing teacher and we can all learn from her, especially in these stressful times.
During the recent pandemic, public health officials were consistent in telling us to “take it outside.” Staying physically active is one of the best ways to keep your mind and body healthy, and carefully planned and executed outdoor activities are inherently safer than indoor activities. As I write this, all the local 7 Lakes Alliance and State of Maine (Kennebec Highlands) hiking trails and preserves are open for use by the public. I encourage people to get out and use the trails, especially with your families. But follow all guidelines and be safe. Visit the 7 Lakes Alliance website for the latest guidance and updates and to download maps of the trails. There some new trails this year as 7 Lakes has added over 1000 acres since last year, including the top of Vienna Mountain.
Like last year, this winter seemed to come and go, with snow followed by melting, rain, and then more snow and cold. The ice went out in the second week of April, followed by a cool, windy spring. At the end of April, we had 5″ of rain, which caused a lot of flooding and damaged a lot of docks.
The fishing has been good, especially for bass, pike, and trout. In the nearby Kennebec River, the alewives and shad have returned earlier than usual. Normally, these fish are still in the river in early June, and I highly recommend trying your hand with a flyrod or light spinning tackle, especially if you have never caught a shad before. The fish are big, strong, and will hit small, weighted flies and jigs bounced along the bottom. They are a lot of fun to catch.
By the time this article is published, the water temperature will be in the mid to high 60s in most of our lakes and the bass will be in the shallows, either on their own beds or chasing sunfish on theirs. Fast action can be had with streamer flies, surface poppers, jerk baits, or Senko-type jigs. On Memorial Day Weekend, my youngest grandson, “Bub,” visited and we went fishing. He caught a smallmouth bass and I showed him how to hold the fish so I could take a picture. He had a very serious look so I told him to “smile” and show me his fish. At that instant, the fish “flopped” and ended up back in the lake. We’ll get a big smile on the next one.
A couple of weeks ago, I was out on French Mountain with the 7 Lakes Stewardship Committee getting the trails cleaned up for the upcoming season. I was happy to see several families out on the trails with their kids (and dogs), including the Trask Family from New Sharon, and the Flaherty Family, who recently moved from Topsham to Belgrade. The hiking trails (including some new ones!) in the Kennebec Highlands and nearby 7 Lakes Alliance (former Belgrade Regional Conservation Alliance) properties like French Mountain, Mount Phillip, Fogg Island, and The Mountain are beautiful, verdant, and awash in spring and early summer wildflowers, like trillium and lady slippers and birds and other wildlife.
I have been doing a lot of hiking and am encouraged by the number of families out on the trails with young kids. Check the 7LA website and Facebook page for upcoming events. I encourage everyone to take advantage of the wealth of recreational opportunities this area offers. Do like they used to in “the good old days” and take a kid fishing, or on a hike, or paddling in a canoe. It’s how memories are made. Or take a parent, so they can become a kid again.
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