The Allagash Wilderness Waterway: A Raymond man's tale of adventure

The Allagash Waterfalls

By Craig Bailey

The Windham Eagle Reporter and Registered Maine Guide, Craig Bailey, recently returned from an excursion on the Allagash Wilderness Waterway. This is the first article in a three-part series on the topic.

For anyone considering a truly off the grid experience, there is no more alluring adventure for the outdoor enthusiast than the Allagash Wilderness Waterway (AWW), in Northern Maine.

The AWW is considered one of the last remaining wilderness frontiers on the Eastern seaboard. It is a 92-mile ribbon of protected lakes, ponds, rivers, and streams in the Northwoods of Maine, and one of a handful of rivers in North America that flows south to north.

While it was designated the Allagash Wilderness Waterway in 1966, its history began long before. Henry David Thoreau visited in 1857 guided by two natives of the Penobscot Tribe which he chronicled in his book “The Maine Woods”.

Prior to Thoreau’s visit, the logging industry began leveraging the waterway to move timber from the Northwoods of Maine, south to Bangor for processing. This involved logging companies building a dam system and canals to reverse the waterway’s flow, causing Chamberlain and neighboring Telos Lake to temporarily stop draining north, into the Allagash, and instead head south, at the convenience of the logging industry. In fact, remnants of logging and related equipment can be found at many sites along the waterway. The Woodsman’s Museum, in Patton, ME, makes for a great stop on the way to / from an AWW adventure, to learn more about the logging industry and its use of the waterway.

Today, the primary use of the waterway is by adventurers whose ambition is to spend quality time fully immersed in nature. Whether this involves enjoying the nearly untouched natural setting, viewing wildlife such as moose, deer, bear, and eagles, catching one’s dinner of brook trout or musky to hiking trails along the waterway, there is something for people of all ages and walks of life.

Much of the AWW is smooth paddling on tranquil waters gently flowing northwards. However, there are several points offering adrenalin junkies class II rapids which must be traversed with fully laden canoes.

It should be noted that, while one doesn’t need to be in the shape of a triathlete, it is a rigorous adventure that will tax virtually anyone with the ambition to commit to such an outing.

A multi-day excursion begins by putting-in a canoe or canoes (depending on the size of the group), fully loaded with the gear and provisions necessary to sustain oneself for the duration, at one of the many launch-sites on the waterway.

Determining the starting point of the journey depends on the amount of time one wishes to spend canoeing and camping on the waterway. Durations can range from seven to 10 days beginning at the south end of Chamberlain Lake, to three to four days by launching at the north end of Umsaskis Lake, all finishing at Allagash Village, near the Canadian border, where the Allagash meets the St. John River.

There are over 80 primitive campsites along the waterway available on a first come, first serve basis. Each campsite has a picnic table, tarp poles to enable coverage of the picnic table, a firepit and an outhouse.

While adventurers experiencing the waterway are completely off the grid (there is absolutely no cell service) ranger stations are strategically located along the way such that at least one will typically be passed on each day’s leg of the trip.

Many consider the climax of an AWW adventure to be the scenic Allagash Falls, a forty-foot waterfall located about 13 miles from the end of the trip, only accessible by canoeing the waterway.

Preparing for an AWW excursion should not be taken lightly, as once the journey begins there is no opportunity to obtain anything that was forgotten or to replenish provisions along the way. In summary, one must be completely self-sustaining for the duration of the trip.

Preparation for an AWW excursion is the topic of the next article, which will be followed by an article covering the AWW experience.

Craig Bailey is a Registered Maine Guide and owner of Maine Adventures, LLC. To learn more visit: www.maineadventuresllc.com.

Teacher works to ensure Windham Middle School students stay ahead of the technology curve

WMS STEM Teacher Jason Lanoie, next to
the FlashForge 3D Printer

By Craig Bailey

Windham Middle School’s Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) teacher, Jason Lanoie, has an objective: to ensure students are fully engaged in the learning process. Lanoie emphasized, “We want our program to change with technology and where things are going.”

To support this, Lanoie is seeking funding for a GlowForge 3D Laser Printer, which he hopes to have in place by the beginning of the upcoming school year. To-date, he has received half of the needed $4,000 from The Perloff Family Foundation.

“This equipment will broaden the scope of experience that the students have with our hands-on program at the middle school level,” Lanoie stated.

Lanoie is not new to the process of obtaining funding to supply his students with leading edge technology. Since joining Windham Middle School, he has written grants for the school’s two existing 3D printers.

A 3D printer is a machine allowing the creation of a physical object from a three-dimensional digital model, typically by laying down many thin layers of a material in succession.

“I began working with the Perloff’s, who hadn’t yet had experience with the technology,” Lanoie shared. “I wanted to make sure we had the best possible technology for schools. The result is that we acquired our first 3D printer, a MarkerBot Replicator 2, during the beginning of the 2014 school year, for $2,500. More recently we acquired our second, more advanced, 3D printer, a FlashForge, at a cost of $300.”

Lanoie reinforced his objective, “We want to provide new technology for students. If we don’t, students can get bored. For example, everyone has a smartphone. We need to keep up with and stay ahead of the students. Soon, these things [3D Printers] will be in the home, as they are becoming more affordable.”

In contrast to the existing 3D printers at Windham Middle School, which create physical objects, a 3D laser printer uses a beam of light the width of a human hair to cut, engrave, and shape designs from a variety of materials.

A few examples of what the students could create with the 3D laser printer include: a family photo keepsake by importing a digital photo into the machine and burning it onto a piece of wood, glass etching to make a special gift for a loved one, or, designing something that can be used on their Rube Goldberg machine (a contraption that uses a chain reaction to accomplish a very simple task in a very complicated manner).

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When asked, why the GlowForge 3D laser printer, Lanoie responded, “I had been doing research on the technology. Then, I watched an episode of MythBusters, in which Adam Savage did a review on the product and absolutely loved it. When seeing someone like Savage, an expert who supports STEM programs, enthusiastic about the tool, it confirmed where I wanted to go. That sealed the deal.”

Lanoie continued, “This investment will ensure our students remain engaged. You should see the look on their faces when new technology is introduced. It really shows they are interested in learning and using the technology. The result: the students are excited about being in school.”

Further emphasizing the point, Lanoie mentioned, “I love to have the 3D printer going when new students arrive. They are excited about it and ask ‘Can I do this, or that?’ That is entirely on them. They can then try it and figure it out. The technology helps our students learn our engineering design process.”

Lanoie indicated, “The students will be happy to create something with this new technology, for public display, to memorialize all donations received in support of this program.”

To learn more about the GlowForge 3D Laser Printer, visit: www.glowforge.com.

Donations can be sent to the Windham Middle School, in care of the STEM program. Any questions can be directed to Jason Lanoie (jlanoie@rsu14.org) or Principal Drew Patin both of which can be reached at: 207-892-1820.

Maine’s future and the opiate crisis

Rotarians Ingo Hartig, Goerge Bartlett, Mark Morris and
Peter Garland

By Craig Bailey

On Thursday March 9, Windham Middle School’s seventh-grade students hosted an event to share the outcome of their project: Taking Back Maine’s Future: Ending the Opiate Crisis. In attendance were parents, children, law enforcement, Rotary Club members and Senator Bill Diamond.

With a $1,200 donation from the Sebago Lake Rotary Club, the students were able to include the DeLorean replica as it was seen in the 1980s film, “Back to the Future”. The project is the brainchild of RSU14 school personnel Doug Elder, Lee Leroy, AJ Ruth and Gwen Roberts and required students to travel through time, via research and evaluation of current data and statistics, bringing newspaper articles back from the future: some from the bright promising future where Maine has defeated the epidemic. Others from a dark and dangerous future where the epidemic persists.

When Elder opened the school cafeteria doors the public was welcomed to visit both of these possible futures. One side of the cafeteria was dark, with litter strewn about, mock drugs and syringes on tables along with would-be news articles sharing the state of affairs if the epidemic goes unchecked. The students clearly demonstrated their concern and what the future could hold.

Students shared their concerns and the results of what they learned from the project. Maggie Whiting stated, “Opiates are a real problem. If this issue is not solved, Maine could go very wrong due to increased overdoses and deaths.” This was reinforced by headlines of news articles on display, including: “Child Overdoses on Mother’s Fentanyl.”

Dakota Woodall concurred by adding, “Maine will come to an end as we know it if we don’t do something. People need to listen to what we are saying.”

Another student, Nathan Jordan was very clear when he said that the possibility of a bleak future is not a fantasy. “It is based on what could happen if things continue as is,” he said. “We need to educate to avoid this future.”

Traveling to the bright future the public observed thoughtful ideas and positive outcomes that could result from pragmatic approaches to battling the epidemic.

Cate Culbovich expressed what he learned from the project, “We need more treatment centers where people can get help.”

Julia Mazerolle had an idea that may be helpful in eradicating addiction. “A prescription drink, wearable patch or chewable could be developed to cure opiate addiction. If we can prevent addiction there will be a better future for everyone.”

Elexis Crommett reinforced, “We need to take action that will result in fewer overdoses.”

Sasha Funk proposed, “Scientists could come up with a vaccination which prevents addiction.”

Another scientific approach was offered by John Ulmer. “Scientists could extract the addictive components from prescription drugs.”

Haley Blethen stated that education is imperative, making people aware of the many side effects of addiction. “When a baby is born to an addict, the baby immediately goes through withdrawals. The doctor must give the baby the correct dose of opioids and continue to reduce until they are off the drug. However, the baby remains an addict as ‘once an addict, always an addict’ since the drug rewires your brain,” she said.

The Windham Police Department was also present, and Patrol Captain William Andrews stated that he was impressed with the data collected by the students. “It is refreshing that the youth are taking interest in this epidemic. I’m impressed with their ideas, figures and statistics.”

Rotarian George Bartlett was enthusiastic about the project stating, “this gets the kids involved in the community to help with a very real problem.”

The students were overwhelmingly positive about what they learned which required multi-week investments of time. Ulmer indicated this included, “practicing the Socratic method to answering questions in preparation for this event.”

“We are all at risk as an ‘unlikely addict.”, Elder stated. “It could start simply from an injury, after being prescribed an opioid. One thing leads to another. I just read an article on a police officer dying of an overdose. The problem is so stark and pressing. The students extrapolated the cold hard facts. If the trends don’t change, Maine will become a wasteland. The tide is turning, though, as we are beginning to see companies and doctors held accountable.”

The project was also aided by Be the Influence Coalition, which is a collaborative group of Windham and Raymond community leaders who are working to raise awareness and address concerns caused by substance use and abuse in area communities.

The replica DeLorean was provided by Bill and Patrick Shea of Hubbardston, MA.

Portland Water District’s support of national drinking water week offers tour of facility

By Craig Bailey

On Tuesday, May 7, over 20 people from the community attended a tour of Portland Water District’s (PWD) Sebago Lake Water Treatment Facility. The tour was offered in support of National Drinking Water Week to call the public’s attention to water quality and PWD’s approach to protection, treatment and testing of the water supply to 15% of Maine’s population.

The tour was kicked off by Kirsten Ness, PWD’s Water Resource Specialist, reinforcing her role in protecting Sebago Lake, the number of customers served, the reasons why the lake water is of such high quality and related challenges.

Ness began by stating, “PWD serves approximately 200,000 people across 11 communities. As such, Sebago Lake water quality is of utmost importance.”

Ness further shared, “The lake is over 300 feet deep and contains almost 1 trillion gallons of water, which is considered of excellent quality. The lake contains so much water you could fill enough Poland Springs tanker trucks to get to the moon and back - twice!”

The source of water in Sebago Lake comes from the Sebago Lake Watershed, which is more than 50 miles long, stretching from Bethel to Standish and includes parts of 24 towns including the towns of Windham and Raymond. As such, whatever happens in the watershed ultimately impacts Sebago Lake.

Ness reinforced, “One of the reasons for such high water-quality is the watershed is 84% forested, serving as a natural filter. The result: the lake water is clean enough to be exempt from the expensive filtration process required of most surface water sources.”

A key challenge to maintaining water quality is only 10% of the lake is restricted. This results from a law passed in 1913 prohibiting bodily contact within two miles of the intakes and prohibiting trespassing on District lands acquired "for the purpose of protecting the purity of the waters." Later amendments prohibit trespassing within 3000 feet of the intakes.

One of the visitors asked what Ness confirmed was a common question, “Why can we boat within the two-mile zone but not swim?” Ness responded by sharing, “Petroleum products ‘mainly’ evaporate off the surface and our water intakes are deep in the lake. The PWD is more concerned with what we humans carry and excrete.”

Ness further shared, “We have a beach monitoring program and have consistently found that E. coli levels are much lower within the two-mile limit than at swimmable beaches.”

Dave Herzig, PWD’s Plant Systems Foreman then shared an overview of his role in operating the treatment facility as well as additional factors contributing to the quality of water. Herzig mentions, “When we meet with people from other water-treatment facilities we hear common challenges including: shallow lakes, shallow water intakes, algae blooms and rapid changes in river flow. We simply don’t face any of these challenges. In fact, Sebago is protected thermally (via stratification or layers of varying temperatures and densities) nine months of the year. As such, high wind events, pollen bloom and other natural events don’t affect the lake as it does others.”

During the tour of the treatment plant Herzig shared, “In the peak of summer PWD treats approximately 30 million gallons of water per day and during winter around 19 million gallons per day. Treatment occurs in three ways: ozone, ultra violet light (UV), and chloramines.”

Further, Herzig reinforced, “Because our water is so ridiculously clean our treatment facility is a bit over-sized. As a result, we are prepared to effectively handle decreases in water quality should that occur.” The visitors agreed this is a good position to be in!

Mike Koza, PWD’s Lab Manager, shared an overview of his role and led a tour of the lab. Koza reinforced, “PWD tests and monitors the quality of water in the Sebago Lake Watershed, the output of the treatment system as well as numerous sampling sites within the distribution system, containing 1,000 miles of pipe supplying customers.”

Automatic instrumentation is in place which is monitored by lab technicians who also perform lab testing to confirm meter readings. In addition, there are over 45 sampling sites including: fire stations, convenience stores, town halls, post offices, and other readily accessible establishments.

A primary focus of distribution system monitoring is Coliform which, if found, can be an indicator of other bacteria. The good news is that, as Koza states, “we haven’t found any in years.”

Koza responded to questions related to emerging risks that residents along the watershed should be aware of. This includes micro plastics and pharmaceuticals, which can leech into the lake as a result of doing laundry (traces of microfleece have been found in fish from other bodies of water) and flushing (trace amounts of Advil have been found in Sebago).

PWD’s highly qualified lab technicians use leading-edge technology (some of which is locally sourced from IDEXX).

In addition to the tour, PWD is offering a Brewery Collaborative where the public can learn about the connection between forests, water, and beer. Visit pwd.org for a full schedule of offerings and participating breweries.

Windham students heading to Odyssey of the Mind World Finals in Michigan

Ewan O'Shea, Ashylnn Cuthbert, Nick Verrill, Cameron Weeks,
Marek Slomczynski, Nick Jenkins, Adam Slomczynski submitted

By Craig Bailey

For the second time, a team of elementary students from Windham Primary and Manchester Schools is heading to Odyssey of the Mind World Finals. Odyssey of the Mind (OotM) is an international creative problem-solving program that engages students in their learning by allowing their knowledge and ideas to come to life in an exciting, productive environment. Participants build self-confidence, develop life skills, create new friendships, and are able to recognize and explore their true potential. OotM proves that students can have fun while they learn.

This annual event is taking place at Michigan State University, in East Lansing Michigan, from May 22 to 25. Seven energetic students, in grades three to five, along with their fearless coaches/ parents are heading west on Tuesday, May 21 for the 15 to 18-hour drive. The students and their respective grades are: Nick Verrill (5), Nick Jenkins (5), Cameron Weeks (4), Ewan O’Shea (5), Marek Slomczynski (5), Ashlynn Cuthbert (4) and Adam Slomczynski (3). The first five of which previously competed in the OotM World Finals, along with their coach April O’Shea.

Opening Ceremonies will take place on Wednesday, May 22. Thursday, Friday and Saturday will be days filled with competitions and other creative activities. There will be a Creativity Festival, an International Festival, a Coaches & Officials Competition, NASA-sponsored events, and a lot of pin trading!

When the students were asked what they were looking forward to at the event, the returning members emphatically agreed, “pin trading!” Trading Odyssey of the Mind pins (from various states as well as countries) is a tradition that goes back more than 35 years. Millions of pins have been traded and thousands of friendships have been made during this time. Returning students scored pins from such countries as Australia, Canada and Mexico! More specifically, M. Slomczynski said “I am looking forward to seeing a Polish team and teams from other countries.”

The team qualified for World Finals as a result of their solution to their chosen problem: “Hide in Plain Site.” Their 8-minute skit involved four scenes in which a searcher was seeking a sea creature that morphed into many forms, including an octopus with tentacles that moved via the team’s custom-made hydraulic system! Everyone on the team had a character in the play or worked the creature.

When asked how they figured all this out, Cuthbert indicated “We did research using YouTube. YouTube is gold!”

To perfect their performance, Jenkins emphasized, “We have done this well over 12 times!”

They began developing their solution, made almost entirely of recycled materials, in October. Cuthbert mentioned that she made a skirt from fabric scraps. And, their diving suit was made from trash bags. To achieve additional style points, the team made an antique-style phone.

In addition to the fun, each member had something to say about the outstanding experience they’ve had with the program, the majority indicating they’ll be doing it again. Verrill mentioned, “You learn that you can make a lot of stuff if you think about it. And, you get a lot of new friendships.” Jenkins reinforced, “This was fun to do because you can be creative with props and jokes and are not required to do one thing.” O’Shea proudly stated, “If you work hard and win you can go to Michigan.” The team emphasized that everyone has their own talents and OotM brings them out. Whether it is writing, building, creating, etc., the whole team works together, as it can’t be just one person’s effort. Slomczynski reinforced this by commenting “I have learned that it is a team effort. You have to work together to solve the problem.”

The community of Windham has two opportunities to support the team, by helping to fund their trip to Michigan. At the present time they are about 50% funded, primarily by parents of these outstanding students. To assist, consider visiting their fundraising page at: 

www.gofundme.com/windham-odyssey-of-the-mind. Alternatively, if you’d like to take in a movie while helping to fund the team, they have partnered with Smitty’s Cinema. You may buy an $11 ticket good for any showing at Smitty’s Windham location on May 5. Half of the ticket price goes to the team. Tickets are available at the Manchester school and seating is on a first come, first served basis. 

As stated by Ewinn, “Odyssey of the Mind confirms we all have talents and the goal is to make them even better.”

Go team!

“Taking Back Maine’s Future”: Ending the opiate crisis

A panel of experts speak to the students

By Craig Bailey

On Tuesday, March 5, Windham Middle School’s seventh graders participated in an assembly kicking off the project, Taking Back Maine’s Future: Ending the Opiate Crisis. This second annual program was hosted by Be The Influence, whose Mission is to promote community collaboration and positive choices in reducing youth substance use.

The assembly featured Janet Mills’ newly appointed substance misuse expert Gordon Smith as well as a panel of experts from law enforcement and prevention including: Kevin Schofield, Windham’s Chief of Police; Jonathan Sahrbeck, Cumberland County District Attorney; Bridget Rauscher, City of Portland Public Health; Bill Andrew, Windham Police Patrol Captain; John Kooistra, Windham’s Deputy Fire Chief; Nicole Raye-Ellis, Project Coordinator for Be the Influence.

Seventh grade teacher Doug Elder kicked off the assembly sharing an overview that this project-based learning is developed to look into issues that are most impactful to the students. “We decided to take a look at Maine’s opiate crisis, viewing students as community members who can make an impact,” Elder began.  “We’ll educate together with Be The Influence, law enforcement, the medical field and state government. This is not only about information, but also transformation of our community.”

Be The Influence’s highly enthusiastic Executive Director, Laura Morris, offered a few opiate-related questions to students who eagerly provided their responses, which confirmed some basic understanding of opiates.

Gordon Smith reinforced how thrilled the Governor is with the school’s choice of this project and how honored he is to help launch it.

Smith stated, “The opioid crisis is about addictions. Finding out why people abuse substances.” He then asked, “Why are we educating about this at the seventh grade level?” to which he provided the answer, “Because that is the age people often begin abusing substances. It is important to educate now as you have your whole life ahead of you. You have the opportunity to help the State of Maine stop the biggest public health crisis of our time.”

Smith shared statistics to help the audience appreciate the magnitude of the problem, indicating that in Maine, “in 2017, 417 people died of an overdose. That’s more than one per day. Last year, 2018, numbers were lower due to the use of Narcan.” He further explained that Narcan is used for the reversal of opioid overdose.

Another statistic shared was, “of the 13,000 annual births in Maine, during 2018, the mother of 908 babies was an addict. Not only do we need to help the mother, we must also help the babies recover from addiction.”

A final, staggering, statistic shared by Smith was the number of people who died of an overdose last year in the USA: 72,000. Smith stated, “that means that in the time I’ve been standing here, at least 2 people have died of an overdose.”

Each of the panel members shared highly impactful perspectives. Schofield indicated, “Last year, in Windham, we saved over 30 people from an overdose, with Narcan.”

Sahrbeck offered a profound perspective by asking, “Is there anything in life you love?” to which students responded with: family, friends, pets. Sahrbeck then shared, “What if something could alter your brain to cause you to focus on (love) something else? That is what opioids do. They rewire your brain, changing your priorities, leading you down a path you didn’t realize you’d go.”

One of the most impactful perspectives was shared by Raye-Ellis, an addict in recovery for eight years, stating, “I was in your shoes. My school never covered anything on addiction. If they had done something like this, I could have seen a visual of what the path of addiction looks like.” A round of applause ensued.

In closing, Elder spoke directly to the students, “If you’ve ever asked, when will they start treating me like an adult? Well, it is right now. Simple answers to this problem will not work. We are going to talk through tough questions. There will be some difficult conversations. This will call for you to invest your time, energy and imagination. This issue is going to come for you whether you are ready or not. We want to make you ready.”

Queuing up the project, Elder relays, “The student’s job involves traveling through time via research and evaluation of current data and statistics, bringing newspapers back from the future: some from the bright promising future where Maine has defeated the epidemic - others from the dark and dangerous future.”

The assembly closed with the admonition, “What we do today and in the coming years to solve the opioid crisis; to help addicts, to find new solutions, legally, socially, and personally, will determine Maine’s future.”