President's Report 2007

Taylor Pond Association continues to be an active organization. The board meets every one to two months throughout the year to manage the business. We all work on a volunteer basis to keep Taylor Pond a place that people and wildlife love to call home. Our treasurer, Michael Dixon, has once again performed a stellar job maintaining our member database and collecting dues. The 125 people who are members represent one of the highest levels of involvement in the organization historically. The board is grateful that people like you care enough about the pond to join the Taylor Pond Association. You have my personal thanks for this investment in the health of Taylor Pond. It is the monies that come from dues that allow us to purchase and maintain our water monitoring equipment, send out the newsletter and join the Congress of Lake Associations (C.O.L.A.).

The board decided not to pursue a federal grant for more money to work on erosion problems. We felt our efforts would be more successful focusing on the erosion problems coming from residential property. Erosion from residential property accounted for 67 of the 134 erosion sites found in our watershed survey in 2005. We decided to create a local grant program which will reimburse individuals for expenses they incur improving their property. Please read the article by Susan Trask to learn how you could qualify for a grant of up to $500.

Water quality continues to be monitored on Taylor Pond continuously since 1975. All the parameters monitored once again indicate no decline in water quality. We must remain vigilant, however. Creating a buffer strip between our homes and the pond will provide the best defense to maintain Taylor Pond as prime habitat for wildlife and ourselves. I discovered this year that the Maine Department of Marine Resources considers Taylor Pond prime habitat for alewives, an intriguing fish that travels between salt and fresh water much like salmon. Please read my story in this issue. 

Gulls scared off from Lake Auburn, to maintain drinking water quality, have come to Taylor Pond. I explore some of the consequences of this increase in gulls in my article below. 

We hope to continue to serve you well in the coming year. As always, if you see how we can improve our organization, please Email me at danawl@roadrunner.com. Volunteers form the bulwark of our organization. If service to your community and the environment attracts you, please contact me or one of our board members to offer your services. We will have our annual meeting hosted by Taylor Pond Yacht Club again on Sunday, July 15th at 7 p.m. We will elect officers, approve board members and conduct our annual business meeting. We hope to see all of you there to share some refreshments and meet your neighbors on the pond.

Dana Little