Messalonskee Lake is a

body of water A body of water or waterbody is any significant accumulation of water on the surface of Earth or another planet. The term most often refers to oceans, seas, and lakes, but it includes smaller pools of water such as ponds, wetlands, or more rare ...

in the Belgrade Lakes region of

Maine Maine ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the United States, and the northeasternmost state in the Contiguous United States. It borders New Hampshire to the west, the Gulf of Maine to the southeast, and the Provinces and ...

. It is bordered by the towns of

Oakland Oakland is a city in the East Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area in the U.S. state of California. It is the county seat and most populous city in Alameda County, with a population of 440,646 in 2020. A major West Coast port, Oakland is ...

, Sidney, and

Belgrade Belgrade is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Serbia, largest city of Serbia. It is located at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers and at the crossroads of the Pannonian Basin, Pannonian Plain and the Balkan Peninsula. T ...

. The lake is a long, narrow, natural creation, resulting from continental collision and glacial scouring. A dam originally built in the town of Oakland in 1905 increased the lake's size. In the first part of the 20th century, Messalonskee Stream provided waterpower for Oakland's Cascade Woolen Mill, as well as for a number of factories responsible for Oakland's long-defunct title as "axehead capital of the world." Messalonskee Lake is home to a great variety of wildlife, including great blue

heron Herons are long-legged, long-necked, freshwater and coastal birds in the family Ardeidae, with 75 recognised species, some of which are referred to as egrets or bitterns rather than herons. Members of the genus ''Botaurus'' are referred to as bi ...

bass Bass or Basses may refer to: Fish * Bass (fish), various saltwater and freshwater species Wood * Bass or basswood, the wood of the tilia americana tree Music * Bass (sound), describing low-frequency sound or one of several instruments in th ...

yellow perch The yellow perch (''Perca flavescens''), commonly referred to as perch, striped perch, American perch or preacher is a freshwater perciform fish native to much of North America. The yellow perch was described in 1814 by Samuel Latham Mitchill fr ...

white perch The white perch (''Morone americana'') is not a true Percidae, perch but is a fish of the temperate bass family, Moronidae, notable as a food and game fish in eastern North America. In some places it is referred to as "Silver Bass". The common ...

, sunfish, painted and

snapping turtles The Chelydridae is a Family (biology), family of turtles that has seven extinct and two extant genera. The extant genera are the snapping turtles, ''Chelydra'' and ''Macrochelys''. Both are Endemic (ecology), endemic to the Western Hemisphere. Th ...

loon Loons (North American English) or divers (British English, British / Irish English) are a group of aquatic birds found in much of North America and northern Eurasia. All living species of loons are members of the genus ''Gavia'', family (biolog ...

s, and occasionally Bald Eagles can be seen soaring above the lake. The surrounding community has recently formed the Messalonskee Lake Association in the interest of its protection and preservation. Like some Maine lakes, Messalonskee Lake has seen infestations of Milfoil. Messalonskee Lake Association Milfoil Program The lake is also more commonly called "Snow Pond", a reference to Philip Snow who settled in the area in 1774. Many summer camps and related tourist accommodations are located on Messalonskee Lake, among them the

New England Music Camp The New England Music Camp (NEMC) is a summer camp for music students ages 11–18, located on in Sidney, Maine, on the eastern shore of Messalonskee Lake and Stream, Messalonskee Lake in the Belgrade Lakes region. It was founded in 1937 on the s ...

, which was founded in 1937.

References

External links

Friends of Messalonskee, formerly known as Snow Pond Messalonskee Lake Association
{{authority control Reservoirs in Maine Lakes of Kennebec County, Maine