Grants help clean up lake area

Photograph courtesy of Dave Conley
MEET — East Grand sophmore Kenneth Winiarski, left, meets with Ken Daye, program director of the Sunrise County Economic Council to discuss the Baskahegan Lake Project.
By Gloria Austin
Staff Writer
    Last year, the East Grand Outdoor Education students worked on cleaning up some of the Baskahegan campsites.
    This year, thanks to support from Washington County Tax Increment Funds and the Stetson Mountain Fund, more campsites are scheduled for repair and maintenance.
    But, on top of that, one of the outdoor education students will have a full-time summer job overseeing all the work.
    “It is his willingness to volunteer and take an active role in the outdoor program that has opened up the opportunity for this summer position,” said Outdoor Education teacher Dave Conley.
    Sixteen-year-old Kenny Winiarski, who lives in Brookton was a joint recipient of $4,000, along with teacher Conley.
    “Last fall, Dave asked a couple of us to come and help him clean up on the lake,” said Winiarski. “I volunteered along with a bunch of other people. It’s my community. I knew how bad some of the sites were so I wanted to help clean them up.”
    “Stetson Mountain Wind Farm pays taxes to the state, 40 percent goes to Washington County (TIF) to be used toward economic development in the unorganized territories of Washington County, while 60 percent of the tax is returned to First Wind,” explained Conley. “The nature-based tourism grant is to improve and promote recreational usage in northern Washington County.”
    Especially the Baskahegan watershed.
    “We want to improve the quality of the experience,” Conley added. “The main focus is to clean up the lake.”
    Winiarski will install new picnic tables, fiberglass outboxes, rebuild smaller fire pits for cooking and warming, and put up new signage. Upon completion, all nine lake sites will be updated.
    “Kenneth will also be providing routine maintenance of the campsites and landing (July through October) in Brookton, as well as connecting with recreational users to share the importance of being good stewards of the lands that belong to the Baskahegan Company that allows the public to recreate on its lands,” added Conley.
    An example of cleanup began last year when the students went to Long Island.
    “Squatters had lived on the island,” explained Conley. “We took out boat loads of trash. It took two full days to clean.”
    The Outdoor Education students were the recipients of the Stetson Mountain Wind Fund grant awarded to Canoe the Wild last fall.
    “We worked cleaning all the lake sites and improving them on Round Island and building a third fire-approved campsite.
    “The sites will be completed this month with picnic tables and installation of an outbox and signage,” added Conley.
    Winarski is a second-year outdoor education student, who was introduced to the program his eighth-grade year.
    “Dave introduced us to canoeing,” said Winiarski. “He took us on the Allagash and from then on, I just wanted to do outdoor education. It was so much fun canoeing with all of my friends.”
    Conley praised his young student as a good worker who takes initiative and has a good work ethic.
    “I would like to see everyone making sure they leave the campsites clean because I have been out there  and people bring trash and leave it when they are done,” said Winiarski. “I like to go out there and see all the islands and campsites clean.”
    Once the lake is completed, the next step is cleaning up three river sites — Topsfield to Baskahegan Lake, Baskahegan Lake to Danforth and Danforth to the Mattawamkeag, all river sections — to help promote wilderness travel for canoe groups who want to stay overnight.
    “Project updates will be submitted to the Maine Atlas and Gazetteer, along with the Maine AMC River Guide and Chamber of Commerce,” said Conley. “We want to get the word out to check out this 25 to 30 mile trip with improved campsites. We want to bring people to the area to appreciate and use the waterway.”
    The East Grand Outdoor Education Program began in 1995 with Todd Willard. Conley took over the program and has been more consistent with overseeing it the last two or three years.