12/06/2008
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Staff photo by Andy Molloyfrom the Kennebec Journal
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from the Morning Sentinel
"This is a place where young people can get connected to the rural community," Trahan said.
The place Trahan talks about so fondly is a gravel pit off Dirigo Road in Weeks Mills.
For several months, Trahan has been talking to the pit's owners and the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries & Wildlife about the possibility of creating a pond at the site to be turned into fishing grounds reserved for children 16 and younger.
The project is still in the early stages, but the group is ready to begin the process of securing permits and explaining the idea to the community.
"I don't really see any problems emerging," said Trahan, a new Republican in the Senate. "If we don't do this project, which is a win-win situation, the result would be we'd have a big hole in the ground. We're taking a site that would be unproductive and turning it into a recreational opportunity."
Trahan, who is president of the Lincoln County Fish and Game Club, established a youth fishing day last year at a quarry in his hometown of Waldoboro. The event proved wildly popular. Every child caught a fish -- which, for many, was a first.
"That kind of experience is one they will take with them forever," Trahan said. "I believe this is a great opportunity for parents and young people."
The fishing day was such a success that Trahan's club began work to establish the quarry as a youths-only area. The quarry, which once provided the town's drinking water, creates about an acre-and-a-half pond.
"It's just a perfect site for brook trout," Trahan said.
When Trahan's friend, Bill Dion, heard about the project, he began to wonder if the Weeks Mills gravel pit Dion owned with his friends -- Mark Hoffman and Ron Giles -- could be converted into a fishing pond.
The gravel pit sits atop the Sheepscot Aquifer, which, with a lot of digging, would flood the hole to create an approximately 3-acre pond.
"We just figured a nice pond would be a good way to get our sand," Dion said. "I went to (Trahan's club) and they thought it would be a great idea."
Once completed, the pond will be one of the largest youth fishing areas in the country, Trahan said.
"I believe this could be used as a model not only for the state of Maine, but also other parts of the country," he said.
State law prohibits digging below ground-water level.
The pit owners, with the IF&W, will seek an exemption through the state's Department of Environmental Protection, said Bob Van Riper, an Inland Fisheries biologist.
There will have to be further geological studies, but Van Riper believes digging to the aquifer would change neither the water table nor the volume.
"We're not going to change anything," Van Riper said. "We're just going to put a hole there. The aquifer would be at the same level. I don't think there will be any effect to the quality or the volume of the aquifer."
The pond and surrounding landscaping will take up about five acres of a 110 acre parcel, Dion said. The owners have agreed to do the landscaping and build an access road into the pond.
The state would secure an easement on the site guaranteeing public access.
"It doesn't cost the state anything and we're willing to do whatever we can do to have it a nice looking place to be," Dion said. "It's good for everybody."
If the pond is finally realized, it would likely take several years before the first fish is caught: It takes time to build a habitat in which brook trout can thrive.
"I can't just dig a hole and put trout in there," Van Riper said. "We have to build this biologically from the ground up. We're a long way from getting to trout."
Trahan has asked Rep. H. David Cotta, R-China, for help in organizing a public meeting.
"I know everybody is anxious to get started," Trahan said.
As fewer and fewer people enjoy hunting and fishing, the state has looked for ways to generate interest, particularly among young people, said Michael Witte of the IF&W advisory council.
A pond, stocked with brook trout, dedicated to young anglers, could be an important tool in the department's mission, he said.
"It's amazing how hard these areas get used," Witte said. "Kids love to fish. Anything we can do to advance our cause, and bring young people into the sport, we're going to do it."
For more information e-mail Trahan at DPTrahan@midcoast.com.
Craig Crosby--623-3811 Ext. 433
ccrosby@centralmaine.com
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