Clary Lake: A Year In Pictures

A little over a year ago I got this idea of assembling a year’s worth of webcam pictures into a video. Our webcams take a picture every two minutes from 4:00 AM until 10:00 PM and upload them to the server, so I simply modified the script that manages the webcam photos so as to archive all pictures taken at the top of the hour (i.e., 4:00, 5:00, 6:00, etc) in a separate directory for safe keeping. Then I forgot about it. Then a couple of days ago, I remembered it!

So here is the video. It covers 365 days from March 9, 2016 through March 9, 2017. There are a few days missing (including 3-13-16 through 3-15-16 which coincided with ice out last spring for some reason, and a couple of other days in the fall). I also decided to delete all the night-time photos, ending up with 4,651 pictures covering Clary Lake in all its glory, compiled into a video at a frame rate of 10/second. It is 7:45 long. Best viewed full screen with the sound on:

February 2017 Water Level Chart Archived

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February 2017

I have archived the February 2017 Water Level Chart (at left). The most notable feature of the February chart is how relatively stable the lake level was for the month, considering we received 1.44″ of precipitation, well below the average precipitation for February of 2.44″ (for Augusta). The lake level started the month at -37″ below the Normal High Water Mark (NHWM) and dropped to a low of -44.6″ on February 21st before ending the month 1/2″ higher than it started, at -36.5″ below the NHWM. The dam’s gate remained half open for the entire month, though the dam owner felt compelled to open it all the way on the first day of March, an action consistent with his observed behavior of trying to keep the lake level below the hole in the dam which is somewhere around -34″ below the top of the dam. There was no water flowing through the hole when I drove by the dam yesterday.

26 February 2017: Fire On Ice Winter Festival A Great Success!

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February 2017 Fire on Ice Festival. This is about as close as I came to getting a group photo. A few people had already left, a few were yet to arrive.

The Winter “Fire on Ice” Festival put on by the CLA Momentum Committee last Saturday was a great success. The weather was good, the companionship was even better and the S’mores were perfect. By this time of the winter it seems like everyone is suffering from cabin fever to some extent, and it was wonderful to be able to get outside and enjoy the day without having to be all bundled up against the cold. All told about 2 dozen adults and 10 kids showed up for the event. Most were existing Clary Lake Association members but there were some new faces in the crowd including Stephanie Chamberlain and her partner Steve Berry, who recently bought a house in Coopers Mills. Over the course of the afternoon I took a lot of photographs which I’ve added to the Winter 2017 Photo Gallery (duplicated below). Continue reading →

24 February 2017: Prospects for Tomorrow’s Festival: MUD!

OK so it’s not THAT muddy yet but nonetheless Mud Season is here. The field was pretty soft this morning when I drove down to the lake to drop off some firewood. We don’t want anyone getting stuck or the field getting rutted up so people should plan to park on the road and walk the short distance to the lake. We’ll have a few sleds available if you have firewood or something else to haul in. In any case, rubber boots are called for. The weather forecast for tomorrow is mild temperatures in the 40’s with a chance of showers the late afternoon which doesn’t sound too bad at all! The lake is still solidly ice-covered.

I’ll update this posting if I think of anything else to add.

21 February 2017: Winter Festival Update

Road plowed across field in preparation for the February 2017 Winter Festival.

Just a quick reminder/update email about our upcoming “Winter Festival” event being put on by the CLA Momentum Committee this coming Saturday, February 25th, from 12pm-3pm on Clary Lake. “Winter Festival” might imply a bigger event than what is actually likely to happen: we’ll have a small fire burning and will provide the makings for S’mores. You are also welcome to bring your own beverages (no alcohol please) and food to eat. The event is rain or shine, so dress appropriately. Check the weather report so you’ll know what sort of conditions you’ll be facing. We’re not expecting a huge turn out but do hope some of you will be able to find the time to stop by and enjoy the afternoon, the fire, and the company.

The event will be held on the south side of the lake off Route 126. Parking will be available in the field belonging to the Fergusson family where people for years have parked and gone swimming which is located just west of the Whitefield/Jefferson town line, about 1.7 miles from the Whitefield Superette (here is a Google Location Map to help you find it). Today David Knight plowed out a road down to the lake (pictured above). The wind had already swept a good sized area clear of snow right on the lake so there’s parking available.

We had planned on making an ice-carousel but with 1′ to 2′ of snow on the lake, that plan didn’t get out of design phase. We’ll try that next year. We’ll put out some traffic cones and a sign out beside the road. Contact me if you have any questions.

Hope to see you Saturday!

15 February 2017: Temporarily Halting Water Level Measurements

We ended up with 24″ of snow by the time the February 2017 “Valentine’s Day Blizzard” was over.

What with the 3′ and 4′ snow drifts between my house and the lake, 18″ of ice ON the lake, and even more snow coming tonight, I’ve decided to take a break from my daily water level measurements. When spring springs I’ll resume my daily readings again. After this next storm it sounds like we’re in for a stretch of warm weather, and that may open things up enough for me to resume, so perhaps this hiatus may be short lived. We’ll see.

I’ll continue to record precipitation and will try to get at least an approximate water level reading once in a while.

Clary Lake Association Winter Festival Announcement

The CLA Momentum Committee is pleased to announce a Winter Festival event for this coming February 25th, a Saturday, from 12 PM to 3 PM. OK, so maybe “Winter Festival” is a bit grandiose for what we have planned, but that’s what we’re calling it. A notice went out to our membership by email last night announcing the event. Members of the CLA as well as friends, family, and community members alike are invited to join us for a bonfire on the lake. Many of us have been cooped up all winter and an afternoon outside in the fresh air is likely just what the doctor ordered. The event is free, and the only item we’ve put on the menu is S’mores! We will provide the materials for S’mores, you make them and eat them. You are also welcome to bring your own beverages (no alcohol please) and food to eat. The event is rain or shine, so dress appropriately. Check the weather report so you’ll know what conditions you’ll be facing. Continue reading →

Ice Boating on Clary Lake, February 2017

I’ve never ice boated on a snow-covered lake before. It was quite the experience. And fast. Very fast. And cold. Very cold. The boat actually belongs to my friend Brian who clocked one of his runs on the ice boat at 42.8 kph = 26.6 mph. Felt like we were flying! He was also trying out his homemade surf skier whatchamacallit, made from a pair of skis and a windsurfer sail. I didn’t try it.

January 2017 Water Level Chart Archived

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January 2017

I have archived the January 2017 Water Level Chart (at left). The most notable feature of the January chart is nothing, really. Kind of a ho-hum chart if you ask me. The lake level was at -48″ below the normal high water mark (HWM) at the start of the month and ended the month at -36.5″ or about a foot higher. The lake level was severely low for the whole summer and fall so seeing the lake rise marginally higher has been comforting. That said, the gate on the dam has been open about half way for the entire month, considerably more than the opening called for in the Water Level Order. Anyway you want look at it, the dam owner is still in clear violation of the Clary Lake water level order.

We received 2.84″ of precipitation during the month, some in the form of snow and some as rain. Average precipitation for January is 2.6″ so we’re starting the month a little ahead for a change.  We started this year in Severe drought (drought intensity D2) but we’re now in Moderate drought (drought intensity D1) however with the ground frozen, very little water is going to get into the water table until spring.

 

21 January 2016: Paul Kelley Introduces himself to the Whitefield Selectboard

Paul Kelley attended the regularly scheduled open (public) meeting of the Whitefield Selectboard on the evening of January 17th to discuss with them issues he has with some Town records, in particular certain Planning Board Meeting minutes. Reference may be had to the following letter which he presented to the Board in open session, which clearly explains his concerns, and what he would like to Town to do about them.

Here is the letter, presented without further comment:

Kelley Letter to Whitefield Selectboard January 17, 2017

It is not clear whether the Town intends to respond to this letter.

16 January 2017: Small Plane Over Clary Lake

It’s been a fun couple of days on Clary Lake what with good ice and better weather. Today a friend of mine flew up from southern Maine in his Canard aeroplane to check out the ice boats on Damariscotta lake. On his way back he buzzed Clary Lake and took this video. I expected him so I went out to watch. If you look closely you can actually see me standing out on the ice along with a green lawn chair:

He made several passes over the lake. On his second one I got this video of him:

01 January 2017: Happy New Year from the Clary Lake Association

The Clary Lake Association Board wishes you all a very Happy New Year and hope you find peace and prosperity in the coming year. We look forward to continuing to serve you in 2017 and remain deeply committed to doing everything in our power to bring about a final and lasting resolution of the Clary Lake water level crisis, and better serve the interests of all Clary Lake shore owners in the coming year. We will of course need your help to achieve these and other goals, and we look forward to your continued support of our organization. 2016 saw a record increase in Association membership, and unparalleled participation by our members. The coming year is going to require that much and more. We’re counting on you to help keep up the momentum!

I had toyed with the idea of sending around a “Year-End Survey” to our membership soliciting comments and suggestions for the year ahead, but I’ve decided instead to keep it simple and use our website forum to invite comments and suggestions from both members and non-members alike. Please let us know how the Clary Lake Association can better serve you- our members, and our community, this coming year. Our handy (and anonymous if you want!) Contact & Feedback form works well for this purpose, or you can contact me (or the Board) directly with your suggestions. We really do want to hear from you, whatever it is you have to say.

A good example of such a suggestion, and one which has been a personal goal of mine for some time now, is for the Clary Lake Association see to having several dry fire hydrants installed in key locations around the lake to provide year round access to water for fighting fires. These hydrants would result in a lower ISO rating for the Whitefield and Jefferson communities which would directly translate into lower fire insurance premiums. This suggestion is already on the table for discussion at our next Board meeting.

So give it some thought. We look forward to hearing from you.

December 2016 Water Level Chart Archived

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December 2016

And so we come to the end of another year (#5) of water level measurements. I have archived the December 2016 Water Level Chart (at left) and the Whole Year 2016 chart (see below). The most notable feature of the December chart is the the fact that lake only came up 8.76″ over the course of the month despite us having received 3.88″ of precipitation; this is a runoff multiplier of only 2.25X or about 1/2 of what it should be this time of year, even with a low water table. No doubt the reason for this is because the dam’s gate was mostly open for almost the entire month. Normally with the ground frozen and having received that much rain, the lake would have risen twice as much. Continue reading →

29 December 2016: Happy New Year and End of Year Test Post

Because I can’t leave well enough alone and I needed something to post about. I’m testing some new software to automatically submit new website posts to Facebook. The current system I’ve been using usually (but not always) posts to Facebook OK but it doesn’t post to Google+ at all. It also uses a backend plugin that is a real pig and I’m trying to get rid of it. Slowly I’m phasing out its various functions. This publicize to Facebook feature is one of the functions I want to replace. Our Clary Lake Association Facebook page drives quite a bit of traffic to this website. I’ll worry about Google+ some other time.

Everyone have a safe New Year’s Eve and a Happy New Year!