The Belgrade Lakes: A Beautiful, Multi-Billion Dollar Treasure
Every summer, thousands of people are drawn to the Belgrade Lakes for the same reasons: clear water, quiet coves, loons calling across the lake at dusk, early morning fishing, afternoon swims, evening boat rides, and memories that span generations.
For many, the lakes are simply a wonderful place to spend time with family and friends. But they are also something more.
The seven Belgrade Lakes — Great Pond, Long Pond, Messalonskee Lake, East Pond, North Pond, Salmon Lake, and McGrath Pond — form one of Maine’s most remarkable natural resources. Together, they support recreation, tourism, wildlife, and the quality of life that has made this region one of the state’s most desirable places to live and visit.
They also represent an extraordinary economic asset. Today, the waterfront properties surrounding the seven lakes are estimated to be worth more than $3 billion. Spread across roughly 170 miles of shoreline, these homes and camps form the backbone of the tax base for many of the surrounding towns. They support local schools, roads, emergency services, and the municipal services that residents depend upon every day.
When people talk about protecting water quality, they’re not just talking about preserving beautiful scenery. They’re protecting one of the region’s greatest investments.
Research conducted in Maine has shown that clean lakes and strong property values go hand in hand. As water clarity declines, waterfront property values can decline as well. That affects not only individual homeowners but also municipal tax revenues and the broader local economy.
Conversely, every effort to protect water quality helps preserve homeowner equity while supporting the businesses that depend on healthy lakes. Restaurants, marinas, contractors, landscapers; lodging, real estate professionals, retailers, and many other local businesses all benefit from the region’s reputation for exceptional lakes.
Fortunately, the Belgrade Lakes region has long recognized that protecting clean water requires more than good intentions. The 7 Lakes Alliance, working in partnership with the local lake associations, municipalities, volunteers, and conservation organizations, has built an outstanding comprehensive watershed protection programs.
Throughout the year, scientists and volunteers monitor lake water quality, restore streams, reduce phosphorus runoff, conserve sensitive lands, educate property owners, and help identify problems before they become serious. Local lake associations contribute thousands of volunteer hours, working directly with shoreline residents to promote responsible stewardship and serving as advocates for the individual lakes that make up the watershed. It is a partnership that combines local knowledge with sound science.
Perhaps the most important lesson is that every lake is connected. Rain that falls miles away eventually finds its way into streams and lakes. Erosion from a driveway, a failing culvert, an improperly maintained septic system, or disturbed shoreline can affect water quality far beyond a single property.
Likewise, every positive action matters: a stabilized shoreline, a properly maintained septic system, a repaired erosion problem, a conserved wetland, a volunteer collecting water quality samples, an educational workshop attended by a new shoreline owner. Individually, each may seem small. Collectively, they help protect a resource that benefits leveryone.
The Belgrade Lakes did not become one of Maine’s premier lake destinations by accident. Their beauty today is the result of decades of stewardship by residents, volunteers, lake associations, conservation organizations, municipalities, and, more recently, the coordinated watershed-wide efforts of the 7 Lakes Alliance.
The rewards extend far beyond economics. Clean water means that children can swim safely, anglers can enjoy healthy fisheries, loons and other wildlife can thrive, and families can continue traditions that have defined summers in the Belgrades for generations.
Protecting these lakes is about preserving a way of life. It also happens to protect more than $3 billion in waterfront property, sustain local communities, and ensure that one of Maine’s greatest natural treasures remains just as remarkable for the generations still to come.
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