MAINE SUNDAY TELEGRAM • July 21, 2024
Maine is home to thousands of freshwater lakes and ponds, offering outdoor recreation opportunities for hundreds of thousands of boaters, anglers, birders and swimmers. Maine’s lakes and their surrounding riparian areas support 70% of Maine’s wildlife at different stages in their life cycles, including fish, turtles, bats, minks, amphibians and pollinators, as well as two of Maine’s most iconic species: moose and loons. Maine’s lakes support public health, too, supplying roughly half of all Mainers with drinking water. Researchers from UMaine estimate the total value of Maine’s lakes to be a $14.1 billion – with an additional $3 billion in direct and indirect expenditures for lake-related activities each year. If you love Maine’s lakes and want to help protect them for generations to come, why not join a local, regional or state lake organization? ~ Susan Gallo, executive director, Maine Lakes