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REED POND RESTORATION
May 2010
Funding Need = $75,000 to finish the project
($37,500 from you, the rest in matching funds)
Quickly explained:
A new chapter is beginning for Reed Pond. It is the final step in the re-establishment of the wild Blueback Charr and the wild brook trout strains. Twenty years ago smelt were introduced (illegally) into the pond. The smelt are so successful now that they make it impossible for other fish to thrive; the blueback and brookies were near extirpation in Reed Pond. There are only twelve ponds in Maine [in the US, for that matter] that have blueback trout.
For the past two years we have been catching and removing all the brook trout and Blueback charr that we can, and placing them in a private hatchery in northern Maine. There we have been spawning and rearing fry, to be reintroduced to the pond when it is ready, starting next Spring in 2011. We have learned a lot in the process of growing these rare and, I would say, delicate char. They have needed a whole lot of TLC from Gary Picard, owner of the hatchery Mountain Springs Trout Farm.
Frank Frost, a regional fisheries biologist with Maine's Department of Fisheries and Wildlife (DIFW), has been spearheading the project. He has logged endless hours in the field, trap netting and gillnetting, working with the hatchery, writing grant proposals, applying for permits, fielding questions and concerns from the general public, and educating the critics. A lot of weight has been carried on his shoulders and we all have him to thank after this project is complete.
This fall the pond will be chemically reclaimed using a product called Rotenone. It sounds like poison, but rather is a temporary toxin produced by a tree in South America to ward off herbivore animals. To gill breathing aquatic animals, it blocks the flow of oxygen to the gills. In fact, if an incapacitated fish is put in fresh water, it immediately revives without harm. Part of the reclamation effort will be to collect and revive any remaining blueback and brook trout that come to the surface. Rotenone biodegrades naturally in a short amount of time.
Bradford Camps has donated all the flying that the project so far has required. Our cabins on the pond have been used by the DIFW extensively. The value of these two things is over $12,000 to date. By the end of the project Bradford Camps will have donated over $20,000 in flying and cabin services. The rotenone has been purchased, and the hatchery expenses to date have been paid for with DIFW funds, with Maine grants (primarily from the Outdoor Heritage Fund), and Federal grants.
The Nature Conservancy also has been a partner in the program. They have donated money, and also have helped to make sure that the project lives up to TNC ecological standards. We are very happy that we have The Nature Conservancy's support. They certainly lend a great deal of credibility to the ecological aspects of the project.
BUT:
Now we need the final piece of the puzzle. The project is gravely in need of money to finance the final two years of hatchery rearing and growing expenses. Mountain Springs Trout Farm has a contract for $75,000 hold the fish, breed them, rear the young, and transport them to Reed. This is a one time, two year contract. On July 1, 2012 the project will be complete and all the fish will be back in the pond.
The state has tapped all the resources that it can at this point and we are looking for you all to help. A federal 1:1 matching program has been located so all we really need to raise is $37,500. TNC has agreed to receive money earmarked for the project, so donations are tax deductible, and 100% of all donations will go directly to the hatchery contract.
SEND YOUR TAX DEDUCTIBLE CHECK TO:
[Put "Reed Pond Project" in the memo line of your check]
The Nature Conservancy
14 Maine Street, Suite 401
Brunswick, Maine 04011
QUESTIONS?
Nancy Sferra nsferra@tnc.org
Bill Patterson wpatterson@tnc.org
or me: Igor Sikorsky maine@bradfordcamps.com
Links to Support Material:
PORTLAND PRESS HERALD PAGE ONE ARTICLE, MAY 2010
MOUNTAIN SPRINGS TROUT FARM WEBSITE
WHEN COMPLETED:
In two to three years after reintroduction, Reed Pond will be a veritable trout factory AGAIN.. There are those of you who remember how good it used to be. For many of you a day at Reed Pond still remains your best day of fishing ever. The pond is deep. cold, completely unaffected by any nearby timber cutting (thank you, TNC), and very low in acidity. This all means fast growth for the fish when they are released. WE really look forward to bringing you all back in to Reed Pond to experience a beautiful place, and great fishing. Just like it used to be.
SOME PHOTOS, with captions:
