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Belgrade Area Youngsters Experience "Watershed" Moment

September 03, 2008 - BELGRADE -- Ten-year-old Nathan Schnee of Rome scooped his plastic spoon into the box of "stream critters" in search of live bugs that inhabit area streams and lakes.

Nearby Clara, Emma, Heath and Hannah Lawry of Belgrade sprayed make-believe rain on a model demonstration of a lake that showed polluted run-off coming from adjacent farmland and businesses.

Other children stepped on pretend lakes in a game of "musical milfoil" to learn how their ecological footprint plays a role in keeping lakes clean.

Like dozens of young people at the first-ever Belgrade Lakes Aquafest on Saturday, these children were learning how the entire 13-town watershed system affects the waters of the Belgrade Lakes Region.

Sponsored by the Belgrade Regional Conservation Alliance and leaders of other pond associations in the region, the events at the Center For All Seasons off Route 27 featured an educational walk through a series models and demonstrations and rides on the Melinda Ann Floating Classroom operated by the Maine Lakes Conservancy Institute. Foot races, kayak races, and a scavenger hunt rounded out the warm and sunny afternoon on the shores of Great Pond.

Each child was issued a "passport," signed at each of the education tables on the tour. A completed passport earned a young traveler an ice cream at the end of the trip, according to Maggie Shannon, executive director of the Maine Congress of Lake Associations.

"The idea is to raise awareness that wherever you are -- Vienna, Rome or Sidney -- you live in a watershed and every time it rains, water washes over the land," Shannon said, pointing to a large poster board map of the Belgrade Lakes Region. "What happens on land ends up in the lakes. We're trying to get the (children) to feel the experience. "

The Musical Milfoil demonstration -- done by the McGrath Pond and Salmon Lake association and guarded by the "milfoil monster" -- was a lake variety of musical chairs. When the music stopped, each child stopped on a lake cutout and read the associated message under his feet, such as: Don't forget to check under the boat trailer for Milfoil.

"We've put a half-million dollars of federal money into this watershed for projects to stop erosion, and still we're losing the battle," Shannon said. "All seven are on the list of at-risk lakes. Unless we wake up that the lakes are fragile, they will turn green, become a liability and are going to be an expense instead of fun."

Down near the shore, Phil Mulville, a lake science educator, provided boat tours around the lake on the Melinda Ann, a 30-foot pontoon boat outfitted with computerized, hands-on lessons about what lies beneath the surface of the lake. More than $250,000 of high-tech equipment, including a submersible camera that swims beneath the surface, were there to teach the young people, Shannon said.

"The surface of a lake is not a highway, it's a living system," she said.

Dick Greenan, board member of Belgrade Regional Conservation Alliance, said later in the day a "geo-catching" scavenger hunt would include hunting for a box under a rock using a global positioning system.

Dennis Morang, store manager for Eastern Mountain Sports, and floor supervisor Craig Nelson offered a free kayak clinic, and later in the afternoon, a kayak race was planned.

At the end of the tour, children were treated to a crafts and dye table sponsored by the Belgrade Lakes Association.

A successful reception the night before drew more than 160 participants, according to Peter Kallin, executive director of the Belgrade Regional Conservation Alliance.

"It's just really good to get the kids out and learning about the watershed," Kallin said.

"Plus it gets the kids outdoors," said Charlie Baeder, alliance president.

08/31/2008
BY DARLA L. PICKETT, Staff Writer, Kennebec Journal


Lakes: Great Pond, Salmon (Ellis) Pond
Regions: Belgrade


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