Watershed Survey

Upper and Middle Range Ponds

Saturday, May 11

The Range Ponds Association, with technical assistance from the Maine Department of Environmental Protection and Androscoggin Valley Soil and Water Conservation District, will conduct a watershed survey of Upper and Middle Range Ponds on May 11, 2024.  The survey is necessary to protect the water quality of the Range Ponds from existing and future threats, such as the algae bloom that occurred on Middle Range Pond in September 2022.  A watershed survey has not been conducted on the Range Ponds for 20 years.  

A public meeting to provide more detailed information about the survey and to answer questions will take place on Saturday, April 6, 2024 from 11:30 A.M. to 1:00 P.M. at the Poland Town Hall, 1231 Maine Street, Poland, Maine.  We urge anyone who lives on or near the Range Ponds or uses them for recreation to attend this meeting and to support the survey.  

The Range Ponds Association is a non-profit organization created to monitor and protect the water quality of the Range Ponds. 

Eagles

2007 has been so warm that there isn’t even any ice on the Range Ponds. People have been saying they have flowers and blossom already.

That morning we woke up to temperatures in the low fifties. We were looking out on the lake and saw Dipper Ducks up and down looking for something to eat. Dipper Ducks, a small water bird: a small plain-colored bird that lives beside rivers and can swim and dive.

I mean most years people are out on the lake in fish houses or even cars and trucks, ice fishing.

I'm Doug

I don't fish much. It's kinda cool; I don't have enough time, I guess. Plus, I'm the type to kill nothing and throw all fish back, unless it's particularly huge and tasty. (hard for even me to understand how I got to be such a carnivore).

But I have a friend Al (51 like myself) who seems to love to fish. He got me to invite him up for a weekend; we even bought fishing licenses. I have that 9' aluminum rowboat with an old trolling motor whose biggest problem is that "SLOW" ( 1 of 3 speeds) is a bit faster than you might want for slow trolling. (We didn't drag a bucket to slow it down). We didn't think having the dog in the boat was a great idea, so we tied her up in the driveway.

Anyways, after a few hours circling the lake Sat. morning with really nothing happening down under (no bites), we came home and did some tree cutting (got a permit to take down 2 pine trees hanging over our deck, plus one leafless old birch REALLY angled over our deck). We got the 2 pines down without anyone or anything getting hurt...the birch is a bit more difficult. At this point (1pm or so) Al took a nap....and to my amazement I got quite a LOT done while he was napping. --dragged ALL the pine brush up to the driveway --stacked the pine logs....now the deck looks really good, more sun.... --took (my dog) Downy out in the boat, trolling alone

By now the sunshine was at its best. Not usually the best fishing time, I think it's said? But the dog as a good luck charm really worked this one time. Al had set up my rod/reel with a nice setup:

---- flashy spinner, with a hook just behind the spinner ---- 18" or so behind, another hook with a live worm

I hadn't even noticed the leading hook; I thought I just had one hook, the one with the worm on it.

I got the unmistakable tug-tug-TUG! of a fish, with the line maybe 50 feet out (maybe down 30 feet, 80-100 feet offshore) and it was not a big battle (I was inclined to be gentle/patient). At one point though I saw a jump/breech, might have been my imagination

but it did seem like a big and colorful fish. I kept reeling in slowly and when the line got near the boat I saw: on the leading hook was what I'd almost call a "minnow", I think it was a 4" perch (not as round as a sunfish) with a colorful side marking. Poor little guy....

Then I noticed this HUGE fish that kept coming AT the little one... from various depths like 1-3 feet. (I didn't know he was hooked at the time). I started dangling my net near the little one, hoping to net the big one who seems rather oblivious to the net ... (turns out it was me being oblivious to having already had BOTH on hook, and probably tortured and tired them out getting him in).

I got the big one netted gently, putted to shore, left the net halfway in the water, and woke up Al, who did the honors (I'm too clueless) of grabbing the big boy by the lower lip, exposing the biggest mouth I've ever seen on a lake-fish (it was a maybe 16" 1lb largemouth bass, not beautiful from the top ....mostly dark looking......).....unhooking him, and at my urging, tossing him back. (No pictures were taken).

Since Al mostly got "skunked" (no luck fishing) all weekend, this surely made my day .....year......I believe it was luck from Downy, who was such a good boat-buddy and pretty darned interested in the fish (she spends hours lately, has for weeks, wading in search of them).

As a non-fisher, it was pretty amusing to see the truckload of gear Al brought with him for this momentous occasion :)

Milfoil

HI, My parents live on upper range pond, and while boating yesterday, we saw people canoeing and fishing through the staked-off and warning-sign-posted Milfoil area.

I think that just having signs that say "Warning Milfoil Area, Keep Out" isn't enough! Maybe a skull and crossbones, since it's slowly killing the pond, and signs that state a fine and seizure of the boat if caught by ANYONE.

Have locals and non-locals take down the boat numbers and have an 800 number to call and report them. People can't just keep turning away and hope that someone will stop people from boating through that area if it isn't enforced. I want my great-grand kids to be able to swim here some day too. But hey, maybe that's just me.

Kellie Dury