31March 2013: End of Month Summary
Monthly Archives: March 2013
30 March 2013: A lot like spring out there today, and other thoughts
Gorgeous day out there today, I’d say most of the north side of the lake is ice-free, perhaps about 1/4 of the lake total- enough so that open water is now easily visible on the web cam from over here on the south shore.
I’d like to thank those of you who corresponded with me about the recent article in the Lincoln County News. No, I don’t think Butch’s plan to have the dam removed stands a chance of happening; it’s just silly, as is his idea of “farming” the meadow. In the old days folks likely pastured some cows out there part of the year when it wasn’t flooded, and we know they cut meadow hay during a short window of opportunity in the early summer, but that’s about the extent of the “farming” that took place in Clark’s Meadow. We all know why Butch would like the water level kept low- his reasons are purely selfish. I will be sending a letter to the editor next week.
Some of you may have noticed that I went ahead and converted all the old legacy photo albums to new WordPress NextGen albums. I hadn’t planned on doing that but it turned out to be pretty easy. They offer more utility and convenience and do a better job of displaying pictures. Sadly, they don’t handle documents like PDF files of which there are a boatload on the site. I’ll have to look for another solution to manage and maintain those.
Finally, I stopped by the dam this afternoon to measure the outflow from the lake; came up with a figure of 35 cubic feet per second which is about what is expected with the lake level 40″± below the top of the dam. Have been wondering if there’s a way to estimate Clary outflows with any degree of accuracy using flow data from the USGS Sheepscot river gauging station located at the bottom of Grand Army Hill. More on this when I find some spare time.
Reminder: This coming Wednesday the 3rd DEP is supposed to distribute the results of the bathymetric survey they performed last September. Stay tuned 🙂
28 March 2013: Fergusson Response to recent Lincoln County News Article
I don’t have a lot to say about Frederick Duncan and his position on the Clary lake water level but I did want to respond to the article, before I move on. I like Butch and I respect his right to his opinion. As long as I’ve known him he’s been an advocate for lower water levels because of the impact that high water levels have on his use and enjoyment of his land. I understand. The 250′ shoreland zone infringes on his wood lot and limits what he can cut. Also, with parts of his property being in a resource protection district and adjoining mapped emergent wetlands and significant water fowl and wading bird habitat, he is further limited in what he can do with his property. I understand that too, and I acknowledge the fundamental unfairness of it while at the same time I welcome the protections afforded by these laws- laws intended to protect and safeguard valuable natural resources held in trust for all the people of the State of Maine.
Perhaps it is just too bad for him that he owns some of the most beautiful, sensitive, and vulnerable wildlife and wetland habitat on Clary Lake. As a fellow Clary lake shore owner with quite a bit of shore front property of my own, I am sympathetic to his plight: all of us who own land on or directly adjoining Clary lake have found that over the years our property rights have been increasingly limited by newer and more restrictive environmental and shoreland zoning regulations. We can’t cut the trees we might like to cut, we can’t build on our property where we’d necessarily like to build. But these regulations are intended to safeguard Clary lake and it’s associated wetland and wildlife habitat, and I have come to terms with their impact on my property rights. I am but a steward of my property which I hold in trust for future generations. I think the sooner Butch comes to terms with the reality of the situation and stops fighting a losing battle, the better off he’s going to be, because the Clary lake dam isn’t going away and the State isn’t going to let him drain wading bird habitat so he can plow up Clark’s Meadow.
28 March 2013: User Uploads, Galleries, Site Mods
After what is probably insufficient testing I have setup a Picture Upload Page. This allows you to upload your pictures directly to the site rather than having to email them to me as many of you have done in the past. Your uploads will remain sequestered until I’ve had a chance to check them out. When approved, they’ll appear in the User Uploads gallery. I do get an email when a picture has been uploaded but it might get overlooked. If you’ve uploaded a picture an it hasn’t shown up in 24 hours, email me.
The only real restriction on uploads is that you have to be a subscriber to the site, and be logged in to be able to use the uploader. That said, without doing extremely tedious sleuthing through log files (which I won’t bother with) I have no idea who uploaded a given picture unless you actually tell me you’ve done so. So. If you want your upload to be attributed to you, you better let me know who you are. A convenient way to do this is to use the contact/feedback form or type your name into the description field. Other instructions are included on the Picture Upload Page. Enjoy.
I’ve begun switching this years old-style Picassa web photo albums over to the new-style NextGen/Wordpress galleries. The existing albums from 2012 and before will remain available in the Picture Archives. I may convert the existing Clary Images album of picture submissions from the old site to the new format. Prepare to be surprised.
27 March 2013: Landowner opposes raising Clary Lake level
Butch Duncan has gotten himself in the paper. This article appeared in today’s Lincoln County News on page 16. Thanks to Jack Holland for bringing it to my attention.
26 March 2013: Playing With Photo Galleries
WordPress offers some pretty cool ways of managing and displaying photographs but I haven’t had much time to delve into the existing gallery features that are built into the system. I finally got around to doing just that over the last couple of days. I also added a 3rd party set of gallery functions which further extend the functionality of the built in galleries. The results are pretty impressive!
I’ve put together a Test Gallery just to see how it looks, and I’ve inserted one of the pictures from that gallery in this post:
Let me know how you like them. I doubt I’ll get around to converting all the old 2012 Photo Albums the WordPress Galleries but I think from here on I’ll be using them. Eventually I’ll have it set up so users of the site can upload their pictures too. All in due time.
23 March 2013: Branch Pond Petition, Odds and Ends
I got an email today from Brandon Kulik, the petition contact person for the Branch Pond water level petition. He said that DEP has scheduled a Public Hearing on their petition for Friday June 28th, time and place to be determined. Thought I’d pass that along for those of you who might want to go- I plan to attend to lend my support to their effort.
I’ve added that event and those that are now scheduled on our petition to the Association’s Event Calendar so that you can follow along. In a little over a week, things start up again and the next couple of months promise to be busy. Starting on April 3rd we receive the results of the bathymetric survey DEP performed the field work on last September 21st, and the new data resulting from that survey: a revised contour report, minimum flows recommendation, and maximum annual fluctuation. I have to believe that this new data and lake model based upon it is more accurate and better reflects the environmental impact of water level fluctuations on Clary Lake.
18 March 2013: Miscellaneous Site Updates and Changes
One of the nice features of running a site using WordPress is that there are a whole host of options, features, and other bells and whistles readily available and easily added to the site without a lot of work. Yesterday I added a feature-laden package to the site and have begun implementing some of the new functions. Many of these are back-end functions and only serve to simplify my life. Others affect how you interact with the site and what’s available. In no particular order:
- You can now receive news posts by email. To be notified of new posts or comments, there are check boxes at the bottom of the Comment form. On the bottom right hand side bar is a form where you can enter your email address. Clicking submit engages a 2-step opt-in process which is quite simple. Opting out is equally simple. You can also easily manage your “subscription” on the WordPress.com web site. It works. You do not need to be registered on the Clary Lake Association web site to use this feature. Try it out!
- If you only want to be notified of news posts and/or comments on a post, you’ll find check boxes at the bottom of the “post a comment” screen that you can check to be notified by email. This feature requires that you be logged into the site.
- I’ve added a Feedback/Comment form under the About menu. It has fields for Name and Email Address but they’re not required so you can, if you wish, send a private, anonymous message to the webmaster (me).
- I’ve cleaned up and simplified the side bar menu and moved the Site Login links to the top of the page, right under the weather graphic.
- You’ll also notice at the bottom of the side bar menu are a couple of small images which you can click on to see a larger image. One will be a feature an image which I change from time to time. The other… well eventually I’m thinking of setting up a web cam on the lake. To that end I’ve setup up a rudimentary, non-automated mechanism just for fun, taking a picture out my office window with the camera I use for Skype and uploading it to the server. I’ll manually update it periodically when I get a chance- perhaps when I do my water level chart updates. Maybe some day we can even have a “Dam Cam” with real-time updates.
- Beginning to implement Post Categories which allow you to sort posts into various bins for more convenient reading. These are accessible on the sidebar in a drop-down list which also shows post counts. Current categories are Site News, News, Petition News, and Uncategorized. I still have to go through existing posts and categorize or re-categorize them. Posts can be in multiple categories.
- There is now a dynamic “To Top” button that magically appears on the bottom right-hand side of the page to give you a way to quickly and conveniently get back to the top of the page.
There are other features that I haven’t even investigated yet. Enough for now. I’ll update this post with comments as more stuff becomes available.
HOW MANY SPRINGS ARE THERE AROUND CLARY LAKE?
This is a large spring hole out in front of my property. with the lake level as low as it is, there is more opportunity to observe springs in the lake. I also have observed 4 or 5 more along the immediate shore. It has prompted me to wonder how many more there are around the lake. So, how about looking out in front of your property and report on any that you see. It will help in George’s and my efforts to understand more fully the dynamics of lake level variations. David
16 March 2013: Ruminations on a Water Level Regime
The rapid rise of the water level of Clary Lake from -54″ below the top of the dam to -38″, a rise of over 16″ in just 3 days from only 3/4″ of rain and a little snow melt perfectly illustrates why Paul Kelley’s plan to “manage” the lake’s water level is both ill-conceived and fatally flawed. Kelley would like to maintain the lake at a low enough level so he can capture any conceivable amount of rain and runoff without it over-topping the dam. He could then release the water at a rate that wouldn’t overload the ability of the mill pond on the west side of the road to handle the discharge. According to Kelley, the mill pond can only pass 55 cubic feet per second of flow from Clary Lake without flooding his building and causing damage to the foundation. Kelley is currently doubly confounded because of the hole in the dam: he’s not just trying to keep the lake from over-topping the dam, he’s trying to keep it from getting within 3 feet of it. The water is already within inches of reaching the hole. He’s playing a very dangerous game.
If Kelley really wants to protect his mill building from high water damage, perhaps he should follow the advice in his own bought-and-paid-for URS engineering report and re-install the original overflow weir in the lower mill pond and not try to manage the outflow from Clary Lake over which he has no real control.
Clearly, if the lake can rise 16″ from what can only be characterized as a very small spring rain storm with a minimal snow pack, how much could it rise from a large spring rain storm when there’s a deep snow pack with saturated ground? We may get a chance to find out sooner rather than later: predictions for this coming Tuesday are for a wet spring snow storm and depending on which model you use could drop 15″ of heavy snow on us (the European model) or 4″-8″ of mixed snow, sleet, and freezing rain (GFS, or Global Forecast System model). The difference between the models is one of temperature; the European model forecasts a colder storm with snow throughout the region whereas the GFS model forecasts a warmer storm with snow inland and more rain and sleet towards the coast.
14 March 2013: Whitefield Town Meeting This Coming Saturday
The Whitefield Town Meeting is this coming Saturday the 16th of March to be held at the Whitefield School. Polls open at 8 am and close at 12 noon so if you’re a Whitefield resident and you want to vote, plan accordingly.
Our own Association member Sue McKeen told me the other day that she’s running for the Whitefield Planning Board as a write-in candidate. Sue has been on the planning board in the past which of course begs the question why on earth she wants to be on the PB again. I can only assume she feels there is work left to be done. I’ll be voting for her.
13 March 2013: Spring Rain, Canceling Newsletter Plans
The Winter 2013 edition of the Clary Lake Clarion Cancelled
I’ve always been a firm believer in the value of a hard-copy newsletter and 2 issues a year if at all possible, but no surprise, I’m canceling plans for the Winter 2013 edition mainly because it’s already spring and I’ve got more than enough on my plate to keep me busy without trying to crank out a newsletter too. Besides, this web site is doing a pretty good job of keeping people informed and in touch. We’ll send out a newsletter this June with a notice about the annual meeting, a dues notice and membership subscription form, and what have you.
Spring Rains Bring Welcome Lake Level Rise
Yesterday’s 0.78″ of rain combined with snow melt was enough to bring the lake up over 9″ so far (see today’s water level chart) and I expect it will rise a few more inches over the next 24 hours. Colder weather later this week will likely slow down the rate of runoff for a while. As nice as it is to see the lake come up, we should be prepared for exceptionally low water conditions this spring and into summer. This should not come as a surprise to anyone: the dam’s gate is still wide open and there is no significant snow pack left. This situation no doubt suits Kelley who wants to keep the lake from rising to the level of the breach in the dam. For what it’s worth, we’re now at that peculiar lake level where additional runoff causes the lake to mostly spread out over the shallow water areas, increasing the surface area without significantly raising the lake level so the lake is in a position to absorb considerable runoff for a while without rising that much. If you recall last year’s water level chart you’ll remember the large rain events we had in late April and again in very early June which brought the lake up to -19″ below the top of the dam- the highest it got last year. I might add that such water level fluctuation turned out to be disastrous for nesting water fowl, including the loons. I wonder what this season will bring?
09 March 2013: Comet Panstarrs to put on a March show
There’s a comet in the early evening sky these days, Comet Panstarrs. It should be a binocular object. I’m going up to Highland Cemetery this evening about sunset (5:30 pm) to see if I can spot it. The following NASA web site page has information about the comet, as well as a finder chart. You’ll need to find a location with a low western horizon because it’s faint and pretty close to the sun.
07 March 2013: Lincoln County News Article
An article by Shlomit Auciello is in this week’s Lincoln County News. Here’s a link to the online version:
Regulator Denies Motion To Dismiss Clary Lake Dam Petition
It’s a good article, all things considered- certainly more fair and balanced than a few previous articles by Ms. Auciello. It appears she contacted Tony Buxton for comment though she made no attempt to contact me.
I’ve downloaded a copy in PDF format and posted in the Newspaper Clippings directory:
04 March 2013: Department of Environmental Protection Procedural Order #5
The wait is over! Beth Callahan has sent around Procedural Order #5 and an Updated Service List. I haven’t finished reading the Order but I wanted to get it posted ASAP. I’ll update this post and the Petition News page shortly.
Update: Pleasant Pond Mill’s motion to dismiss the petition was denied on all grounds. This doesn’t come as a surprise as I have been saying all along that the allegations in the motion to dismiss were outrageous and unfounded, but still it is a relief to see the decision in writing. As a stalling tactic it was first class but I dare say it did not have the intended effect. It would also appear that Mr. Buxton’s reputation with the Department has been somewhat sullied as a result of some unfortunate and unsavory interactions he had with DEP staff over this. Too bad. Going forward that will not help their case.
DEP has yet to rule on my motion to supplement the record with additional information. They will do that with another Procedural Order in the near future and I fully expect that motion to be GRANTED and if it is not, I’m sure they’ll have a VERY GOOD REASON.
What’s next? Well the results of the September 21st Bathymetric Survey performed by the department will be made available to all parties on April 3rd and by this I take it they mean both the survey itself as well as a revised minimum flows recommendation and contour report. This will be followed by a comment and question period. There was no mention of when the Findings of Fact will be requested.
04 March 2013: KJ Article in Today’s Paper
The long-awaited article by Paul Koenig, reporter for the Kennebec Journal is in today’s paper and it’s also available online at this address:
Accusations, legal briefs fly in battle over future of Clary Lake dam
There’s an opportunity to comment at the end of the article. Please do! I’ll offer my own review and comment later today.
Update: The article has also appeared in the Morning Sentinel, but without pictures:
Gloom prevalent tone on Clary Lake future
Can’t say as I like the title much. Gloom may be what Paul Kelley is feeling about now, but I’m quite elated 🙂
I’ve posted a PDF copy of the article.
01 March 2013: Server/Site Maintenance
I’ll be taking the site down later this evening for some routine server and site maintenance. Chances are it won’t be off line more than 15 minutes and more than likely nobody will even notice but still, I wanted to give everyone a heads up. If you stop by and the site hangs or won’t come up, just wait a little while.
UPDATE: I’m done with the maintenance. If anyone finds anything broken on the site, please let me know.