1/9/12 from Alison: Our rink has been swept and is ready for pond hockey. The relatives and friends have arrived and the games have begun. To the outsider, it looks like crazy adults acting like teenagers. We’ve been trying to keep up with the younger generation and show them a thing or two! Really, though, anyone over 30 is going to crawl off the ice today while the younger “weeble wabbles” get right back up without a single moan or groan. At the end of the day, we’ll call it a draw and look forward to the next weekend rematch. Healing and Advil are on the menu for this afternoon!
Sat., 1/8/12 Report from Alison: The Inner Cove is a flurry of activity as 30 Boy Scouts and their families enjoy a day of fishing. The ice is 4-5 inches thick and there must be 75 people out there enjoying the day. It looks like a village!
The ALIC Board met in October at Wayne Community Church bringing together new and outgoing directors before their winter hiatus. Pictured here front to back, left to right are: Alison Lincoln-Rich, Joan Sandidge, Jean Gardner, Peter Ault, and Jim Breazeale. Alison and Peter are moving to an advisory capacity. New board members beginning the back row are Chris Cushman, George Bardaglio, and Tom Barden; next are Buddy (John) Cummings, Lincoln Hayes, and Martha Hoddinott. Ex-officio member and our liaison with the Yacht Club is Chris McKee was not present. Executive Director Debbie Hite took the photo.
Nov. 20, 2011: Ian Barclay & Cindy MacDonald 3.5 Hours; removed debris, logs, lumber etc. both racks @ 85% flow, lake has been dropping since and will continue returning to maintain outflow throughout Nov/Dec/Jan
PLEASE take in any floats, docks, piers, etc. still in the water to avoid future impediments at the dam and to reduce risk to snowmobilers this winter.
A recent inquiry from the Monmouth end of the lake regarding apparent inactivity of the eagles prompted me to check in with Anne H., our wildlife observer, who offers the following report. Keep your eyes to the skies and share your observations on our website.
“I saw them quite often early March and April before the trees leafed out. The old favorite perch tree blew down and I haven’t been able to find the current favorite perch. They didn’t use Norris Island much at all. They were working on the nest and as far as I could tell from my much abbreviated monitoring (checks every couple of days rather than multiple daily checks), they were incubating. I don’t think it’s the same pair because the perch patterns were so different but of course that is total guesswork on my part. Then the trees leafed out and I couldn’t see them any more. We went out in the boat a couple of days ago and didn’t get real close to the island, I saw nothing. We did see what appeared to be 6 loons all in a group which is pretty weird this time of year I think. “
ALIC is one of the sponsors of two workshops in July for folks who might consider helping with Invasive Plant Patrol. An introductory class will be held on Tuesday, July 12, from 2:30-8 pm at the Mt. Vernon Community Center. A field workshop (on the water) will take place on Saturday, July 16, from 8:30-12:30 at Taylor Pond in Mt. Vernon (next to the Chimney across from Echo Lake). The workshops are free, but pre-registration is required with VLMP (www.mainevlmp.org), who will also provide a list of items to bring. Check our newsletter here on our website for more information.
Our second season of summer seminars will focus on Preserving Shoreline and Reducing Runoff. The next seminar is Saturday morning, July 9, beginning at 9 a.m. at the Ladd Center in Wayne. The Kennebec County Soil and Water Conservation District will give a brief keynote presentation on best management practices, offer insight into the permitting process and be on hand for Q & A. We’ll have an ongoing video showing “before and after” erosion scenarios, samples of plants for buffer zones, and LOTS of information you can put to use on your own property.
ALIC t-shirts, lake maps, and refreshments will also be available, so stop by and say hello.
After experimenting over the years with various dates for its annual gathering of members, the ALIC Board has committed to keeping the annual meeting the first Saturday of August. This, of course, is dependent on the availability of the Yacht Club, but we will do our best to secure the venue in advance each year. Please reserve Saturday morning, August 6, 2011 for the annual meeting, which will begin with the usual potluck breakfast at 8:30 a.m. We look forward to seeing you this summer!
Nearly two dozen bills have been recently proposed which have caught the attention of lake and watershed associations all over the state. While there are a few which would produce positive outcomes, many could lead to detrimental results for the natural resources which make our state so beautiful and unique. From the proposal which would have allowed municipalities to dump snow without regard for environmental concerns (defeated) to a bill which would reduce the shoreland zone from 250 ft. to just 75 ft. (public hearing anticipated soon), there seems to be little consideration of the measures which have helped to protect Maine’s lakes for decades. The Congress of Lake Associations, COLA, closely monitors the legislative process and encourages its member entities, such as ALIC, to support its efforts in advocating for Maine’s lakes. You can get all the details from our website by clicking on Links, where you can then access the COLA site.
On Labor Day, our lake association successfully completed an invasive plant survey of a small area on Androscoggin Lake. We surveyed the areas around the boat ramps both at the Yacht Club and on route 133.
There were six volunteers in all. We started around 8:30am. It was a beautiful morning to be out on the lake and to learn something about identifying potentially invasive plants.
The most important news is that no invasive plants were identified by this survey.
There are eleven invasive plants which have been identified as a threat to Maine lakes. This is a lot of plants. So, one of the best ways to be able to spot the potentially invasive ones is to first become familiar with what is native to our own lake. Yesterday, we all enjoyed learning how to identify some of Androscoggin's native plants. Among others, this list included the following:
If you have any questions at all about any plants that you might find on the lake, do not hesitate to contact our lake association (ALIC) at info@androscogginlake.org.
Of course, we will be conducting more surveys next summer, and we encourage everyone to get involved in helping to keep invasive plants out of Androscoggin Lake. Watch the Androscoggin Lake Improvement Corporation (ALIC) website next spring and summer for more information about classes, seminars, and opportunities to get involved. And, don't forget to subscribe to our new Yahoo Group.
