Watchic Lake Association Annual Meeting

Standish Town Hall

July 15, 2017

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• Socializing

• Audubon

• WLA Update

• WLA Nominations and Voting

Today’s Agenda

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WLA Opening Remarks

Thank you for your support in 2017• Members, business sponsors,

Town of Standish, and other supporters

We are making progress on our 2016-2020 goals:• Focusing on your key concerns• Executing against a long term plan• Maintaining water quality and

wildlife habitatOur biggest challenges:• Engaging new members• Increasing our revenue

Long Range Planning Supports our Mission

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• Summer 2015– Surveyed members for key concerns and direction– Recognized the need for expert advice

• Fall of 2015– Developed an RFP and received bids from three firms– Selected FB Environmental based on their experience, quality of

proposal, government connections, and pricing

• November 2015 to May 2016– FBE evaluated existing data, the lake, and the shoreline.– Delivered Risk Assessment Report at our 2016 meeting– Top 6 risk areas (high runoff) identified and remediation plans developed.– The WLA prioritized and are addressing other items.

• May 2016 to April 2017– WLA began executing to address key risk areas

Our Mission: protecting and improving the ecosystem of Watchic Lake

and the watershed.

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The Last Decade

Pick up a copy!

• Worked closely with road associations, Standish, and Maine DEP

• Remediated runoff at Hi-Vu Drive, the Dorothy Drive boat launch, and Watchic Rd 19.

• Should reduce sediment coming into the lake by over a ton per year.

• Kiwanis Beach is next major area for work

• Thank you to all involved!

Top Areas Addressed in 2016

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Hi-Vu Drive before

Hi-Vu Drive afterwith improved

culverts, drainage, and surface

• New dam gate installed Fall of 2015 and is operating well.

• Spring goal: raise the water level fairly quickly after ice-out to protect loon nests and eggs from flooding.

• Fall goal: lower water level to help protect the shoreline and docks.

• 2016/2017 weather was challenging, but the dam managing water within 2” of full pond.

Dam Update

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• Two nesting parents at Middle Island and the SE swamp area

• Two chicks born to the swamp loons.

• Middle Island loons still nesting.• Three additional “rafting” loons.• Biodiversity Research Institute (BRI)

monitors our loons.• WLA participated in Audubon

Society Annual Loon Count Day in 2016 and 2017

• Happy lake = Happy loons!

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The Loons – Good Year So FarNesting loon – May 2017

Adult loon - 2017

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Thanks to Rob Murray

Screenshot onlyVideo available upon request

• Water quality for the main body of the lake is overall very good, but watch out for: Low Oxygen, Internal Phosphorous Loading, and Low PH.

• Water quality is fair at the streams entering the lake at Paine and Page Brooks.

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Water Quality

New and richer testing techniques started in 2016 – working well.2016 was quite dry and thus better than average quality.

May 2015 to October 2016

• While water quality is good today, Watchic Lake is at risk over the long term.

• Ever increasing human activities within the watershed will increase the amount and transport of harmful pollutants and foreign materials into the lake and its streams.

• Catastrophic events such as mega-storms put roads, drainages, and septic systems at risk of introducing toxic runoff.

• Building on our baseline of water quality data is key to spotting and addressing issues.

• Its up to each property owner and road association to:– Minimize erosion, soil runoff, and unprotected shoreline– Maintain your septic system– Maintain a vegetated shoreline buffer – Not use lawn chemicals containing nitrogen or phosphate

compounds.

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Water Quality Long Term Risks

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Full Report Water Quality Report

Pick up a copy here!Or download from our website

• LakeSmart: free opportunities learn how to manage your home and yard to protect the lake. Maine Lake Society managed.

• LakeSmart improves water quality. Builds our creditability. Improves property value.

• Two new LakeSmart Properties in 2016– Deborah & Stephen Paul of Watchic Road 19

for LakeSmart and LoonSmart– Kim & Steve Lajoie of 1 Toria Lane for

LoonSmart– Now at 40 properties.

• 2016 Watchic Lake earned the Maine Lakes Society Golden Achievement Award.

• LoonSmart – Maine Lake Society and Maine Audubon partner to help property owners protect the loons.

• For more information contact Patty Taylor at pateric@roadrunner.com

LakeSmart Progress

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Its Not that Complicated.

The Pauls: Tiers planted with trees, groundcover and small bushes to slow the runoff on the hill. Any bare areas have been covered with erosion control mix.

The Lajoies: fine example of a Loon friendly buffer (landscape with an abundance of trees, shrubs, ground cover and duff) Ideally buffers should have 5 tiers of vegetation and be at least 10 feet wide.

• Watchic Lake has not experienced any invasive plants.

• Infestation would reduce water quality, impact recreational use of the lake and reduce property values.

• Summer of 2016 the WLA ran VLMP-certified plant inventory day.

• 19 native plants identified and submitted to ME VLMP. No invasives found.

• Become Maine VLMP “Invasive Plant Patroller” and join us for our 2017 inventory day.

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Invasive Plants – 2016 Inventory Day

Thanks to Elaine and David Bradbury, Agnes and Rick

Wiggin, Don and Martha Drew, Paul and Nancy McNulty,

Cathy Watson, Wendi Rodrigueza, Patty Center, and Patty Guenthner for making this day a success!

Plant Paddle - August 1. Three hour exploration that takes place on shore and on the lake.Plant Inventory - August TBD: Paddle the lake to gather and evaluate native and invasive plants.

Learn more by contacting Martha Drew at 4650drew@twc.com or (207) 583-7847.

• FY16/17 net operating income loss of $6,700 due to water quality testing and large remediation projects

• FY 17/18 breakeven, assuming some of lost Standish donation is recovered

• Reasonable but challenging– Pressures on the lake increasing, third party services, complexity –all driving costs up

– Membership flat (50% of properties)

– Long term viability requires additional members, grants, and/or donations.

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Financial Update

10,970 7,600

7,590

4,450

10,269

6,262

29,101

19,370

0

5,000

10,000

15,000

20,000

25,000

30,000

35,000

40,000

FY 16/17 Act FY 17/18 Est

Income

Donations Dues & Sponsorships

Govt Grants, Misc Remediation Repayment

1,960 1,154 2,781 2,565

19,252 15,500

11,795

0

35,788

19,219

0

5,000

10,000

15,000

20,000

25,000

30,000

35,000

40,000

FY 16/17 Act FY 17/18 Est

Expense

Legal, Admin, Insurance Membership, Annual Meeting

Water Quality Testing Remediation

• Members as of 7/14/2017– People: 143– Properties: 123– Expect about a dozen more in

coming months.

• Down from 2016– Possibly due to less use of paper

mail

• ~50% of lakefront properties are members and 30% of non-lakefront properties are members

• 10 business sponsors – 2 new• Launched – online payments

and donations!

Membership

17

96

110

132

158

137

159

122

143

0

20

40

60

80

100

120

140

160

180

Properties People

WLA Membership

2014 2015 2016 2017

• For Board of Directors:– Catherine Watson - three-years (new) – Stephen Lajoie - three-years (new) – Joanne Majka – three years (new) – Martha Drew - three years (renewal) – Owen Smith - three years (renewal) – David Ross- three years (renewal) – Stephen Rines - three years (renewal)

• For Officers:– President – Paul McNulty – two years (renewal)– Vice-President/President Elect- Owen Smith – two years (renewal)– Treasurer – Agnes Wiggin – one year (new)– Historian - Martha Drew – two years (new)

• Approval of Finance Reports and 2016 Annual Meeting Minutes– Minutes published on website August 2016 – Financial reports provided at this meeting

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Voting - Martha Drew

• Steve Lajoie, along with his wife Kim, purchased their camp at 1 Toria Lane, next to the Kiwanis Beach, in December of 2011. Their year-round home is in Hopkinton, NH. Steve has always been interested in wildlife, and along with Kim, have been happy to keep track of the loons on the lake, providing info and photos for the WLA website and participating in the annual Maine Audubon Loon Count. Steve works as a construction project manager for The Design Group in Concord, NH.

• Joanne Majka grew up in Falmouth and went to Bowdoin College. She works in finance and has been the Business Manager at the Animal Refuge League of Greater Portland for the past 11 years. She bought her home, on the inlet to Watchic, 10 years ago as a vacation home, but moved in permanently six years ago. She also has served on the Recreation Committee in Standish for the last three years.

• Cathy Watson is a retired scientist who spent many years doing biomedical research in Canada and the USA. Her last position was at a large pharmaceutical company in Boston where she conducted clinical trials with promising new drugs and as part of the management team lead departmental initiatives and trainings. Her family bought a place on Watchic Lake seven years ago based in part on the lake’s water quality and the action of the WLA’s work to maintain it. She looks forward to helping the WLA board continue their positive work.

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New Board Member Bio’s

• Shorter Term - targeted activities to address key risks:– Continue with rich, consistent, and certified water testing. Team

with volunteers, DEP and VLMP on reporting.

– Continue invasive and water quality monitoring, teaming with Maine Audubon and BRI on loons

– Address runoff risk areas – Kiwanis tops the list

– Keep the dam in good working order and manage water level.

• Longer Term– Address more major runoff issues highlighted in Risk

Assessment report.

– Increase funding via grants, Town of Standish, and donations.

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Closing Remarks

Thank you! Your time today and throughout the year is a gift to the lake and all who use it.

21Courtesy Victoria Chesley Brega

Thank you!