Jordan Pond by Arlene Treiber Waller | |
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Hello Maine Lakes,
I’m not sure if you noticed we skipped the May issue of our eNews…but we had a good reason! The staff at Maine Lakes has been busy expanding for the summer, with more staff than ever in the organization’s history! This means more programming and projects that improve our lakes, support our lake association members, and keep Maine’s lakes clean and healthy. Read on for updates about new and expanded programming and staff, as well as other noteworthy “news you can use” for this almost-summer edition.
Thank you to those who have responded to our Spring Appeal. Now is a great time to make your donation and give your support to Maine Lakes. Click here for a fast, easy, secure donation form. Thank you!
As always, thank you for your support of Maine Lakes. We would not be successful as an organization without the members and friends like you who volunteer with our programs, support us with financial donations, and act within your community to keep Maine’s lakes healthy.
I hope the months ahead bring you much time on a favorite lake!
Susan Gallo
Executive Director
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- New Faces at Maine Lakes
- Thank You to Drew Morris!
- Look Out for Loons Update
- Legislative Update: Mixed News for Lakes
- Check Out Our New Healthy Lakes Video Series (and Help It Grow!)
- Maine Lakes Annual Meeting: 8:30 a.m. on June 17th
- Together for Healthy Lakes: Conference Updates and Last Call for Registration (June 9th)
- Student Poster Contest: “Who Are Your Waters?”
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Sarah Fagg joined Maine Lakes in late May as a LakeSmart Program summer employee and brings more than 30 years of work experience in the nonprofit world and a passion for protecting Maine’s lakes. She has lived on Togus Pond (Augusta) for more than 20 years and is an active volunteer for their lake association and LakeSmart program. Sarah will be helping with on-site evaluator trainings and some special projects related to outreach and LakeSmart data.
Leah Gauthier is our new Office Manager/Program Assistant. She is a studio artist and designer with an MFA from the School of the Museum of Fine Art Boston, and Tufts University and a BFA from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. Her practice explores self-sufficiency, sustainability, and food as an agent of social change. She and her daughter live in Cumberland. They love to plant flowers, make herbal remedies, hike, and picnic at the beach.
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Drew Morris left Maine Lakes after four and a half years of service as our jack-of-all trades Office Manager. Drew answered the phone, processed your generous donations, managed our website (including learning a whole new content management system when we upgraded our site in 2020), and in general kept Maine Lakes running smoothly. He was an especially good editor, and we will miss his eagle eyes correcting our grammar and punctuation. He decided to work full time for his “other” part-time job at The Breathable Home, and we are sure they
will value (and benefit from) his many skills.
Thank you, Drew, from the staff and board of Maine Lakes!
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Look Out for Loons Update | |
James Reddoch, far left, with volunteers from Gull Pond. | |
James Reddoch joined Maine Lakes in April of 2023 to help shepherd a new phase of the Loon Restoration Project. Maine Lakes shifted its role from floating artificial rafts (though he is pictured above with dedicated volunteers at Gull Pond pitching in to float a raft last week!)to focusing on support and engagement of volunteers in loon protection efforts. Look Out For Loons volunteers receive training and tools that will help them raise awareness about loons, with the ultimate goal of decreasing disturbance and increasing success. It’s not too late to get involved with this program in 2023! Email James to learn more about how you can get involved! | |
Legistlative Update: Mixed News for Maine Lakes | |
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It was a busy legislative session, with many highs and lows…and it’s still not over! Here’s a quick roundup of some of the bills we worked on this session, with more updates coming in the July e-news.
LD 92: Clean, Drain and Dry: This bill, requiring trailered boats to be drained before and after entering lakes, was voted majority Ought To Pass by the Inland Fisheries and Wildlife Committee after some clarifying amendments from the Department. It has been reported out to the full legislature and should pass "under the hammer" (without a vote of the full legislature) any day now. Check here for updates
LD 164: Funding the Lake Restoration Fund: Sponsored by Bill Bridgeo of Augusta, this bill was unanimously supported by the Environment and Natural Resources Committee with an amendment to reduce the amount of funding to $2.5 million over two years. The bill is waiting for approval from the Appropriations Committee. We may need grassroots support to get additional support in Appropriations, stay tuned via our Grassroots Alerts (sign up here) Check here for bill updates.
LD 379: Wakeboat Stakeholder Group: This bill will create a stakeholder group managed by the Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife that will review existing studies of wakeboat impacts and report back to the legislature in February of 2024 with findings and recommendations for policies and actions. Representatives from Maine Lakes, Maine Audubon, and Lakes Environmental Association will be part of the group, which bodes well for a balanced report focusing on the science of documented impacts. The bill is expected to pass through the house and senate this week after it was voted unanimously Ought To Pass in committee.
LD 693: Safe Wakes: This bill would have created a zone over 500’ from shore and in water more than 20’ deep where the sport of wake surfing would be allowed. The policy was backed by science and based on the precedence of current law that uses distance from shore as an enforceable policy (the 200’ “no wake zone”). Despite strong efforts to garner more support by several committee members and exploring multiple amendments, the bill officially died in the chambers this week. We hope the report from LD 379 will bring a bill like LD 693 back in the second session in 2024. Stay tuned!
LD 1342 and LD 1534: These two bills had different approaches for funding invasive species prevention by increasing the price of the Lake and River Protection fee. LD 1534 died in committee, and LD 1342 was tabled, to be brought back in the next session of the 131st in January of 2024.
We thank the many legislators who sponsored bills, spoke to their colleagues and committees, and who consistently prioritize clean and healthy lakes as part of a vibrant Maine economy. We also extend a huge thanks to our many grassroots activists, who read our alerts and took action to write and call legislators and to show up in committees. Your voice was heard! Thank you for all you do for Maine’s lakes!
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Check Out Our New Healthy Lakes Video Series (and Help It Grow!) | |
Keeping Lakes Healthy: Installing a Vegetative Buffer | |
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We have been working with Ben Keller of Keller Media Works over the last year to produce a Healthy Lakes video series that document the installation of Best Management Practices (BMPs) in order to help homeowners understand, be more confident about and install more BMPs to control erosion around lakeshores.
Click here for links to the first four videos in the series focusing on rain gardens, buffers, rubber razors, and infiltration steps. We are working with Ben again this summer in order to expand the series to more BMP installations.
Do you have plans to install a BMP this summer? If so, we’d love to talk to you about the possibility of filming your installation. We are specifically looking for projects installing the following BMPs:
- Dripline Management (trenches, dry wells, rain barrels)
- Rewilding by letting lawns grow
- Grass/Permeable Pavers
- Live Staking
- Native Plant Gardens/Planting
Please Email Caroline, Lake Smart Coordinator, or Susan, Maine Lakes Executive Director, with your ideas. Thank you for considering this!
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Maine Lakes Annual Meeting:
8:30 a.m. on June 17th
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China Lake Conference Center | |
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An important part of the Maine Lakes Annual Meeting (taking place at the start of the Together for Healthy Lakes conference) is the election of officers and directors. If you are a member of Maine Lakes (have supported the organization financially in 2022 or 2023), you are eligible to vote. We hope to see you there!
Nominated Slate of Officers and Directors for 202/2023:
Officers (one year terms) Board of Directors Term
President, Susan Adams 2022 – 2025
1st Vice President, Lidie Robbins 2022 – 2025
2nd Vice President, Toni Pied 2021 – 2024
Secretary, Cheryl St. Peter 2022 – 2025
Treasurer, Kelly Margolis 2021 – 2024
Directors Recommended for Election
Garrison Beck (new) 2022 – 2025
Dan Kusnierz (new) 2022 – 2025
Eric Goodwin (returning) 2022 – 2025
Adam Platz (returning) 2022 – 2025
Current Directors with Continuing Terms
Doug Kavanaugh 2021 – 2024
Laura Wilson 2021 – 2024
Camila Plana 2022 – 2025
Gail Rice 2022 – 2025
Thank you to our departing Board Members.
We appreciate their combined 31 years of service to our
mission of keeping Maine’s lakes clean and healthy.
Betsy Bass (2017-2023)
Bunny Caldwell (2019-2023)
Pam Smith (2016-2023)
Cathy Sweetser (2020-2023)
Jasmine Saros (2020-2023)
Steve Mogul (2015-2023)
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Together for Healthy Lakes:
Conference Updates and Last Call for Registration (June 9th)
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We are excited to report we are almost at our limit of 250 registrants! Please register by Friday, June 9th, to join this amazing group of lake enthusiasts and advocates at China Lake Camps to learn about the many ways we are all working together to keep Maine’s lakes healthy!
To register, click here
To see a full schedule, click here
Door Prize: Full kayak package provided by LLBean
Silent Auction: We are gathering many fantastic items, including books about loons and native plants, sporting camp stays, seat heaters, native plants and much, much more! Bring your checkbook (or cash or a credit card!) and support Lake Stewards of Maine and Maine Lakes!
An email update will go out to conference registrants next week with more information about the schedule, speakers, and activities.
We can’t wait to see you there!
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Student Poster Contest: “Who Are Your Waters?” | |
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July has been Lakes Appreciation Month for the past 25 years, and to celebrate, the North American Lake Management Society (NALMS) is hosting their annual poster context for kids. They invite elementary, middle, and high school students to submit posters reflecting on how important lakes are to all of us. Submitted artwork will be a big part of NALMS’ celebrations through July across North America. Show your love for lakes by sending in your artwork! Click here FMI.
And please pass on this invitation to any art teachers, schools, or young people you know!
Posters should follow our open theme: “Who Are Your Waters?”
- This theme is inspired by the Māori, or the Indigenous peoples of New Zealand. Water, or wai, meant and still means everything to the Māori and is honored through language, stories, songs, artwork, histories, and more.
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What does this theme mean to you? Find your inspiration from your own story! What is your favorite lake? What is your best memory at that lake? What does water mean to your community – your family, friends, and classmates? Who are your waters?
Posters will be judged by grade range, with a winning poster in each division - elementary (grades K-4), middle (grades 5-8), and high school (9-12):
- A $250 cash prize will be awarded to the three winning artists’ schools! Schools are encouraged to utilize these funds for STEM or lake ecology curriculum/materials, activities, and/or field trips.
- A $50 cash prize will be awarded to the three winning student artists!
- Winning submissions will be featured on the NALMS website, e-newsletter, and social media channels.
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Look for our next newsletter in July!
If you need to renew your membership or would like to donate to Maine Lakes, please visit www.lakes.me/jump-in.
Thank you for your support!
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