ABOUT THE MEGENTICOOK WATERSHED ASSOCIATION
OUR STORY
On September 23, 1969, after filing papers with the Knox County Registry of Deeds, the Megunticook Lake Association became a legal entity. This was after an organizational meeting on August 27, 1969 that was held at the Legion Hall in Camden.
The official filing with the Maine Secretary of State gave the following as the purposes of this new Association: “The purposes of said corporation are scientific, educational and agricultural, and to improve and preserve the environment and the quality of Megunticook Lake and Norton Pond in Knox County and Waldo County in the State of Maine, and to conserve the natural resources in the watershed of said Norton Pond and Megunticook Lake so that such natural resources may be devoted to the scientific and social use of the residents of said watershed; to test the waters of said Pond and Lake, to discourage pollution thereof, to disseminate information about safety in boating and other water sports and to circulate printed information about the laws of Maine concerning sanitation and safety. To acquire and hold real estate for the purpose of preserving same in its natural state, maintaining the same for nature study.”
The original trustees/directors signing the state certificate were: A. H. Chatfield, Jr., E. Clifford Ladd, Carlton F. Dougherty, Bernard Frankel, A. Margaret Bok, Lester Meyerhoff, Charles W. Chatfield, Arthur E. Spellissy and Stillman F. Kelley. Carlton Dougherty remains on the Board of Directors today, dedicating more than 40 years to the watershed.
MWA has been testing water clarity in Megunticook Lake and Norton Pond since 1975 for the Maine Volunteer Lake Monitoring Program.
Les Fleck resigned as Lake Warden in 1984 after 10 years of service.
Ken Bailey hired as part-time Lake Warden in the fall of 1984.
A few years after forming as the Megunticook Lake Association, the organization changed its name in 1985 to the Megunticook Watershed Association realizing that along with Megunticook Lake, the Megunticook River, Norton Pond, Moody Pond and the entire 32-square-mile watershed were of equal importance and should be included in all activities.
The Megunticook Watershed Association purchased (1984-85) the two outlet dams at the lake and donated them, plus a $20,000 endowment fund, to the Town of Camden.
Watercraft inspections for milfoil and other invasive aquatic plants have been conducted since 2001. In recent years, over 1,000 watercraft have been inspected annually.
In conjunction with Camden Partners in Monitoring, water tests for bacteria have been conducted at multiple locations on the lake, pond and river for over 11 years.
Ken Bailey was hired as full-time Executive Director/Lake Warden April 4, 2004 after many years in a part-time position with MWA..
A Nonpoint Source Pollution Survey was conducted from 2005-2006.
The membership was surveyed in the spring of 2010 in an effort to assist the MWA Board of Directors plan for the long-range future of the Association.
MWA ended is 2010-2011 fiscal years with 317 members.
OUR PURPOSE
Founded for educational, recreational, scientific and agricultural purposes, the Megunticook Watershed Association is devoted to environmental preservation and improvement. We’re hard at work to maintain and better the quality of the Megunticook Lake, Megunticook River, Norton Pond, Moody Pond and their feeder streams in Knox and Waldo counties.
We also work to improve the quality and safety of swimming, boating and fishing in these waters. The Executive Director / Lake Warden are employed by the Megunticook Watershed Association.
Below are a list of specific tasks of the Megunticook Watershed Association
- Monitoring of water quality in the lake, river and ponds.
- Stocking of fish and wildlife conservation.
- Prevention and elimination of water pollution
- Public education on safety in boating and other water sports.
- Watching legislative activities affecting the watershed environment.
- Distribution of information about sanitation and safety laws.
Volunteer
Interested in Volunteering? Your MWA has plenty of opportunities including:
Courtesy Boat Inspectors– Inspect boats and trailers to prevent invasive plants from fouling our waters.
LakeSmart Evaluators– Learn how to assess properties to reduce run-off and erosion. Learn which native plants to use in landscaping, how to make a rain garden, and how to divert driveway water to keep the gravel on the road and not in the lake, to name a few.
Partners-in-Monitoring- Volunteer to take water samples to test for bacteria levels in the watershed.
We’ll train you up on any or all of these vital programs so, if your interested, please contact Exec. Dir. / Lake Warden at aaron@megunticook.org .