By Dana Little
It’s been an eventful year for Taylor Pond Association. In my many years as TPA president, and even more as a pond resident, I don’t think I’ve ever been more impressed by the collaboration, effort and persistence of our membership and board members. Facing both triumphs and challenges, all have rallied around our shared mission of maintaining Taylor Pond’s water quality to preserve wildlife habitat, protect property values, and safeguard recreational opportunities.
First the triumphs: In collaboration with Androscoggin Valley Soil and Water Conservation District, TPA received an $82,818 Watershed Grant to implement erosion control projects at individual properties and private roads around the pond. (See p. 10) The grant is the result of an application filed in Spring 2024 and a Watershed Survey conducted in Spring 2023 when dozens of TPA volunteers surveyed Taylor Pond Watershed properties for areas of non-point source pollution (primarily erosion). Project Director Emma Lorusso from Androscoggin Valley Soil and Water Conservation District has shepherded the project from the start and is now working with pond residents and road associations to implement this federal grant. Property owners will receive matching funding to make improvements to reduce erosion into the pond and road associations will receive grants to do the same. Grant recipients will provide in-kind match through volunteer hours and materials. Additional in-kind match will come from the ongoing work of TPA and AVSWCD to address water-quality in Taylor Pond. In addition, TPA will provide approximately $2,000 in cash match through LakeSmart grants to pond residents. We have a busy summer ahead of us!
Another triumph was the July 2024 arrival of a loon chick on the north end of Taylor Pond–the first to hatch in well over ten years. The family nested on the platform provided and monitored by the Audubon Society and spent the summer swimming, fishing and singing for neighbors, just like any happy Taylor Pond resident! The nesting platform is in place again this year, waiting for new or returning residents. (See p. 6)
And the challenges: The boat launch on Sunrise Lane closed in October 2024 after serving pond residents and campground visitors for as long as I can remember. It goes without saying that access to a boat ramp is a critical issue to many pond dwellers. Many thanks to TPA board members Peter Bingham and Kristi Norcross who have been leading the effort to develop replacement boat access since Fall 2023, a full year before the ramp closed. (See p. 5) While a permanent solution is not yet in place, they worked with Greg Cyr this spring to temporarily open his ramp for two days to put boats into the pond. They are working diligently to find a permanent solution and will report on their progress at the annual meeting. As you can imagine, the options are few, the challenges are many, and the outcomes affect us all. With any solution, they will be working to maximize resident access and minimize the chance of introducing invasive plants, which could ruin our pond for boating, swimming, or fishing.
Taylor Pond Association remains in great financial shape (see p. 15), thanks in no small part to the high rate of membership we enjoy and the hard work of members who generously share their time and expertise. Years ago, Woody Trask took over water quality monitoring (See p.11) that had previously been contracted out for over two thousand dollars a year (likely even more now). Since that time, we have built up a fund balance despite not raising dues in over 20 years. This has allowed us to hire independent consultants when needed to assess flooding issues and most recently to help conduct the Watershed Survey and submit a successful grant application. Ed Gray, our long-time Treasurer who maintains our books and membership records volunteers many hours to keep us fiscally organized. Our Facebook page, Taylor Pond Ripples, is a busy online forum for information, beautiful pictures, lost & found articles that float across the pond, wildlife sightings, and other useful issues that concern residents. We also maintain a webpage that provides a wealth of information about the pond now going back 23 years at www.taylorpond.org
I know we all believe in our mission and through individual and collective efforts, we focus on that mission year round. We could not do it without a talented team of board members, volunteers, neighbors who care about the pond (and each other) and all the members who support Taylor Pond Association financially. My thanks to all of you for your generosity-it sustains us all.
