Environment

Revisiting the mission of the Sabbathday Lake Association

Over this past winter, the SDLA gave presentations to the New Gloucester Board of Selectmen and Planning Board. We also spoke at the town budget meeting and answered questions about our Association. It became clear that there were some misconceptions about the SDLA. So, we would like to revisit our mission statement… for our members.

Mission: The Sabbathday Lake Association is a non-profit, environmentally oriented, charitable organization formed to protect the water quality and natural resources of its watershed.


Here are some things that we do and do not do.
• The SDLA is a volunteer conservation organization. There are no required memberships of fees for property owners, and membership for lake property owners and other members in the community is strictly voluntary. We currently have approximately 90 members.
• The SLDA does not own property on the lake or have jurisdiction over access to the lake.
• The SDLA has no authority over the Grange Hall or the beach at the south end of the lake.
• The SDLA does not operate the boat ramp on Outlet Road. This ramp is operated and maintained by a small business located at the Outlet Beach in a lease agreement with the Shakers. The boat ramp is open to the public for a fee and SDLA members pay launch fees just like other members of the community.
• The SDLA does not host fishing derbies. Fishing derbies that do happen on the lake are run as fundraisers by other organizations through permits obtained from Maine Inland Fisheries and Wildlife.

We hope that this clarifies some concerns about our role as stewards of Sabbathday Lake. It is our privilege to serve on the SDLA board and we enthusiastically welcome new members.
To learn more about SLDA projects and activities, visit the website  and select the What We Do tab in the home page header.