Featured Lake
Hogan & Whitney Ponds (Oxford County)

Thanks to Scott Williams for contributing this article!

Hogan & Whitney Ponds - Near but dissimilar neighbors

Viewed from a drone or satellite image, one might expect that Hogan and Whitney Ponds, situated in the western foothills of Maine, would be as alike as “two peas in a pod”. As LSM certified lake monitor, Bruce Wilson’s, excellent photos show, the two lakes appear to be nearly identical in shape and surface area (178 and 167 acres respectively), as well as volume. The mean (average) depth of Hogan is 15 feet, and Whitney is 14 feet.

The two lakes are separated by a relatively narrow ridge of gravel and sediment, deposited several thousand years ago by meltwater from the retreating glacier. This “esker” between them is as little as ~40 feet wide. It is even possible at the narrowest point on the esker, which rises up between Hogan and Whitney approximately 25 feet, to stand in the middle and cast a stone into the water of either lake.

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What's New?
The Maine Lake Full of Sunken Steamboats

With an area of over 75 thousand acres, Moosehead is Maine’s largest lake (but not its deepest - that record is held by Sebago). Its size and its convoluted shape is why this lake has so many water quality monitoring stations. Daphne Merrill’s book “The Lakes of Maine” includes many tidbits of information (facts, legends) about Moosehead (link is HERE - scroll down to page 34).

The heyday of tourism at Moosehead was in the late 1800s and early 1900s. Many tens of steamboats catered to tourists during these years. Following the decline of the steamboat industry, many vessels were scuttled in the lake. BBC Travel has recently published an article about the steamboats of Moosehead and includes links to several videos showing the sunken vessels. These pieces make for interesting reading & watching!

Click here for previous What's New stories

Did You Know?
Invasive Aquatic Plants    
    Where are they?

As of early 2022, there were 7 species of invasive aquatic plants in Maine - in a total of 32 waterbodies (or groups of closely associated waterbodies). The most common taxon is Variable leaf milfoil (in 25 waterbodies). The other species are: Eurasian water milfoil, Curly leaf pondweed, Brittle naiad (also known as Brittle waternymph), European frogbit, Parrot feather, and Hydrilla. Most of the occurrences are south of Bangor, the notable exception being Big Lake & Lewy Lake in Downeast Maine.

Maine Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) has produced a map showing the distribution of these species. An interactive map is here. Read more about Maine’s aquatic invaders on the pages of these organizations (among others): DEP, Lake Stewards of Maine (LSM), and Lakes Environmental Association (LEA).

Click here for previous Did You Know? stories

50K Matching Grant Challenge

On this Giving Tuesday, please consider donating to Lake Stewards of Maine's 50k Matching Grant Campaign. Share the link with your family and friends as many will have a connection to a Maine lake through you! Coming Together for Lakes of Maine

Thank you!!

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Lake Stewards of Maine Website

On November 7, the new Lake Stewards of Maine (LSM) website was launched.

The new website is a significant upgrade for ease of use and a clean, simplified design. Please visit the website and explore!

https://www.lakestewardsofmaine.org

Current Conditions

Click here to view current water quality conditions on a representative sample of Maine lakes during summer, or view which lakes have experienced ice-cover in the fall and ice-out in the spring.

Get Involved

The majority of data on lakesofmaine.org comes from certified volunteer citizen scientists. If you are interested in finding a monitoring opportunity, please visit Lake Stewards of Maine or contact our office at 207-783-7733. Email is stewards@LakeStewardsME.org