Friends of Lake Winnecook

05/15/2026

Bio- engineered Living Shoreline on Lake Winnecook

This video was developed, in part, with CWA s.319 funds provided through a Performance Partnership Grant No. BG-99182908 awarded by the U.S. Environmental Pr...

04/30/2026

04/30/2026

Order Native Plants & Woody Shrubs for your shoreline & Pick Up in Unity:

Deadline to order: May 5th at noon
Pickup: Saturday May 23rd at Unity Horse Ring Park & Ride Lot at the junction of Prairie Rd and School St or by arrangement
Feel free to reach out to [email protected], 207-218-5311

Native Woody ShrubsDeadline to order: May 5th at noonPickup: Saturday May 23rd at Unity Horse Ring Park & Ride Lot at the junction of Prairie Rd and School St or by arrangementFeel free to reach out to [email protected], 207-218-5311Click on the plants below for descriptions*Two pere...

04/26/2026

🌱 Springing Into Action at Kanokolus Beach 🚧

After more than a year of planning, construction begins this week on an important shoreline restoration project at Kanokolus Beach and the Unity Boat Launch — funded through our US EPA Unity Pond 319 Water Quality Grant (separate from the Susan Collins alum treatment grant).

This project targets erosion and phosphorus runoff at the shoreline with native plantings, stone stabilization, infiltration steps, erosion control mulch, and improved lake-friendly access.

This is what Stop the Dirt looks like in action.

👏 Special thanks to the Town of Unity for matching support and partnership, Val Derosier for taking on Project Mgr. Ecological Instincts, Maine Environmental Services, and all those who helped move this from concept to construction.

⚠️ Visitors may notice equipment onsite and temporary disruptions as work gets underway.

This is one more step in a larger lake rehabilitation strategy.

Site by site. Stream by stream. Step by step.

📎 We’ve posted the project plans and details on our blog here: https://www.lakewinnecook.org/folw-blog

04/23/2026

Learning from Those Who’ve Gone Before Us.

Today, members of Friends of Lake Winnecook had the opportunity to go inside the alum treatment underway at Second Togus Pond—getting a firsthand look at the process we hope to bring to Unity Pond next spring.

We met with the professional team from Solitude Lake Management, the crew expected to administer our treatment, observed operations up close, asked questions, and gathered valuable insights to help us prepare.

Seeing this proven lake rehabilitation tool in action was both educational and encouraging. This wasn’t theory—this was real-world lake rehabilitation happening before our eyes.

We’ll also be sharing footage from the treatment process captured by videographer Jon James, helping bring this important work to those who couldn’t be there in person. Stay tuned for video clips and short reels from the field.

We’re doing our homework, learning from others, and working to ensure Lake Winnecook’s treatment is done right.

Clean, Not Green.
Stop the Dirt. Rehabilitate the Lake.
https://waldocountysoilandwater.org/news-blog/field-notes-learning-from-the-alum-treatment-at-togus-pond

04/11/2026

We’re incredibly fortunate to have Waldo County Soil and Water Conservation District leading the way in bringing together the right partners at the right time.

Through this effort, both 7 Lakes Alliance and Colby College are now actively engaged in monitoring and analyzing what’s coming into our watershed—starting with Sandy Stream.

This is exactly the kind of collaboration it takes to move from assumptions… to real data… to real solutions.

Every sample collected, every storm event tracked, brings us closer to understanding where phosphorus is entering the lake, how much, and when—so we can target our efforts where they will make the greatest impact.

👉 Important note for paddlers: If you’re out exploring behind the trestle and notice buoys in the water, those are part of this monitoring effort. They’re marking study locations and helping collect critical data—please give them space and avoid disturbing them.

This isn’t just good work—it’s the foundation of a smarter, longer-lasting plan to restore and protect our lake.

Grateful for the partnership. Excited for what’s ahead.

Monitoring Sandy Stream to Protect Unity Pond On April 2, 2026, Matt Farragher (7 Lakes Alliance) and Sarah Whateley (Waldo County Soil and Water Conservation District) installed monitoring equipment in Sandy Stream to better understand how water flows into Unity Pond and what it carries with it.

04/04/2026

ICE IS OUT
WINNER:
WILLIAM KEIKES
April 4th, 2026

04/01/2026

03/31/2026

👉 Our Lakes Are Turning Green—LD 2141 Is part of the Answer!!!
Read the full fact sheet in link below.

LD 2141: An Act to Direct a Portion of Unclaimed Beverage Container Deposits to the Lake Water Quality Restoration and Protection Fund and the Maine Working Farmland Access and Protection
Program. $2 million for lake protection AND $2 million for farm protection
This bill will protect lakes and farms while maintaining a robust recycling program – a model that
already works well in other states.
● Unredeemed bottle deposits are public funds that belong to the people of Maine and should
be invested in the highest and best use to benefit the people of Maine
● There is a precedent in other states. VT, MA, MI, and NY all use unredeemed deposit
funds to support both environmental programs and recycling costs.
● Even after investing some funds to protect lakes and farms, a substantial portion will
remain to offset the costs of the redemption program.
● This bill is wildly popular, with 100+ citizen testimonies and 1400+ signatures. The only
opposing testimony is from the beverage industry. Maine’s lakes are turning
green, and there is no annual
funding to protect them.

👉 Our lakes need a voice in Augusta. The Senate takes this up in April—reach out to your State Senator:

Sen. Chip Curry here in Waldo County:
[email protected]

To find your State Senator click here:
https://legislature.maine.gov/senate-home-page/find-your-state-senator⁠�

03/28/2026

UNITY SHOWED UP.

On Saturday morning, Unity voters stepped up and voted YES for Lake Winnecook.

That vote closed it out.

✔️ Burnham
✔️ Thorndike
✔️ Troy
✔️ Unity

Clean Sweep — 4 for 4.

Together, the four towns approved $52,000
With the matching funds — that becomes:

➡️ $104,000 raised in just 3 weeks

That doesn’t happen by accident.

It happens when people care enough to show up, ask questions, and take action.

Thank you, Unity.
And thank you to every voter across all four towns who made their voice heard.

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But we’re not done yet.

👉 $250,000 in matching funds is still on the table

Every dollar given right now is doubled.

The towns have done their part.
Now it’s our turn to finish what we started.

www.lakewinnecook.org
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For the Love of Our Lake
Let’s Make It Clean, Not Green