Welcome Back!
Greetings to the greater Belgrade Lakes community, and welcome back to summer residents and visitors! 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 to, “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.
The 7 Lakes Alliance (7LA) continues to add new properties and new trails. The hiking trails (including some new ones!) in the Kennebec Highlands and nearby 7LA (former BRCA) 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. Visit the 7LA website to get the latest updates to download maps of the trails. We have recently published a new version of our local Trail Map and Guide. It is available for purchase at 7LA building, as well as at Day’s Store. The new Quill-Hill Mountain Trails off Drury Lane are scenic and not very steep, making them particularly appropriate for hiking with youngsters and oldsters.
For the third year in a row, the winter seemed to come and go, with snow followed by melting, rain, and then more snow and cold. Consistent with climate change predictions, there were several large rain events, which caused a lot of flooding and damaged a lot of docks.
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 high 60s in most of our lakes and the bass will be off their own beds but back in the shallows, chasing spawning sunfish. Fast action can be had with streamer flies, surface poppers, jerk baits, or Senko type jigs. In mid-May, my youngest grandson, “Bub,” visited and we went fishing. He caught a couple of nice rainbow trout. You can tell by the smile on his face, he had a great time and I enjoyed watching him catch the fish much more than catching them myself.
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, including the Tremblay family from Waterville, who said they had been hiking that trail since the parents were kids themselves. Three generations of the combined VanDeusen-Holland Family, from Farmingdale and Gardner were out celebrating Mother’s Day hiking with their kids and grandkids.
Check the 7LA Website and Facebook page for upcoming events. Upcoming programs include a Birding walk (June 21) and our Tuesday afternoon Chewonki presentations begin on June 25 (Vernal Pools). 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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