More than half a dozen meetings have taken
place since last fall as the Tripp Lake Watershed Assessment Subcommittee
has gathered information and assessed what it deems necessary to include
in the final document. Under the direction and supervision of Phoebe
Hardesty of Androscoggin Soil and Water Conservation District and Roberta
Hill of Land and Water Resource Management Associates, this small but
dedicated group has researched nearly every aspect of Tripp Lake and its
watershed .
Those working with Phoebe and Roberta are Jessie Mae MacDougall
of the Department of Environmental Protection, Art Dunlap, Code
Enforcement Officer for Poland, Nancy McCann, Assistant Director of
The Tripp Lake Camp, Fergus Lea of Androscoggin Valley Council of
Governments, Gerry and Bill Tinkham, Joyce Crane and Babs Shapiro of
TLIA.
The document will include several sections. The introduction or first
segment will focus on interesting historical information. The second
section will be the "state of Tripp Lake," referring to its
water quality, lake uses and sensitivity to pollution. The Watershed
section will include some fine maps of the area, which indicate special
natural features, animal habitat, forest cover and more. Under Lake and
Watershed Concerns will be listed Public Survey results, growth in the
watershed, invasive species and other potential threats. The last section
of the document will summarize laws, both State and local, and plans on
how best to protect the lake in the future. It is a living document, one
that can evolve and change if necessary.
This Long-range Lake/Watershed Management Plan was undertaken as a
direct result of TLIA’s prior activities and grants. A Watershed Survey
was done in 1996 when volunteers canvassed the whole lake and its
watershed, identifying almost 100 areas of erosion and areas of potential
pollution to the lake. This was followed by a Demonstration Project,
lasting almost three years, during which time many volunteers addressed
and repaired some of NPS, (non-point source pollution.) All completed
projects are available for viewing so people may learn and apply similar
solutions to their own properties. A list of those projects is available
upon request.
The grant for this project was approved in 2001 and plans begun the
following year. A survey was sent to all Watershed residents (over 500)
and its results discussed at an open meeting in August, 2002. Time
constraints ended the meeting early before many problems could be
discussed. Plans for a second, follow-up survey did not materialize.
Therefore, the committee has asked that a short survey be done at the
Annual Meeting, as a follow-up to the Public Meeting held last August, to
obtain answers to particular problems. It will take no more than 10
minutes to complete. Another meeting will take place later in the season
to finalize the report before printing it for distribution.
Next, a grant will be sought to implement the plan. It will be ongoing,
so long as people in the watershed have technical problems which need to
be addressed.
Our thanks to all who have worked so hard on this project. It’s a
formidable one but necessary if we want Tripp to remain viable.
