🌊 Annual Membership Meeting — A Great Night for Lake Winnecook!

On a hot summer evening, around 60 members, friends and neighbors gathered at Stone Tree Farm & Cidery for the Friends of Lake Winnecook Annual Membership Meeting.

It was a full evening of association business, lake updates, a little local history, recognition of some very deserving friends — and a reminder of just how much is happening around Lake Winnecook.

Following introductions, members moved quickly to elect the new Board of Directors as proposed by the Nominating Committee (see last newsletter).

Nat’l Bass Federation High School Champion Nolan Savage (right)

🎣 Special Guest Speaker — Nolan Savage

One of the highlights of the evening was welcoming Nolan Savage and his mom, Lindsay, who traveled from Bangor to join us.

Nolan spoke to the crowd about his love of fishing Unity Pond with his bass fishing partner, Jack Nass, and about their incredible trip to Kentucky, where the duo won the Bass Federation’s 2026 High School World Championship! 🏆🎣

Nolan also shared his excitement about the work underway to restore Lake Winnecook. As an angler who knows this lake well, he is looking forward to the day when Unity Pond can stay clean and clear all season long — and he can actually see those bass coming up through the water long before he pulls them into the boat!

Hearing that from a young championship angler was a powerful reminder of who much of this work is ultimately for — the next generation that will fish, swim, boat and care for Lake Winnecook long after us.

Congratulations again to Nolan and Jack, and a big thank-you to Nolan and Lindsay for making the trip to Unity and being part of our Annual Meeting!

🌊 A Little FOLW History

Brian also shared a quick personal story from nine years ago, when he walked into his very first Lake Association meeting planning to raise concerns about unusually low water levels — and somehow walked out as President.

He also reflected on the fact that Friends of Lake Winnecook By-Laws were established 39 years ago, meaning 2027 will mark FOLW’s 40th Anniversary.

And the timing could not be more meaningful: our anticipated Alum Treatment is planned for that same milestone year — a fitting way to begin the next chapter in FOLW’s work to protect and restore Lake Winnecook.

🦆 Loons, Water Quality & What’s Happening on the Lake

Paul Warburg presented this year’s Annual Loon Count Report, along with some interesting facts about the lives and habits of the iconic birds with whom we are fortunate to share Lake Winnecook.

Steve Krautkremer followed with his Water Quality Report, including an update on our new Subtidal monitoring buoy and the information this pilot project is beginning to provide about changing conditions in the lake.

👉 See the latest Lake Winnecook Water Quality Report from Steve K. — August 7:
https://www.lakewinnecook.org/waterquality

🌊 Clean, Not Green — The Final Push & Preparing for Treatment

President Brian Levesque provided an update on the Let’s Make It Clean, Not Green Campaign, as we enter the final months of our Matching Challenge and continue preparations for the anticipated 2027 alum treatment.

With approximately $325,000+ raised toward our $450,000 local fundraising goal, we have about $125,000 left to raise before the December 31 deadline. Every eligible local dollar raised continues to be matched dollar-for-dollar by our Silent Friend, making these final months especially important.

The Fundraising Committee is now meeting every two weeks. As we work through the final stretch, all members are welcome to attend! Efforts will include continued outreach to shoreline owners, local businesses, community partners, past supporters and Unity College alumni, along with expanding our reach through a broader GoFundMe campaign.

PREPARATION BEHIND THE TREATMENT

Final sediment analysis, being conducted with 7 Lakes Alliance and Colby College, will help determine the final treatment area and appropriate alum dosage. As soon as we receive the findings in the coming weeks we will share those with you.

The permitting process is also underway with Jen and the team at Ecological Instincts, working through the many environmental, technical and regulatory requirements that must be addressed before treatment can occur.

The goal is to have the science, permitting and fundraising pieces all come together so that FOLW is positioned to move forward with the anticipated treatment sometime in 2027.

🐚 Protecting Some of Lake Winnecook’s Smallest Residents

Also on the agenda were Lake Winnecook’s two threatened species of freshwater mussels — the Tidewater Mucket and Yellow Lampmussel.

These and many other native mollusk species are an important part of the lake ecosystem. Freshwater mussels spend their lives filtering water and recycling nutrients while also serving as indicators of the long-term health of the aquatic environment.

Brian discussed the importance of bringing greater awareness to these remarkable animals and the work that will be necessary to protect them during the upcoming alum treatment.

FOLW was aware from the beginning that Unity Pond is home to two rare and threatened mussel species and made a deliberate effort to address those concerns proactively — even before the formal permitting process began.

We met with staff from the Maine Department of Environmental Protection and Maine Department of Inland Fisheries & Wildlife to discuss the mussels and other permit-related considerations. Maine DIF&W will establish the protective standards and requirements that must be met before treatment can proceed.

Our goal is not simply to protect these species during the treatment. The larger objective is to improve Lake Winnecook’s overall water quality and habitat so these native mussels — and the many other species that depend upon a healthy lake — can survive and hopefully thrive for generations to come.

🏆 Best of Friends Award — Patterson’s General Store

Another highlight came when Dana Mosher presented this year’s FOLW Best of Friends Award to Patterson’s General Store.

Accepting the award (a slate plate engraved by Sy & Lei Laser Engravings of Vassalboro) was none other than Dion Rossignol, current co-owner and a family descendant of the store’s original owners.

Through the years, Patterson’s has gone above and beyond for Friends of Lake Winnecook — selling our merchandise, helping spread the word to customers, supporting our projects and events, and always being ready to lend a hand when the association needs one. Patterson’s and their staff also sold the most of our Boat raffle tickets, playing a major role in its success.

Businesses like Patterson’s aren't just businesses — they are part of the fabric of this community.

Congratulations and thank you to the entire Patterson’s family and crew, past and present! 💙

🎟️ Nearly $500 in the 50/50 — And Then He Gave It Back!

Our 50/50 raffle climbed to nearly $500, with Mike Starbird holding the lucky ticket.

Mike also won the Winter Fest 50/50 and generously gave it back to the Alum Campaign. In total, his winnings from both events came to close to $1,000 — which was then matched, bringing the impact to nearly $2,000 for the Alum Campaign! 👏👏👏

Thank you, Mike! Gestures like this continue to show just how strongly people believe in what we're working together to accomplish.

Nolan drawing the Door Prize & 50/50 from Unity Dir. Charlie Schaefer