Link to full Fall 2013 Newsletter

Toddy Pond Association
Newsletter
Fall 2013
Issue 31
Our Mission
We believe that we have a responsibility to protect Toddy Pond and its watershed so that we and future
generations may enjoy its beauty and the recreational opportunities it provides. Our objective is to protect the
air, water, soil, plant and animal life of the watershed and to preserve its economic, ecological and aesthetic
value by encouraging responsible land and water use.
President’s Message
Donna Foster
Season's Greetings
It has been a busy and fun spring and summer, and a
lovely fall, and we have plenty of articles within this newsletter to reflect on events and happenings. As you will read
later in the newsletter, there was much discussion about the
“explosion” of fireworks around the pond this summer.
At the risk of sounding like a broken record, the third
annual Hail to Summer BBQ was once again a festive and
inspirational event that had an impressive turnout. Over
eighty supporters of the Association enjoyed the BBQ/
potluck dinner under the pavilion at the Balsam Cove
Campground, while fostering friendships over the issues
facing our lake. With the hearty aroma of chicken and hot
dogs cooking on the grill and the din of neighbors and
friends chatting and laughing, the setting could not have
been more enjoyable. For any who missed this fun event,
we hope you can join us next year on June 22. It is open to
all who are interested in Toddy Pond and its watershed.
The board of the Toddy Pond Association is pleased to
welcome a new member. Charlie Pizzarello, who with
his wife, Liz, lives year-round on Middle Toddy, will also
serve as our treasurer. Two current board members will
fill other vacancies on our executive board. Chris Dadian
was elected by the board to the post of vice president and
Sarah LeVine to the post of secretary. We now have a full
complement on the executive board, but are always looking
for more participation, and would especially like to have at
least one more representative from South Toddy. If you are
interested in helping to maintain the welfare of our lake I
encourage you to give this some thoughtful consideration.
Please contact me to find out what it is all about.
If you have a topic you would like to discuss, an opinion
to express, or a gripe to air, please contact one of our board
members (their phone numbers are on the last page of this
newsletter) or get in touch with me, at contact@toddypond.
org, or 667-1319.
June 22 — TPA Hail to Summer BBQ
Balsam Cove Campground pavilion, 4:00–7:00 (food
served around 5:00)
July 19 — Toddy Pond Loon Count, 7:00–7:30am
August 12 — TPA Annual Potluck and Business Meeting
Orland Community Center (old Orland School), dinner
at 6:00, followed by meeting
TP Watershed Protection
Project Grant Approved
Megan Facciolo
The Hancock County Soil and Water Conservation District
has been awarded a grant from the Maine Department of
Environmental Protection to implement the Toddy Pond
Watershed Protection Project. The goal of this grant, which
will start in the spring of 2014, is to help fix erosion issues in the Toddy Pond watershed. The grant helps to pay
for projects on private roads and at private residences, and
provides free technical assistance from the conservation
district (normally $50/hr) for road, driveway, and erosion
issues. Toddy Pond watershed residents are also serving
on the steering committee to help create an education and
outreach plan for the watershed, and conducting a knowledge survey to gauge awareness levels of pollution issues
around the lake.
For more information or to be on the steering committee,
please contact me at the Hancock County Soil and Water
Conservation District, at hancockcountyswcd@outlook.
com or 667-8663.
Sound and Fury on Toddy Pond
On many summer evenings this year the silken serenity of
Toddy Pond was rent by bursts of light and echoing din.
Fireworks displays, sometimes – especially on weekends –
several in one night and at different locations could be seen,
The Toddy Pond Association Newsletter is printed on recycled paper using non-toxic, vegetable inks.
heard, and felt from dusk until just before 10pm. But though
more than a few were clearly enjoying the fireworks, others
were not, to judge from calls received by TPA board members. A number of concerns were raised, including the risk
of fire along our heavily wooded shoreline, air and water
pollution, terrorizing of pets and wildlife, and protracted
disturbance of the peace. Some who said that they had no
strong objection to fireworks in general felt that the nightly
displays of last summer were too much. The letter in The
Pond Opines, below, expresses many of these concerns.
A group of Orland residents organized a petition drive
and gathered the signatures necessary to put a referendum
on the November ballot. The measure, which would have
banned fireworks in Orland except on the Fourth of July,
was defeated by a relatively narrow margin (more than
45% of votes cast favored the ban). Residents of Surry,
Blue Hill, and Penobscot are also considering efforts to
restrict fireworks through town ordinances or other local
means, and a number of legislative initiatives have been
put forward at the state level.
The spring issue of the TPA Newsletter will include an
update on developments over the winter. In the meantime,
we would like to hear opinions on both sides of this issue.
Please send them to [email protected].
Dwight Gates:
Veteran Loon Counter
smaller and smaller. This year I only took care of the eastern shore from the bridge down to the cove by our camp.”
He continues, “Ruth lived nearby on Middle Toddy and
from time to time she’d stop in. She always had some good
loon stories to tell. One in particular was about how, in midwinter, the game warden called her down to Belfast where
a loon was stuck out on the ice. After a couple of tries,
Ruth was able to get it loose and into her car. She drove it
home to Surry where she fed it frozen shrimp until ice-out
on Middle Toddy, when she released it. She told me she’d
never heard a loon call more joyously than that loon did
once it got free! When Ruth left Toddy Pond for Colorado
in 1996, I missed her visits…”
When Dwight and Sandy bought Whispering Pines they
found a nesting raft, put out by the previous owners, moored
in the cove. “For many summers it attracted a nesting pair,”
Dwight reports, “and we always had a chick or two on my
section of the pond. But eventually the raft sank… This
summer there were two loons in my section but I guess
they couldn’t find themselves a suitable place to nest. In
any event, they didn’t.”
Whispering Pines is up for sale now and the Gates are
planning to move full-time to southern Maine to be nearer
to family. But until the camp sells, they'll be summering on
Toddy, and come the third Saturday in July, Dwight will be
out early to count loons.
Toddy Pond Loon Count
Sarah LeVine
Count Coordinator Sought
For the past thirty summers, Dwight Gates has counted
loons on North Toddy between 7:00 and 7:30 am, every
third Saturday in July. As a teenager, Dwight, who hails
from Danvers, MA, saw his first loons when he began coming up with his family to visit the Sawyers, who operated
a sawmill on Toddy and lived on Heart Pond. The Gates
bought the last plot available on Heart, planning to build
a camp eventually; in the meantime, they camped on it.
Dwight remembers when his young niece, who was sunbathing on a float, was dive bombed by a loon. While the
large bird terrified the girl, Dwight found it fascinating. “I
guess it was the summer of 1967 or 1968,” he says, “and
from then on, whenever I was up in Orland, I’d watch out
for loons.”
In 1977 Dwight and his wife Sandy bought Camp
Whispering Pines on North Toddy. Since both were working in Danvers, they could only come up on weekends and
for vacations, so for ten years Sandy’s parents managed the
camp.
Dwight recalls, “One evening when I was up from
Massachusetts, Ruth Sergeson, who had recently started the
Loon Count in Hancock County, gave a talk about loons
at our camp. I found her talk really interesting and before
I knew it, I’d volunteered to count loons. That Saturday
in July, 1983, my beat was the whole of First Toddy,” he
says, adding, “but as the years went by and Ruth, who was a
compelling woman, recruited more to her team, my beat got
At the annual Audubon Society Loon Count, held on
July 21, volunteers spotted eighteen adult loons and three
chicks on Toddy Pond, a total consistent with those of recent years.
Ginger Doyle, who has coordinated the loon count for
nearly a decade, is retiring from that position. So, Toddy
Pond needs a new coordinator. If you are interested, contact
Susan Gallo at Maine Audubon, 207-781-6180 ex. 216, or
[email protected].
Unsung Heroes of the TPA
Sarah LeVine
At our 2013 annual meeting we said goodbye to three longtime board members.
Ernie Gelinas of South Toddy was one of our original
members and Father of Boat Inspection. In addition to providing more than a decade’s worth of humorous commentary
on association activities, after scaring his fellow members
half to death about the dangers of invasive Eurasian milfoil,
just days before 9/11 he got us crawling (on two-hour shifts
between 6am and 4pm) beneath boats entering the lake at
the East Orland landing. To make sure we weren’t playing
hooky down Rt. One at Duffy’s, he’d make periodic loops
of the parking lot in his pick-up truck.
When Linda Jellison of South Toddy retired, she resolved to spend as much time as possible boating, fishing,
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hiking, camping … and protecting the environment. Having
summered on Toddy since infancy and acquired an encyclopedic knowledge of flora and fauna, she soon became
Queen of Plant Patrol. Since 2007, she’s been combing the
waters of South Toddy for aquatic plants, photographing
them (both above and under water), identifying them and
generously sharing her research techniques and discoveries with other plant-patrollers. In this year’s team, only
Linda can confidently tell the difference between native
naiad and invasive European naiad, or native milfoil and
Eurasian water-milfoil. Thankfully, even though she’s going off the board for the time being, Linda won’t be leaving
plant patrol.
Lastly, we are losing Bob Jones who served as president from 1999 through 2010 and as vice-president until
this year. Bob is a passionate environmentalist. Herbicides,
pesticides, invasive aquatic plants, chemical fertilizers –
whatever threatens the flora, fauna, and waters of his beloved Toddy – to which he first came at the age of six – are
his personal enemies. Noting that Toddy Pond had no lakewide organization, in 1999 he decided to fill the void. And,
being the charismatic man that he is, he soon persuaded
others to take up the cause. The result was the Toddy Pond
Association. In those early years he led us in various directions. Some of us did battle against the aerial spraying
of – and pesticide drift from – the nearby blueberry barrens; others learned how make no-dig vegetable gardens.
But Our Noble Leader never lost sight of the main goal:
“the protection of Toddy Pond and its watershed so that
we, and future generations may enjoy its beauty and the
recreational opportunities it provides.”
Thank you Ernie, Linda, and Bob! We’ll miss you!
Milfoil in Massachusetts
here. “See those two harvesters?” The inspector pointed to
a dock. “They both run all summer long.” My suspicion of
Eurasian milfoil was correct.
Eurasian milfoil has been here for over twenty-five
years. Together, the town and state have spent millions trying to eradicate it. The harvesters aren't the only equipment
needed. There are also hydrorakers and trucks needed to
haul the weeds away. I believe they got a grant to purchase
equipment.
But it can't be eradicated, only reduced. While the beach
areas look clear near the shore, swimmers must swim
through milfoil to get to deeper water where there is none.
And since the lake is unhealthy – it’s eutrophic as a result
of over-development – other invasives have moved in as
well.
The latest plan, at a cost of one million dollars for the
first phase, includes dropping the lake level by more than
five feet during winter so the frost will kill the milfoil near
the shore, continued harvesting during summer to get at the
deeper plants, and dredging to reduce accumulated silt. The
Stockbridge Bowl Association has 400 members, who so
far have contributed a quarter million dollars towards the
effort. The town of Stockbridge, population 2,000, put in
another quarter million dollars. State and private contributions made up the balance.
Zebra muscles are a huge threat since they have invaded lakes close by, completely covering beaches and landings. At the boat launch, every square inch of an incoming
boat that does not carry a certificate of cleanliness must be
steam-cleaned to kill the microscopic eggs. Five thousand
boats launched on this lake last year – a lake that is just
1.75 miles long and 0.75 miles wide, just slightly bigger
Middle Toddy.
This is old hat for Massachusetts. Most of the surrounding lakes have similar eradication programs and costs.
Some prefer to use chemicals. The good news is that harvested Eurasian milfoil makes excellent compost!
As for my swim, I will keep my suit plant-free for Toddy
Pond next summer.
Lucy Leaf
For most of August, I was quite immersed in my role as
a plant patroller. Linda Jellison and I found two kinds of
milfoil in South Toddy, and we had a good time analyzing
it and collaborating with Megan Facciolo to determine that
it was noninvasive. I wrapped up my report, figuring I was
through with invasive plants for awhile.
And then I came here to Massachusetts for a volunteer
position at a yoga center in the pretty Berkshire mountains.
The resort overlooks a beautiful lake nestled in the mountains, called Stockbridge Bowl. I walked down to the lake,
thinking I might take a swim. Standing at the water's edge,
I saw a long strand of aquatic plant rolling in the waves.
Whoa! I jumped back as if I had just been bitten by a lamprey eel. There it was – the perfect picture of what I'd been
studying for the past month and hoped I would never see
– four very neat whorls about 3/8 inch apart, and a spray of
feathered leaves.
Abandoning any thoughts of a swim (lest I get a tiny
piece of the plant stuck on my suit), I quickly drove over to
the boat launch site, where I knew they inspected boats for
zebra mussels, eager to learn if they had a milfoil problem
Water Quality Testing
Dick Salminen
After dealing with equipment problems for most of the
summer, water testing resumed as usual at the deep hole
on North Toddy.
Water temperature and dissolved oxygen levels were
consistent with results from the past four or five years.
Water clarity, as measured by Secchi disc readings is always affected by wind, sunlight, and water temperature at
the time of the test. These results were also similar to readings taken over the past four or five years.
Phosphorus Testing Begins
Chris Dadian
Because of concerns raised by the recent watershed survey
the TPA board has decided to add phosphorus testing to
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our annual water quality monitoring program. Testing for
phosphorus and other water quality characteristics is performed every few years by VLMP and DEP if resources are
available (seven times since 1977), but adding one or two
phosphorus samplings per year will provide a more timely
indication that can be repeated if necessary to verify results
that are of concern.
This year, a single sample was taken in August. Analysis
showed no measurable change in the phosphorus level –
good news for now.
Boat Inspections
Mugs $10.00
Phil Tardif
Tee Shirts $20.00
Cool autumn nights have slowly drawn summer’s warmth
out of our beloved Toddy Pond. Generations have witnessed and treasured the spectacular “changing of the
guard” on the pond. Toddy is a special place in our lives. It
nourishes the soul, diminishes stress, provides recreation,
and inspires us with its beauty.
The Toddy Pond Association’s goal is to preserve the
lake’s character for future generations. But invasive
aquatic plants are already in 24 Maine lakes, including
Messalonskee Lake, less than 60 miles away.
Our Courtesy Boat Inspection (CBI) program is designed
to keep invasives out of Toddy. This past summer a team of
volunteers and paid inspectors checked boats and trailers
for plant material between10:00 AM and 4:00 PM every
day during July and August; they also worked weekends
during the month of June and Memorial Day and Labor
Day weekends. Inspectors did indeed find plant material on
a number of boats and trailers. Fortunately, they were common native plants. Imagine if they’d been invasives!
However, we had no inspectors on duty in April, May,
and September, or in early mornings and evenings in July
and August, thereby leaving Toddy Pond vulnerable to
careless boaters who, unbeknownst to anyone, might have
brought in invasive plant material.
Shouldn’t we extend CBI coverage? Yes! But extended
coverage requires more volunteers giving of their time and
increased membership, providing revenue to hire boat inspectors.
Please help protect our precious Toddy Pond by joining
the TPA, paying annual membership dues, and volunteering a few hours in the spring and summer months!
Protecting our lake is the responsibility of every property owner!
Toddy Fashion
Sweatshirts $25.00
Caps $20.00
Aprons $20.00
Nancy Lord
Surprise your relatives and friends with a Toddy Pond
T-shirt, sweatshirt, apron, or hat. We also have Toddy Pond
loon mugs that make a great housewarming gift.
The profit from our merchandise sales helps to pay for
our boat inspector. We need to keep milfoil from our pristine lake. To place an order, or for more information about
colors, sizes, etc., contact me at 469-2188.
Toddy Totes $10.00
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The Pond Opines
The Toddy Pond Newsletter encourages readers to express their opinions on topics relating to the welfare of
Toddy Pond and its human and other inhabitants. We will publish comments that reflect those interests and are
not defamatory or otherwise offensive to the community, in their entirety unless noted, and over the author's
name (we will not publish anonymous opinions).
The opinions published under this banner do not necessarily reflect those of the Toddy Pond Association.
Please send concise opinion statements to [email protected], or to Chris Dadian, 72 Freilino Way,
Orland, ME 04472.
Fireworks on Toddy Pond
And as soon as dark fell, the big guns came out up and
down both sides of the Pond, continuing well past an hour
respectful to the residents here. I overheard a couple in their
mid-30s saying they had rented the same house on Toddy
for the last seven years, but wouldn’t be returning next year
because of the ruckus caused by the fireworks. They come
looking for peace and quiet and were in the process of investigating lakes that banned the use of fireworks.
After examining just a fraction of the negative effects—
the noise, the pollution, the disruption to the wildlife, and
the health issues, I definitely want to see restrictions on
fireworks over Toddy Pond. Our prized wildlife include
loons and eagles. The loons require a quiet environment
and will flee our lake if continually disturbed. Both the
loons and the eagles eat fish. Once the fish are affected by
the chemicals, the accumulated toxins are passed up the
food chain. It’s only a matter of time before the food supply
is irrevocably poisoned.
I don’t want to be a killjoy to all the people that come up
here to relax and have fun, but maybe the fun doesn’t have to
include shooting fireworks. Some states have imposed bans
on fireworks within 500 feet of a body of water. Another
option would be banning the use of fireworks at any time
except for the Fourth of July. I think it’s time we seriously consider banning the use of fireworks on Toddy Pond.
Recently a petition was put before the Orland Selectmen
for such a ban and even more recently, the Surry Selectmen
were approached by a group of concerned residents for the
same reason. The growing evidence is insurmountable. I
think we need to stand behind these groups and raise our
voices in support of a fireworks ban on Toddy Pond.
The State of Maine legalized the sale of fireworks in early
January, 2012. Since then, there has been a deluge of explosions over Toddy Pond during the summer months. There
has also been a corresponding number of complaints from
Toddy Pond residents as well as visitors focusing on three
key issues; noise pollution, water and air pollution, and a
lack of respect for neighbors.
Concerns have been raised repeatedly about what effect the noise is having on the wildlife. After a particularly
long afternoon fireworks session I saw several blue herons
acting erratically and I realized they were terrified by the
noise. Looking around, I saw the turtles that had been sunning themselves on the rocks sliding into the water for safety. Where do the loons hunker down during these barrages?
And what about the eagles? Dogs on the pond start barking,
setting off other dogs and the cacophony continues after the
last explosion, so clearly this is upsetting the animal as well
as the human populations.
The chemicals used in the manufacture of fireworks are
released over the water when fireworks are detonated. It
seems that perchlorate is one the most nefarious. A study in
Oklahoma found that potassium and ammonium perchlorate, which are used as propellants in fireworks, were found
in large concentrations, several hundred times more than
normal, after fireworks shows.
Perchlorate causes thyroid problems in both fish and
humans and it contaminates ground and surface waters.
Besides its potential to cause endocrine system problems,
perchlorate is considered a “likely human carcinogen” by
the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
The last issue is the lack of respect for neighbors. The
firecrackers and cherry bombs were going off during the
day for weeks leading up to and after the Fourth of July.
Charlie Pizzarello
Middle Toddy
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Toddy Pond Association
President
Donna Foster ☎ 667-1319
Vice President:
Chris Dadian ☎ 469-0234
Secretary:
Sarah LeVine ☎ 667-1293
Treasurer
Charlie Pizzarello ☎ 667-8895
Board of Directors
North Toddy
Nancy Lord ☎ 469-2188
Jeff Smith ☎ 469-3557
Phil Tardif ☎ 469-0784
Middle Toddy
Chris Dadian ☎ 469-0234
Sarah LeVine ☎ 667-1293
Bob LeVine ☎ 667-1293
Charlie Pizzarello ☎ 667-8895
South Toddy
position vacant
Dick Salminen ☎ 667-1279
Richard Tenney ☎ 664-1848
Project Coordinators
Boat Inspections ............................ Phil Tardif ☎ 469-0784
Jeff Smith ☎ 469-3557
Boat Landing ................................. Dick Salminen ☎ 667-1279
Membership .................................. Chris Dadian ☎ 469-0234
Fishing . ......................................... Bruce Brown ☎ 667-6190
Fish Testing ................................... John Manfred ☎ 667-9545
History . ......................................... Sarah LeVine ☎ 667-1293
Loon Count ................................... Ginger Doyle ☎ 326-8351
Merchandise .................................. Nancy Lord ☎ 469-2188
Newsletter Editor .......................... Chris Dadian ☎ 469-0234
Pesticides . ..................................... Bob Jones ☎ 664-6190
Bob LeVine ☎ 667-1293
Plant Patrol .................................... Bob LeVine ☎ 667-1293
Water Rights .................................. Bob Jones ☎ 664-6190
Water Testing . ............................... Dick Salminen ☎ 667-1279
Website Managers ......................... Donna Foster ☎ 667-1319
Ian Foster
Toddy Pond Association
P.O. Box 645
Blue Hill, ME 04614
OFFICErs