SEBEC LAKE ASSOCIATION, INC.

P.O. Box 303

Dover-Foxcroft, Maine 04426-0303

Thanks to Nancy Soucy for Typing this up for me to post to the web!
Gary J. Soucy

RANDOM THOUGHTS FROM LAKESIDE.

Joanne and I spent the week of Thanksgiving at Sebec Lake, had dinner at Smith’s Grocery and lunch in Brownville.  Excellent!

I could not believe how high the water level was at this time of year.  Obviously, problems at the dam site.  Other than a rash of power outages and more rain, the weather wasn’t all that bad.

We were away a great deal this past summer and really missed Sebec Lake. 

We’ve put the steamer, G.E.M., away after completing our ninth year on Sebec Lake.  The engine has been in, on, or under the lake since 1887.  That’s 116 years, folks!

A continuing problem has raised its ugly head again.  I simply cannot keep up with the 911 change of addresses that have overwhelmed our mailing list.  I plead with everyone to please go to the Post Office, get the proper form and send me your correct mailing address.  It makes no sense to me to be sending out our newsletter and have them returned because the powers-that-be have changed your mailing address and will not forward the mail.  I need both your old mailing address and the new, and the town your camp is located in. PLEASE.

It is obviously my loss, never having met Fern Palmer.  She had to have been one fine person.  We have been overwhelmed by donations from friends of Fern’s in her memory.  We have received checks in her memory to THE SEBEC LAKE ASSOCIATION from 23 of her friends and loved ones.  Thank you one and all.  These funds will be dedicated in her memory to Preserving and Protecting Sebec Lake.

An interesting fact has come to my attention.  THE SEBEC LAKE ASSOCIATION has 843 properties listed on our database.  Bowerbank, with 366 properties has 43.4% of our camps.  Dover-Foxcroft, with 234 properties has 27.8% of our camps.  Willimantic, with 167 properties has 19.8% of our camps.  Last but not least is Sebec, with 75 properties and 8.9% of our camps.  The lake is certainly a big factor in the economy of Piscataquis County.

“We have begun to plan for “Bowerbank Days” which will be held August 13 and 14, 2004.  We are going to have a boat parade at the conclusion of activities on Saturday August 14^th starting at 5:00 p.m.  The route would be similar to the one we followed at the last B.B Days, i.e. from the boat launch to the narrows and back along the Bowerbank properties on the south shore of Sebec Lake.”      Jim Gustafson

“Nostalgia is like a grammar lesson….you find the present tense and the past perfect”

                                                            Dave Raymond

Untitled Sebec Lake Association Annual

SEBEC LAKE ASSOCIATION

Financial Report

As at July 26, 2003

CASH IN:  8-1-02 to 7-17-03

TOTAL CASH IN                                                                                                        $4,839.40

   M. E. Blanchard Treasurer

SEBEC LAKE ASSOCIATION

ANNUAL MEETING

July 26, 2003

             President Dave Raymond called fifty-one members of the Sebec Lake Association to order at 7:02 P.M. at the Dover-Foxcroft YMCA.  He opened the meeting with the announcement that Treasurer, Mac Blanchard is retiring this year and Lois Reynolds has agreed to take his place.  Those present gave Mac a hand in appreciation of his work with the Association.  Mac presented his final report, explaining that he had closed the books as of July 17^th in order to give a complete report.  This means that dues which have come in since then are not included.  As of July 17, 2003, the balance in checking was $2,552.86 and the balance in CD’s was $10,675.84.  Total assets as of that date were $13,228.70.  This report was accepted by members.  Following this, the Secretary read the minutes of 2002 meeting, which were accepted by the membership.

              Unfinished business included a brief report on the water level meter by Gary Soucy.  He distributed a written statement of his activities which included securing a new battery donated by Tires, Batteries & Accessories in Bangor, his work on improving the web site, his work with Bob Hall who is taking the water level readings and doing the water clarity tests.  Gary expressed his thanks to Bob for all his help.  Also, Gary’s Electrical Services of Brewer is continuing to finance the web site at a value of $90.00

            Dave reminded the Association of the $500 donation given last year to the Maine Audubon Society and said that he had recently received a request for a $2,500 donation this year.  His feeling was that this year the Association might consider donating to the Maine Volunteer Lake Monitoring Group which oversees quality of lake water throughout the state.  This proposal, which he made into a motion to donate $500, resulted in a discussion of invasive plants in Maine lakes and how to combat them.  Members learned of a state sponsored workshop to be held on how to help solve this continuing problem.  Following a discussion, the motion to donate $500 to the state-monitoring group was seconded and passed unanimously.

            Other items considered under new business were the growing problem of people feeding ducks, and the visit to Borestone by some members.  The consensus on the duck issue was that each of us should try to get the word out on how harmful this practice is both to the ducks and to the lake.  Those who visited Borestone as a result of last year’s invitation found the trip well worthwhile.  A final question involved the markers placed in the lake.  Some of them have moved and this could mean a hazard to boaters.  The explanation of why they have not been repositioned was that government funds have not been allocated to do this and there is little that the Association can do.  One final item was a report from the nominating committee on officers for the coming year. A motion was made that the Secretary cast one vote for the proposed slate.  After being seconded, the motion carried.

            Upon conclusion of the business meeting, Dave introduced Bill Larrabee, founder and operator of the Sebec Lake Weather Station. Bill gave a brief history of his involvement in weather stations, which included a long tenure at Mallory Weather Station on Lake Ontario.  He explained the job of recording weather in an area that experiences severe lake-effect storms.  Following his retirement, he came to Sebec Lake and set up his present station.  He demonstrated the use of some of his instruments in recording rainfall and snow pack measurements, and in reporting information.  Since this is an official station, his recorded data can be used as evidence in court cases, insurance claims, and such.  One of those attending who is involved with NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) added to this discussion of collecting weather data and to the meaning and significance of the term “dew point”.

            Dave thanked Bill for his informative talk and then called for adjournment at 8:25 P.M.  

The following officers and directors were elected to serve for the coming year:

OFFICERS

DIRECTORS

Respectfully submitted,
Marie Woodbrey
Recording Secretary

Lake Report (Fall)

We continue to monitor our Lake characteristics including water clarity and lake level.  Over the next few years we plan to expand our monitoring to include dissolved oxygen and total phosphorus in our lake.  The Maine Volunteer Lake Monitoring Program (VLMP) provides us with the training necessary to gather the data for water clarity, dissolved oxygen and total phosphorus.  They are also the repository for our data as well as for those from other lakes in Maine.  The mission of VLMP is to provide protection for the nearly 6,000 lakes in Maine through the acquisition of scientific data, and to raise public awareness about the extraordinary ecological, aesthetic and economic value provided by Maine’s lakes.

Lake Clarity

The water clarity in our lake continues to be outstanding, measuring in the top 5% among Maine’s lakes being monitored.  During the past season (May-Oct) the clarity readings varied from 7.5 to 8.8 meters, reflecting normal seasonal changes.  Starting next year we will begin posting the twice monthly clarity readings on the Sebec Lake web-site (www.sebeclake assoc.com)

Lake Level

There is data on the website that indicates the lake level measurements taken over the past two summer seasons.  As the chart readily shows, 2003 was a much “wetter” year than 2002.  During the latter part of each summer of each year the lake level starts to decrease at approximately the same rate.  However, in late September and early October of this year we experienced some significant rainfall that heavily influenced our lake level

Invasive Plants

There is another lake quality issue to which we need to be paying attention: invasive plants.  Introduced into U.S. waters in the last 50 years, several exotic nuisance species of aquatic plants have invaded lakes, reservoirs, rivers and estuaries nationwide.  Two of the worst of these invasive plants, the submerged Hydrilla and Eurasian Watermilfoil, re-sprout annually and quickly grow to the surface in up to 20 feet of water.  Their rapid growth soon leads to dominance of the ecosystem, even in alpine lakes.

As reported by Scott Williams, Executive Director of the VLMP extensive research has been conducted on the subject of controlling invasive plants.  Much of this research suggests that the most effective (economic and practical) approach to this problem is through prevention or early detection. If lake users are well-informed about the ways in which plants spread, infectations may be prevented.  If one does occur, early detection can reduce the chances that the plant will spread throughout the lake.

Most invasive plants are hearty, resilient, and highly adaptive.  They reproduce in a number of ways, including fragmentation (any fragment that breaks off from the plant is capable of becoming established as a separate plant), and some species have multiple variants, some which are particularly aggressive, compared to native plants.

Once invasive lake plants become established in a lake, they may spread to nearby through natural processes.  However, these plants can also be spread when small fragments become attached to boats, motors, trailers, fishing traps, nets, bait buckets, and other human contrivances.  When a boat is transported from one lake to another, an attached fragment may break loose, creating the potential for a new population to develop in that lake.

At this time there has been no observance of invasive plants in lakes in Piscataquis County, a situation we want to continue; our diligence will be required.

The VLMP has started a new program with the objective of providing training for people to be able to identify invasive plant species.  These training sessions last a full day (and are free to participants) and are held at various times and locations in Maine during the spring and summer.  With this knowledge, volunteers are equipped to monitor lake plant life along the shorelines and thereby be the watch guard for the continuing safety of our lake from invasive plant species.  If anyone is interested in participating in one of the VLMP workshops please contact me at Solar_Bob@msn.com and I will provide you with the contact information at VLMP.

 BLANCHARD CONQUERS MOUNTAINS OF MAINE

By Paula Roberts, November 20, 2003

Dot Blanchard, 64 of Newcastle, got the hiking bug as an 11 year old Girl Scout camper at Camp Natarswi, located in the shadow of Mt. Katahdin on Lower Togue Pond. “We climbed Mt. Katahdin and I just loved it.  I’ve been hiking ever since,” Blanchard said.  She has climbed 240 mountains in Maine and numerous others on the eastern seaboard of the United States and in Canada. “I’ve climbed a lot of them many times,” Blanchard added.

Blanchard has also hiked the entire length of the Appalachian Trail in Maine and in parts of New Hampshire and Vermont.

            Hiking was a favorite family activity in the Blanchard household.  After the children left the nest, Blanchard set a goal of hiking every mountain in Maine that has a trail up its slopes.  She estimates she has hiked 40-50 mountains a year, during the April to November hiking season, since 1998.  With just a handful of mountains left, Blanchard is narrowing in on her goal.  She has a large collection of hiking books from all over New England and each time she adds a book to her collection she finds another trail she has not traveled.  “I collect hiking books like a lot of women collect cook books,” Blanchard commented.

In the newest book in her collection, “North Woods Trails” by Christopher Keene, she found three mountain trails she did not know existed.  A formerly abandoned trail in Acadia National Park recently was opened up as well.  These have been added to her “to-do” list. “It’s an ongoing quest,” she said.

She has even bush whacked her way up mountain slopes on overgrown and abandoned trails with her husband Mac.  While Mac and friends accompany her on many of the hikes she has hiked many mountains solo.  “I’ll drag him up some mountain,” Dot said of her husband, “and he’ll say why don’t you knit like other women do.”  Maybe when I can’t hike anymore I’ll learn to knit,” she commented.

In one of her trail books, she discovered there was a trail up Horseshoe Mountain (about 30 miles west of Ashland).  She tried to find the trail a couple of times with no luck, so she went home and studied the maps and directions in her trail guides, and in 2001 she and Mac finally made it to the top, but they had to bush whack their way up.

Now that Blanchard has neared her goal of hiking every mountain in Maine, she has turned her sights on hiking every 4000-footer in New Hampshire. “I seem to have to have a goal.  It makes me do it,” Blanchard said.  In the past two years she has climbed 19 out of the 48 tallest mountains in the granite state.  “I better be doing it while the knees hold out,” she said.

“Some people don’t understand,” Blanchard said of her and other people’s love of hiking. “Not everybody likes to go on a 10 mile hike.”  She keeps a journal and records every hike she has gone on, down to the detail of weather and trail conditions.

On Kinsmen Mountain in New Hampshire while she was hiking with a friend, the trees were white with rime ice.  Her hiking partner was nervous about the icing conditions, but Blanchard found them breathtakingly beautiful.  The trail was free of ice, so they
pushed on to the summit” in cloudy weather.  “Just as we finished lunch, the clouds cleared and we could see down into the valley.  It was beautiful,” Blanchard said.  As with all hikers, the view from the top makes the hard work well worth the strenuous effort to get there.

Some of the worst weather conditions she has encountered were on 3812 foot Baldpate Mountain in Grafton Notch. “We hiked up the west peak (10.3 miles) and clouds came in.” Blanchard estimated wind speeds were 40 mph going across to the east peak. “We had to keep low and hold onto the rocks.  Every time I lifted my hiking pole the wind whipped the pole out to the side.”

Years ago while on a family hiking trip in Baxter State Park, the Blanchards hiked into Russell Pond and then into Davis Pond with the hopes of climbing the North West Basin trail to the peak, but they were met with heavy snow and had to return to Roaring Brook via Russell Pond.  The following summer, Dot and her younger daughter Mary struck out again to hike the North West Basin Trail.  As they left Davis Pond, “it started getting cloudy.  We pitched over the North West Basin Plateau and were hit in the face with sleet and freezing rain.  It was only a mile across to Hamlin Peak so we kept going.  When we got to the Chimney Pond Trail we met two people.  They were the first we had seen in two days.  They told us the mountain had been closed all day,” Dot said of a very memorable and stormy trip.

Her favorite mountain to hike in Maine is the very first mountain she climbed, Mt. Katahdin. “I thank Gov. Baxter every time I go up there,” Blanchard said.  She is very fond of White Cap, which is located on the Appalachian Trail between the Kennebec and Mt. Katahdin.    She likes to hike White Cap in September to see the reactions of AT through-hikers when they first get an unobstructed view of Mt. Katahdin. It’s the end of the trip for them and they can see their goal,” Blanchard said.

“I love Saddleback.  I’m glad the National Park Service was able to protect it,” she said. Priestly Mountain in T10 R13 is another favorite hike of Blanchard.  At 1900 feet, Priestly Mountain is small but offers spectacular views of the surrounding countryside , including crystal clear Priestly Lake.

“I love it,” Blanchard said of hiking. “I think I like it more every year.  It is kind of special now, because I know I won’t be able to do it forever. I’m glad to see the interest in hiking grow.  That means more trails for me to hike,” she added.