The Secret Life of a Lake a Must Read for Maine Lakefront Property Owners

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The Secret Life of a Lake a Must Read for Maine Lakefront Property Owners

The Secret Life of a Lake a Must Read for Maine Lakefront Property Owners

A BluePink Sky Kind of Evening on Damariscotta Lake in Maine


by Leigh Macmillen Hayes
In his book, The Secret Life of a Lake: The Ecology of Northern Lakes and Their Stewardship, Dr. Peter Tobiessen takes us on a journey through the various levels of a lake and in a readable manner introduces us to the complex and dynamic ecosystems that lie below its surface.

 

 

 

 

 


Tobiessen is a biology professor emeritus at Union College in Schenectady, New York, where he taught aquatic biology for more than thirty years. During that time, he and his students conducted numerous research experiments on lakes and ponds in the Adirondacks. This forms the basis for the information in the book, which was written for the non-scientist.
You’re probably wondering why I’m recommending a book written about upstate New York. As Maine lakefront property owners, the information Tobiessen presents also applies to our lakes, ponds and streams.
The main focus is Sacandaga Lake in Speculator, New York. But, as Tobiessen states in the foreword, “Although this book is focused on an Adirondack lake, the principles of lake ecology discussed here are relevant to all lakes that are covered by ice during their seasonal cycle. The more we understand these beautiful, complex ecosystems, the deeper appreciation we will have for our lakes, and the wiser our decisions will be in preserving them.”
Life is fragile below the water’s surface. In an informative and easy to understand format, Tobiessen gives an overview of all things aquatic. He begins with a chapter about the past, from glaciers to early settlers, summer tourists and human impacts. In subsequent chapters, using charts, diagrams and photographs, he addresses the chemistry of water, good and bad chemicals in water, basic habitats and niches, algae, vascular plants or “weeds,” microscopic beast and immature bugs, fish, birds, mammals, food webs and seasonal changes, human impact including invasive species and climate change.
Tobiessen states, “I wanted to write a book not only about who lives in our lakes, but why they look the way they do and how they interact with other creatures and their physical environment. However, understanding the “how” and “why,” as well as the “who,” requires a little background in the basics of the physical aquatic environment and the biology of the organisms in question.” In doing this, occasionally the topics get a bit technical, but Tobiessen says, “Just skim over them to get the general idea, and then move on. Most of the book should be well within your comfort zone.”
The book includes five appendixes: Measurement Unit Conversions, More About pH, More About Weird Water, Taxonomy & Scientific Classification and A Primer on Lake Stewardship. There is also a glossary.
Bill McKibben, author, educator, environmentalist and co-founder of 350.org, had this to say about The Secret Life of a Lake: “What a sweet book . . . Those of us who have paddled and swum and waded in the lakes of the north will find this book full of answers to all the mysteries that have ever occurred to us, and many more besides.”
The Secret Life of a Lake is a book that every lakefront property owner should have on hand as a reference. Read it and you will surely become more active in the preservation of your lake or pond.
To learn more about lakefront properties for sale in Damariscotta, click on the green box above.
To learn more about lakes in the Mid-coast Lakes Region of Maine, check out the blog links below.
Damariscotta Lake, Newcastle, Nobleboro and Jefferson, Maine: Miles of Exploration Opportunities for Lakefront Property Owners
Paradise Pond, Damariscotta, Maine: Serene Setting for On The Pond Lakefront Property Owners

 

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