Academy Hill School students trade the classroom for Wilson Lake

WILTON – Academy Hill School students took to Wilson Lake Friday, spending time on the research boat Melinda Ann as part of a two-day series of trips organized by the Friends of Wilson Lake.

After conducting a watershed study of Wilson Lake, Varnum and Pease Ponds, a Section 319 Clean Water Act grant of $70,000 was acquired by the town of Wilton and FOWL last year. The grant paid for improvements to landowner property, public roads and culverts to reduce erosion within the watershed, as well as educational trips. Toward that latter purpose, organizer have tapped the Melinda Ann, a research boat operated by the Maine Lakes Society to engage with children or adults interested in learning about lakes.

It is just one aspect of FOWL’s efforts regarding Wilson Lake. They also organize the Loon Program with Nancy Prince in AHS, and run a boat monitoring program to prevent invasive plants from entering the lake. That program is paid for by local businesses – Jay’s Boat House and Franklin Savings Bank sponsored the two recent weekends while this weekend will be sponsored by Otis Federal Credit Union. In total, 15 businesses have sponsored every weekend this summer.

For AHS students, the project represents an end-of-the-school-year trip for the students, as well as a chance to monitor water quality through a number of tests, including checking lake clarity, oxygen levels and dragging the lake bottom for invasive plants.

Peter Kallin, the captain of the Melinda Ann, and Drew Morris, both associated with the Maine Lakes Society, pilot the boat, while FOWL volunteers like Sandy and Wynn Muller helped get students fitted for life preservers. While waiting for their turn on the boat, students participate in environmental-themed games and displays at nearby Bass Park.

On Saturday, the Melinda Ann will go back out on the lake for three trips with community members. FOWL representatives said they were excited by the mix of passengers, including selectpersons and town officials. In addition to conducting the various water quality tests, passengers will be able to access a Remote Operated Vehicle with a 150-foot tether, a camera with lights and a video monitor for an underwater view of the lake and its inhabitants. The trip will also feature a visit to a permanent buoy placed by the University of Maine at Farmington that monitors dissolved oxygen and water temperature levels.

There are still a few slots available for the trips which do not cost passengers anything. Each trip takes roughly an hour. FOWL board member Wynn Muller can be reached at 860-604-0424.