9069-R4_ML&P_LSLA_2024_SummerNewsletter_Web

Watershed Thoughts Layne J. Albert

L ast year, the Little Sebago Lake Association’s Historical committee produced a brochure with photos from the 20’s, 30’s, 40’s, 50’s, 60’s and on of our lake for our Centennial Celebration. The old photos of the lake show that the shoreline was generously planted with tall and mid-sized trees, shrubbery, ground cover of various sorts and other native plants. Kayaks and canoes were in most of the photos and only a few camps were visible from the lake. The lake was crystal clear. Increasing Runoff Erosion . Over time, we began to develop the lakeshore. We tore down the camps that existed and built beautiful homes with driveways and walkways to the lake. We cut down the trees and bushes that got in the way of our access and view of the lake. We ripped out the shrubbery and ground cover to make sandy beaches. We built docks and walkways to the lake. All of this we did to improve our enjoyment of the lake. What used to be a few camps tucked into the trees around Little Sebago Lake became a fully developed lakefront with houses and beaches. Run-off erosion has become more of an issue as we have removed a lot of the runoff absorbing plants and replaced them with permanent structures and open paths to the lake. Increasing Undercut Erosion. In addition, we began to put different water toys on the lake – speed boats, wake boats, pontoons, wave runners, etc. Years ago, our lake didn’t see activity from these boats, but rather hosted more peaceful canoes, kayaks and other less motorized water toys. The wind and storms caused most of the erosion at our lakefront. Now, our boat waves are speeding up the naturally slow process of erosion, causing excess nutrients to fall into the lake. Waves are also destroying habitat by damaging sensitive plants and bird nests. This is especially true for our iconic loons which nest mere inches from shore. Simpler Solutions to Protecting Our Lake. We don’t have to remove our homes and give up our water toys to reverse the negative effects that development and wave-creating water toys have on our lake. Instead, we just need to be aware of our actions and how they affect the lake, positively or negatively. We can make smarter choices about our homes and water activity so that we make a positive impact on our lake’s quality. We need to respect the balance that our lake needs and not pollute or add unnecessary nutrients to the lake. Our actions over time have stressed our lake in such a way that, with hotter summers and warmer winters, we have begun to create a breeding ground for algae. Indeed, last season, we experienced a few agal blooms like we have never seen before

on our lake. These ugly green smelly formations inhibit our enjoyment and decrease the value of our properties and lake. A combination of nutrients (phosphorus and nitrogen) entering the lake and warmer temperatures has led to an undesirable situation for our lake. The sources of pollution to our lake are either from runoff over our land or from shoreline erosion caused mostly by waves beating at the shoreline. We can take actions to mitigate both sources of pollution and maintain or even improve our water quality. Tackling Runoff Pollution . As we have pointed out in the LakeSmart program , the most important aspect of your home (as far as lake quality is concerned) is the buffer zone – the area of land from the lakeshore up to your home. Let’s say it’s the 10 – 15 feet in front of the lakeshore. A LakeSmart home has a significantly well planted buffer zone that allows runoff to be absorbed by multiple layers of planting. The plants absorb the nutrients and filter clean water to the lake. Runoff that does not infiltrate takes unnecessary nutrients to the lake feeding the algae. Shoreline planting also adds stability preventing undercut erosion. We have spent a lot of time during our annual meetings and in communications discussing the benefits of a LakeSmart evaluation and what a LakeSmart home looks like. You can also visit www.lakesmart.org to see the LakeSmart brochure we hand out at our annual meetings and to learn more about what your home could look like. Another source is www.yardscaping.org to get information on planting and yard management, all of which will protect our lake. At www.lakes. me you can search for “hardy plants for the lakeshore” for information on ground cover, shrubs, small trees and canopy. Cumberland County Soil & Water Conservation District has a very good website to introduce you to yardscaping and other ways to help reduce pollution in our lake. Visit them at www.cumberlandswcd.org for a wealth of information. For a comprehensive list of where to buy native plants on the Wild Seed Project website (Maine Lakes) see www. wildseedproject.net/buy-native-plants/ . You can search for plants by site condition, bloom time, and size at Maine Audubon’s Native Plant finder www.mainenativeplants.org . Maine Lakes has a book online for viewing at www.lakes.me/ lakebook or you can buy one as well. Maine Lakes brochures can be viewed at www.lakes.me/library . The best action is to plant the buffer zone of your property. Reduce open spaces in your lakefront buffer zone, covering as much as possible with different levels of planting (including trees of various heights, shrubs, ground cover, etc.). Fun fact – the Canadian Geese will swim up to a property with beach and a grass lawn to eat and poop avoiding the well planted waterfront

28 LittleSebagoLake.com | Spring 2025