Last month, we discussed prepping your roads for winter, but many camp roads have year-round residents that require maintenance throughout all months of the year. Here are a few actions you can take this winter:

1. Avoid over-sanding.
2. Make sure your plow operator plows all the way to the sides.
3. Mark all culvert ends, ditch turnouts, and other water diverting practices.  
4. Plan to remove snow plow berms and re-crown the road in the spring. 
5. Talk to your plow operator! 

To learn more about how these practices can help ensure your road is functioning properly during these cold and snowy months, benefiting water quality and your road budget, visit our full article here.

Volunteers are vital to 30 Mile’s work and each year so many invest their time and effort to help us fulfill our mission. This month, we’re highlighting our Courtesy Boat Inspector (CBI) and Invasive Plant Patrol (IPP) volunteers.

THANK YOU!

Courtesy Boat Inspectors

43 volunteers played an important role as CBIs this year, providing the first line of defense against invasives. They inspected boats and trailers for hitchhiking plants and animals and educated boaters about the threat of invasives across five boat launches for a total of 495 hours. Together, with our paid staff, over 3,975 boats were inspected!

Invasive Plant Patrollers

This year, over 135 volunteers from eight lake association teams took part in the important effort to survey our lakes and ponds for invasive species in order to identify invasive aquatic infestations early. Both infestations of invasive plants in our watershed were first found by volunteers. This work is critical to protecting our lakes and ponds. 

The Common Loon is one of the most beloved birds to Mainers and visitors alike. The 42nd Annual Loon Count that took place in July 2025 estimates a healthy and stable population of ~3,174 adult loons and ~568 chicks in the southern half of the state. Now that the lakes and ponds have frozen over, where do all these loons spend their winter?

Loons migrate and spend their winters on coastal waters. For Maine loons, it is a rather short trip to the ocean. They rarely travel further than the Gulf of Maine and usually don’t venture more than a few miles offshore. Loons take on a different look with their winter molt, replacing their elegant black and white plumage with a soft gray upper body and white underside. Even in winter, the now gray-and-white plumage of loons stands out along the rocky coast, attracting birdwatchers who bundle up for the chance to see these beautiful birds.  

To begin their winter migration, loons require a long runway in order to take flight. Due to their size, density, and wing size, loons need 100-300 ft of open water for flapping their wings and running across the top of the water to gain enough speed for takeoff. When temperatures drop and lakes freeze quickly, these conditions become scarce, sometimes leaving loons stranded, as recently occurred on the Belgrade Lakes.

Loons can also get delayed in takeoff due to the timing of their winter molt. Mady Eori from Maine Audubon said, "While loons are molting, they may not be able to fly for a month to a month and a half.” This is typically what causes loons to be stranded and iced-in. If you find an injured or distressed loon, do not attempt to approach or care for it yourself. Instead, please contact:

Avian Haven: 207.382.6761 This is a wildlife rehabilitation facility which can provide guidance, help coordinate a rescue, or they may be able to help rescue a loon in some cases

Maine State Warden Dispatch: 1.800.452.4664 or the Warden Service at the Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife: 207.287.8000

The Wildlife Assistance Hotline: 207.361.1400 coordinated by the Center for Wildlife.

Biodiversity Research Institute: 207.839.7600 BRI performs and helps coordinate rescues.

For more information or resources, visit Maine Audubon’s Loon Project Website. To read up more about loons in winter, visit the MDIFW Blog.