As is the case so often, some of the best things take time. The spanking new boat- launching site at Branch Lake in Ellsworth had its debut during the wonderful spate of summer-like weather in early June.

Designed and built by the Maine Department of Conservation, the new boat ramp, dock and parking area is state of the art with a paved parking area, lots of space for maneuvering boat trailers, a gently inclined concrete boat ramp and an adjacent dock long enough to accommodate a number of boats at one time.

It was worth the wait. And it didn’t come easily.

For more than a decade, Ellsworth municipal officials obstructed state attempts to provide public boating access to Branch Lake. Ellsworth argued that increased boating traffic on the lake would jeopardize its public water supply. The town, and the Branch Lake camp owners association, also invoked concerns about a possible milfoil introduction from “infected” boats.

Unfortunately, there was no fish stocking take place during the decade-long standoff between Ellsworth and state officials. (State law prohibits the state from stocking fishing in any body of water that denies public accessibility.) Therefore, it will take some time for this lake’s once-robust sport fishery to recover from the prolonged stocking hiatus.

Thankfully, in the Ellsworth vs. State donnybrook, cooler heads ultimately prevailed. A compromise was eventually struck. The state relocated the boat launch site and agreed to an on-site boat monitoring program that addresses concerns about inadvertent milfoil introduction.

The day that I launched my boat, a warm, sultry Saturday, Ed Donovan was on hand to greet me and give my boat a quick eyeball for any lingering “salad” of invasive aquatic vegetation that might be attached to the hull or transom.

Ed, who has a camp on the lake and is a paid launch site monitor, said that his remuneration, he believed, was collaborative funding that came from both municipal and state sources.

“We also provide a power washer here on site at no cost to the boater,” he explained.

During the busy summer boating season, a person like Ed will be on site from dawn to dusk to keep an eye on things and do hull inspections. According to Ed, boaters will have access to the boat ramp at all times during the boating season, with or without a monitor being present. (Boaters are asked to carefully look their boats over closely before launching if there is no monitor available).

All in all, the Department of Conservation has done a masterful job, not only with the new boat launch site but also in providing good vehicular access on a well-designed and attractive entry road.

The best way to reach the Branch Lake boat launch is from the Bucksport/Ellsworth highway (Route One).Take the Happytown Road turnoff, which is about 11 miles east of Bucksport. The state road, Boat Launch Drive, is a couple of miles from the main highway.

The author is editor of the Northwoods Sporting Journal. He is also a Maine Guide, co-host of a weekly radio program, Maine Outdoors, heard Sundays at 7 p.m. on the Voice of Maine News-Talk Network (WVOM-FM 103.9, WQVM-FM 101.3) and former information officer for the Maine Depart. of Fish and Wildlife. His email address is [email protected] and his new book is “A Maine Deer Hunter’s Logbook.”