Category Archives: Town/Community

Whitefield 2024 Property Revaluation Causing Concerns

RJD Appraisal has completed its town-wide revaluation of Whitefield for the 2024 tax year, the first such property revaluation since 2009. The revaluation represents a 100% market value assessment of all the property in the town and the mil rate has dropped from 16 down to 10.10 mils. Regarding the revaluation of Clary Lake shore property, the valuation of a 1/2 acre “base lot” which used to be valued at roughly $40,000 now has a valuation of $275,000. The result is that while estimated taxes on many properties in the town have dropped, the estimated taxes on most Clary Lake shorefront properties in Whitefield have risen dramatically, in many cases by more than 200%. This revaluation has created a serious hardship for some Clary Lake shore owners, many of whom are Clary Lake Association members. We have watched helplessly in recent years as the prices paid for shorefront lots on Clary Lake have risen higher and higher, realizing that a property revaluation reflecting those higher prices was bound to happen. And now it has. Mainers are in fact some of the most heavily taxed citizens in the United States. As Benjamin Franklin so aptly said, “Nothin is certain except death and taxes.” Continue reading →

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 15^th 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!

21 September 2021: Dry Fire Hydrant Installation Complete

It’s been a long time coming, but finally the dry fire hydrant installation over at the Clary Lake dam is complete. The work was started on Saturday but we encountered ledge which required a redesign of the piping and a few more elbows. Work resumed on Monday and proceeded quickly. The hydrant is actually located on land belonging to Steve and Julie Cowles, adjacent to the Clary Lake dam property. Access to the hydrant is over the Association property. Many thanks to David Boynton for donating his time and equipment and for Steve Cowles for managing this project!

The Clary Lake Association provided the funding for this project and has plans to install another dry fire hydrant in Jefferson near the intersection of Routes 215 and 126 perhaps as soon as next year. Here are more pictures of this installation:

[Show slideshow]

22 April 2021: Browntail Moth Update

The Maine Department of Agriculture, Conservation & Forestry (DACF) and other groups are predicting the 2021 Browntail Moth season will be a bad one. A recent article in the Bangor Daily News (worth reading!) is claiming this will be the worst infestation of BTM in over a century. It sounds like hyperbole but could well be true. The picture at left is a small section of a Browntail Moth 2021 Winter Web Moth Survey (PDF) published by the DACF shows the results of a drive-by survey conducted earlier this winter, hence the survey data are along major roads. The blow up includes Whitefield & Jefferson and shows medium to heavy concentrations of Browntail moth webs along Routes 126, 218, and 215 (South Clary Road). Of particular concern is not just the number of webs spotted (dot colors primarily yellow, tan, and red), but the density of dots which is an indication of how many individual vehicle stops were made. I’ve inserted the above picture into Google Earth. Download this KMZ file and load it into Google Earth. Continue reading →

26 August 2020: State Boat Launch Posted No Swimming

We were as surprised as anyone when a No Swimming sign appeared at the State boat launch on Clary Lake a few weeks ago. We spoke to Diano Circo, Chief Planner at the Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife (IF&W) and asked about the sign. It appears there have been numerous complaints of swimmers not getting out of the way when a boater wants to launch or retrieve their craft, both at the Clary launch and at other State-owned launches around the State. According to Mr. Circo, the IF&W has decided to post all State-owned boat launches. Whether this is true or not we can’t say, but another reliable source has confirmed that the State does plan on taking this action in the near future. Department of Conservation rules of conduct at State boat launch facilities prohibit swimming at State-owned boat launches but the no swimming rule has generally not been enforced. That “look the other way” stance has apparently changed. Continue reading →

6 May 2020: Browntail Moth Season Ahead!

A Browntail Moth caterpillar with the 2 distinctive orange dots at one end of it’s body.

Any day now, over-wintered Browntail Moth caterpillars will start to emerge from their tree-top leaf nests and start eating. Last year they did a great job (?) of defoliating Oak trees around Clary Lake and spreading their poisonous hairs all over the place. The south shore of the lake by Hodsdon Lane was particularly hard hit. I haven’t seen near as many Browntail moth nests in the trees around my house this spring, making me think this year the infestation may be less severe than last year, but it still pays to be alert to the risk they pose to our trees and our health. According to the newly published Browntail Moth Risk Map (PDF | 2.44 MB) however, the towns of Whitefield and Jefferson still have a HIGH Browntail Moth Risk Rating. Continue reading →

02 April 2020: Local Woman Tests Positive for Covid-19

Many of you know Arlene Wing. Arlene is a Registered Nurse and went through CDC sponsored pandemic training about 15 years ago. She has continued to study microbiology and epidemiology and not surprisingly, she has a much better grasp than most people of what happens when epidemics and pandemics arise. Back at the beginning of March of this year she started a Facebook page called “About Covid 19.” Her intention has been to post helpful information about Covid 19 without the politics, spin, and hyperbole that accompanies so much 0f what’s out there, and to offer her unique perspective into this pandemic in the belief that being informed and prepared reduces fear and improves outcomes. I’ve been following her page since she started it, and have found her posts to be both helpful and informative. Continue reading →

21 March 2020: Ice ALMOST But Not Completely Gone

Today could be the day! I took the picture at left this morning from my office window. There’s still a good amount of ice along the southern shore of Clary Lake but it’s breaking up quickly. If the temperature continues to rise today and the wind keeps up, the ice could clear out by the end of the day or certainly by sometime tomorrow. I believe the east end of the lake is largely ice-free today but will check later.

You can check on the ice-out progress on the Clary Web Cams page.

16 March 2020: Clary Ice On The Way Out!

Ah Spring!

I took this picture out my office window this morning. The ice is not off Clary yet, but it’s well on it’s way! I’d estimate that about 1/3 of the ice is gone and I’ll be surprised if there’s any left by the end of the week. It’s hard to imagine there were people ice fishing just one week ago. With the ice on the way out, can the loons be far behind? They don’t wait for the ice to be completely gone. I’ve already seen ducks, geese, and a couple of eagles checking out the open water. What a great time of year!

With ice-out imminent, we’ve stopped accepting new guesses for our Ice Out Contest. We’ll announce the winner(s) after the Official Ice Out Call is made.

2020 Clary Lake Ice Out Contest

I’ve wanted to have an Ice-Out contest for years but never found the wherewithal to actually do it. Until now. Guess the correct ice-out date and win a “We Give A Dam” tee shirt. 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. 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.

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 first guess will count. Or maybe your last guess 🙂

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CLA Hors D’oeuvre Party Announcement!

We're having a party! We’re having a “We can’t believe it’s 48 days until Spring” party! Only kidding! We don’t need an excuse to gather together and have a little neighborly fun. The date is Saturday, February 1st and the place is the lovely home of Beverly and Gareth Bowen at 739 Gardiner Road in Jefferson (map). The time is 7 PM. Everyone is asked to bring their own favorite beverage and a hors d’oeuvre platter to share. Bring yourself and bring a friend! We hope to have a good showing, there’s plenty of room, and it will be a great opportunity for people to get together, get reacquainted with other CLA members, and meet new friends. Let’s shake off those mid-winter doldrums together! Maybe someone will even bring a guitar and we can sing the CLA theme song. Hmmm… do we even have a theme song? Well, we can think of something! Continue reading →

Greetings Friends of Clary Lake!

Here’s wishing you all a Merry Christmas and a very happy and healthy New Year… and more inclusively, Happy Holidays, or whatever and however you choose to celebrate this time of year, this special season that we all cherish as we try to adapt to the waning light of winter. Remember, the light shines from within: may we always be mindful of the blessings we have been given and work to share those blessings with those less fortunate. Continue reading →

30 August 2019: 1st Annual Coffee Clutch

1st Annual CLA Coffee Clutch

The CLA Coffee Clutch event was held last Saturday August 24th and we had a beautiful day for it. All told we had 7 boats and 6 kayaks show up carrying more than 30 people, all rafted together on Clary Lake, drinking coffee, eating donuts, and yakking up a storm. There was a stiff northerly wind so rather than anchoring out in the middle of the lake as originally planned, we moved the event closer to the north shore where we were a bit more sheltered from the wind. People who approached the flotilla from the south (which was almost everyone) had to battle high waves and a stiff headwind before arriving at the Coffee Clutch. Nobody had any trouble finding us- the sight of a few boats moored on the lake was hard to miss. Continue reading →

24 August Clary Lake Association Coffee Clutch Out On The Lake!

The Celebration Continues!

Come join us out on Clary Lake…by whatever mode of travel suits you… swim, sail, float, paddle, motor. Look for the boats tied up out in the middle of the lake this Saturday, August 24th from 9-11 AM. We will be serving hot coffee and homemade donuts from the Chase Bakery.

Tell your friends! Hope to see you there!

Editor’s Note: This is just the first “on the lake” event we’re planning.