MPSLA Activities

Activities of McGrath Pond-Salmon Lake Association in 2019

Wed May 29, 2019 (rain date May 30) 9:30 – 12:00pm   MPSLA Pleasant Point Park Stewardship Project
Pleasant Point Park (by the beach and open park area)
The MPSLA Pleasant Point Stewardship Project* in concert with RSU #18 Science Teacher, Amanda Ripa: her colleagues and students, representatives from the Town of Oakland, and 7 Lakes Alliance will be conducting a Stewardship Project on May 29th (with rain ? date May 30th). Please join us at the beach and bring your work gloves. Here’s some of the exciting projects participants will be working on:
~ Applying riprap
~ Spreading ECM
~ Buffer plantings
~ Fly-fishing with Trout Unlimited
~ Water quality lessons with Lauren Pickford of the Youth Conservation Corps
For more information, contact Kim or Bonnie at mpslassociation@gmail.com
*Funding for this project was provided by the U.S. EPA under Section 319 of the Clean Water Act. The funding is administered by the Maine DEP in partnership with EPA.

Sun June 9, 2019   1:00 – 3:00pm   2nd Sunday Summer Drum Circle & Clean Up at Pleasant Point Park
Meet at the open park area near the beach. Bring gloves and a drum if you’d like to participate!

Thurs July 4, 2019   3:00 – 4:00pm 4th of July Boat Parade
Meet up on McGrath Pond near Pleasant Point Park, 59 Mc Grath Pond Rd, Oakland, ME 04963
Boat parade off Pleasant Point Park and around McGrath Pond and ends with mid-lake party barge. All welcome to join!

Thurs July 11, 2019   6:00 – 8:00pm   ANNUAL MEETING
Where: North Belgrade Community Center, 508 Smithfield Rd, Belgrade, ME 04917

Sun July 14, 2019   1:00 – 3:00pm 2nd Sunday Summer Drum Circle & Clean Up at Pleasant Point Park
Meet at the open park area near the beach. Bring gloves and a drum if you’d like to participate!

Thurs July 25   8:30 – 11:00am Plant Paddle Identification
Salmon Lake Boat Launch

July 26 – Aug 2, 2019   Lights on the Lake
Lighting up the Lake for a couple hours a night – Please nothing flashing or super bright – No spotlights. Light up your boat, shoreline or camp with small twinkling lights until 10:00 p.m. to celebrate our beautiful community! For more information, contact Facebook group Salmon Lake Serenity!

Sun Aug 11   1:00 – 3:00pm 2nd Sunday Summer Drum Circle & Clean Up at Pleasant Point Park
Meet at the open park area near the beach. Bring gloves and a drum if you’d like to participate!

2018 PAST EVENTS

Mon May 28, 2018     1pm – 3pm    Memorial Day MPSLA Fishing for Garbage Derby Community Cleanup
Salmon Lake Boat Launch
Bring something to drink, boat (optional), swimwear, and gloves and come outside to the Salmon Lake public boat launch and help us clean up the lake. Prize for the most unusual trash fished from the lake!

Sat Jun 2, 2018  –  9am – 2:30pm    North Pond Association Boater Safety Program
826 Village Rd, Smithfield, ME 04978, USA
Fairview Grange in Smithfield ~ conducted by Inland Fisheries and
Wildlife (IF&W) and hosted by the NPA. Free.
Contacts: Jody Mosher-Towle jodie@northpond.net or Linda Rice lindarice74@yahoo.com

Sat Jun 23, 2018  1pm – 3pm  MPSLA Community Park Cleanup 
Pleasant Point Park, 59 Mc Grath Pond Rd, Oakland, ME 04963
Bring something to drink, boat (optional), swimwear, and gloves and come outside to Pleasant Point Park and help us clean up the lake and public area.

Wed Jul 4, 2018    3pm – 4pm 4th of July Boat Parade
Meet up on McGrath Pond near Pleasant Point Park, 59 Mc Grath Pond Rd, Oakland, ME 04963
Boat parade off pleasant point park ends with mid-lake party barge.

Sat Jul 7, 2018 – 3pm – 5pm “ARE YOU BUFF ENOUGH?” Buffer Planting Workshop
826 Village Rd, Smithfield, ME 04978, USA
ALL LAKE LOVERS far and wide are invited. Free and light breakfast provided!
Contact: Jody Mosher-Towle jodie@northpond.net or Linda Rice lindarice74@yahoo.com.

Tue Jul 17, 2018 – 5:30pm – 8:30pm    July MPSLA Fellowship Dinner
Whisperwood Lodge & Cottages, 103 Taylor Woods Rd, Belgrade, ME 04917
$20, includes soup or salad, dinner roll, entree and pie for dessert. If you like, bring your favorite drinks and hors d’oeuvres and
meet on the shore at 5:30, dinner at 6:00pm. For more info contact Kim (dphallee@gwi.net).

Fri Jul 27, 2018 – Mon Jul 30, 2018         Oakfest 2018
Oakland, ME 04963, USA
https://www.oakfestmaine.com/

Thu Aug 9, 2018 – 6pm – 8pm           MPSLA Annual Meeting
Where: North Belgrade Community Center, 508 Smithfield Rd, Belgrade, ME 04917

Tue Aug 14, 2018  –  5:30pm – 8:30pm     August MPSLA Fellowship Dinner
Whisperwood Lodge & Cottages, 103 Taylor Woods Rd, Belgrade, ME 04917
$20, includes soup or salad, dinner roll, entree and pie for dessert. If you like, bring your favorite drinks and hors d’oeuvres and
meet on the shore at 5:30, dinner at 6:00pm. For more info contact Kim (dphallee@gwi.net).

Sat Aug 25, 2018  1pm – 3pm  MPSLA Community Park Cleanup
Salmon Lake Public Boat Launch. Bring something to drink, boat (optional), swimwear, and gloves and come outside to the Salmon Lake public boat launch and help us clean up the lake and public area.

 

2017 PAST EVENTS

MCGRATH POND & SALMON LAKE WATERSHED SURVEY PLANNED FOR SEPTEMBER 28TH

  • Meet Up: Camp Tracy Lodge at 8:00AM on Thursday, September 28, 2017
    • On the morning of the survey, a volunteer training workshop will be held at 8:00 a.m. at Camp Tracy Lodge in Oakland to provide participants with the background information needed to assist watershed experts with identifying and recording soil erosion and other forms of pollution that have the potential to negatively affect the water quality of McGrath Pond and Salmon Lake. Following the training, the volunteers will be divided into groups and paired with experienced technical leaders.
  • The spirit of this voluntary survey is to work cooperatively with landowners, road associations, and towns toward a common goal of protecting and improving water quality. Results of the survey will be compiled into a watershed survey report with a goal of developing a follow-up Watershed-Based Protection Plan, which will allow the lake association to apply for state and federal water quality protection grants to address high priority problems identified in the survey.

Fellowship dinners from May to September

  • Join lake neighbors and sample the good food at Whisperwood Lodge on Salmon Lake
  • Monday May 22, Tuesday June 20, Wednesday July 19, Thursday August 24, Friday September 22, at 6 p.m. (dinner served at 6:30)
  • $25 per person, includes entree, salad, beverage, dessert and gratuity. Reserve by calling (207) 465-3983

 

Camp Kennebec Ethos, June 14, 11am

  • North Belgrade Community Center, Route 8 toward McGrath Pond Road
  • Artie Clark and Mal Dawson, with other Camp Kennebec alumni: What was it about Camp Kennebec that captured the hearts of those who spent their youth on Salmon Lake?  They sent their sons and grandsons, they came back to live.  What was the magic?
  • Bring your lunch, we’ll provide iced tea.

 

Fourth-of-July Boat Parade starting off Pleasant Point at 3pm, ending with mid-lake barge party

  • For those who are unfamiliar with the traditional and mostly informal boat parade around McGrath Pond, last year’s was a doozy! We had decorated boats and captains, a dancer, feather boa-draped cheerleaders, and a kayaker who kept up with the entire parade (Go Phil!).  Good fun for the whole family, whether on the water or waving from shore.
  • If you are on Salmon and can navigate the Narrows – follow the buoys – please join us! The more the merrier!
  • Starting and ending around Pleasant Point on northern McGrath Pond. Drive to Pleasant Point Park in Oakland, McGrath Pond Road near Route 137.  Carry-in boats only.
  • Afterwards, we will hitch our boats together and have a floating party with potluck snacks (MPSLA will bring iced tea and juice to fill your cups).

 

Buffer-planting July 8, 9am at North Pond’s Fairview Grange: ARE YOU BUFF ENOUGH? (or How to become LakeSmarter)

  • ARE YOU BUFF ENOUGH? will feature tips and techniques for protecting shoreline.
  • See erosion-control practices at the LakeSmart-certified Grange; we will plant in their rain garden.
  • Free Workshop! Free Breakfast!  Free Boat Ride!  Free Buffer Plant!
  • Sponsored by the Lake Trust, an alliance of the BRCA and the five lake associations of the Belgrades.

 

Annual Meeting July 13 at 6pm at North Belgrade Community Center

  • Peter Kallin, esteemed local lake expert, re the State of the Lakes
  • Jen Jespersen, Ecological Instincts re Watershed Survey
  • Come at 5:30 and visit with your lake neighbors

 

Door-to-door and/or dock-to-dock visits from MPSLA volunteers with lake news and lake-friendly tips.

  • Please welcome our volunteers and tell them what you love about the lake. Introduce us to your neighbors and spread the word about the work we do to for the benefit of all.
  • If you would like to join a group of 2-3 volunteers, or have a packet of information to share from your boat, contact any board member. Send us a note at PO Box 576 Oakland ME 04963 or mpslassociation@gmail.com.

 

OAKFEST See our float in the Parade Friday July 21.  Find the lake associations at the Open Air Market Saturday July 22 in Oakland.  Parking at Messalonskee High School.

 

 

Activities of McGrath Pond-Salmon Lake Association in 2016

Youth Conservation Corps (YCC) Work on McGrath Pond and Salmon Lake: Look around our shoreline to see the work that the YCC  has done! They have installed best management practice (BMPs) methods for preventing soil erosion into the lake.  The landowner pays for permits and materials, the YCC provides the labor. “It has been a busy year on Salmon and McGrath,” says Nathan Durant, YCC Coordinator, “We have currently visited 10 sites in the Salmon/McGrath watershed.”

  • On McGrath Pond Road, the Purnells have replaced and reinforced riprap on their grassy shore – redesigned so that ice should ride up over the stone slope, rather than crashing head-on and undermining the bank.  Nona is proud to have gotten her buffer zone planted.
  • For example, on Pinewoods Trail, the Souzas now have an irrigation trench under drip edge of their Aframe, erosion control mulch over exposed roots, and riprap (stones) to armor the shoreline.

Lake Smart recognizes waterfront homeowners who use natural landscaping strategies (BMPs) to protect the health of their lake. LakeSmart’s now-familiar blue and white award signs get posted at shorefront and roadside.  They say, “A friend of the lake lives here.” Contact Dave and Kim Hallee about your site, or www.mainelakessociety.org

  • LakeSmart tally for 2015-2016
  • Site evaluations of 11 properties led to many owners applying best management practices (BMPs) to improve their LakeSmart footprint
  • 4 LakeSmart awards, and 1 Commendation
  • 5 evaluations are pending

Road workshop on July 12 hosted by BRCA and Maine Alliance of Road Associations, provided a wealth of information on road maintenance and legal info. Among the full house were reps from many of the 40 roads leading to Salmon and McGrath.  For one association, the workshop sparked interest in making a log of road history, problems, improvements; and clarified legal issues.  For others, it challenged the idea that “our road is fine.”

Brenda Fekete, Lake Science Manager at Maine Lakes Resource Center, now has access to boats to take her team of researchers out for weekly sampling: Thank you Gary and Paula Raymond, Ron and Nona Purnell.  (Another volunteer on Salmon would be helpful.  If it’s you, let us know!)

Water Quality Test Site buoys now mark the deep spots of McGrath (27 feet) and Salmon (57 feet), and improve the accuracy of data collected. The Marino Buoy on McGrath was paid for by a donation from Joe and Dot Marino of Pinewoods Trail.  The one on Salmon could be named for you!  (If interested, speak to any board member.)

Thanks to webmaster Bob Ray, we have a Facebook presence and PayPal on our MPSLA website.

Loon Call 2nd place Winner Paula Mountain is a newcomer on Pinewoods Trail! Woo-hoo!

From the BRCA News, Summer 2016:    INVASIVE PLANT ALERT:  Salmon Lake Saved from Another Invasion!

On June 15th, several fragments of invasive Curly-leaf pondweed (Potamogeton crispus) were removed from a boat about to enter Salmon Lake.  The plants were intercepted by Doug McCafferty, owner of Whisperwood Camps on Salmon Lake in Belgrade.  Curly-leaf pondweed is currently known to be in two lakes in Maine (Legion Pond in Kittery and West Pond in Parsonsfield), but is known from several water bodies throughout New England and further south.  Thank you to Doug McCafferty for your important save and thank you for inspecting boats at Whisperwood Camps!  Prevention is key to winning the battle against invasive aquatic plants.

The Hallees found something floating near their dock. It looked like milfoil.  They bagged it and got it checked at MLRC:  not invasive, but a native.  If something doesn’t look right, report it.

  • Dave observed that weeds in the lake seem to grow offshore of streams or cleared shorelines. Is it runoff-related?

Courtesy Boat Inspectors continue to monitor the boat launch on Salmon from 7-3 on weekends, 9-2 on weekdays. These BRCA-paid staff are on duty through Labor Day, after which we will need volunteers (training is provided).  Please contact Dave Hallee (873-5285) or Toni Pied, BRCA Milfoil Director, at brcamf@belgradelakes.org, if you can help.

On the 4th of July, a Boat Parade of 14 boats – including 1 kayak! – made the rounds of McGrath Pond. The “best ever,” thanks in part to a notice in newspaper (posted by someone at 465-3306).

Fellowship Dinner at Whisperwood Lodge on July 12 – lovely lakeside reception, then we filled the dining room to capacity and the delicious meal filled us all. Thank you to the McCaffertys!   (In the 2017 season, Whisperwood will host monthly Fellowship Dinners on different weekday evenings.)

Invasive Plant Patrol, July 22, 2016: Dave Hallee, Gary Raymond, and Toni Pied surveyed parts of Salmon and McGrath – no invasives were found.

Conversations with jet skiers improve etiquette. They swoop and swirl around the lake, not staying in any one place for long.  They understand that their water dance can be admired from near and far.  They ask, “How is it any different from Uncle Jonny taking the kids out tubing?”

On Salmon Lake, some residents have concerns about neighboring septic systems. MPSLA provided them with information about septic surveys and where to turn for assistance.

On the north end of McGrath Pond, a neighbor raised concerns about runoff from a development and logging activity uphill. Representatives of MPSLA and BRCA explored the site with the neighbor, met with Town officials, and will tour the area with the Maine DEP this fall.   In September, the Town of Oakland Public Works Department repaired a failed embankment, and cleaned off and carted away gravel, sand and silt from road edges and ditches.  Thank you Gary Bowman, Town Manager; Jeff Hall, Public Works Director; and your work crew!