These minutes were approved at our annual meeting on July 22, 2023.
Approved Annual Meeting Minutes
July 23, 2022
West Cumberland Community Hall
Breakfast
A potluck breakfast was held from 8:00 – 8:30 AM.
8:30 Welcome and introductions
Janene opened the annual meeting at 8:34 AM.
She extended thank yous to all who have been involved in the well-being of the lake this past year.
Everyone in attendance introduced themselves and told where on the lake they live.
Secretary Report
Paula read an abbreviated version of last year’s minutes, which had already been reviewed by the Board of Trustees.
Ted made a motion to accept the minutes; Gino seconded the motion. All voted in favor.
Treasurer Report
Ted reported that the Forest Lake Association’s last year’s fund balance was $17,000 in the account. Since then we have taken in approximately $3,100 in dues, raffle dollars, and additional donations. Expenditures were approximately $8,500. This leaves a balance of approximately$11,600. $5,000 of that is in encumbered funds – money we’ve set aside as an emergency fund (if we have milfoil, problem with dam, …). We have approximately $1,700 in accounts payable (mostly due to the Cumberland County Soil and Water Commission grant).
Ted anticipates dues of approximately $3,200 this year. Our base expenses are approximately $1,700.
Gino will be forming a subcommittee to look at other lake’s dues structures.
Gino made a motion to accept the Treasurer’s Report; Greg seconded the motion. All voted in favor.
Elections
Updated Officers and Trustees of the Forest Lake Association Board of Trustees include:
Officers
- Jan Lavallee, President- expires 2023
- Gino Sferra, Vice President-expires 2025
- Ted Ney, Treasurer- expires 2025
- Paula Curcio, Recording Secretary-expires 2023
- Debbie Hastings, Correspondence Secretary-expires 2024
Trustees
- Janene Gorham- expires 2024
- John Gorham- expires 2023
- Heidi Joy- term expires 2025
- Greg Schulz- expires 2024
- Kim Higgins [Alternate]- expires 2023
- Donald Hughes [Alternate] -expires 2023
- Pat Larrabee [Alternate]- expires 2023
- Antonio Rocha [Alternate]- expires 2023
- Cathy Whorf [Alternate]- expires 2023
Janene made a motion to accept the slate of officers; Kim seconded the motion. All voted in favor.
Boating Safety
Janene advised that counterclockwise boating is the key safety feature of our lake.
She reminded those in attendance that sailboats have the right of way over motor boats.
Karen Hall suggested that distance swimmer’s use a swimmers’ buoy for visibility.
Ed Keenan commented that we’re a small lake, and with the tubing, jet skiing, and boating, we don’t want anyone to get run over. You have to know the rules and they are listed on our website and on the Maine Fish & Wildlife’s website.
Water quality
John and Janene have been doing it for 5 years but Janene was hospitalized.
They were able to do water testing in May when the water was still cold. This resulted in the Secchi (clarity) reading being low mainly due to seasonal runoff into the water.Over the years the water has been stable. Janene and John will get out again soon.
We have to have two people certified by Lake Stewards of Maine to do the testing. Paula is only certified in the Secchi reading, not Dissolved Oxygen. However, workshop dates are limited. If anyone’s interested, they need a plan for next summer, as dates now are full.
Karen Hall leads the invasive plant patroller team. She commented that the team did get the lake surveyed last year with each member having different zones to patrol. They are behind schedule due to her own illness. She told a cautionary tale of two lakes in Vermont that were devastated due to an invasive plant and herbicide
Please contact Karen at 207-657-6933 if you have any plant questions instead of pulling them out. She also noted that we have a beautiful, healthy Naiad population. See our website and Lake Stewards of Maine’s for the different invasive plants.
9:00 Speaker : James Paruk, Ph.D
He is a biologist who has studied loons for 25 years and wrote Loon Lessons.
Some highlights of his presentation include:
- 94% of all loons breed in Canada (1% in New England) and migrate to coast.
- They have four types of calls to communicate:
-
- Hoot- short distance between paired/flock members hooting to communicate.
- Wail-”I’m here. Where are you?” is that ‘oo-oooooo’ sound
- Tremolo- is a high anxiety call – the loon is anxious, missing its partner, things have escalated. It is not not a good thing.
- Yodel-”I’m here and willing to defend” squeaky squeaky sound
- Loons do not mate for life. They usually mate for 6 years and average 2.5 partners.
- They live for 30 plus years.
- There is a 27-28 day incubation period for chick and are born by July 10th.
- If not successful, loons will try as many as 3 different times in one season
but with each brood the eggs get smaller/smaller.
- When a chick hatches, within a day it’s in water. away from land predators/
egg predators but now has lake and air predators.
- Once a loon chick gets to 6 weeks of age they’re master divers .
- They exhibit winter site fidelity and winter separate from chicks and mates.
- Chicks migrate on their own.
- Chicks return to the natal area in year 3 or 4 as adults.
- Male loons can fly 70-75 MPH!
James answered numerous questions from members in attendance. His website is:
www.jamesparuk.com and his presentation is available on the forestlakeme.org website.
Questions
A question was asked about the dam. Jan responded that nothing is going to change with the dam and that the lake level is going to stay the same and not be lowered manually. We will reinforce the shoreland near the dam
Ed and Jan acknowledged Janene’s long commitment and hard work to the lake association.
Adjournment
Ted made a motion to adjourn the meeting; Jan seconded the motion. All voted in favor and the meeting adjourned at 9:57 AM.
Raffle
A fundraising raffle followed after the adjournment of the meeting.
With thanks to the following who donated:
- CHOP- gift card
- Winslow Farm- hanging plant
- Skillins-gift card
- Goose Pond-gift card
- Goose Pond earrings
- Loon coasters- Rod
- Cooks Hardware- garden spinner
- Round granite table top= Don
- Cedar Suet feeder-Pat
- Bru Thru-gift card
- Lakeside Garage- oil change
- North Cove Design discount – Ted
- Wooden bowl – Ed
- Kotzschmar organ concert tickets- Gino and Aura
- Car wash vouchers-Gino and Aura
- Budd’s Gulf -gift card
Respectfully submitted,
Paula Curcio