GFY Massholes

Over the past few years, we’ve noticed that a small (but surprisingly vocal) group of people seem to have a keen interest in the depth of Stevens Pond, a beautiful little body of water on which we actually live, in Liberty, Maine.

As it turns out, these vocal folks live somewhere else. Massachusetts seems to be a common place from which they hail, although perhaps some are from other locales. We just know that they’re not here most of the time, which means they don’t have the benefit of forming their opinions with the same advantages enjoyed by those of us that actually call this place home. You know, things like facts, and data, and actual measurements and observation.  This puts them at a real disadvantage, and becomes particularly noticeable through comments such as, “we’ve never seen the water this low”, which seems to be a common refrain. No one deserves to look so foolish. I mean, how will they be taken seriously when they voice their hand-wringing concerns about all the other things they find wrong with this place we lovingly call home, but that they think of as their personal playground? Something must be done, if we’re to receive their other complaints with even a smidgen of credibility!

As it turns out, we’ve noticed that these folks normally visit our little town only when the weather is relatively nice. People don’t tend to visit their vacation homes when the forecast calls for Nor’easters and flooding, which is what the people who actually live here are forced to contend with, and plan for, as they manage the levels of our lakes and ponds. The same goes for big snowfalls. To the vacationer (you’re not a part-time resident, folks, even if you do pay property taxes), they’re a chance to snowmobile or snowshoe around the lake (once a local has plowed the road to their camp, of course). Never mind the fact that the snow will melt come spring, often quickly, right about the time the loons are returning to nest. Nature must account for that, right? Well, the hard truth is, nature isn’t known for building dams, or managing water levels, or doing anything else to make sure you get to spend idyllic evenings sitting on the dock when the weather is nice. Instead, nature leaves management of the water levels to those who actually live here, who are forced to deal with the days when nature is perfectly happy to slap the town silly (and not so much to those who come here to go “upta camp).”

Anyway… We decided to help these folks who don’t live here as best we reasonably can. We have a weather station located right here on the pond, and we make actual measurements of the water level of the pond, fairly often. And when the pond isn’t frozen, we even have a webcam focused on a water depth gauge calibrated to the pond’s official measurement point at Stevens Pond dam. So… As a sort of public service designed to give you access to some of the same data we have, we humbly offer Grist For Your Meteorological And Seasonal Statistics, Helping Our Local Environment Survive (GFYMASSHOLES).  Enjoy, vacationing “neighbors”! You’re welcome! Peace out.