Pierce Pond Watershed Trust

Land protection mwwt works cooperatively with other Watershed landowners to conserve the wildlife, water quality, and other natural resources of the Pierce Pond Watershed. Mwwt has conserved 10,500 acres and over 30 miles of shoreline, through the purchase of conservation easements and land. Mwwt has established agreements with two sporting camps to ensure the continued traditional operation of these historic camps. In 2023 mwwt continued its efforts in support of acquisition of the 6,800 acres of Watershed lands that are currently under commercial timber management. Upon learning of personnel changes at weyerhaeuser company, mwwt's leadership met with the new staff to remind them of where we stand and what our goals are, and discuss how they might be met in the future.

Education building on the Trust's 2022 efforts at educational programming, in 2023 the Trust conducted a birding tour in late june and an outdoor recreation day in early september, which included a fly-fishing clinic and a mushroom-identification hike. The income generated and the number of participants engaged was small. However, the programs moved the Trust closer to achieving its goals. First, the birding program attracted a first time visitor to the Watershed, which addresses the goal of engaging new people. Second, the education coordinator collaborated with harrison's camps, cobb's camps, the Maine master naturalist program, and Maine audubon, creating and fostering relationships for potential future partnerships. Third, the programs generated data, feedback, and learning that can be used to improve future programming should the Trust decide to continue with its education goals. During 2023, mwwt partnered with Maine audubon on the Pierce Pond loon count, enabling us to increase the scope of the annual count to include all three ponds (lower, middle, and upper). This important citizen-science project -held every year on the third saturday in july- helps track and understand populations of this iconic species. Mwwt's annual members meeting, banquet, and auction was originally scheduled for april 1, 2023, and after two years of virtual events during covid, there was much anticipation about returning to an in-person event. However, the event was postponed by the venue for three weeks until april 22, causing a great deal of inconvenience and disruption for attendees and organizers alike. Nevertheless, attendance at the rescheduled event was robust at 100 guests, and the raffle and silent auction together raised 6,670 to support mwwt's work in the Pierce Pond Watershed. The fellowship generated by a return to an in-person event was palpable, building a well of support for Watershed protection that will carry forward. The 2023 mwwt newsletter, which is mailed to all members and also published online, came out in october, with the feature article educating members about the new fisheries research and water quality initiatives. Results of the loon count were shared and explained and guidelines included about loon-friendly practices while on or near the water. An article summarizing an interview with the Trust's summer intern shared his impressions of the Watershed and, importantly, the results of an invasive plants survey he had conducted. The intern concluded that he was "amazed at the biodiversity and lack of invasives" in the Watershed.

Stewardship during 2023 mwwt continued efforts to enforce a conservation easement that had been violated in 2022. Our attorney negotiated an agreement with the landowner, which included reimbursing mwwt for a substantial portion of our enforcement expenses,commissioning a new property survey, and obtaining approval from the Maine land use planning commission. By the end of 2023, the violation had been rectified and the easement had been amended to the satisfaction of all parties. In addition, the Trust began working on a plan to improve communications with landowners on our easement lands, in hopes of preventing future easement violations. In 2023 mwwt hired a summer intern for the first time, via collaborations with Maine coast heritage Trust and somerset woods trustees that offset a large portion of the costs. Through this process, the Trust obtained assistance with stewardship efforts including trail maintenance, invasive plant identification and management, and education initiatives, and was able to introduce a college student to the Pierce Pond Watershed. Mwwt organized an effort among contractors, volunteers, and our summer intern to ensure that trails were cleared of winter blowdowns before the start of the 2023 hiking season. The Trust also engaged a contractor, assisted by our intern, to install much-needed bog bridging on the trail to split rock Pond. On july 28, volunteers finished the remainder of the annual trail maintenance during annual volunteer trail-work day. In 2023, mwwt took steps to ensure that fox island, which is a popular camping island that had been devastated by a microburst storm, could be safely used again, by hiring a forester and an arborist to take down / clear away unsafe trees. Mwwt also conducted a survey of the island privies and identified privy locations that would protect human health and Pond water quality. Members of mwwt's stewardship committee met with representatives of Watershed landowner weyerhaeuser company during 2023 to promote continued open dialogue about stewarding the Watershed. They discussed road access, campsites, and remote-pond protection measures. In addition, the committee began developing a plan to increase public education and awareness about aquatic invasives. In 2023 the mwwt board voted to create a fisheries and water quality committee to do the following: begin a water-quality monitoring (wqm) program in partnership with the Maine department of environmental protection initiate an anglers survey to record catches and methods and track what fish are eating commission a telemetry study with the Maine department of inland fisheries & wildlife fish movements and spawning locations. Anglers surveys were distributed and collected, and the wqm and telemetry efforts are scheduled to begin in 2024. In 2023 the Trust continued to offer updated Watershed maps for sale to members and the general public through its website, in support of its mission to preserve the traditional public recreational use of the area. The printed maps had been developed in 2022 with the assistance of a gis data technician, and include insets detailing hiking trails.