Towering pines…the call of the loons…the smell of wood smoke from an evening campfire under a canopy of stars…the cool taste of fresh, clean, lake water…the graceful arc of a dry fly about to land on expectant waters…a cabin by the lakeshore filled with memories…

These are special treasures. We want the next generation to enjoy them just as we have.

But things are changing…some slowly, others rapidly…and we are not paying enough attention to these changes.

There are more people living on the shores, using and enjoying our lakes. There is more and more human activity in the watersheds surrounding our lakes. The volume of land use and the very nature of our activities are compromising the well-being of our lake regions. As is common in this day and age, with a growing demand for outdoor recreation and an attraction to beautiful places, our lake regions are facing the plight of being “loved to death.” The health of our lakes, the enjoyment we derive from them, and the welfare of our lake communities are inextricably intertwined.

Cases in point:

		There are almost 100 lakes in Maine that do not meet federal standards for swimming or aquatic life support (1).
		Species of plants (2) that are not native [exotic] to North America are ruining water quality and recreational use of lakes…In Vermont certain lakes must be “mowed” in order for people to swim or use their boats in them. Native vegetation is choked out, depleting food sources for fish and wildlife inhabiting the area, and property values are diminished. It’s a matter of time before the same thing happens in Maine lakes.
		Water quality has a direct impact on the value of lakefront property values. A diminishment in water quality can affect the price of waterfront property ranging from $11.00 per foot of frontage to $200.00 per foot, depending on the location and community. (3)
		Lakefront landowners pay high property taxes. The majority of those tax dollars, in some communities as much as 74%, pays for local education. Water quality affects the quality of education for Maine children.
		If waterfront property becomes less valuable as a result of diminished water quality, a municipality can be faced with either cutting services OR shifting the tax burden onto non-waterfront property owners. In either case there are no winners.
		Economic activity associated with Maine’s lakes generates over $1.2 billion dollars a year with an economic multiplier that results in an impact of over $2.8 billion a year. These natural resources provide employment for over 50,000 Maine people. In all, Maine lakes contribute to over 9% of Maine’s GDP. (4)

We all want clean water, a healthy loon population, a robust fishery, abundant wildlife thriving in their natural habitats, and certainly a refreshing swim on a warm summer day. These are things we take for granted when we think of our Maine lakes.

We need to take personal initiative. We need to educate ourselves, and our children, about the importance of treating our lakes as a resource needing personal stewardship from each of us. As the authors of the lake-related economic impact study said, “If only one message comes out of this work it should be ‘Do not kill the goose that laid the golden egg.’ ”

The Maine Lakes Conservancy Institute (MLCI) was founded in 1999 to address the environmental and economic needs of Maine’s lake-based communities. We are committed to understanding, sustaining, and preserving the value of our lakes and their surrounding regions. Reflecting the importance—and the urgency—of keeping our freshwater resources healthy, some of the state’s leading authorities on lake environments, as well as some of the top conservation minds on a national scale, have come together to serve on our advisory board.

With both the Advisory Board and a Board of Directors in place, October 1, 1999 marked the launch of the Maine Lakes Conservancy Institute as an incorporated organization operating under the Executive Director, E. Shippen Bright. MLCI is a product of the Executive Director’s graduate work at Harvard University, his tenure as Deputy Commissioner for the Maine Department of Conservation, and as a Board member of the Maine Rural Development Council. Mr. Bright served on the “Great Ponds Task Force” which recommended protection measures for Maine’s vast lake resources to the state legislature. The programs and initiatives that have become the Maine Lakes Conservancy Institute were identified as statewide needs not being met in Maine.

The long-term vision for MLCI is to develop a lakefront campus conducting educational and research programs focused on our lakes. The campus will have study centers, offices, support facilities and a traditional grand lodge for forums, presentations, lectures, and other events. All of our facilities will reflect our commitment to develop and demonstrate “environment friendly” technologies on our “campus.”

Elementary and secondary-school environmental education programs—and in the future undergraduate and graduate programs developed with participating individuals, colleges and universities—are the centerpiece of MLCI. Summer education programs for students of all ages are another core programmatic priority. We have an active outreach program to invite and engage people from all walks of life to have a more informed understanding of the value of the lakes and freshwaters of Maine.

Science, art, public policy, spirituality, outreach and education are at the heart of MLCI with the expressed goal of changing the way people think about and treat the freshwater natural resources of Maine and New England. MLCI uses the latest in technology to deliver our programs to even the remotest areas of the state with an aggressive outreach and communications program to achieve our mission.

1. Water Quality Affects Property Prices: A Case Study of Selected Maine Lakes. Holly J. Michael, Kevin J. Boyle, Roy Bouchard, University of Maine, Maine Agricultural and Forest Experimentation Station, Miscellaneous report 398, February 1996.

2. Eurasian milfoil

3. Water Quality Affects Property Prices: A Case Study of Selected Maine Lakes. Holly J. Michael, Kevin J. Boyle, Roy Bouchard, University of Maine, Maine Agricultural and Forest Experimentation Station, Miscellaneous report 398, February 1996.

4. Great Ponds Play an Integral Role in Maine’s Economy, Kevin Boyle, Jennifer Schuetz, and Jeffery S. Kahl, Water Research Institute, University of Maine, April 1997