Despite weeks of rain, Tripp Pond in Poland is at the lowest levels we have witnessed since we can remember.

After speaking with John Laskey, our wonderful neighbor on the lake who has been monitoring the health of the pond for decades, we found out that Tripp Lake Camp received permission from the Maine Department of Environmental Protection to blast a decades long beaver pond and remove 6 beavers.

The camp used its power and influence in Augusta to do what no other lakeside homeowner could ever imagine doing.

During a meeting with DEP, many people spoke out against the plan.

Why you might ask, does the camp want lake levels low? It has a grandfathered, enormous concrete pad — previously under water — that it uses to keep campers happy when learning to swim. Apparently, that is a more precious need than a healthy lake.

As we all know, the health of the lakes in western Maine is precarious and keeping lake levels high improves oxygen levels to not only help the wildlife, but to keep algae at low levels.

All of us on Tripp Pond love and treasure our little paradise.

Maine’s DEP needs to do a better job of protecting this resource.

Dorthea Seybold, Poland

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