WHP kayaking-2069

Photo: David Dalena

Photo: Lois A. Glaser

Photo: David Dalena

WHP kayaking-2069

Photo: David Dalena

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WEST HARBOR POND UPDATES

The 2023 WHP Fishing Derby

Results are IN!

The 2023 West Harbor Pond Fishing Derby is wrapped up, and the winners are on our ACTIVITIES and EVENTS page. Congratulations to the winners, and thanks to everyone who participated this year!

WEST Harbor Pond Hats for sale!

Click here for details

WHPWA Annual Meeting Held

The West Harbor Pont and Watershed Association held it Annual Meeting on Sunday, August 13, 2023 at the home of Merritt and Martha Blakeslee. The meeting featured an update on happenings on the pond, the water testing results, update on the relationship with Bigelow Labs, the treasurer’s report, the July Fishing Tournament results, and upcoming events.

The notes from the Meeting can be found here.

For those of you who did not attend and have not yet paid your dues, please send your $15.00 membership fee and any additional donation you choose to:
Valerie Breen, Treasurer, WHPWA,
PO Box 3,
West BoothBay Harbor, ME 04575

IPhotot from 2022 WHPWA Annual Meeting

Pond Grass on West Harbor Pond -- Summer 2023

Many of you have noted with concern the abundant pond grass at the north end of the Pond and in patches elsewhere. We have contacted scientists at Bigelow, who visited the Pond and indicated that although there is an excess of aquatic vegetation at the north end, this growth is actually helping to maintain a healthy balance in the Pond. For more detail on this situation visit the West Harbor Pond Current News page.

Cleanup of CMP work areas in West Harbor Pond Watershed

Work done by CMP in clearing their right-of-ways along Lakeview Drive in the Spring of 2023 resulted in a number of ecologically inappropriate and unsightly areas. Thanks to the efforts of WHPWA President Merritt Blakeslee, CMP has agreed to clean up these areas and to prevent their creation in the future. For full details see the West Harbor Pond Current News page.

WEST HARBOR POND

West Harbor Pond is a beautiful 84-acre freshwater lake in Boothbay Harbor, Maine. Designated and protected by the state as a Great Pond, it is home to an abundance of fish and wildlife.

As part of the watershed connecting Knickerbocker Lake to Boothbay Harbor's inner harbor and the Gulf of Maine, West Harbor Pond is a pathway for migrating alewives and glass eels. The population of large- and small-mouth bass and white perch keeps fishermen busy.

The Pond is a bird lovers’ paradise with regular sightings of bald eagles, osprey, owls, blue heron, loons, and white egrets. It is home to kingfishers, cormorant, and an ever-changing population of ducks including buffleheads, wood ducks, and other migratory waterfowl. Along its shores, deer, wild turkey, fox, and mink are plentiful. Turtles and beaver make their home in the Pond. See examples of Pond wildlife in our Photo gallery.

West Harbor Pond is also a place of stillness. State law prohibiting motorized craft over 9.9 hp means that there are few motorboats on the Pond. Most folks venture out in canoes, kayaks, paddleboards, rowing shells, and row boats when they wish to enjoy the benefits of this special place.

We might think of West Harbor Pond mostly in the warmer seasons, but in winter it becomes a special place as winter weather turns it into a home for winter's special seasonal activities as well.

Information on the West Harbor Pond Watershed Association (WHPWA)

Summer on the Pond

- Swimmers of all ages gliding through clear water

- Fishermen in kayaks, boats, and on the shore--and the Fishing Derby!!!

- Children splashing and laughing as they jump from floats or rope swings

- Ladies gathering in kayaks to enjoy a leisurely paddle and cocktail hour

- Vacationing and resident dogs love to swim, too...

- Wildlife: Osprey flying overhead or diving for a meal. Herons on shore tending their clutch. Beavers swimming, carrying bottom plants for lunch. A pair of loons swimming and diving. "Glenn" and "Frye", our resident bald eagles. Mallards, cormorants, gulls, turtles, and on it goes.