Summer Newsletter

Greetings from Echo Lake!

We've had a cooler and wetter spring but hopefully the warm weather is on it's way. 😁

In the first of our summer newsletters, this edition will provide an update on our Watershed Survey, upcoming June events as well as several Committee Reports and Partner updates. Future editions will have additional updates and notice of upcoming events like the repeat of our 4th of July Boat Parade and this year's Trekking Thursdays.

We are hoping to provide a hard copy newsletter later this year, including articles and photos from throughout the summer, which hopefully will help provide a remembrance and keepsake from 2026. We welcome your photos, articles and stories for future newsletters. All contributions are welcome.

Looking forward to seeing you on the lake and enjoy the summer!

Doug Frantzen

Spring runoff at the dam - May 25th 2026

In this edition:

Echo Lake Watershed Survey Update

Upcoming June Events in the area

6/13 Chase Winn and Company

Enjoy a blend of folk, country, and blues Americana. Details at Vienna Union Hall. Tickets are $15 for adults and free for children.

6/14 Flag Day; Starling Hall Breakfast and 5K Run/Walk

8:30-10:30; Details see: Starling Hall Flag Day B-fast and 5K

6/15 Cabin Masters featuring Starling Hall

9:00PM on the Magnolia Network

6/18 Shoreline Stabilization Workshop

8:00AM; 7 Lakes Alliance, 137 Main St, Belgrade. Details below.

6/18 Water Quality Certification on Echo Lake

9:00 and 11:30AM; boaters please be aware

6/27 Laurel and Vega open

Waterfront training begins 6/17

6/28 Winnebago opens

Committee Reports

Fishing, by Jim Lepage

Courtesy Boat Inspections, by Dave Fuller

2025 CBI Honor Roll

Dam - Closing the Gate

Partner Updates

Lake Stewards of Maine

Water Quality Training in Action

30 Mile River Watershed

Containing Swollen Bladderwort on Tilton Pond

Starling Hall Holds Open House

Celebrating Cabin Masters Restoration

Loon Nest Spotted..but Eagles Lurking, by Stephanie Flanagan

Photos and stories welcomed

Volunteer opportunities

Save the Date!

2026 ELA Annual Meeting at Camp Vega 8/14/26

ECHO LAKE WATERSHED SURVEY SUCCESSFULLY COMPLETED

by Ellie Hatt, Land Use Coordinator, 30 Mile River Watershed Association

After months of planning, we were rewarded with a beautiful, sunny Watershed Survey day on April 25th! Volunteers from the Echo Lake Association and local residents worked with staff from 30 Mile River Watershed Association (30 Mile) and Maine DEP to complete the Echo Lake and Taylor Pond Watershed Survey.

On the morning of the survey, the group of twenty-two split into six teams, each led by a technical leader from 30 Mile or Maine DEP. Teams traveled on foot and by car to survey shoreline properties and stream crossings throughout the watershed, while respecting the wishes of those few who chose to opt out.

This project was coordinated by 30 Mile and supported by a steering committee made up of ELA members and staff from Maine DEP, 30 Mile, and Kennebec Land Trust. Preliminary results showed over 115 sites identified as active erosion sites in need of follow-up. Most of these require minor fixes but some major sites were also identified.

Volunteer Lake Watershed Surveys play a very important role in protecting our lakes. They help identify priority areas for improvement, while also enabling lakefront residents to learn about best management practices that reduce erosion and protect water quality.

The purpose is to better understand where erosion is occurring so we can prioritize areas of concern. If a site is identified on your property, that information will be shared only with the property owner, who will be provided recommendations for making improvements to reduce erosion as well as information on potential cost-share opportunities.

Over the coming months, we will be organizing the survey data, conducting additional field visits, reaching out to landowners with site-specific guidance, and preparing a full watershed report. Additional information about results will be shared in future newsletters and at the Echo Lake Association Meeting on August 14th.

For those looking to learn best management practices for shoreline erosion stabilization, there is a workshop coming up on June 18th. Details below.

Survey volunteers and technical leaders at the Echo boat launch

Pre-survey instructions from 30 Mile

Tree tip up along Echo Lake

Erosion flow depositing sediment into the lake

An unvegetated and eroding shoreline

An old, failing and unarmored culvert in Fayette

SHORELINE EROSION STABILIZATION -- Best Practices Workshop

Historically, there was a single approach to shoreline erosion: Fill the shoreline with rock or riprap. While this approach, when done correctly, has been successful in solving some erosion challenges, it creates other problems for waterbodies and wildlife.

This includes but is not limited to: negatively impacting many Maine species through loss of vegetation along the shoreline; redirecting wave energy to neighboring non-armored shorelines which causes upset of bottom sediments; and heating the water.

This OUR SHORE training, co-hosted by 30 Mile and 7 Lakes Alliance, introduces participants to resources and alternative approaches to protecting water quality and habitat to create resilient and stable shorelines. This event will be led by the Maine DEP’s Nonpoint Source Training Center

When: Thursday, June 18th, 8:00 AM - 12:00 PM

Where: 7 Lakes Alliance, 137 Main St, Belgrade, ME

ECHO LAKE FISHING REPORT by Jim Lepage

Well another season is in full swing. Early fishing for salmon and trout is always a good bet. The fish are close to the surface so there is no reason to go too far down in early spring. Trolling with flies like a Gray Ghost, Black Ghost, Governor Aiken, Magog Smelt, Nine Three or your favorite streamer can be very productive. So can lures like Mooselook Wobblers (copper or wonder bread are a couple of my favorites), or DB Smelts.

2026 Stocking Report year to date. Updates in future newsletters.

4/16 500 Brook Trout, approx 9"

5/19 500 Landlocked Salmon, approx 7"

Smallmouth bass will soon be making their nests. I find the fishing pre spawn to be exceptional and will normally produce some of the largest bass of the season. Be good to these fish. If you’re going to release them keep them wet and quickly net and let them go trying not to handle them too much. That goes for any fish that you are planning to let release.

Remember in our zone only two bass (largemouth and smallmouth) can be kept and only one can exceed 14”. In addition only one salmon, 14” minimum length, and one lake trout (togue), 18” minimum length, can be kept on Echo Lake. All other trout (brook trout and splake) are general law.

Good luck out there! Hope to see you on the water soon.

Jim Lepage

Jim LePage with a nice spring smallie, photo by Tom Marsland

Jon Comeau with one of the biggest smallies Jim has ever seen- over 20" and 5lbs, photo by Jim.

Steve Hemkens with an typical smallie this spring, photo by Jim

Cinna giving Jim some sage fishing advice, photo by Tom

COURTESY BOAT INSPECTIONS by Dave Fuller

The Echo Lake Association has been conducting Courtesy Boat Inspections (CBI) for more than 20 years. We’ll be at it again this summer.

Historically we conducted CBI from Memorial Day through the weekend after Labor Day (16 weekends plus holidays). At the DEP's recommendation, after last year's successful test run, this summer we will again expand our weekend coverage to include Fridays starting June 19 and extend coverage through September 27.

Like last summer, we will team with the 30 Mile River Watershed Association’s CBI staff. Those inspectors will be paid through a grant from DEP to 30 Mile, so fortunately the additional coverage is free to the Association. Just like last summer, ELA’s volunteers will conduct CBI shifts on Friday and Sunday mornings and all day Saturdays and holidays. The 30 Mile staff will do CBI on Friday and Sunday afternoons and may be available to help out on other shifts if we can’t fill them.

The 30 Mile inspectors will also do a 5:00 – 8:00 shift on the 4th of July to monitor boaters who put into Echo Lake to watch the Camps’ fireworks.

We have four teams of volunteers. Eric Johnson leads the East Shore Team, Petey Flood leads the South Shore Team, Dave Fuller leads the Point Team and Lori Simidian leads the West Shore Team. Thank you Lori for stepping forward to help! Dave Fuller is ELA’s CBI Coordinator.

We always need new volunteers! While 50 volunteers seems like a lot, most of them do three or fewer shifts each summer. As a result, several have to do more than four. Ideally, we’d have a core group from each team that do 4 each per summer (each Team has 4 weekends). So please consider joining a CBI Team!

We will be looking to conduct a training session this summer on a date to be determined. Still, the tried-and-true method for training is to shadow one of our experienced volunteers, any Friday, Saturday or Sunday, 7:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Just email me if you'd like to give it a try!

We are hoping that more of our volunteers will enter their own data on DEP’s “Survey 123” app. It’s really easy, once you get the hang of it. We will provide training on the app, too. However, if you’re not comfortable with that, we will still have someone to enter data from the written worksheets, so don’t let the technology keep you from volunteering!

CBI is very important to protect Echo Lake and Taylor Pond from invasive aquatic species, and we can’t do it without a lot of dedicated volunteers. If you’re already a volunteer, thank you! If not, please consider joining!

Dave Fuller, drfecho@gmail.com

Spring greenery across from the boat launch

2025 CBI HONOR ROLL

Here’s the “Honor Roll” of our ELA CBI volunteers who did at least 4 shifts last summer. Thank you all!

Gary Philipp 14 shifts

Dave Fuller 10

Sandy Kent 10

Len Hirsh 8

Jim Lepage 8

Petey Flood 8

Cindy Slocum 6

Jon & Joy Beekman 6

Lysa Frazier 5

Bob Panit & Shirley Jackson 5

Carol Fuller 5

Doug Phillips 5

Lori Simidian 5

Charlie Elvin 4

Doug Frantzen 4

Kathy Anderson 4

Bill Beaulier 4

Ed Voynik 4

Larry Castle 4

Doing four shifts qualifies to receive an Echo Lake Association rain jacket!

DAM - CLOSING THE GATES

The morning of June 7th, Dam Committee members Dave Fuller and Bill Beaulier successfully closed the 2nd gate (Jon Beekman, the third member was away). The water was about 3-4 inches below normal and with no heavy rain in the forecast it was time. Generally speaking the goal now is to keep the gates closed for the duration of the summer and open them again as always on or about Veteran's Day in the fall. Thank you Dave and Bill!

Dave (left) and Bill closing the second gate

Closing the gate with Georgie looking on

PARTNER UPDATES - LAKE STEWARDS OF MAINE

A Day on the Water: Water Quality Training in Action

By Tristan Taber, Water Quality Program Director

The June air is cool as we stand on the dock at Echo Lake (MIDAS# 5814). Nearby, Hopkins Stream glides quietly out of the lake. The sky is mostly overcast, though now and then the sun pushes through the clouds for a brief moment before fading again. A soft haze hangs over the water, softening the distant shoreline. We are here to train volunteers and ensure they are certified to collect water quality data for another year.

As we climb aboard Gary Philipp makes introductions. Larry Castle pilots the first boat trip and Kevin Keeney the second. The camaraderie is immediate and genuine. People share stories of their lakes, talk about families and grandchildren, and compare notes from past seasons on the water. There are bursts of laughter, followed by moments of concentration as attention turns back to the work at hand.

Before any equipment enters the water, Tristan Taber of Lake Stewards of Maine walks everyone through the monitoring process step by step, starting with the essentials: sampling at the deep hole; recording environmental conditions and volunteer monitor information; and lowering the Secchi disc to measure water clarity. For volunteers using dissolved oxygen meters, Tristan emphasizes that calibration must always be completed before heading out on the water.

The volunteers collect a temperature and oxygen profile down through the water column, meter by meter. Monitors may also choose to collect water samples for laboratory analysis, such as total phosphorus or chlorophyll-a. Everyone is reminded to carefully check their datasheet to ensure all required fields have been populated before leaving the deep hole.

Once debriefed, we motor out to the lake’s deep spot, anchoring near the far shore, not far from Turtle Island. One by one, the black-and-white Secchi discs slip beneath the surface. The lines feed steadily through careful hands as we watch for the exact moment the disc just disappears from view. It must be completely gone. As our eyes adjust, a faint glow from the disc may reappear, signaling the need to lower the line just a bit further until the disc fully vanishes, its line trailing straight down into the darkness.

That single depth measurement tells us a great deal. Secchi readings are not the best measure to compare one lake to another, but rather are intra-lake measures. Their strength lies in time. Over seasons and years they reveal patterns that hint whether a lake is stable, improving, or perhaps beginning to decline. Subtle shifts in clarity often speak long before larger problems appear.

With water clarity measured, attention turns to dissolved oxygen and temperature probes. Probes move slowly down through the water column while readings are called out and recorded. Small differences between instruments are expected, but we are watching both the numbers and the behavior of the probe. When volunteers work side by side, we can cross check meters and confirm that they are still performing well under the intense pressures of the lake’s depth.

Several aspects of these profiles need close attention. The natural layering of the lake into epilimnion, metalimnion, and hypolimnion. Areas where oxygen begins to drop quickly. And deeper still, the point where dissolved oxygen falls to 2 mg/L or less. This last marks the anoxic zone where many forms of aquatic life cannot persist.

The final step in the training is water sampling for lab analysis, with methods differing based on the equipment used. Some collect epilimnetic core samples, others use grab samplers, and some simply take a careful surface sample. Tristan demonstrates each technique, and volunteers repeat the motions themselves. It is practical learning, the kind that settles into muscle memory.

Questions move back and forth across the boat, but they share the space with the call of loons and the gentle lapping of waves against the hull. Maine’s lakes have a quiet presence about them. They are seldom as dramatic as the ocean and rarely as restless as tidal waters, yet they hold their own kind of gravity.

Many of these lakes remain small reserves of wildlife and quiet water. People love them deeply. Through the steady efforts of volunteers, year after year, the monitoring work builds a record of understanding. It is careful science carried out by devoted hands, and it helps ensure that these lakes remain places of refuge for both people and the living communities within the water.

This year's water quality training is on 6/18 at 9AM and 11:30. If you're out on the water please say hello but also be mindful of wakes - please don't "rock the boat."

All the best, Tristan Taber

Courtest of Lake Stewards of Maine

PARTNER UPDATES - 30 MILE RIVER WATERSHED ASSOCIATION

Working to prevent swollen bladderwort from spreading downstream by Silas Mohlar, AIS Program Director

30 Mile is committed to preventing the spread of swollen bladderwort from Tilton Pond to Echo and the other lakes downstream, and to finding solutions that effectively manage and reduce this invasive species’ impact on the Pond’s ecology, recreation, and property values.

We work closely with the Maine Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) to implement best management practices. The DEP provides guidance for our work, assists us in the field, and helps to implement and refine the management plan.

Over the course of this winter and spring, we worked with DEP to install a wire mesh screen at the beginning on the pond's outlet to reduce risk of swollen bladderwort moving downstream to the culvert at Jackmans Mill Road (see photo). In June, we plan to hand remove any invasive bladderwort in the area between the screen and culvert to further reduce risk of spread.

Additional work planned for our staff for this season includes:

Maintaining four fragment nets in the outlet stream between Jackmans Mill Road and East Road
Conducting multiple early-detection surveys of David Pond (including a diver survey)
Completing high-priority area surveys of Parker Pond
Continuing ongoing outreach and education to foster community engagement in prevention, early detection, and control of this invasive.

Currently, large-scale mechanical removal of swollen bladderwort from Tilton Pond is not feasible. Before such work can be considered, the overall abundance of the plant must be reduced dramatically to a manageable level, potentially through herbicide treatment.

Because there is no history of herbicides being used on swollen bladderwort in Maine, the DEP is tracking the effectiveness of an herbicide currently being used on swollen bladderwort in Massachusetts. Once they have seen these results, likely by the end of this season (one year post-treatment), they will make a decision about approving its use in Maine.

For more about the Tilton Pond outbreak see: Tilton Pond infestation

5/13/26 - Chris Reily (left) from Maine DEP and 30 Mile's Silas Mohlar install a wire mesh screen at Tilton Pond's outlet to help prevent swollen bladderwort fragments from moving downstream.

STARLING HALL HOLDS OPEN HOUSE

On Saturday June 6th, The Friends of Starling Hall, including Joy Beekman and Fayette Town Manager Mark Robinson, welcomed dozens of residents to an open house to commemorate the most recent restorations, including exterior siding, trim and new front entry. People enjoyed the new look and mingling with friends over cheese and crackers and home made goodies.

To learn more about Starling Hall history and restoration project please see:

Starling Hall

The new exterior and entryway

Enjoying the space and mingling

Fayette Town Manager Mark Robinson provided tours

Loon Nest Spotted..but Eagles Lurking

"Noticing a lone loon staying close by to a successful nesting spot, I hopped on my paddleboard to take a peek. Sure enough, the nest was occupied! This picture is off the internet, but from my distance I could see she had her head draped over the edge of her nest too! And yet this morning, the Bald Eagles were perched at the point, enjoying the view of our beautiful lake. I like to think of Mrs. Bald Eagle as the Mayor of Echo Lake as she regularly watches over us from this perch. Good luck loon family, you will need it!"

by Stephanie Flanagan

Courtesy of Stephanie Flanagan, 6/6/26

PHOTOS AND STORIES WELCOME

We want to showcase the lake through your photographs and stories. With the docks going back in, flowers blooming and loons returning to the lake, early summer offers plenty of beautiful moments.

Please send in your photos and stories that capture life on the lake - recent photos are wonderful but older, historical photos and stories are great too.

Stories don't have to be long - e.g.: How did you come to be on Echo Lake and when? Favorite childhood/children memories?

Echo Lake has such a wonderful history, and we welcome your stories and photos for future newletters.