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Mousam Lake Region Association |
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| Previous Issues | Fall 2002 Newsletter -- Page 1 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Membership As of this printing, the membership total is 416. A warm welcome to the following newly joined members:
It’s great to see so many new members joining us. Thanks for your support! Please keep in mind that if dues are not received by 11/01, members can be dropped from our mailing list and removed from the Winter Inspection Lists. Please contact Helen Valliere at 207-636-2280 to discuss any membership related information. Member Appreciation
Your support is greatly appreciated. |
Annual
Meeting Following the usual reports by the Board, Rep. Richard Nass was introduced. He believes the MLRA may be the oldest and the most active lake association in the state. He also discussed milfoil inspection, for which there is not enough state funding to provide inspectors at boat ramps. Some lake associations have been using volunteers to perform milfoil inspection. Warden Cooper followed Rep. Nass and explained that he spends about 30 hours a week patrolling and is very familiar with Mousam Lake. The major violations he sees on the lake are: no boat registration, alcohol consumption, headway speed violations, and jet ski problems such as having operators who are too young (must be 16) or operating after sunset (unlawful). Wardens can be contacted through the Maine State Police Dept. and are on call for 24 hour shifts. Two types of summons, civil or criminal, are given out. Most boating violations lead to a civil summons and a fine of $100-$500. Examples of criminal summons would be milfoil violations, underage boat operators, and OUI. Warden Cooper emphasized children under age 16 should not be operating personal watercraft, but that there is no age limit on boats under 10 hp. Any boat over 10 feet must have lifejackets, and over 16 feet must have lifejackets for every passenger as well as lifesaver cushions that can be thrown. He recommended that the MLRA continue with the Lake Watch Patrol as it has been very helpful for enforcement. Debbie St. Pierre spoke briefly about having a power wash system installed at the public boat ramp to help prevent milfoil. Her feeling was that this would not be cost effective or practical. Maintenance and clean up could be a real problem along with enforcement. In addition, every single item in a boat which touches the water (such as anchor lines and fishing tackle) must be checked for plant infestation. Duane Snyder of the Youth Conservation Corps passed out information, Ruth Ham spoke of Shapleigh’s coming web site and a possible increase in taxes, and the Three Rivers Land Trust passed out brochures. Door prizes were awarded as follows:
Annual election of officers was held. The only new Board member voted in was Paula Rose. Norman Baker and Pat Baldwin will begin new terms. |
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