time for a buffer zone??

BRCA Conservation Corps

The Corps's mission is to reduce sources of pollution in our lakes (Great, Long, Snow/Messalonskee, East, McGrath, North, Watson and Ward Ponds, and Salmon Lake). Founded in 1996 by BRCA, this self-sustaining summer program has completed more than 494 erosion-control projects on all seven Belgrade Lakes in the watershed. Each summer a project director oversees two full-time crews of high school students and crew leaders. Projects like Peninsula Park in Belgrade Lakes Village have helped the conservation raise local awareness of erosion issues.

The BRCA Conservation Corps is seeking candidate sites for its work on an ongoing basis. The Corps will do hand work such as planting trees/shrubs, stabilizing eroding shorelines (riprap), stone lining of eroding ditches and building waterbars and turnouts on roads and drainage ways. Labor will be provided free of charge; landowners will pay for materials and any permit fees. If you know of an eroding site that needs stabilizing, let us know. The Corps Director and the Watershed Program Coordinator are available for on-site consultations about how your property may be affecting water quality in our lakes. Call us at 207-495-6039 or fill out a site assessment form (PDF*).

Every spring the BRCA Conservation Corps seeks energetic, committed, responsible students to perform physically demanding outdoor work.

• Positions are open to high school students age 16 or older, who are capable of performing physically demanding outdoor labor on a daily basis.
  Preference for applicants from Belgrade, Oakland, Rome, Sidney, or Smithfield.
• 35 hours/week beginning in late June and running for seven weeks.
• Must provide own transportation to job sites and be willing to carpool when possible to sites around all seven Belgrade Lakes.

Interested applicants should send a brief application letter consisting of their name, address, phone number, Social Security number, age, grade, names and contact information for three references, description of previous job experiences and/or school activities, and an explanation of why they are qualified for the job.

Send applications to:
BRCA Conservation Corps
P.O. Box 250
Belgrade Lakes, ME 04918

brcacc@gwi.net
(207) 495-6039

summer sunset

about the lake

Messalonskee Lake, Maine

Also known as: Snow Pond, Nine Mile Pond

Locations

• USA > New England > Maine

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Messalonskee Lake: Map & Description

Messalonskee Lake, also known as Snow Pond and Nine Mile Pond, is located in the Belgrade Lakes Region of Central Maine. The 3,510 acre lake, the second largest of the Belgrade Lakes, is approximately 9 miles long and is the result of continental collision and glacial scouring. Its size was increased after it was dammed in 1905 to provide waterpower to Oakland's Cascade Woolen Mill and several factories in the early 20th century. Its average depth is 33 feet with a maximum depth of 113 feet.

While power boating is permitted on Messalonskee Lake, the lake suffers from a problem with aquatic plant life (milfoil) and therefore has become a popular destination for paddle boating, canoeing, and kayaking. Because of its unique habitat and conditions, the lake is considered one of the better places to view plants and wild animals, and binoculars are a must for an afternoon boat ride. The flora and fauna are abundant, ranging from singing bullfrogs and proud bald eagles to carnivorous pitcher plants. Black terns, a rare sight in Maine, also nest on the lake and any visitor will be awed by their beauty.

Fishing is a popular activity on Messalonskee Lake. Anglers can wile away the hours fishing for American eel, crappie, trout, bullhead, pickerel, fallfish, shiner, salmon, bass, pike and more.

While popular for its fishing, the lake is also known for its birding and scenic landscape. Whether observing nature in a canoe or kayak from the water or taking advantage of hiking trails, you will be in awe of the quiet peacefulness of the area, giving you unique and wonderful opportunities to catch animals in their element: foraging for food, bounding through the trees and sleeping in knolls. Don't forget your camera!

Messalonskee Lake: Statistics

• Lake Type: Natural Freshwater Lake, Dammed
• Surface Area: 3,510 acres
• Average Depth: 33 feet
• Maximum Depth: 113 feet