Maine lakes are not only beautiful, they are a surprisingly powerful economic engine — generating more than $3.5 billion in annual spending, providing more jobs than any single Maine employer, fueling countless local businesses, supplying drinking water to half our residents, and contributing to the municipal tax revenues that fund essential services in many Maine towns. Our clean, clear lakes support a cornucopia of goods, from limitless four-season recreation to vital wildlife habitat, aesthetic enjoyment, and a quality of life most other states can only envy.
We have long depended on them, but our lakes are not immune from the serious water quality problems plaguing people around the world today. Here at home we have seen nuisance algae blooms and murky depths on some lakes ruin the fun for everyone, and we’ve learned that it’s both costly and very difficult to undo this kind of damage.
The good news is that we have in hand a proven way to help prevent these dreaded outcomes on developed lakes: it’s a program called LakeSmart. Under the direction of the Maine Lakes Society, LakeSmart’s non-regulatory, user-friendly approach delivers individually designed, site-specific landscaping recommendations to lakefront property owners to keep lake waters clean and healthy. In this way, it enables lake communities to take the future of lakes into their own hands. Maine businesses, most particularly the realtors, developers, landscapers and nurserymen who deal with homeowners and their plans everyday, have a big role to play in this groundbreaking effort.
Join MEREDA for breakfast on December 10 from 7:30 AM – 9:00 AM at the Portland Regency Hotel for a thought provoking conversation led by Maggie Shannon (Belgrade Regional Conservation Alliance and Belgrade Lakes Association) and Gail Rizzo (Designated Broker with Lakepoint Real Estate), and learn about trends in Maine lake health, new cross-sector initiatives to protect our lakes, and how a program called LakeSmart can help communities safeguard their freshwater resources.
About the Event:
December 10, 2015 – 7:30AM to 9:00AM
Portland Regency Hotel
20 Milk Street
Portland, ME
Buffet Breakfast: 7:30 – 8:00 AM
Program: 8:00 – 9:00 AM
Registering for this Event:
Member: $45 pp | Non-Member: $55 pp
Prices increase by $10 after December 4, 2015.
Payment is expected at the time of registration.
No refunds will be granted to anyone who registers, but fails to attend or who cancels after December 4, 2015.
Visit www.mereda.org for more information and to register.
This MEREDA “Morning Menu” Breakfast Event is Sponsored by Eaton Peabody.
