As of this writing the lake is quiet but activity is expected to pick up with the arrival of the Memorial Day Weekend. The lake was kept at a reasonable level over the winter. Undoubtedly the new dam helped control the level in spite of the heavy winter snow and late ice out. The new dam is complete and the coffer has been removed. If you have a chance sometime this summer, drive down and take a look. The ice went out April 27 on the main lake. It was a long, cold winter.

The city has embarked on a journey to complete an updated Comprehensive Plan. There are several lake residents involved with the committee and some as members. The State Bureau of Parks and Lands and the Fish and Wildlife Department were represented at a Comprehensive Planning meeting earlier this spring to present their positions regarding the need for a public boat launch on the lake. The city continues to express concerns for overall water quality and milfoil in particular. Councilors looked to the State for some assurance to protect the drinking water supply. That meeting ended with the city maintaining its position of holding on the public landing for now. Subsequent to that meeting the State Fish and Wildlife Department announced that it would stop the salmon stocking program on Branch Lake due to there being no public landing suitable for all types of boats. They did not stock this spring. This is truly an unfortunate development.

Even though there is a public landing at the dam, the State maintains that it is not adequate. Large boats cannot negotiate the rocky outflow between the bridge and the dam and cannot clear the low bridge on the lower lake. Until directed otherwise by the majority of members, the BPA will continue to seek a compromise solution that enables public access to the lake and offers protection to the water supply from invasive aquatic plants. Just as a reminder our current position is that we favor a public launch that is of reasonable size, not to exceed space for 20 cars and/or trailers; that the site be attended during open hours; that the attendant inspect boats and trailers for the presence of aquatic plants; and that the site be closed at a reasonable time daily. We further suggest that the site be a "fee for launch" to help defray the cost of an attendant. Other than the inspection part, this is no different than how Hanson's Landing served Branch Lake for decades.

A motor use survey was sent to all lake residents this winter. The survey was the result of a request by the Ellsworth City Council. There were about 75 responses to the 250 sent out. The results are included in this newsletter. There were also many comments. To save printing and mailing costs only the survey percentage results are included. The entire results, including comments, will be made available at the annual meeting. The overall results indicated that:

-The BPA should encourage the use of 4-cycle or direct injection motors.
-There should be no limits on 2-cycle motors up to 100 HP.
-There should be some limitation on motor size.
-There should be limits on the use of personal watercraft (by a small majority).
-We should donate to Save Maine Lakes.

The BPA annual meeting is currently scheduled for Friday, July 20, from 6 to 9 p.m. at the Ellsworth High School auditorium. Lake Week is scheduled for the following week.

The Branch Pond Association, with assistance from the City of Ellsworth and the Hancock County Soil and Water Conservation District, is publishing a Handy Guide for Property Owners in the watersheds of the four recreational lakes in Ellsworth. The booklet contains the basic do's and don'ts as relates to activities that impact on water quality in these lakes.

The lake usage survey sent to all dwelling owners and returned by some 75 of them seemed to show that residents are pretty much satisfied with the motor boat usage currently in force. The survey did indicate that most recipients agreed that the BPA should encourage the use of 4-stroke engines, most disagreed that the use of any motorboats should be restricted and a small majority favored limiting the use of personal watercraft. Most did agree that there should be some limit on motor size.

Following are the results of each question in the survey.

1. The Branch Pond Association should encourage lake users to move more quickly toward the use of 4-stroke engines consistent with the EPA timetable of 2006. (Responses) 67% agreed, 11% were indifferent and 14% disagreed.
2. After the EPA date of 2006 the grace period for the continued use of 2-stroke engines should be: 25% no grace period, 15% 0ne year, 8% three years, 16% five years, 8% 10 years, 28% unlimited.

The majority of respondents were in favor of a grace period of up to five years after the EPA grace period is reached.

1. There should be no use of gasoline engines on Branch Lake. (Responses) 10% agreed, 3% were indifferent and 87% disagreed.

C. Limiting Motorboats

1. There should be limitations on the use of gasoline engines to 10 HP or less. (Responses) 24% agreed, 8% were indifferent and 68% disagreed.
2. There should be limitations on the use of gasoline engines to 25 HP or less. (Responses) 30% agreed, 11% were indifferent and 59% disagreed.
3. There should be limitations on the use of gasoline engines to 50 HP or less. (Responses) 33% agreed, 9% were indifferent and 59% disagreed.
4. There should be limitations on the use of gasoline engines to 100 HP or less. (Responses) 42% agreed, 6% were indifferent and 52% disagreed.
5. There should be no limitations on the use of gasoline engines on Branch Lake. (Responses) 31% agreed, 4% were indifferent and 65% disagreed.
6. If there were limitations on the use of gasoline engines the grace period should be: (Responses) 8%-one year, 21%-three years, 9%-five years, 12%-10 years, 25%-when replaced, 25%-no limitation.

Most opposed limitations on the continued use of existing motors. A majority of respondents favored some limitation on the use of gasoline engines. A large number of respondents disagreed strongly with any limitation on the use of gasoline engines.

1. There should be a limitation on the use of personal watercraft on Branch Lake.  (Responses) 52% agreed, 11% were indifferent and 37% disagreed.

Of those responding to the survey, 69 or 91 % were BPA members. On the question would you favor the BPA donating to Save Maine Lakes to support milfoil legislation, nine percent voted no money, 41%-$1,000, 25%-$1,500, 9%-$2000, 16%-$2,500.

Several non-members of the BPA favored the BPA donating to Save Maine Lakes to support milfoil legislation.

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A 319 Project Tour and a pontoon boat floating classroom are two of the highlights scheduled for the annual Lake Week activities Friday, Aug. 3, and Saturday, Aug. 4, on Branch Lake.

The project tours of lakeside sites that have been instituted to improve the water quality of the lake will start at 10 a.m. Aug. 3. Projects include Cove/Orchard Way, Phillips Way, Winkumpaugh Road at John Gray Brook, Sargent's Drive and buffer projects at the Smart and Whedon cottages.

The pontoon-boat floating classroom Aug. 4 will be conducted by the Maine Lakes Conservancy Institute and provides information about ecology, archeology, cultural history, water quality issues and a chance to experiment with state of the art limnology equipment.

The two-hour tour will accommodate 15 people with a morning and afternoon session. Because of the limited seating capacity, reservations will be taken on a first come, first served basis. Cyndi Vict at the Hancock County Soil and Water District office may be contacted on weekdays and Beth Smart at 667-2031 may be called on weekends.

Anyone interested in setting up other activities for Lake Week may contact Glen Curtis at 667-3050 or Beth Smart. A calendar of events will be distributed at the annual meeting.

Editor's Note. This is a column written by V Paul Reynolds, a Branch Lake camp owner and former BPA member. it has appeared in The Northwoods Sporting Journal, The Lewiston Sun and some 10 Maine Weeklies. The column was written prior to Christmas, 2000. Reynolds is editor of The Northwoods Sporting Journal and former information officer for the Maine Department of Fish and Wildlife.

Like so many good things that die on the vine, Hanson's Landing at Branch Lake near Ellsworth got swallowed up by changing times. For almost two lifetimes, fishermen and boaters have used the landing for access to this lake. In Branch Lake's fishing heydays, when big brown trout and scale-busting togue made the sports pages of the Bangor Daily News, owner Allie Hanson oversaw the boat launchings, the bait buying, the fish weighing and the story telling. When Allie died, Bill Tuit, a veteran Navy man, took the reins. Bill worked his heart out, but was finally forced to parcel up and sell shore property. The new owners then closed down the launch site, effectively making Branch Lake inaccessible to day users.

Today, with the exception of a very marginal launch site at the Ellsworth end of the lake, there is no adequate facility for day users to put a boat in the water. The Department of Conservation (DOC) has some preliminary plans to construct a boat launch and picnic area on state land beyond the narrows on the lower lake, which is the Ellsworth water supply.

A political firestorm has ensued. The Ellsworth Town Council is trying to nix the idea. The Branch Pond Association (BPA), which comprises many camp owners from around the lake, has strongly opposed the state plan. BPA has put together a laundry list of reasons to oppose. Although a few of the BPA’s arguments are worthy of consideration, most of their claims are labored and contrived exaggerations. One of the BPA’s more outlandish claims is that jet skis "leave 30 percent of all gas and fuel in the water".

This Branch Pond struggle is nothing new. Throughout the state, attempts by the Conservation Department and the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife to provide public boat access to sport fisheries are often met with single-minded opposition by lakeside property owners. It's an old story that has been given a name: NIMBYism (Not in My Back Yard).

As a Branch Pond camp owner and former member of the BPA, I am uncomfortable with this kind of thinking. As a kid from a poor family, I cherish wonderful childhood memories of days with my Dad fishing on Branch Lake. We were "day users". For us, in those early days camp ownership was out of the question. But Hanson's Landing made great times possible. Now those fortunate enough to own property on the lake want to keep others out! And most of those who oppose the day users hide behind a litany of largely contrived reasons. State fishery biologists Greg Buff and Rick Jordan, who note that it is illegal for the state to stock a pond that is not easily accessible to the public, said, "It's a shame that the usual exaggerated scare tactics have been employed in the drive to repeal the project (the DOC's boat launch site)".

Truth be known, many of the most vocal members of the BPA are year-around lake residents, nonnatives who moved here from away, or both. It is probable that septic systems from year-round shore side homes have more of a negative long term impact upon the lake's water quality than the two month summer boaters whose presence on the lake they decry.

State Representative Henry Joy has coined a term to describe the arrogance shown when control of a resource is sought by those from outside a given region. "Rural cleaning" is when those from away try to protect a resource from the rural residents who live in the area and who have enjoyed its use as part of their lives.

To these rural cleaners this brand of snobbery may define the Maine that is life as life should be. But not for me.

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A three-year survey of state parks in New Hampshire and Maine will be initiated this year to determine the extent of invasive plants that may be growing in the forest and parks. The survey will be conducted by volunteers organized by the New England Wild Flower Society and will be funded in part by a government grant awarded through the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation.

Project coordinator Mo Ewing said the survey would provide scientists with basic information on the location and abundance of 30 species of exotic plants that may be growing in the forest and parks.

The spread of non-native invasive plants is a huge national problem, says Ewing. In New England the problem is widespread and getting worse, said forest biologist Leighlan Prout.

Exotic plants are a huge problem because there is no natural deterrent to their growth. The plants can grow wildly and absorb nutrients, air and other valuable resources that native plants would otherwise use. For example, milfoil has wiped out other aquatic life in some New England lakes, making swimming and other recreational activities difficult.

We rent our vacation home along with our neighbor's home on Branch Lake and we are very interested in helping others on the lake to rent their places. Is there any way we could notify the BPA membership of this service? We will be vacationing on Branch Lake July 28Aug. 19.

John and Toni McCauley
610-431-4577

The Branch Pond Association has formed an lnvasive Aquatic Plant Committee with the purpose of educating lake residents about the issues surrounding invasive aquatics. Members will keep up to date with the latest information and provide materials to help people reduce the risk of spreading invasive aquatic plants. They will also receive training to help identify such plants. Heading the committee will be Paul Wight. He will be assisted by Carol Gabranski and Jane Jagels.

Branch Lake is at risk to the infestation of invasive aquatic plants. Several lakes in southern Maine and as far north as Messalonskee Lake in Waterville already have identified infestations of variable leaf milfoil.

Invasive aquatic plants, especially the milfoils, grow in thick mats that choke out native plants. Fish and invertebrates decline as these plants deplete oxygen in the water and cut out sunlight. lnvasive aquatics reduce the value of lakes for people as well. Property values decline, swimming and boating in weed-choked water is no fun and water quality is harmed. Infected recreational boats, watercraft trailers and fishing equipment are the most common means of spreading invasive aquatic plants.

An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. Once they become established in a lake, it is both difficult and costly to contain their spread and it is virtually impossible to eradicate them. For now, Maine has been spared the worst of the problem. However, the potential for loss of property value in Southern Maine could total an estimated $11 million. Aside from the economic and ecosystem impacts, the cost of managing the infestations is enormous. New Hampshire spends close to $100,000 annually on its share of seven to nine control projects (far short of the public demand for help on 55 other infested lakes). Massachusetts spends nearly $300,000 a year on projects to control infestations.

Since the early 1980's Vermont has spent more than $6 million in state, federal and local funds to prevent and control the spread of invasive aquatic species, including milfoil. Maine's southern five counties could see control costs reach an estimated $2 to $4 million annually if we saw a fraction of the infestation rate experienced in Vermont.

There is current legislation before the Maine Congress, LD 1812, to provide key components to successful management of invasive aquatics. The bill would:

1. Create prevention and control programs beginning in the summer, 2001. It requires IFW to conduct watercraft inspections at no fewer than 10 roadside locations at or near the border and spend at least 5000 person hours inspecting watercraft, trailers and outboard motors.
2. Create a "Lake and River Protection" sticker that operators of boats or personal watercraft on inland waters would be required to affix to the bow. The sticker fee would be $15 beginning on Jan. 1, 2002. This would be the primary source of funding for the invasives program.
3. Increase personnel resources for education, prevention and monitoring for IFW (six new wardens) and DEP (three new staff). Establishes extensive educational effort using a variety of media starting this summer.
4. Form a task force to provide oversight of the Invasive Aquatic and Nuisance Species Program. Includes developing an action plan to protect Maine's inland waters.

The first race of the season on Branch Lake will be held Sunday, July 1, at 2:30 p.m., followed by a race each Sunday through Aug. 12.

After the race on July I there will be a 5 o'clock get-together for all sailors and their friends at Paul and Vi Wight's camp. Pete Wight has volunteered to barbecue chicken wings, which are usually delicious. Guests may bring finger food if they so desire.

The sailboat races are a BPA sponsored activity for the social enjoyment of everyone on the lake. It costs nothing to participate. If you have not sailed in a race with us before we will provide instructions. No one needs to be afraid of competing as we have sailors of all ages and levels. It is not necessary to sail in all the races so join us when you can. If you would rather compete in a kayak or a canoe that is OK also.

Commodore Paul Wight may be reached at 207-667-7874 or at pvwight@home.com.