PO. Box 303
Dover-Foxcroft, ME
04426-0303
PO. Box 303
Dover-Foxcroft, ME
04426-0303
2024-04-12
This Legislative Session was fast and furious! A short “emergency” session, there we several important lake bills that successfully made it through committee and past the governor’s desk. For a print copy of any of the new legislation, Click here.
These bills could not have succeeded without help from all of you!
Grassroots activists, LakeSmart volunteers, lake association members and so many others wrote letters and spoke in front of committees, making it clear to legislators that lakes deserve strong, thoughtful, and effective protection policies.
Protecting our Shorelines: LD 2101
Municipalities and the Land Use Planning Commission will have crucial new tools at their disposal to enforce existing shoreland zoning rules and to counter egregious violators. This bill will allow them to suspend or revoke shoreland zoning permits and place liens on properties in violation of shoreland zoning rules, better protecting water quality and wildlife habitat, especially nesting loons.
Support for Reducing Invasive Species Spread: LD 2141 and LD 1342
Invasive plants—including milfoils, Curly-leaf pondweed, Parrot Feather, European naiad, and more—accidentally introduced to Maine waters disrupt habitat, displace native wildlife, harm lake water quality, and reduce fishing and recreational opportunities.
LD 2141 will add $2M to the Invasive Aquatic Plant and Nuisance Species Fund to help address the most serious invasive aquatic plant infestations. Last month, more than 600 supporters signed a petition organized by Maine Audubon and signed by many of you urging the Legislature's Appropriations and Financial Affairs Committee to fund the bill. We are awaiting word from this committee with a final funding amount and hope that it is close to what was asked as we know the need for invasive species risk reduction is great.
LD 1342 will adjust the cost of the Lake and River Protection Sticker, which all motorized watercraft must display in Maine, by $10 in 2025 and again in 2028. The change will generate hundreds of thousands of dollars to help combat invasive species spread and reduce the serious risks to Maine’s lakes and waterways.
Managing Wakesurfing to Protect Lake Health: LD 2284
Wake boats are a relatively new sight on Maine's lakes, and their impacts to both lake health and human safety have raised concerns among lake volunteers, shoreland homeowners, and other boaters. Wakesurfing is one of the main operating modes for wakeboats, creating very large wakes that can be ridden on a surf board, with no tow rope. While a great activity far from shore, where the large waves have time to dissipate, wakesurfing too close to shore allows the large waves to erode shorelines, swamp and sink boats, pose serious danger for swimmers and other boaters, and wash eggs out of loon nests. Maine Lakes staff participated in a stakeholder group organized last fall by the Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife that made several recommendations for legislation to help address wake boat impacts. (Your can read the report here). This bill, which was enacted at the beginning of April, addresses several issues raised in the report and will prohibit wakesurfing less than 300' from shore and in water less than 15' deep. The Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife will report back to the committee in three years on how the new law is working.
LD 2884 will prohibit a motorboat engaging in wakesurfing within 300 feet of shore and in water less than 15 feet deep. While we had originally advocated for this distance to be 500 feet, a distance supported by research in the field, this bill is a start in raising awareness about the risks of wakesurfing too close to shore. We believe there is space for everyone on Maine’s lakes. Reducing impacts from activities that erode shores and damage habitat by moving them away from shore is a great way to both keep the activity on the lake and to protect the resource, clean water, that is so vital to our boating industry.
2024-04-03
Lake Stewards of Maine Lake Stewards of Maine (LSM), together with Sebec Lake Association will host a Plant Paddle workshop on August 6 from 10:00 am to 1:00 pm.
In this outdoor, on-water class, guests will learn how to survey for suspicious aquatic plants.This useful program will cover basic botany, plant structure, and life cycles for a variety of common plants. Guests will learn how to use LSM’s Quick Key to determine whether plants are suspicious of being invasive, discover which aquatic invasive plants are infesting Maine lakes, and learn how to monitor lakes and how to report findings by becoming an invasive plant patrol (IPP) volunteer. This class is required for those seeking Tier 1 certification through LSM. This class is free to all. Guests may bring their own small, shallow draft craft (canoe, kayak, row boat). Should guests wish to attend but do not have their own watercraft, appropriate arrangements can be made. Pre-registration is required for all guests. Please sign up by visiting the Lake Stewards of Maine website registration page.
Upon registration, all guests will receive information on workshop details and location. Lake Stewards of Maine is a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization which works to protect Maine lakes and to promote lake stewardship through widespread citizen participation in the gathering and dissemination of credible scientific information pertaining to lake health. For more information, please contact 207-783-7733, or email stewards@lakestewardsme.org.
It will be fun!
2024-04-01
Save the Date!
The annual meeting of the Sebec Lake Association is scheduled for Saturday, July 13 at 9:30 am in the Central Hall Commons, 152 E Main St in Dover-Foxcroft.
Our Speaker will be Katherine (Kacey) Weber, Education Coordinator, Piscataquis County Soil and Water Conservation District. She will talk about the LakeSmart Program: Learn to play an active role in protecting and improving Sebec’s water quality with simple, mindful solutions you can implement at your Camp! Lake Smart, a free, voluntary program to empower camp owners to take an active role in conserving our beloved lake, protecting water quality and property values.
We look forward to seeing you there!
Due to a clerical error in the Current Newsletter, the date of the SLA Annual meeting is incorrect on the Events of Local Interest list . The correct date/time is Sat July 13, 9:30 a.m. at the Central Commons Hall in Dover-Foxcroft.
Apologies from the Newsletter staff....
2024-03-27
Maine Lakes is non-profit, charitable membership that monitors the Maine state legislature to provide a clear voice for protection of our most precious freshwater resources and wildlife habitat. We encourage you to go to Maine Lakes , and click on Advocacy to see the current issues in front of the Maine Legislature, and to see what you (and the Sebec Lake Association) can do to protect our lake.
2024-03-25
On June 11 2024, The Town of Dover-Foxcroft has an important decision to make about the future of the Mayo Mill Dam due to longstanding safety, legal, and state/federal compliance issues with the dam.
At the beginning of 2023, the Town of Dover-Foxcroft set out to complete a feasibility and alternatives study in partnership with the Atlantic Salmon Federation (ASF) and The Nature Conservancy in Maine (TNC). That study is now finished. After reviewing the available options, costs, and benefits, a steering committee of residents and elected officials convened by the Town to oversee the study report voted unanimously in support of removing the Mayo Mill Dam as the best option for Dover-Foxcroft. The committee presented their recommendation to the Select Board on February 26, 2024. At this same meeting, the Select Board voted 6-1 to accept the committee’s recommendation for dam removal, and also voted 7-0 to bring the final decision to a town vote.
Removing the Mayo Mill dam would significantly reduce flood risk and eliminate safety, liability, and long-term operations and maintenance concerns for the Town. Dam removal would also restore a free-flowing Piscataquis River and restore natural wetland and riparian areas. This will result in improved ecosystem health, including restored in-river and shoreline habitats for a wide variety of native fish and wildlife species, improved water quality, and enhanced shoreline stabilization.
While a portion of Sebec Lake shorefront is in Dover-Foxcroft, the lake drains past the outlet dam into Sebec River and enters the Piscataquis River below both Piscataquis River dams in Dover-Foxcroft: the upper Mayo Mill Dam and the lower Brown’s Mills Dam. Whatever happens at Mayo Mill will not impact the Milo Dam on Sebec River nor the Sebec Dam at the outlet of Sebec Lake.
Invasive fish species management continues to be a state priority. Under a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) signed in 2009 by Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife (ME DIFW) and the Maine Department of Marine Resources (ME DMR), existing barriers designed to allow passage of Atlantic salmon but prevent passage of northern pike will be maintained at Sebec Dam, Milo Dam, and Brown’s Mills. The MOU was just recently updated to further strengthen the agencies’ joint commitment to preventing the spread of invasive fish in the Piscataquis River and ensuring barriers are maintained at the dams listed above. LD1049, An Act to Protect Maine’s Inland Fisheries from Invasive Fish, was amended to a MOU, described above, between ME DMR and ME DIFW, and given final approval by the Legislature in March.
Ways to Learn More: · Visit Mayo Mill Dam Feasibility Study to see all information considered by the steering committee over the past 14 months.
· Contact Alsina Brenenstuhl, Project Coordinator, with questions and ask to stay up to date with events.
· Follow along on the ‘Town of Dover-Foxcroft, Maine’ Facebook page.
· Keep an eye out for a series of “Coffee Conversations” this spring where steering committee members will be available to answer your questions about this process.
2024-03-19
April
April 13 - 57th Annual Kenduskeag River Race
April 27 - 50th Annual Kiwanis Piscataquis River Race - Guilford to Dover-Foxcroft
April 28 - Charlie Chaplin's silent film “Gold Rush” with Live Accompaniment 2:00 PM EDT Center Theater
May
May 4 - Annual Kiwanis Bike Rodeo, YMCA/Kiwanis Park - D-F
May 4 - PCSWCD’s 8th Annual Bird Walk, 8am, register at: https://piscataquisswcd.org/
May 18 - Sebec-Bean Supper with hot dogs - 4:00-6:00 pm
June
June 8 - Molly Hatchet at the Piscataquis County Ice Arena, 7:00 pm
June 21? (TBD) - Dinner Dance & Auction @YMCA/Kiwanis Park, Dover-Foxcroft
June 22 - Maine Whoopie Pie Festival, Dover-Foxcroft
June 27 - Some Reel People, country dance band. Thompson Library Pavilion, 6pm
July
July 3 - Sebec - Food - 6:00 pm, Fireworks at Dusk
July 4 - Sebec - All Day Activities - 8:00 am - Breakfast at Sebec Community Church, 9:00 am, Parade, 10:30am - Chicken BBQ - until sold out, 11:00 am - Canoe Race
July 13, 9:30 am Sebec Lake Association Annual Meeting, Central Hall Commons, 152 East Main Street, D-F
July 12, 13, 14 - Annual Guilford Town Wide Yard Sale
July 16. 17& 18 - Teen Wilderness Expedition 8am– 5pm (https://piscataquisswcd.org/)
July 20 – Sebec - Ice Cream Social and Pie Sale 6:00-8:00 pm
July 26-28 - 74th Annual Dover-Foxcroft Kiwanis Auction at Piscataquis Valley Fairgrounds
July 27 – Guilford - Piscataquis River Festival
August
August 3 - Dover-Foxcroft Homecoming Celebration
August 3 - Steel Drum Concert by Pan Storm 6PM Thompson Library Pavilion
August 6 - SLA Plant Paddle (requires registration); location and time to be announced later
August 9, 10, 11 – Bowerbank Days Event schedule:
Friday evening August 9, 7-10 pm. Dancing & hanging out with live music, raffles, silent auction; Food trucks will be on-site.
Saturday, August 10, 8:00 am-5:00 pm. 8:00 am - Gary Wakeland 5K road race - arrive early to register. 9:30 am - Parade
August 22-25 - 137th Annual Piscataquis Valley Fair, Dover-Foxcroft
August 24 - Sebec - Silent Auction & Pancake Breakfast 8:00-10:00 am
September
September 21 - Sebec - Whoopie Pie Sale - 8:00 am
September 28 - Guilford - Annual Harvest Fair
October
October 19 - Sebec - Bean Supper with Pulled Pork - 4:00-6:00 pm
November
November 2 - Sebec - Chicken & Biscuits - 4:00-6:00 pm
December
December 2 - Hometown Holiday Events
December date to be determined - Sebec - Christmas Partying Room.
Check for updates on these websites and Facebook:
Kiwanis Club of Dover-Foxcroft; Town of Dover-Foxcroft
Guilford Historical Society; Town of Guilford; Piscataquis Chamber of
Commerce, Piscataquis County Soil and Water Conservation District,
Thompson Free Public Library, and/or Center Theater.
Most Sebec Events are being held at the Sebec Reading Room.
2024-01-10
Tim Obrey, Maine Inland Fish and Wildlife biologist updated the Fisheries Management work for the trout population of Sebec Lake. Check out his interesting report and underwater drone footage on our Fisheries Management Plan. Thanks Tim!
