Maranacook Watershed News - Maranacook Lake Association

Maranacook Watershed News
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) Place as second from top on page 1
A Publication of the
Maranacook Lake Association
October, 2011
MLA
“Keep our Lake Alive”
Issue 16
MLA Annual Meeting was held on July 9th, 2011
The Annual MLA Meeting was held at the Winthrop American Legion Building.
The Business Meeting was held with the election of the MLA Board of Directors.
Next years Annual Meeting is set for Saturday, July 14, 2012 at the American Legion Hall in Winthrop.
Notes taken during an outstanding annual meeting presentation by Sue Gallo, Maine Audubon Society on
Loons. Loons weigh 9-15 lbs; have solid bones. Males and females look the same, distinguished by size, males being
larger. When flying, they cruise 50-60 mph, reaching top speed of 90 mph. They need to fly fast to keep the heavy
body mass airborne. Loons usually migrate only as far as the closest coast; can get to and from wintering grounds in a
day. For Maine loons, Long Island Sound is as far as they’d go to winter. Upon return in spring, males show up first
at ice out. They actually do fly-overs from the coast and know very clearly what the ice conditions are on a nearly
daily basis, so that’s why they appear to arrive on the very day of ice out; they’ve been checking it out for a while.
They are only an hour or so in air miles away, so they can check relatively easily. Males come early to stake out
territories. Females come one week later. A family of loons eats 900 lbs of fish (mostly in the 4”-6” range) per
summer. Loons don’t breed until 7 years old. Then they usually have 2 eggs. The non-breeders are the ones we see
Loon Count
on Maranacook
Again
this July,
volunteers
rafting
up in groups.
They have adult
plumage
by age
2. They around
live to 25 years and their territories are very important
Maranacook
Lake
participated
in
the
loon
count
for
the
annualisMaine
Audubon
to them; a key determinant of where they will be seen. Mink
a primary
predator of loon eggs. Only 25% of young
Loon
Count.
The
desire
is
to
know
more
about
how
well
our
loons
are
doing.then migrate in groups. Juveniles stay
loons survive to adult size. Loon parents fully molt in the fall, turning gray,
Our count
revealed
32inadult
and 3 larger
newborn
Loons
onSouthern
Maranacook
longer
and also
migrate
somewhat
groups.
The
MaineLake.
loon population has doubled since 1986 to
Thanks
to
Bonnie
Urquhart
and
volunteers
for
conducting
the
count.
3,000. Most of them are non-breeders. There are usually only 450 new chicks
For year.
more information on the “2011 Loon Count”, please stay tuned to the
per
Maine Audubon website:
Loon Count on Maranacook In July we participated in the loon count for the
http://www.maineaudubon.org/conserve/citsci/loon_mysteries.shtml
Annual Maine Audubon Loon Count. Thanks to Bonnie Urquhart and volunteers
for conducting the count.
Our count revealed 32 adult and 3 newborn Loons on Maranacook Lake.
Maine Audubon website:
http://www.maineaudubon.org/conserve/citsci/loon_mysteries.shtml
Annual Maranacook Lake Free ICE-OUT Contest – Win $100
The ice-out contest allows people to make their best guess on when the ice melts enough for a weight to drop through
the ice. This unit will be located on the west shore of the lower basin (Winthrop end) of the lake.
To take part in the contest, submit your guess to MLA on the enclosed form to our address.
All entries must be received no later than midnight March 20.
You must be at least 18 years of age to play the contest. All you have to do is fill out the form with your contact
information and pick the Month, Date, Hour and Minute you think the ice will melt enough for the weight to trigger
the timing mechanism. The limit is five entries per person.
The window for ice out for the past 75+ years is March 22 – May 4.
The winners will be those who guess the closest to the exact Month, Date, Hour and Minute of the winning time when
the ice at the previously mentioned location melts to sink the weight and trip the timer. In the unlikely event of a tie,
the prize will be split.
Maranacook Lake Association - Membership
Your dues and contributions will be used to further our Mission to protect and improve the water quality
of Maranacook Lake and its watershed for the benefit of all. Please help us to recruit new members to
protect and enjoy this wonderful resource we call Maranacook Lake. If you have already paid your 2011
dues, thank you for continuing your support.
Page 2
Stories on the Lake
Story and graphs by Wendy Dennis and Ryan Burton, Cobbossee Watershed District
October, 2011
A Publication of the Maranacook Lake Association
Page 3
COURTESY BOAT INSPECTIONS (CBI)
Since implementation of the Courtesy Boat Inspection program at Maranacook Lake in 2004, inspectors have
completed 9,418 boat inspections! Maranacook inspections comprise approximately 20% of all Cobbossee
Watershed inspections, thereby evidencing the importance of boat inspections on Maranacook in deterring the
spread of invasive aquatic plants within the Cobbossee Watershed. In 2011, inspections increased by 6% on
Maranacook alone (compared to 2010) and increased by 2.5% overall. Funding support from your Maranacook
Lake Association, the Friends of the Cobbossee Watershed and the towns of Winthrop and Readfield allowed,
on average, 20 hours per week of coverage at both the Readfield and Norcross Point public launch sites from
Memorial Day weekend through Labor Day weekend. The two Maranacook sites are part of the ten sites
staffed throughout the Cobbossee Watershed, the largest regional CBI effort in the state!
Maranacook Lake
Courtesy Boat Inspections 2003 - 2011
# of inspections
1,476
1,604
1,802
1,616
1,711
660
223
2003
2004
326
2005
2006
2007
2008
2009
2010
2011
8,692
8,909
2010
2011
Cobbossee Watershed
Courtesy Boat Inspections 2003 - 2011
9,105
8,215
# of Inspections
7,095
4,014
2,819
1,509
400
2003
2004
2005
2006
2007
2008
2009
Maranacook Lake Association
P.O. Box 6
Winthrop, ME 04364
Photo by Sheila Dorey
MLA and Members help replace motor on DIVER ASSISTED SUCTION HARVESTER (DASH)
The Friends of the Cobbossee Watershed built their own Diver Assisted Suction Harvesting (DASH) unit (a pontoon
boat with a pump that provides suction for the “plant vacuum” and a hookah diving system to supply air to divers). It
is a working system that is used to remove tons of variable leaf milfoil. The Friends’ DASH boat needed a new
outboard motor to replace the old one that failed, in order to place it into service this summer. Thanks to John Blouin,
who raised the funds to get a new motor, and Clark Marine got the best price and installed it . There were a large
number of contributors, including MLA! Here comes DASH to the rescue.
Your MLA Board of Directors
Mike Sienko
President
377-6632
sienkomike@gmail.com
Ed Atlee
Vice President
622-5656
weatlee@midmaine.com
Heinz Walbaum
Treasurer
377-6309
hwalbaum@fairpoint.net
Pat Flood
Secretary
395-4915
patricksaflood@roadrunner.com
Jeff Tracy 377-6247 JoEllen Cottrell 377-6340 Eric Falconer 685-3231 Lynn Reed 441-7333
John Nichols 377-6847 Rick Dorey 377-6550
Bill Wing 377-8691
Anne Schmidt 377-6432