Mama turtle (Photo courtesy Greg Hardison)
Enough already with all the rain!
As I write this column, we may be in for a few days of dry weather, but, looking ahead, the weather app has a rain icon every day between Saturday, June 24 and Monday, July 3. Of course, this doesn’t indicate it will rain hard every day, but it does suggest we are in a cloudy, rainy weather pattern.
All of us in Maine were fortunate that the last weather low was positioned squarely over the state and saved us from the smoke from the Canadian wildfires. The rain has ensured that our gardens are green and hopefully will prevent a drought later in the season.
One thing is for sure, Biscay Pond is at very high levels for this time of year. In the past couple of days, having received over 1.5 inches of rain, the Pond has risen another 3 inches or so due to all the runoff back into the Pond. Be certain your docks and boats are well-secured and can handle these unexpected rises in water level. Toward the end of May, there were a couple of docks and boats reported floating freely in the Biscay Ponders Facebook group.
The other day, returning home from work, Greg spotted a mother turtle laying her eggs in the dirt on the side of the Fogler Road and a couple days before, I encountered a good Samaritan assisting an injured turtle cross the Turner Road between Pemaquid and McCurdy ponds. Be on the lookout for turtles in the road, day or night. I have learned to keep a small, plastic snow shovel in the back of my car to assist these turtles make it to the other side of the road, always moving them in the direction in which they are headed.
Turtle eggs typically require 100 days, give or take, to hatch, generally in September and October, though may not hatch if the summer months are cold and rainy. Hatchlings typically spend the winter in nearby wetlands. If you encounter turtle eggs, do not disturb them, but do your best to protect them.
Before we know it, it will be the Fourth of July and the pace of life on the Pond will pick up considerably. Power boaters and Jet Skiers, please be aware of and respect kayakers and paddle boarders and be especially careful in the area between Biscay Beach and Gull Rock Island, always on the lookout for the random (foolish) swimmer, making that crossing.
Similarly, drivers should always stay alert on Benner, Lessner, and Fogler roads as around any curve, over the crest of any hill could be a walker, runner and biker.
Let’s make this a safe summer in and around Biscay Pond!
