October 2024 Newsletter from the 30 Mile River Watershed Association

Remembering Andy Tolman

By Lidie Robbins, Executive Director

We are deeply saddened by the loss of our dear friend and long-time Board member, Andrews “Andy” Tolman, who died unexpectedly last week. 

Andy joined our Board in 2017 as the representative for the Town of Readfield. Unlike our other Board members, he didn’t own property on a lake, but cared greatly about our mission to keep our lakes and ponds clean and healthy and wanted to get involved. As a retired hydrogeologist, an extremely active community member, and someone with a great deal of experience working with small organizations, he was an excellent fit. 

Right away, it was clear that Andy would be a highly valuable member of our team. He was always one of the first to volunteer for anything that needed to be done. In spite of all of his volunteer commitments with the town and other organizations, he always made time for us. In 2019, he took on the role of Board Chair, serving in that position for three years, helping to lead us through the challenges COVID-19 brought. After that, he served as Treasurer. 

In 30 Mile’s 17 year history, Andy stood out as one of our best board members - a kind, gentle, and patient man who brought a lot of wisdom, true dedication and so much generosity to his work. 

Andy was loved and respected and will be greatly missed by me, our Board, and his whole community. 

Read Andy’s obituary here.

Vote on Tuesday, November 5th

30 Mile wants every eligible voter to have the opportunity to cast their ballot for next Tuesday’s election. Planning ahead can help ensure your participation in our democracy. 

Below are tools to help you prepare for the upcoming election, including information on registering to vote and early voting. Thanks to Maine Audubon for compiling these resources. 

The State of Maine Voter Guide has a number of important resources, including:

• Voter Registration guide;
• Local voting information;
• Information on Early and Absentee Voting in Maine. Note that absentee ballots must be returned to your municipal clerk by 8:00 p.m. on Election Day.

The ACLU Maine Know Your Voting Rights page is an essential resource for those who are unsure about whether they can vote.

Disability Rights Maine's Voting Access website has information about access to polling places, registering to vote, and casting a ballot.

Thank You Volunteers!

Volunteers are vital to 30 Mile’s work and each year so many invest their time and effort to help us fulfill our mission. Within each program, volunteers play a critical role protecting our lakes. This month, we’re highlighting our Water Quality Monitoring and LakeSmart volunteers. THANK YOU! 

Water Quality Monitoring

30 Mile staff, alongside 35 dedicated volunteers, monitored water quality in 13 lakes and ponds this year - completing more than 112 sampling events! Over the winter we will work to complete data analysis and reporting. In the meantime, check out the dissolved oxygen/temperature profiles and clarity readings we collected this season by visiting our website. 

Through our monitoring program, we collect extensive data to track the health of our lakes and ponds. We measure water clarity, temperature, dissolved oxygen, phosphorus, chlorophyll, pH, alkalinity, conductivity, and color. We monitor bi-weekly, May-October. Volunteers work alongside our staff, in a canoe or motor boat, assisting in data collection. Volunteers who complete training and annual recertification with Lake Stewards of Maine may become certified to collect data themselves. There are roles for both trained and untrained volunteers to support our program. If you’d like to learn more, please contact Silas Mohlar at silas@30mileriver.org or (207) 860-4043.

2024 Volunteers: 

Androscoggin Lake: Leslie Burhoe, Buddy Cummings, Patt Koscinski**, Allen & Cynthia Unrein

Basin Pond: Bob Harradon, Ken Tillman**

David Pond: Bob Capers, Bob Harradon, Ken Tillman**

Echo Lake: Gary Phillipp**

Flying Pond: Bill Murphy, Randy Oakley, Len Roe

Hales Pond: Steve Foster

Kimball Pond: Kathy DiPhilippo*, Libby & Allan Harville

Lovejoy Pond: Ron & Deb Aseltine, Ted & Mary Becker, Jim Favreau, Diana McLaughlin

Minnehonk Lake: Jane & Carl Rogers

Parker Pond: Ken Tillman**, Bob Weimont & Maggie Chadwick, Sue Knorr

Pocasset Lake: Andrew Dole, George Dole, Deb Duplisea*

Tilton Pond: Jim Brogan*, Lori Beaulieu 

Whittier Pond: Sheri Shunney*, Bill Swan, Ned and Kay Van Woert*

*Certified Volunteer Monitor - Secchi Disk Transparency

**Certified Volunteer Monitor - Dissolved Oxygen/Temperature and Secchi Disk Transparency

LakeSmart

30 Mile is a regional LakeSmart “HUB” support center for this statewide program. LakeSmart would not be possible without our partner lake associations and the volunteer coordinators and evaluators doing the work. This year, LakeSmart teams in our watershed completed 11 property evaluations and numerous hours delivering LakeSmart education property-by-property and shore-by-shore to create a conservation ethic across the lake community. Contact Silas at silas@30mileriver.org or (207) 860-4043 to learn more and join a current LakeSmart team or start one for your lake!

Androscoggin Lake: Cynthia Giguere-Unrein (coordinator), Pat Koscinski, Buddy Cummings

Flying Pond: Cindy Ripley (coordinator), Diane Araps, Ellen Ellis, Kent Ellis, Beth Trehu, Steve Trehu, John Zacker

Minnehonk Lake: Jan Arminio, Jenny Small

Parker and David Ponds: Deb Cayer (coordinator), Susan Tinguely, Gerry Tinguely

Leave the Leaves

We are sharing this article from our friends at Maine Lakes: 

A great way to help your lake (and critters like this Luna Moth Caterpillar) is to build up the layer of duff – the spongy layer of decomposing organic matter on the ground including leaf litter, woody debris, and dead plant material – on your property. Duff, along with other layers of vegetation, including trees, shrubs and ground cover, help hold soil in place, prevent erosion, and intercept and absorb rainwater and water runoff from upland areas, filtering out pollutants. They also create more biodiverse and resilient ecosystems that cycle nutrients and support wildlife.

See this PBS News piece for more about the benefits of "Leave The Leaves".

Photo: Dave Wedelken

2024 Photo Contest Winners

CONGRATULATIONS to our Summer 2024 Photo Contest winners!

To see the the full images, visit our website or follow us on Facebook and  Instagram.

Lovable Loons

1st Place

Loon Portrait

by Matt Degnan

2nd Place

Parker Pond Loon Feeding Chick

by Pamela Santin

3rd Place

"Feed Me!"

by Michael O'Malley

Spectacular Scenes

1st Place

Perseus Meteor Over Whittier Pond

by Ned Van Woert

2nd Place

Fishing in Early Morning

by Thomas Keegan

3rd Place

Aurora over Echo Lake

by Nick Webster

Watershed Wildlife

1st Place

Atop the Lily Pads

by Matt Degnan

2nd Place

Hungry Heron

by Matt Degnan

3rd Place

Red Breasted sunfish guarding its nest

by Thomas Keegan

Question of the Month: What is lake turnover?

Twice a year, during the spring and fall, a natural occurrence called lake turnover happens. Lake turnover is when the water within deeper lakes and ponds mixes together, causing water temperature and dissolved oxygen concentrations to be consistent from the surface to the bottom. In the summer, most lakes are thermally stratified with the warmest (least dense) water at the surface, and the coldest (most dense) water at the lake bottom at a temperature of 4°C or 39.2°F. As air temperatures get colder in the fall, the surface of the lake cools and eventually reaches the temperature at which water is most dense (4°C). The water at the lake surface then sinks to the bottom and pushes the relatively warmer water below it up to the surface – mixing or turning over the lake until the entire water column reaches 4°C. As fall turns into winter, temperatures at the lake surface will cool the water below 4°C, at which point it becomes less dense, and freezes into ice.



Turnover is critical for lake ecosystems because it replenishes and redistributes oxygen and nutrients throughout the water column. During stratification, these layers don’t mix and oxygen can become depleted from the bottom layer due to decomposition and respiration. With a changing climate causing shorter winters and warmer temperatures, lakes are showing signs of stratification for longer amounts of time, causing lake turnover to happen later in the fall and earlier in the spring. This shift in turnover time is particularly harmful because when dissolved oxygen (DO) levels are low (DO <2ppm) at the lake bottom, a chemical reaction can occur where phosphorus is released back into the lake from the bottom sediments. During turnover, the phosphorus released from the sediments becomes available to algae in the sunlit top layer. This all means that the longer the stratification, the longer this chemical reaction of phosphorus release has the opportunity to occur, increasing the amounts available to algae.

Photo: National Geographic Society

Building Update

This month, volunteers painted the exterior of the barn. The interior is now ready for sheetrocking!

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