I spotted this Clary Lake critter this morning when I was out checking my rain gauge. At first I thought it was a goose but the sound it made wasn’t goose-like at all. Sounded more like… I dunno. It was weird. It didn’t stick around. Fortunately I was able to find a picture of it in the webcam archive. Anyone have any idea what this is?
Author Archives: George Fergusson
March 2022 Water Level Chart Archived
I have archived the March 2022 Water Level Chart (at left). The above-average precipitation with which we started the year did not continue into March, the month’s precipitation of 3.31 inches fell about 1/2″ short of the normal 3.77 inches for March. However, despite the shortfall (if you can call it that), we’re still a solid 2″ above normal for this date and the lake level in March reflects that rainy trend. Our management goal in late winter/early spring is to raise the lake level up to high spring time levels. This year we just got there a little faster than in recent years, actually overtopping the dam in late February. The lake level exceeded the HWM briefly on March 23rd. You can see this year’s water level compared with water levels from 2018, 2019, 2020, and 2021 on our Current Clary Lake Water Level Charts page (see the 4th chart down). Continue reading
Lake Stewards of Maine’s 2021 Annual Newsletter Now Online
Lake Stewards of Maine’s 50th Anniversary newsletter, The Water Column is now available online. There is lots of interesting reading in this 48 page Issue, something for everyone. I particularly liked “Seven Ways To Monitor and Document the Effects of Climate Change on Your Lake” by Scott Williams, on page 9, and “BloomWatch: Harnessing the Power of Citizen Science Through Collaborative Monitoring of Cyanobacteria Blooms” by Tristan Taber, on page 15. I also really enjoyed “A Day in the Life of an IPPer” by Debbie Broderick from Lake Arrowhead. With a little luck we’ll be getting started with our own Invasive Plant Patrol program here on Clary Lake this year. The Clary Lake Association has been a participating member in the Lake Stewards of Maine’s Maine Volunteer Lake Monitoring Program since 1975 making Clary Lake the 3rd longest monitored lake in the state. Currently, our volunteer lake monitors are George Fergusson and Kelsie French and we try to collect data every 2 weeks during the boating season- typically from sometime in April until late October or early November.
Here’s a link to the newsletter. Enjoy!
29 March 2022: ICE OUT! We have a Winner!
It’s Official: the sheet of ice that extended from shore to shore down by the boat launch yesterday and which blocked access to the lake was ground up by the high wind this morning and driven into the cove at the east end of the lake. I just consulted with David Hodsdon and we agree that the official Ice Out date is today: 29 March 2022.
Vicki Grimaldi with her guess of March 25th was the closest to ice out without going over, making her the Winner of this year’s ice out contest! Congratulations Vicki! She’ll be receiving the framed loon photograph by David Hodsdon (see image below). Vicki bought Dennis Morgan’s place on Hodsdon Lane back in the summer of 2021. For runners up we have Jack Holland with his guess of March 24th, 
winner of the “What do you mean 
it’s not ice out yet?” award, and Dan Burns and Steve Relyea with their March 30th guesses are both winners of the “Missed it by >< that much” award. All 3 runners up will receive a laminated copy of the Clary Lake Depth Map (image at left).
And so concludes our 2022 Ice Out Contest! A month ago I wouldn’t have bet dollars to donuts that the ice would be out before the end of the first week in April, based on how thick the ice was this winter and how cold it’s been this spring, which I suppose just goes to show you what I know. If you’re forgotten your guess, you’ll find it in this post. It’s also unusual for it to take so long (9 days) to go out once open water first showed up on the north shore (like it always does). The reason it took so long I think it because it really wasn’t ready! Usually ice-out occurs much faster. Even more interesting: this year’s ice out date is the same as last year’s ice out date. I didn’t see that coming!
I’d like to thank everyone for playing and encourage you to try again next year. I’ll be picking up the framed loon photograph and delivering it to Vicki later this week. The runners up will get their prizes the next time I see them, which might be the next time they stop by my house if I don’t stop by their house first!
27 March 2022: Still Got Ice!
I went over to the boat launch today and took the picture at left. After consulting with Google Earth, I estimate there are at least 50 acres of ice left down at the east end of the lake, and 3-4 acres of ice left on the south shore in Jefferson. I think the reason the ice is going out so slowly this year is because it really wasn’t ready to melt off; we got some warm weather and a good rain storm a week ago Saturday and some open water appeared on the north shore. Then 2 days of 35+ mph winds knocked a Big Hole in the ice cover, but much of what remained was still quite solid. Unusual conditions this year, for sure.
Avian Haven 2021 Year End Report
Our friends at Avian Haven have posted their 2021 Year End Report on their website, and as usual, it’s a real treat. They do wonderful work. From their website:
Avian Haven was incorporated as a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization by Marc Payne and Diane Winn in 1999. Since that time, our annual case load has increased from about 300 to about 3,600 birds, making us one of the largest avian rehabilitation practices in New England. All told to date, roughly 34,000 birds from more than 100 species have been treated at Avian Haven. We care for wild birds that are orphaned, sick, and/or injured, with a goal of releasing them back to their natural roles in the wild.
25 March 2022: Ice Out Progress
I took these photographs late yesterday afternoon. This morning, the remaining ice is on the move with floes lazily drifting around in the morning sun. Here is a link to the full sized panorama from yesterday.
23 March 2022: Still Got Ice
23 March 2022: Ice Out Update: Close but No Cigar!
I have never seen the ice disappear from Clary Lake as fast as it has this year! Last Friday there were people ice fishing. Rain on Saturday and with winds on Monday and Tuesday with gusts of 35-40 mph really hammered the ice into submission. As of this morning, winds have let up considerably but are still blowing 8 mph or so. There is a considerable amount of ice left on the south shore both in Whitefield and Jefferson. We’re not calling ice out yet, but it won’t be long now. Tomorrow we’re expecting rain during the day with moderate winds from the south which change to the east and pick up in intensity come night fall. It’s hard to imagine the remaining ice hanging around to the weekend.
You can keep an eye on things with our Clary_cams (which President Dave Knight insists on calling Spy_cams) and if you haven’t tried yet, livestream them!
21 March 2022: Ice Out Update
Last Friday, only 4 days ago, there were people out on Clary Lake ice fishing. Today there is a sizable portion of open water on the north side of the lake, easily visible in this picture taken this morning. You can just barely make it out on Clary_cam-1 as a thin dark line in the distance. High northwest winds forecast for today will push that open water further towards the south shore. We’re still quite a few days, away from open water.
Here are the 2022 Ice Out Contest guesses. Good Luck Contestants! Continue reading
A Day On The Dock On Clary Lake
13 March 2022: Early Spring Dam Management
We’ve begun our Spring management activities with the aim of getting Clary Lake filled up for another boating, fishing, and swimming season, about week earlier than usual because of all the snow and rain we’ve been blessed with this year. Our spring management includes adding stop logs to the weir to start raising the lake level to it’s spring high while opening the gate to increase outflows to maintain minimum flows, and also to keep the lake from rising too quickly. It’s a balancing act made more difficult with having to second guess the weather. Because of drought conditions the previous 3 years, it has been a challenge raising the lake level in the spring while at the same time maintaining outflows. We pretty much have the opposite problem this year! After the first two months of 2022 we’re 2.5 inches of precipitation above normal for this date. The picture shows Steve Cowles on March 9th cranking open the gate the other day, with Dave Knight standing by with the folding ruler. There are 4 threads to the inch on the screw, so opening the gate 12″ means turning the gate wheel 48 turns. That’s a workout. Today, we installed the last two stop logs in the weir. You can track all the action on the 2022 Dam Operation Log.
06 March 2022: Clary Lake Ice Out Contest Closed to New Entries
I have closed the 2022 Clary Lake Ice Out Contest to new entries. 36 people have made their guesses (below). Now, we wait… for ice out. I have no idea what the No U-Turn sign has to do with anything.
Good Luck Contestants!
2022 Ice Out Guestimates
These are the guesses for ice out. The timestamp column will be used to decide on who was first in the event of a tie. Hint: you can sort on any of the columns by clicking on the header:| Timestamp | Your name: | Ice Out Guess: |
|---|---|---|
| 02/27/22 09:43 AM | Sophie Seba | 03/23/22 |
| 02/27/22 10:45 AM | Jack Holland | 03/24/22 |
| 02/27/22 11:01 AM | Vicky Grimaldi | 03/25/22 |
| 02/27/22 11:30 AM | Dan Burns | 03/30/22 |
| 02/28/22 10:13 AM | Steve Relyea | 03/30/22 |
| 02/28/22 08:35 PM | Hillary Relyea | 03/31/22 |
| 02/27/22 01:03 PM | Ronnie Spann | 04/01/22 |
| 02/27/22 03:13 PM | Linda S Gallion | 04/01/22 |
| 02/27/22 02:41 PM | Rob Rowland | 04/02/22 |
| 02/27/22 08:45 PM | Tim chase | 04/02/22 |
| 03/01/22 09:27 AM | Cathy johnson | 04/02/22 |
| 03/04/22 11:51 AM | carolyn curtis | 04/02/22 |
| 02/27/22 05:00 PM | Malcolm Burson | 04/03/22 |
| 02/27/22 09:36 AM | Karen Stutzer | 04/04/22 |
| 02/28/22 05:47 AM | Geoff McCullen | 04/04/22 |
| 02/28/22 08:06 AM | Thurlow Crummett | 04/04/22 |
| 02/27/22 01:41 PM | June m Lordi | 04/05/22 |
| 02/27/22 09:31 AM | Bill Hall | 04/06/22 |
| 03/01/22 09:26 AM | Bambi Jones | 04/06/22 |
| 03/03/22 03:55 PM | Mary Gingrow-Shaw | 04/06/22 |
| 02/27/22 12:23 PM | Gayle Knight | 04/07/22 |
| 02/27/22 06:52 PM | Steve Cowles | 04/08/22 |
| 03/03/22 03:49 PM | Amanda Knight | 04/08/22 |
| 02/27/22 12:19 PM | Kate Seba | 04/09/22 |
| 02/27/22 08:27 PM | Donald Hogg | 04/09/22 |
| 03/01/22 10:32 PM | Ben Gerdts | 04/10/22 |
| 03/02/22 09:12 AM | David Knight | 04/10/22 |
| 03/04/22 10:10 AM | Stephen Viti | 04/11/22 |
| 02/27/22 11:42 AM | Arlene Wing | 04/12/22 |
| 02/27/22 09:54 AM | Beverley Bowen | 04/13/22 |
| 02/28/22 05:24 AM | Cary McCullen | 04/15/22 |
| 02/28/22 05:26 AM | Geoff McCullen | 04/16/22 |
| 02/27/22 09:21 AM | Sara Roy | 04/17/22 |
| 03/03/22 01:11 PM | Gareth Bowen | 04/18/22 |
| 03/01/22 11:23 AM | Cheryl Smith | 04/20/22 |
| 02/27/22 08:16 PM | Thomas vigue | 04/21/22 |
2022 Ice Out Contest Guestimates
Still contemplating your 2022 Ice Out Contest Guestimate? Well, you can agonize over it for only a few more days! I’m planning on closing the contest to new guesses in two days, at the end of the day on Saturday March 5th. Below is the list of ice out guesses received so far, who guessed, and the date guessed sorted by guessed date. Not confusing at all! Here’s a link to the original post with the contest rules and prizes. I’ll keep this page updated. Good Luck!
2022 Ice Out Guestimates
These are the guesses for ice out. The timestamp column will be used to decide on who was first in the event of a tie. Hint: you can sort on any of the columns by clicking on the header:| Timestamp | Your name: | Ice Out Guess: |
|---|---|---|
| 02/27/22 09:43 AM | Sophie Seba | 03/23/22 |
| 02/27/22 10:45 AM | Jack Holland | 03/24/22 |
| 02/27/22 11:01 AM | Vicky Grimaldi | 03/25/22 |
| 02/27/22 11:30 AM | Dan Burns | 03/30/22 |
| 02/28/22 10:13 AM | Steve Relyea | 03/30/22 |
| 02/28/22 08:35 PM | Hillary Relyea | 03/31/22 |
| 02/27/22 01:03 PM | Ronnie Spann | 04/01/22 |
| 02/27/22 03:13 PM | Linda S Gallion | 04/01/22 |
| 02/27/22 02:41 PM | Rob Rowland | 04/02/22 |
| 02/27/22 08:45 PM | Tim chase | 04/02/22 |
| 03/01/22 09:27 AM | Cathy johnson | 04/02/22 |
| 03/04/22 11:51 AM | carolyn curtis | 04/02/22 |
| 02/27/22 05:00 PM | Malcolm Burson | 04/03/22 |
| 02/27/22 09:36 AM | Karen Stutzer | 04/04/22 |
| 02/28/22 05:47 AM | Geoff McCullen | 04/04/22 |
| 02/28/22 08:06 AM | Thurlow Crummett | 04/04/22 |
| 02/27/22 01:41 PM | June m Lordi | 04/05/22 |
| 02/27/22 09:31 AM | Bill Hall | 04/06/22 |
| 03/01/22 09:26 AM | Bambi Jones | 04/06/22 |
| 03/03/22 03:55 PM | Mary Gingrow-Shaw | 04/06/22 |
| 02/27/22 12:23 PM | Gayle Knight | 04/07/22 |
| 02/27/22 06:52 PM | Steve Cowles | 04/08/22 |
| 03/03/22 03:49 PM | Amanda Knight | 04/08/22 |
| 02/27/22 12:19 PM | Kate Seba | 04/09/22 |
| 02/27/22 08:27 PM | Donald Hogg | 04/09/22 |
| 03/01/22 10:32 PM | Ben Gerdts | 04/10/22 |
| 03/02/22 09:12 AM | David Knight | 04/10/22 |
| 03/04/22 10:10 AM | Stephen Viti | 04/11/22 |
| 02/27/22 11:42 AM | Arlene Wing | 04/12/22 |
| 02/27/22 09:54 AM | Beverley Bowen | 04/13/22 |
| 02/28/22 05:24 AM | Cary McCullen | 04/15/22 |
| 02/28/22 05:26 AM | Geoff McCullen | 04/16/22 |
| 02/27/22 09:21 AM | Sara Roy | 04/17/22 |
| 03/03/22 01:11 PM | Gareth Bowen | 04/18/22 |
| 03/01/22 11:23 AM | Cheryl Smith | 04/20/22 |
| 02/27/22 08:16 PM | Thomas vigue | 04/21/22 |
February 2022 Water Level Chart Archived
I have archived the February 2022 Water Level Chart (at left). The above-average precipitation with which we started the year (January ended 0.93″ above normal) has continued throughout the month of February which saw a total of 4.16″ of precipitation (water), the effect of which has been to put us fully 2.48″ above normal for the year to date. This bodes well for ground water supplies this spring, in marked contrast to the last 3 or 4 years. We’ll have to wait and see if the cycle of summer drought has been broken. All the rain and snow we received in February resulted in the lake level rising to unseasonably HIGH levels, overtopping the dam on February 23rd and coming to within half an inch of the HWM on the 25th. Continue reading
2022 Clary Lake Ice Out Contest! [UPDATE]
This is our third year running a Clary Lake Ice-Out contest. This year’s prize for first place is a beautiful 12″ H x 15″ W framed loon photograph taken by David Hodsdon. If you guess the correct ice-out date or come closest without going past it, you’re the winner. In the event there are two (or more) people who guessed the same winning date, the person guessing first (based on the recorded timestamp) will be the winner and the other less-lucky (but still lucky!) person (or persons!) will win a laminated 8.5″ x 11″ Clary Lake Depth Map as a runner up prize (see below). FYI, the earliest the lake has been deemed completely free of ice was on March 13, 2016; the latest the ice has gone out was on April 24, 2001. Last year’s “official” ice out date was March 29th which was correctly guessed by Bambi Jones. She won a blue “We Give A Dam” tee shirt. We also awarded second places (also tee shirts) to Kelley Doore and Alan Nicholas Decker who correctly guessed the “What Do You Mean It’s Not Ice Out Yet?” date of March 28th. Visit our Ice In and Ice Out page to see all our historical data back to 2001. Reviewing historical ice-in and ice-out data is NOT CHEATING!
[UPDATE]: I’ve posted the current guesses at the bottom of this message and I’ll update the list at least daily. We’ll close the contest some time before the ice actually goes out. And yes, you can submit more than one guess, but only your last guess will count 🙂
Bangor Savings: Community Matters More!
Here’s a great opportunity to make a difference in your community: The Bangor Savings Bank Foundation will give more than $155,000 to 45 local nonprofit organizations in Maine and New Hampshire. In celebration of their 15th year of Community Matters More, the one nonprofit that receives the most overall votes will be awarded a $15,000 grant! You can vote for 5 nonprofits:
https://www.bangor.com/community/community-matters-more
Far be it for me to tell you how to vote because there are a number of worthy nonprofit organizations doing good work in this area that could use some financial help including the Clary Lake Association! Other notable local nonprofits doing good work are the Whitefield Library, the Jefferson Area Community Food Pantry, the Whitefield Food Pantry, and the Whitefield Historical Society.
Cast your vote today for your favorite nonprofits!
9 February 2022: How’s This For Confusing?
Everyone knows I love charts (and maps!). They’re a great way of visualizing data. Sometimes my love of maps and charts takes me to some pretty strange places. Here’s an example of one of those places (at left). Every time I look at this chart I have to stop and peer at it for a moment before it makes sense. Every time. And some days it just doesn’t make sense no matter how long I stare at it. This particular chart shows the water level of Clary Lake on February 8th, 2022 and the elevation of the water line on that date is 149.88 feet, or 1.29 feet below the HWM. What this chart is actually showing us is the distance the lake surface is below the top of the dam, at any place along the top of the dam, starting at the left (0 feet) and proceeding to the right (98 feet). Continue reading
Lincoln County News: Clary Lake Focus of Maine Loon Restoration Project
The Clary Lake Association will be participating in Maine Lakes’ Loon Productivity Project. The last time our loons successfully raised a chick was in 2017. They hatched out 2 chicks in the summer of 2018 but neither baby survived much more than a week. The loons nested again in 2019 but never hatched any eggs and they never attempted to nest in 2020 and 2021- a troubling situation. Stay tuned for more about this exciting initiative:
04 February 2022: Busted Links: I hate em!
I HATE busted links, everywhere, but especially on our own website. It’s come to my attention that a lot of links to documents & stuff that are stored on Google Drive have recently become inaccessible due to a more stringent security procedures. Security is a good thing, busted links are not. I’ve fixed quite a few already but more undoubtedly are hiding, waiting to not show you what you want to see. If you try to view something and get “You need access” instead (picture, at left) PLEASE click the “Request Access” button. This will send me an email and let me know you found a busted link. Thanks in advance!