Please Consider Donating to Our
Year-End Appeal
We know this time of year finds your mailbox stuffed with appeals from worthy nonprofit organizations. Maine Lakes counts on membership support, and we would be grateful for your consideration for year-end giving. We put your dollars to direct lake conservation action and programming, either in the long-term (through a contribution to the Maggie Shannon Fund Lake Education) or in the short-term (through unrestricted gifts).
Giving at this time helps us finish the year in a financially sound position, ready to hit the ground running in 2023.
Click here to get to our secure online donation form, or mail a check to Maine Lakes, PO Box 91, Yarmouth, ME 04096. You can also give the gift of a Lake Book with a Maine Lakes membership gift. FMI, click here.
Below are some highlights of our work in 2022, as well as some goals for the year ahead that show your membership dollars at work:
The Lake Book: A Handbook for Lake Protection: This fantastic publication helps grow lake protection actions in communities by giving readers tools and information about lake health. We distributed more than 2,000 copies in 2022 and have another 2,000 on our shelves and ready to distribute in 2023. If you don’t have a copy yet, order one today at www.lakes.me/lakebook. And if you stuff stockings, The Lake Book is a perfect fit!
The Maggie Shannon Fund for Lake Education: Despite the turmoil in the markets as we draw to the end of 2022, our education fund, housed at the Maine Community Foundation, has maintained value. The fund topped $30K in 2022, and we look forward to watching it grow (and putting funds to good use) in the years to come.
The Loon Restoration Project: We worked with teams of volunteers at six lakes to launch rafts and monitor nest success. Even though only one nest produced a chick, we expect more in the years to come! In 2023, we will be expanding the outreach arm of this project with a Loon Ranger program, training volunteers to deliver outreach in their communities designed to improve nesting outcomes for loons.
LakeSmart: We strengthened LakeSmart, our flagship program, with the addition of new staff. Andrea Stevens is now our LakeSmart Manager and Caroline Murray is in a new position as LakeSmart Coordinator. This dynamic duo is working hard to support the incredible work of LakeSmart volunteers. New tools for 2023 include an Evaluator manual, new website resources, and Best Management Practices videos for homeowners.
The Freshwater Education Collaborative: This effort brings together freshwater educators from around the state to share expertise and build a framework for delivering lake education programming statewide. Finding additional funding for this effort will be a focus for Maine Lakes in the year ahead.
Grassroots Activism: With your help, we will work on bills during the upcoming legislative session that protects shoreline, wildlife habitat, and safety. While we always hope for no “bad” bills weakening lake protections, we will be ready to play defense in Augusta and keep Maine’s lake protection policies strong. To sign up for Legislative Updates, email info@lakes.me.
Maine Lake Economics Study: We joined forces with researchers at UMaine for the first year of this study, and then were able to leverage that work into another year of fully funded research for 2023. Maine Lakes will help get the economic information about lakes this project generates out to decision-makers around the state to improve lake protection policies and approaches.
The Annual Maine Lakes Conference: Together for Healthy Lakes: We are incredibly excited to be co-hosting the 2023 conference with our colleagues at Lake Stewards of Maine in June at the China Lake Conference Center. Working together, we know we will deliver a quality program of speakers, activities, and more so passionate lake enthusiasts like you can learn, network, and take even more action to protect Maine’s lakes.
Many thanks for your support and for all you do for Maine’s lakes.
The Board and Staff of Maine Lakes
Click here to get to our secure online donation form, or mail a check to Maine Lakes, PO Box 91, Yarmouth, ME 04096. You can also give the gift of a Lake Book with a Maine Lakes membership gift. FMI, click here.