Happy holidays to all of you. I hope this latest version of the MPA’s Moose Pond Matters newsletter finds you happy and well. I want to thank 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 can’t do what we do without your financial support.
As I was reviewing all of the articles that were kindly submitted by various members of the MPA Board, 10 numbers stood out to me. They were 1135, 100000, 32, 20, 0, 1000, 17, 1, 50000, and 222. What is the story behind each of these numbers?
- 1,135 is the number of Courtesy Boat Inspector hours at the Route 302 and Denmark boat launch ramps that your MPA membership donations helped to fund. These inspectors examined 1,673 boats/trailers and found 51 plant fragments (none of them were invasive this year).
- $100,000 is the dollar amount that the community surrounding Arrowhead Lake pays annually to unsuccessfully fight their totally out of control variable leaf milfoil infestation.
- 32 is the number of lakes in Southern Maine that are infested with invasive plants; 25 of these lakes are located within 40 miles of Moose Pond, including Arrowhead Lake.
- 20% is the average decline in lakeside property values when a lake is combatting a pervasive milfoil infestation, according to some studies.
- $0 is the cost to have your property examined by a member of the LakeSmart team. They can suggest adjustments to your landscaping to curb harmful, phosphorus-laden run-off from making its way into the lake.
- $1,000 is the amount of matching funds available to each homeowner who needs financial support to implement any run-off management ideas suggested by the LakeSmart team.
- 17 is the number of volunteers who have signed up to patrol “their” section of the Moose Pond shoreline twice a year. They watch out for invasive plants and animals so that we can catch an infestation early and combat it in a rigorous manner.
- $50,000 is the 2021-2022 budget for the Marine Safety Program in nearby Naples. It is used to educate the boating community, enforce Maine’s boating safety laws, and enforce the town’s mooring/dock ordinances. They also respond to marine emergencies.
- 1 is the number of newborn loon chicks who survived this year’s breeding season on Moose Pond. We should and can do better with this in the future with your help.
- 222 is the number of membership donations that the MPA has received in 2022 through the end of October. With more than 900 properties around the lake, and given what’s at stake if our lake becomes infested, we would really appreciate it if you would partner with us and support the cause. Please consider becoming an MPA member and renewing that membership on an annual basis.
If we had more support from the community, we could increase the amount of courtesy boat inspector days/hours at both boat launch sites, could fund more costly/complicated projects meant to reduce harmful run-off from entering the lake, and could increase the size of our Emergency Reserve Rapid Response Fund to quickly combat an invasive plant infestation if/when it is detected.
As I close, I want to give a shout out to the members of the MPA Board who kindly volunteered to write articles for this newsletter, and who work diligently on behalf of the MPA membership throughout the year. Also, a big thank you to Beth Osborne, who was a huge help during the article review and editing process for this issue of Moose Pond Matters.
See you on the lake,
Chip Wendler, MPA President
Middle Basin Resident
30+ Years on the Lake
chipwendler@gmail.com