BRCA News - Summer 2003

In this issue

• On track: MCC trail crews begin work in the Kennebec Highlands
• From the Executive Director: 'Tis the season
• Kennebec Highlands trail map in the works
• Help spread the word about BRCA
• BRCA's web connections
• BRCA 2002 Financial Report
• Upcoming BRCA and conservation events

The MCC crew builds stone steps at the junction of the Round Top Trail and Kennebec Highlands Trail.

On track

MCC trail crews begin work in the Kennebec Highlands

The Kennebec Highlands area is busy this summer with the Maine Conservation Corps (MCC) on site doing trail improvements. Since late May a crew has been camping out at BRCA's Dolley Property, off Watson Pond Road. In late June a second crew joined them and both will continue working through late August. Peter Roderick, a Kennebec Highlands stewardship committee member and Watson Pond Road resident, has been providing the crews with water, since the Dolley Property has no facilities.

The two, six-member crews have been working on the Round Top Trail. They have been brushing out the trails and widening them to standard four-foot wide, eight-feet tall corridors. The Kennebec Highlands Stewardship Committee has also done some erosion control in the Highlands area, specifically around McIntire and Boody ponds.

Brian Alexander is currently working on designing the Sanders Hill Trail, the second trail to be added to the area, and the MCC crews soon will begin work on it. The trail is expected to touch one end of Watson Pond, cross a jagged ledge area on its way up Sanders Hill, and swing around for spectacular views of Watson Pond and French Mountain. It will be approximately three miles in length.

Anyone interested in assisting the Maine Conservation Corps crews can volunteer this summer through August 9. Contact MCC Volunteer Coordinator Susan Kring (287-4398, volunteers.conservationcorps@maine.gov). Individuals and groups are welcome Tuesdays through Saturdays for one or several days.

The Kennebec Highlands stewardship committee also is sponsoring a trail work day for Saturday, July 12. Meet at the corner of Watson Pond Road and Wildflower Lane in Rome at 8:30 a.m. Contact Brian Alexander (397-4877 or brian@redoaksports.com) to RSVP or for more information.

Scenes from the Round Top Trail. (Photos by Brian Alexander)

From the Executive Director

'Tis the season

Summer is upon us -- and with it all the intense work that the season brings. The long quiet of the off-season in the BRCA office is over! Now the Conservation Corps is coming and going constantly. The Milfoil Coordinator and her Courtesy Boat Inspectors are in and out. Worried property owners are bringing in plant fragments for identification. It is an exciting place to work.

Camp owners come in looking for information on how they can best protect the lakes they love. Other folks drop in looking for trails to hike in the area. Sometimes I have a visitor who wants information on how to protect their family camp from development, and we talk about conservation easements.

This is one of the main functions of the BRCA -- to be an information center for lake and land protection. We have plenty of programs that work in these areas -- the Conservation Corps, the Watershed Grants, the lands we hold in trust -- but a big part of our effort is in just providing information. Talking to camp owners, and other lake lovers, about the health of our lakes and the uplands that surround them. Providing information and insight to towns -- both officially, and through the participation of BRCA board members on town planning committees. BRCA is an integral part of the Belgrade Lakes watershed.

This is environmental protection at its best. Grassroots, person to person. I'm glad that you and I are part of it. Spread the word!

And enjoy the all-too-short summer!

Mike Little

Kennebec Highlands trail map in the works

This summer BRCA is producing a detailed, full-color trail map of hiking trails in the Kennebec Highlands and other BRCA holdings. The map will include trail descriptions and lengths, access information, and more. Members of BRCA will automatically receive a copy of this highly sought-after map upon its completion. So, spread the word about BRCA membership or give your friends, family members, or neighbors a membership in BRCA as a gift. You can sign up by sending in the form found at belgradelakes.org/help.html or calling our office (495-6039). Not only will you help protect our lakes and lands, you'll also be able to get out and enjoy our extraordinary region even more.

Help spread the word about BRCA

New BRCA brochures are in the office and are being prepared for distribution around the watershed. Have a business or association that would like to display some? Just let us know at 495-6039 or brca@gwi.net.

BRCA's web connections

Plugged in with GWI

BRCA's e-mail, Internet access, and Web site hosting are all donated to us, thanks to GWI's Charitable and Non-Profit program. For more information, visit www.gwi.net.

iGive: support BRCA as you shop

If you already shop online at stores like LL Bean, Barnes & Noble, Amazon.com, and the Gap, you can support BRCA just by registering at iGive.com (for free). By shopping online via iGive.com at more than 430 stores, a percentage of each purchase (up to 26%) can be donated to BRCA. And each new person who registers at iGive.com between now and July 31 can raise an additional $5 for BRCA, if they make one purchase via iGive.com within 45 days of joining. See the list of participating merchants at www.iGive.com/html/merchantlist.cfm. Then visit www.iGive.com/html/refer.cfm?causeid=23639 to join iGive.com and support BRCA.

BRCA 2002 Financial Report

Financially, 2002 was a very good year for BRCA. Membership grew by more than 50 percent, and all programs ended the year in a strong financial position. The 2002 financial results are shown below:

Notes: 1. The 2002 Form 990, the report BRCA makes to the IRS each year, has been submitted. The report deadline each year is May 15. All nonprofits with income more than $25,000 must file one. The form is available for public inspection. A copy is available at the BRCA office in Belgrade Lakes; 2. It is expected that most Kennebec Highlands property assets will be transferred to the State of Maine in 2003.

Visit www.guidestar.org for a national database of financial information on IRS-recognized nonprofits, including BRCA.

Upcoming BRCA and conservation events

Maine Conservation Corps Volunteer Days - Now through August 9
Help the MCC do trail work in the Kennebec Highlands. (Contact Susan Kring at 207-287-4398, volunteers.conservationcorps@maine.gov)

Kennebec Highlands Trail Work Day - Saturday, July 12
Meet at corner of Watson Pond Road and Wildflower Lane in Rome at 8:30 a.m. (RSVP to Brian Alexander at 397-4877 or brian@redoaksports.com)

North Pond Screening Survey* - Tuesday, July 22, 8 a.m.-noon, North Pond Boat Ramp (495-3600 or 495-6039)

Salmon Lake Screening Survey* - Tuesday, July 29, 8 a.m.-noon, Salmon Lake Boat Ramp (495-3600 or 495-6039)

Basic Invasive Plant Patrol Workshop - Saturday, August 2, 10 a.m.-2:30 p.m., Bearnstow on Parker Pond (495-3600 or 495-6039)

Belgrade Stream Screening Survey* - Tuesday, August 12, 8 a.m.-noon, Wings Mill Dam (495-3600 or 495-6039)

Lake Screening Survey Methods - Sat., Aug. 16, 7:30-11:30 a.m., N. Belgrade Community Center. Advanced training workshop. (495-3600 or 495-6039)

Long Pond Screening Survey* - Tuesday, August 26, 8 a.m.-noon, Long Pond Boat Ramp (495-3600 or 495-6039)

Great Pond Screening Survey* - Thursday, August 28, 8 a.m.-noon, Great Pond Boat Ramp (495-3600 or 495-6039)

BRCA Annual Meeting - Wednesday, September 17, 5:30 p.m., Alden Camps, Oakland (495-6039 or brca@gwi.net)

* Kayakers, scuba divers, paddlers, and observers are needed for each of the lake screening surveys. Come out and get your feet wet!

Send items of interest for future newsletters to Alicia MacLeay, 17 Richardson Rd, Rome, ME 04963; phone: 495-2028; e-mail: alicia@macleay.com

Prefer to receive future newsletters online? Just let us know! E-mail Mike at brca@gwi.net.