Greetings All,
Saturday and Sunday of Memorial Day weekend were fabulous, and while
today was not the greatest, it is the official kickoff to summer, and we
will take it anyway we can get it.
Reminder to operators of a motorboat greater than 25 horsepower – Jet
Ski included- and born on or after January 1, 1999- Maine law requires a
successfully completed NASBLA approved Boating Safety Education Course
and the Boating Safety Education Card. Additionally, Headway speed Rule
is in effect in a stream OR within 200 feet shore in a boat or on a jet
ski. Headway speed is approximately 6 mph.
FYI – there have been some sightings of large, greenish/brown snail
shells in the lake. NO NEED TO PANIC!! The snails are believed to be
Chinese Mystery Snails – scientific name Cipangopaludina chinensis. They
are edible, although not by me, and creatures other than humans such as
otter, sea gulls, raccoons, fox, crayfish, turtles, muskrats and ducks
eat them.
Maine, and if you see one in your beach, it is prudent to remove it and
dispose of it. Alternatively, you can send it to the Maine DEP Invasive
Species Program by mailing it in a padded envelope or box to:
Maine DEP Invasive Species Program
17 State House Station Augusta, Maine 04333
I believe I sent the announcement that Matt Scott, PhD, one of of the
original team members at the DEP that first identified Sebasticook Lake
as impaired by industrial, municipal and agricultural wastes and sounded
the alarm for a restoration project, will join us at this year’s annual
lake association meeting as one of the guest speakers. Matt retired in
1988, and his successor was David Courtemanch PhD, who has also since
retired. These gentlemen will join Jen Jespersen, the president of
EcoInstincts, the engineering firm presently overseeing the ongoing
Watershed Study. If you are interested in a ‘How We Got Here’ story
about this lake and your part in it, plan to attend on Saturday, July 6,
2024 at 10:00 a.m. at the American Legion Hall. We can always
use extra hands, so please consider helping to set up/clean up that
day. There is another function immediately following the lake
association meeting, so it will be All Hands On Deck to get things
tidied up and back in order after the meeting and cookout.
There were numerous fierce storms in late 2023 and early 2024, which
resulted in lots of downed trees and power outages in Maine. I receive
calls from folks who have returned to camp and realize that a tree has
come down or has broken off, and they want to know the process for
removing it. While dead and/or fallen trees are easy to identify as
needing to be removed, it is difficult to determine which trees can come
down without the help of a forester. The names of reputable foresters
are available at DEP, and the town’s Code Enforcement Officer (CEO) may
be able to answer questions you have about trees on your property.
Please be mindful of Maine’s General Standards for Vegetation Clearing
which states that within the shoreland zone, including areas GREATER
than 100 feet from the water, NO MORE THAN 40% of the total basal area
of trees FOUR inches or more in diameter, measured at 4 and 1/2 feet
above the ground level, may be removed in ANY TEN YEAR PERIOD. That is
eye opening for many people. My recommendation is that you contact the
town office and speak to the CEO about tree removal in order to avoid
costly fines.
I hope you have daisies popping up, hosta leaves unfurling, day lily
fronds waving, and your calendar marked for Town Meeting on Saturday,
June 15th at 10:00 a.m. at the Public Safety Building adjacent to the
town office.
More Soon,
Muffy