Groups start new effort to buy land, protect water quality of Lake Wesserunsett in Madison

Local groups are aiming to raise money to purchase for-sale land around Lake Wesserunsett in Madison, seen on Thursday, as part of an effort to stop further development and preserve water quality. Michael G. Seamans/Morning Sentinel

MADISON — The Lake Wesserunsett Association has announced raising $10,000 of a $30,000 goal to purchase land around the lake as it comes on the market, as part of a new effort with other regional partners to stop further development there and preserve water quality.

Lake Wesserunsett, which is 1,446 acres in area, is part of a greater watershed that is home to a bevy of houses, campgrounds, stores, the Lakewood Theater and the Skowhegan School for Painting and Sculpture.

Members of the nonprofit lake association say a need for a “rapid response” emergency fund to purchase land in the watershed became apparent last summer, when a 52-acre parcel containing 40 acres of wetland unexpectedly came on the market.

The Skowhegan School of Painting & Sculpture was able to come up with the $70,000 needed to purchase that land, and is in the process now of transferring ownership to the Somerset Woods Trustees conservation group.

“We were really fortunate with that first property that we had the art school as a partner, and that all the pieces came together so that we were able to act swiftly with no warning,” said Jennifer Brockway, executive director of the Somerset Woods Trustees. “We expect there will be another property where we want to be able to act swiftly and we cannot do that right now. So this rapid response fund is critical to being ready for the next piece.”

Purchasing and preserving parcels of land in the lake’s watershed is critical to maintaining water quality, Brockway said.

“It’s a lake that’s very vulnerable to development and a rapid decline in water quality,” said Brockway. “So what we’re doing is trying to be proactive in our approach.”

Many lakes across Maine have suffered algal blooms in recent years that emit toxins, drive out fish populations and take millions of dollars to clean up.

Brockway says Lake Wesserunsett has acceptable water quality for now, but that conservationists will have to work to keep it that way.

More than 50 people attended a lake association meeting Wednesday at which the rapid response fund was announced, said association member Bob McLaughlin. Meeting attendees expressed a great deal of enthusiasm around preserving the lake and its watershed, McLaughlin said, and $10,000 to date has been raised toward the fund.

Eric Lahti, vice president of the Lake Wesserunsett Association, said the goal of $30,000 is not much toward a property purchase and really only intended “to take an option on the property, do preliminary things like a land survey, appraisals,” enabling the group to apply for grants to complete a purchase.

“It’s essentially buying us time to get everything in order,” Lahti said.

Lahti described the quality of the lake’s water as “relatively good,” noting that a Colby College study about two decades ago considered the lake “on the cusp” of algae blooms, but that has not happened. “It’s been relatively stable during that time,” he said. “It’s a unique ecosystem; a really nice area.”

Sarah Workneh, co-director at the Skowhegan School for Painting & Sculpture, said that she’s while she’s unsure how involved the school will be with the purchase of additional parcels of land in the watershed, the school is an enthusiastic member of the informal coalition that has formed to preserve the lake’s water quality.

“It’s been inspiring, very inspiring,” said Workneh. “It seems important to make sure that we take care of (the lake) as an important resource for all of us, all of the families that are here or the people that visit it.”

As an arts school, Workneh added that it’s important the institution model community responsibility and engagement for its students.