Shortly after moving into my camp on Brandy Pond back in the nineties, I was paid a visit by some folks from across the lake. After exchanging pleasantries I found out the real reason for their visit.
It seems that I had been leaving an exterior light post on all night. To make matters worse, the light was on the lake side of the house. They informed me that leaving lights on all night disturbs wildlife in general and nesting loons in particular. They asked whether I would be kind enough to turn off the light when I turned in.
Come that evening I did notice that the entire lake, excepting the campground, did have all the lights facing the lake turned off. To this day I do not know whether this was a cock and a bull story, but I went along with it. You see, I did not want to be considered one of those egocentric, ill-mannered, pushy, rude, “flatlanders” “from away” who come to Maine thinking “this is all my own personal playground and I can do as I please regardless of who it might upset or bother”.
Now, I’ll admit, leaving a lakeside light on carelessly does not compare to, for instance, throttling up twin 500 horsepower diesel inboard motors at midnight as you hurtle down a lake at 50+ m.p.h., but they are only divided by a matter of degree. The point is to be considerate of your neighbors and respectful of where you are, not thoughtless or careless, or worse, obstinately uncaring.

When I was a boy in the 1950s my Dad would rent a camp on Little Sebago each year. After a very long drive on a sticky summer afternoon my siblings and I would be wild with anticipation as we pulled up to our special camp in our now classic “woodie” 1950 Desoto station wagon. Before Dad let us out of the car he would remind us that this was not our home. We were guests in a very special place and that we should act accordingly so as to not bring shame on the family.
A bit of advice: All the granite countertops, marble shower stalls, Bosch dishwashers and Viking ranges will not make you happy here in the lake region. One can have the best house on the best lot on the lake, but if you are warring with your neighbors you will not be happy. Be a considerate and friendly neighbor and you will be accepted and embraced by all. It’s that simple!
By the way, if you’d like to take a look at some of the great Maine waterfront properties currently for sale go to our Lakefront Locator and search all the current listings for the entire state by lake, town, and price point. Hundreds do it every day and find it very informative and useful.
**************************************************
If you enjoyed this article, why not subscribe to be notified of the next one?