NEW GLOUCESTER – Selectmen on Monday heard from Sabbathday Lake Association leaders who reported progress to protect the health of the lake in the past five years.

“The lake is good for the community for recreation and badly needed revenue for the community,” said association board member Don O’Malley of New Gloucester. He said the value of lake property currently totals $11,674,000, which raises $217,566 in taxes based on current valuation.

Association director Matt Johnson is working to prevent invasive plants from entering the lake. Trained volunteers have given 140 hours inspecting boats and trailers at the boat launch at Barefoot Beach, he said.

Sixteen lakes in Maine have been infested by invasive plants (milfoil) including nearby Middle Range Pond in Poland, Lake Auburn, Thompson Lake and Sebago Lake, said Johnson. And, Pickerel Pond in Limerick discovered hydrilla this past summer. These plants cause devastation to fisheries and water quality with little solution for removal.

Sabbathday Lake Association President Mike Cloutier said efforts to improve water quality have been spearheaded by two rounds of federal and state grants matched by landowners that total roughly $200,000 to manage nonpoint source pollution.

In 1999 the Cumberland County Soil and Conservation District received a Federal 319 grant through the Clean Water Act to install storm water best management practice demonstration sites around the lake and also help landowners build a commitment to lake stewardship activities.

A second round of grant funds created a Sabbathday Lake Youth Conservation Corps in 2002 whose conservation practices helped reduce erosion and runoff from entering the lake from a dozen sites throughout the lake’s watershed.

Six youngsters were trained and supervised by the district and worked for five weeks, 30 hours per week. Additional funds are sought to continue the corps program next summer.

Cloutier asked selectmen to help by asking voters in May to fund $2,000 toward next summer’s work.

To help fund the program Sabbathday Lake was awarded a $5,000 grant through the Nine Wicket Foundation toward the 2004 work season, said Cloutier.

And, the lake group is currently applying for 501(c)3 status to give eligibility to apply for grant funds to nonprofit groups.

Sabbathday lake 331 acres with a watershed covering 5.33 square miles within the towns of New Gloucester and Poland. The lake’s shoreline is heavily developed with more than 100 seasonal and year-round homes. A growing number of homes are being converted to year-round use.

Maine’s Department of Environmental Protection has placed Sabbathday Lake on its list of Lakes Most at Risk from Development, said association board member Lori Fowler.

Selectman Steve Libby asked for a formal request in writing as budget reviews begin in the next months. “I see next year as a tight tax year.”

In other business, selectmen thanked the New Gloucester Community Fair Committee, especially Scott Doyle, for the successful day-long event at the Bald Hill Road facility last Saturday.

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