Waterfront real estate in Maine, and what are the rules on what you can and can not do without a fine, severe penalties.
Before 1972, help yourself with a bulldozer wading out in to the water of a Maine lake, pushing rocks to the side. Or removing them all together was not uncommon. Neither was a establishing a rolling lawn. One crew cutted of trees, removing all shade, anything vegetation like to hold the soil in place to prevent erosion in to the water.
Oh sure, many folks kept the land looking like the woods, pristine. Resisted the urge to have a lush green, country club perfect lawn to the water’s edge. But common sense was not enough to protect the resource so Maine’s shoreland zoning ordinance was crafted, beefed up over the years. Shoreland zoning in Maine pertains, regulates the 250 foot strip around our waterbodies of lakes, rivers, ponds, ocean frontage.
Why the need for rules, fines, regulations for the DEP (Department of Environmental Protection) and LURC (Land Use Regulation Commission) to administer, police and protect maine water bodies, water sheds?
Because remember a lake that gets so much erosion from silt run off, wood cutting operations in that water shed “drain” from miles away, poorly designed roadways, driveways will die if over burdened, not cared for.
Improperly built Maine water frontage driveways, primary roadways are 50% of the problem. Add to it man’s love of weed and feed to have the best, greenest lawn. Then pile on his removing vegatation along the shoreline, and penchant for building bigger and bigger vacation homes (McMansions) that are no longer camps, cottages. It adds to the water resources stress, pressure on that lake, river, pond, ocean frontage.
On the subject of camp roads, Nickerson Lake, that is south of the Houlton Maine Community Golf Course in New Limerick is the site of a ME camp road workshop on June 23rd. Bill LaFlamme of the Maine DEP will be educating on why maintenance of that gravel camp road around your lake, pond, river is so important. The damage caused if nothing is done to protect your waterfront real estate. Also, another worthwhile session on effective road repair practices with David Rocque of the Maine Department Of Agriculture happens the same day.
Interested in protecting your Maine lake, pond, river, ocean front property and want to learn how, more? Register by emailing
angela.wotton@nacdnet.net or calling 207.532.2087, ext 3 at the United States Department Of Agriculture (USDA).
Think like a Maine fish…you are worried about milfoil, evasive plant vegetation that puts a strangle hold on a ME lake, pond.
And then consider how hard it is to breath thru your gills with all this debris, silt coming in to the Maine lake.
Gushing in by gallons, tons and hurting water purity, visibility.
The Maine soil and water districts around Vacationland need your help to protect these fish, aquatic plant life that is the good kind keeping erosion to a minimum. Run off chokes a lake and fish lake rolling lawns, where all the ground cover has been removed and water “races” to the water body carrying all kinds of contaminants along the way. Any lake association representative is invited to this Maine camp road workshop in New Limerick Maine, Aroostook County.
Maine REALTOR Andrew Mooers
207.532.6573
info@mooersrealty.com