Message From The President – Winter 2023

Happy holidays! I hope this latest version of the MPA’s Moose Pond Matters newsletter finds you happy and well. I want to start by thanking our paying members for their ongoing support of our efforts to maintain and improve the quality of life on Moose Pond for all to enjoy for generations to come. We cannot do what we do without your support.

We had record attendance at our most recent annual meeting, held at the Pleasant Mountain Ski Area’s main lodge on Saturday, July 8, 2023. The event featured a robust discussion covering a wide range of important topics, such as:

• On August 14, 2023, the MPA celebrated its 15^th year as a lake association. None of this would have been possible if Dave Ehrman hadn’t agreed to be the organization’s founding president. Dave was in attendance, and the crowd recognized his many years of foundational leadership. Founding Treasurer Steve Cavicchi was also present and similarly honored.
• The spread of invasives in Maine. I showed the audience a map marking hotspots where invasive plants and animals can be found. Moose Pond is surrounded by lakes with variable leaf milfoil as well as other invasives, and it’s a miracle we haven’t had an infestation to date. 
• Ralph Lewis, Pleasant Mountain’s General Manager, talked about Boyne’s Development and Conservation Plans, noting that he and his team have been working hard to rebrand and increase revenue post COVID pandemic. They’re adding 25,000 feet of new pipe on the mountain to increase their snow-making capacity, have added new lights, and are rebuilding the main stairs and ticket office. From an environmental impact perspective, they are guided by the National Ski Association’s “Going Green” policies, and hope to have all electric snow cats by 2030. Their carbon footprint is down year-on-year, and it is somethingthey closely monitor
• LEA’s Colin Holme provided a report on LEA’s activities and the health of Moose Pond. Colin said the MPA has been a great partner, and is one of the most well-organized lake associations with whom the LEA works. The only thing that he thinks we (the MPA) could improve would be having a list of back-up CBI volunteers. This would help cover the boat launches if LEA has trouble filling a slot, or if a regular CBI calls in sick. He noted that Woods Pond has a very well-organized program to that end. 
• In 2023, Keoka Lake and Moose Pond have become new test sites for Advanced Algae Testing. Your donations to the MPA helped to pay for that new testing. Colin also mentioned that, given all the heavy rain we’ve been seeing, washouts have been a big issue this year. As a result, LEA has been working with DPW to increase culvert size, and open blocked culverts.
• In terms of Moose Pond’s Lake Health statistics, LEA monitors 40+ lakes. That said, there are more than 6,000 lakes in Maine. LEA goes out on Moose Pond every 2 weeks during open water season (May to October), and monitors the three basins, as they’ve been doing for decades. Their three parameters are Total Phosphorus (lower the number the better), Water Clarity via Secchi Depth readings (higher number is better), and Chlorophyll (lower the number the better). So far, the data says everything is stable, and the lake is close to long term average conditions. Moose Pond has remained relatively stable/no change since 1996, except the south basin has an increase in phosphorus. This is not a concern yet, but they are keeping an eye on the data. We also had reports of some Gleotrichia (little yellow floating balls) in Moose Pond. It is typically not harmful to the lake, but can be a skin irritant. Your donations to the MPA also pay for LEA to send a dive team out to inspect Moose Pond’s hot spots for invasive plants once a year. LEA looks at the two boat launches, the two narrows, and several neighborhood marinas. Moose Pond has been lucky so far; we’ve only seen native milfoil. Native milfoil is not an issue.That said, it’s no longer just Variable Leaf and Eurasian Milfoil that are of concern. Brittle Naiad, Curly Leaf Pondweed, European Frogbit, and Hydrilla are also invasive in Maine’s lakes, and so the MPA needs to stay vigilant. It is much easier (and much less costly) to prevent an infestation than it is to remediate one.
• MPA Board Member Bill Monroe reminded the audience that MPA member donations pay for the CBI staffing that is present at both the Bridgton/Route 302 and Denmark boat launches throughout the summer. LEA hires, trains, and manages the CBIs, and we are grateful for their efforts. CBI coverage is our largest budget item, as CBIs are our first and most important line of defense in preventing invasive plants from entering Moose Pond. The CBIs can’t be at the ramp 24/7, so boater education and self-policing is critical too. 1,673 inspections were performed in 2022. Although 55 plant fragments were collected from boats and trailers last summer, nothing invasive was found. MPA membership donations paid for 1,141 hours of coverage, at a cost of $20,538 in 2022. In 2023, we are budgeting $23,040 for 1280 hours of CBI coverage.
• MPA Board Member Shawn Hagerty reported that the MPA has received an increasing number of complaints related to boater courtesy (or a lack thereof), including the impact of large wakes on other boaters, people’s docks, shoreline erosion, and wildlife nesting grounds. Over the last few years MPA has positioned WakeWise signs at the two boat launch ramps, and have made these signs available to neighbors who wish to position them facing high traffic areas. This year, the MPA has produced and distributed WakeWise bumper stickers for boats and cars to raise awareness about this important issue. We are trying to educate, raise awareness, and adjust behavior around the lake.
• MPA Board Member Bill Dexter highlighted that the LakeSmart program teaches property owners how to reduce erosion and runoff to stop phosphorus entering lakes, preventing excess algae growth. There are various techniques we preach to when walking property and assess making it more lake friendly. We reviewed 12 properties in 2023, and have 22 more to do. It’s a totally free and voluntary program. Nothing gets reported to a code officer, or anyone else for that matter – only the property owner gets the report.
• MPA Board Member Zach Clayton reported about our new Lake Section Captain Initiative that has the key objective of providing more thorough coverage of the lake above and beyond LEA’s annual survey of potential invasive plant hot spots. We have 17 volunteer Lake Section Captains who monitor “their section” of the lake’s shoreline, providing complete coverage of the Moose Pond Shoreline with the exception of the very shallow northern tip near Sweden.
• Board Member Mark Patterson discussed member communication. We send annual solicitation letters to 900+ land owners in and around the lake, but only seem to ever get about 240 folks to sign up as members. This despite the high stakes associated with invasive plant (or animal) infestations, and falling real estate values and enjoyment of the lake as a consequence. We have started to present at the various neighborhood and road associations to share our message, and encourage membership. If you want any of us to meet with your group, please let us know. We have tried to keep the focus of the Moose Pond Association Facebook site oriented toward sharing the joy of living and playing on Moose Pond, and have created an alternate site called Moose Pond for Sale or Rent for more commercial messages.
• Board Member Ruth Wyman Neagle reported out on the MPA’s Membership Healt .Year to date, the MPA has 140 members this year versus 166 this time last year. We are very stable year over year, which means by year end we will probably have +/- 240 members; about 25% of the 920+ parcels on and/or around the lake. Our ultimate goal would be to get upwards of 50-60%.Please encourage your friends, family, and neighbors to join the MPA each year.
• I closed the annual meeting by reporting out on the MPA’s financial health. In 2022, we received donations of $47,282 (264 transactions) vs $41,504 (277 transactions) in 2021. These figures include our CBI grants from the State of Maine. Sales of Nancy Campbell Scenes of Moose Pond
• calendars netted $1,500 for the MPA, and was a nice way to elevate MPA awareness overall. Our largest expenditures are the CBI program ($20K); payments to LEA for surveys; monitoring and general support ($5K); and membership communication including the website, newsletter, and mailings ($7K). We have a cash reserve of >$50K, which we are maintaining to take quick action if we have an invasive plant infestation. We can also offer matching funds ($1 for $1 up to $1000) to lakeside home owners who, under the direction of LEA/LakeSmart, choose to remediate troublesome run-off areas on their land. Our total budget for 2024 is $52,500, with increases for additional CBI coverage and building up our Rapid Response Reserve to fight a potential infestation quickly.
• The next annual meeting of the MPA is set for Saturday, July 13, 2024, at 9:00a at Pleasant Mountain’s main lodge. Please make plans to join us. 

Chip Wendler, MPA President
Middle Basin Resident
30+ Years on the Lake
chipwendler@gmail.com