06/02/2025
PLPA Spring Newsletter 2025
From the President
WILL WINTER EVER END??
Here it is the beginning of May and we are all anxious to
open our camps and enjoy Memorial Day at the end of the
month. It’s the kick off for the beginning of Summer 2025.
Hopefully we had one last blast from Old Man Winter the
week of April 10th. I received an email from Board Member
David Goodwin letting me know that he had received word
from Sally Moore that the ice was officially “out” on April 3.
This was officially reported to the Lake Stewards, a task that
Dave does each year.
Now that the ice is out, many owners have begun to put
their docks in and get ready for the warmer weather that is
expected over the next 3 weeks. It’s hard to believe that we
are already midway into April and that Memorial Day is just a month and half away.
The PLPA held its 2024 Annual Meeting at Camp Moy Mo Da Yo (MMDY) Recreation
Center on July 6th. Over 45 owners attended the meeting. Our first order of business was
to fill many open Board Positions. I am happy to announce that many owners have
decided to get more involved in our Association and ultimately our Lake. Our new BOD
members are David Field, Richard Powers, Charlie Weidhas, Karen Antczak and Archeem
Mosely. These individuals join our current BOD members – John “Pappy” Pappanikou
(President), Gary Lord (Vice President), Peter Lockwood (Treasurer), Carden Welsh,
David Goodwin, Alan McLucas and Gary Fullerton. David Field was elected as our
Secretary.
During our winter meetings, the BOD decided to create committees which will, in the long
run, help the Association grow its base as well as provide a more current organizational
structure. Included in these committees are the following:
a. Bylaw Review – Membership Requirements and BOD eligibility
b. Social – Annual 4th of July Parade, Firewise, Picnics
c. Legal/Financial/Investments
d. Water Quality
e. Membership and Merchandising
f. Website and Social Networking
Many of you have “hidden talents” that the Association would like to tap into. Should you
want to get more involved and volunteer your time, please let me know at
[email protected].
The Association opened its Online Shopping Store where owners and members can
purchase PLPA merchandise online and have it delivered directly to their home. Special
thanks goes out to Samantha Gaudette who is responsible for identifying a vendor and
working with them on putting together a large selection of items to be purchased. As I
previously stated, this is accessible from our website (THEPLPA.ORG). If you venture to
this website, you will also see a new look and feel. Again, special thanks to Samantha for
bringing our website forward to be more user friendly and easier to use.
The Association had another great turnout for our 4th of July Boat
Parade. Many thanks to Gary Lord and Greg Rancourt. Over 45
boats turned out for this event. We are planning to host the
parade again on July 4th. We are also
considering another special event in 2026 as
we will be celebrating the 250th year of our
Nation. Gary Lord will be heading up this
committee and is looking for volunteers
([email protected]).
We continued to be involved with the Maine Forest
Service participating in our 13th year of the Firewise
Program. We will continue with this program this year
by picking up and chipping brush. The Firewise USA
program, an initiative by the National Fire Protection
Association, helps communities and individuals reduce
their risk from wildfires. It encourages
collaborative efforts to educate
residents, assess wildfire risks, and
implement risk reduction
measures. Firewise USA provides a framework for communities to get
organized, find direction, and take action to become more wildfire-
resilient. This year’s wood chipping date is July 18th starting at 8 am.
Special thanks to Mark Eastman and Greg Rancourt for coordinating
this activity. Volunteers are needed to assist Forest Service Associates.
Please contact Greg if you are interested in volunteering
([email protected]).
The quality of our water continues to be good; however, the BOD has had many
discussions over the winter regarding wakeboarding and potential damage to our
shorelines. In Maine, the wakeboarding rules for 2025 state that the boats must operate at
least 300 feet from shore and in water at least 15 feet deep. All of this information can be
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found on the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife. We have also posted
this information on our website along with a map showing the various depths around the
lake.
While many of our owners enjoy this activity, it causes damage to our shoreline. While it is
almost impossible to stay 300 feet from shore on our small lake, owners need to at least
power down the speed of the boat which will at least make the wakes/waves smaller and
have less impact to our shoreline.
The second issue that the BOD has been working on has to do with a family of beavers
that have taken up residency in the cove and have actually put a dam
across our “dam” and stopped the flow of water going to Mill Pond
Brook as well as Mill Pond. We called in the state and had a trapper
assigned to catch them and remove them from the lake. A family of 4 or
5 beavers were removed from the lake just before the lake froze over in
December. There was still one left. A second trapper was brought in
last month and at this point no beavers are currently living in the cove.
The trapper indicated that this beaver may be a “transient beaver” that
actually travels from pond to pond and this is actually their traveling
season. We will continue to monitor this. Please alert any of the BOD members if you see
any new dams or beavers this season.
We continue to fight the Chinese Snails that have infested our lake. A cove owner
captured over 250 snails last summer. As referenced in a previous
Newsletter, the best way to get rid of them is to put them in a plastic bag
and put in the trash.
DO NOT THROW THEM ON YOUR SHORE as they will find their way
back to the water. The snails grow to a fairly good size so you can
actually see them in the water.
I look forward to seeing many of you at our Annual Meeting to be held on
July 12th at 8:30 am at MMDY Recreation Area.
Happy Boating and be safe while boating on the lake.
John “Pappy” Pappanikou
PLPA President
Treasurer’s Notes
Pequawket Lake (aka Horne Pond, MIDAS 3408) As stewards of the land and the lake I
believe it is our responsibility to help maintain a balance between nature and human
impact. Many of us on the West shore have lost what beach we had and we are now
watching the effects of Mother Nature and powerboats as our banks are eroded away due
to the high water and wave slap. This activity affects the water quality for everyone on
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the lake. Each of us should be asking ourselves what can I do to help preserve the water
quality of Pequawket Lake.
The purpose and mission of the PLPA as stated in its by-laws is to represent the interests
of the residents and property owners on Pequawket Lake and its surrounding watershed.
To this end, PLPA’s role is to continually monitor, protect, and preserve the lake’s water
quality along with the surrounding watershed ecosystem. PLPA is also working to create
and nurture a community of lake and watershed stewards, occupants, and visitors; being
always mindful that human interests and concerns need to be balanced when considering
the natural environment.
Attached here is information about the Lake Conference hosted by the Lake Stewards of
Maine and Maine Lakes. We send a contribution to both of these lake protection
organizations. A few of our board members are planning on attending this conference.
Annual Lake Conference 2025
Lakes at the Edge
JUNE 13, 2025
University of Maine at Farmington
Olsen Student Center
Just as a tease they have a silent auction at the lake conference. My wife and I bid on a
pontoon boat rental for Moosehead Lake. We won with our bid of $200.00. The value of
the boat rental was $350.00. We spent a wonderful day cruising about Moosehead Lake
especially near and around Mount Kineo.
We continue to support our lake through our membership(s) and donations.
Our war chest is currently just over $54,000.00. This money has been raised by annual
memberships and the sales of merchandise over many years. When you prepare your
membership dues this year please think about your camp, your lake and how important it
is to preserve this special place in Maine. Last year we had a total number of 60
members. Membership contributions for last year were $2,425.00. Sixty memberships are
less than half of the people who have property on the lake. Please encourage your
neighbors to become members. Membership dues are $25.00/year.
Here are the actuals;
Key Bank:
Checking = $4,324.22
MM = $0, This account was closed because we are receiving no interest and, therefore, no
benefit.
Key Bank Certificates of Deposit
CD – 6772 = $17,858.99 (Interest rate is 3.5%)
CD – 4436 = $32,698.31 (Interest rate is 4.5%) (combined CD’s 6764 & 8919)
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The combined interest earned for 2024 was $2,270.06
I am seeing a decline in the amount of interest that the bank is offering and the terms
vary, (typically 6 – 9 months). They are adjusted every week.
Money earned selling merchandise on Printify ytd = $161.04.
There is some renewed interest in seeking nonprofit/tax exempt status. IRS Tax Exempt
Form 990-N was filed this year.
Our current total = $54,881.52
Respectfully submitted,
Pete Lockwood
Water Quality
The team of Dave Goodwin, Pete Lockwood and Bill Moore started off the year in May with
the 1st of 9 sessions of data collection on the lake. Sadly, after the 1st water data
collection, Bill Moore passed away, and the team and the lake are poorer for his loss. Pete
and Dave finished out the year with the following comments.
Pete and Dave took the recertification on Watchic Lake in June for both the measurement
of dissolved oxygen and the correct use the Secchi disk (a devise to measure water clarity
by lowering a special disk into the water and observing with a viewing scope how deep the
disk can go before it is out of sight. That distance is recorded in
meters.).
The Secchi disk readings, which normally show less clear in the
spring, to clearer in the fall, went from 4.6 meters (15 feet) in
early May to 7.5 meters (24 feet) in mid September. This has
been the typical pattern for the lake, although, this year the 4.6
meter reading was lower than expected. We do not hazard a
guess as to the cause, although trained to take measurements
are not qualified to assess causes. This is left to the Lake
Stewards, to whom the data is transmitted to monthly.
The dissolved oxygen readings are taken from the surface down to a maximum of 15
meters in one meter increments. This is the limit of our equipment. The lake at its deepest
is approximately 18 meters (59 feet). Measurements will vary from approximately 10 parts
per million (ppm) to near zero throughout the summer. In general, the readings decrease
with depth. For reference, fish are distressed when the oxygen level goes below 5 ppm. By
August of this year, the dissolved oxygen at the 10 meter level and lower was at or below
5 ppm for the remainder of the summer. This data is also transmitted monthly to Lake
Stewards.
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In summary, 22 different data are taken, resulting in 198 observations taken this year.
For the year, the dissolved oxygen meter was checked by the Lake Stewards and
calibrated and is in good condition. New membranes and fluid for the sensor were ordered
at the end of the year. The viewing scope for developed a leak around its lens and was
repaired by the team and is good condition. The disk which has black and white quarters
was repainted and is in good condition. And finally, on one windy day, the anchor was not
holding and as the boat was being repositioned the anchor line was cut by the motor’s
propeller and anchor, chain and 50 feet of nylon rope now reside on the bottom.
The Chinese Mystery Snails have been identified in our Lake. They are half again as large
as the largest native Maine snails, about the size of a golf ball. If found, they should be
killed and disposed of.
Respectfully written,
Pete Lockwood
Merchandise
We continue to make improvements and additions to
the website and the online store. If there is anything
that people would like to see on the website or products
in the store, please reach out to Samantha Gaudette
([email protected]).
Fishing Derby
This year’s fishing derby, sponsored by the Standish Fish and Game club, was a success.
In speaking with the President of the club, Gary Lord was told that a total of 16 fish made
the board. The derby raised money for the Bonnie Eagle middle school for the purchase of
back packs and supplies for those in need.
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Save the Date
Annual PLPA Meeting:
Saturday, July 12th at 8:30 AM at the Moy Mo Da Yo Recreation Area
Boat Parade:
Friday, July 4th at 11:00 AM (meet in front of Moy Mo Da Yo Beach at 10:45am)
Wood Chipping:
Friday, July 18th, starting at 8 AM. Forms can be found on the PLPA website and attached
below. Please return the completed form to Mark Eastman ([email protected]).
If you would like to volunteer, please contact Greg Rancourt ([email protected]).
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PLPA 2025 Dues
Please send your dues payment to: Pete Lockwood
139 Mountain Road
Raymond, ME 04071
Name:
Camp Address:
Mailing Address:
Email:
Camp Phone:
Winter Phone:
Cell Phone:
Dues Enclosed:
Minimum Donation - $25. Any other amount is appreciated.
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Preserving the health and culture of Pequawket Lake through stewardship, education, and outreach. Upcoming Events NewsSpring NewsletterOur Spring Newsletter is hot off the press! Hear about how last year’s annual meeting went, stay up-to-date about Lake News, and mark your calendars for upcoming e...
