This is where my dad and I use to launch our fishing boat when he took me to fish on Clary Lake in Whitefield. There were lots of weeds then, but there was also a lot of water. Now, it's just a trickle...

There are conflicting stories as to why the water rises and falls without warning. The biggest factor seems to be that the dam's private owner can open or close the gate as he chooses. See, the dam's for sale and nobody wants to buy it. This could be a ploy to get the lake association to pony up the dough and buy it so they can control levels as they choose and not rely on a single person who doesn't have a house on the lake.

Residents on the lake go from having a nice shore front property to having a dock sitting in mud. The kicker is, the state seems to have no control even thought the raising and lowering of the water level has a direct effect on wildlife including, according to a resident I spoke with, a family of loons.

Another variable is the dam itself. According to the owner, there is a hole in it that needs repair and he tries to keep the water level below the damaged section.

Whatever the reason or reasons for the variance in levels, the victims are the homeowners around the lake and the wildlife which counts on the lake being there. Hopefully, the dam will get sold or the state will intervene and bring it all back to the way it had been and stayed for many years. Maybe one day I'll be able to take Evan for some fishing on the shores of Clary Lake

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