Fifty members attended the meeting at the Piscataquis Regional YMCA, where they heard from Joseph Spaulding, manager of the Borestone Mt. Wildlife Sanctuary, and Ginger Jones, Director of Development at Maine Audubon. The association, with 380 dues-paying members, unanimously approved a $500 donation for Borestone, which towers over the head of Sebec Lake.

Spaulding told the gathering that Borestone is the largest of 15 properties owned by Maine Audubon, a statewide environmental organization.

The mountain, located 10 miles northeast of Monson in Elliotsville Township, is visited by nearly 5,000 people each year. The wildlife sanctuary includes 1,639 acres of old-growth and mature forests stretching from the main gate on Bodfish Road to more than a mile of shore frontage on Onawa Lake. A three-mile hiking trail leads to the 2,000-foot elevation of Borestone's summit, which offers a panoramic view of Piscataquis County.

The Borestone property includes a sugaring house at the bottom of the trail and a staffed Nature Center halfway up the trail at Sunrise Pond. Spaulding said there are also two Adirondack-style residential and dining lodges built in the early 1900s, which are used for summer programs. Borestone hosts three, week-long summer camps for youths aged 12-15, as well as two retreats for adults.

Borestone has a rich history. Originally operated as a fox farm, the mountain was owned by ornithologist Robert T. Moore, who bequeathed it to the National Audubon Society in 1958. The property was transferred to Maine Audubon in 2000, and Jones said the state society is now involved in a major strategic planning process to define the future of all its sanctuaries, including Borestone. While that planning effort unfolds, Maine Audubon has gone forward with fundraising to maintain and improve the Borestone sanctuary.

Jones said efforts so far have concentrated on renovating the Borestone lodges and repairing the hiking trail to the summit. This summer the Maine Conservation Corps, using grant funds and AmeriCorps volunteers, has been constructing 130 stone steps and installing stone waterbars to control erosion on the summit trail.

Jones said Borestone is not yet financially self-sustaining and is operating at a slight deficit. Maine Audubon wants to involve the community in creating additional financial support for Borestone, both in continuing repairs to buildings and trails, and in providing scholarship assistance for youths attending Borestone summer camps.

As an example of community support, Jones reported that the Kiwanis Club of Dover-Foxcroft will be sponsoring a Borestone Hike-a-thon on Saturday, Sept. 28, with all proceeds being donated to the sanctuary.

In other business, association members learned that due to the recent dry weather, Sebec Lake's water level is six inches below normal. Water quality continues to be excellent, with lake clarity readings of more than eight meters in depth.

The Association elected the following officers: Dave Raymond, president; Gary Soucy, vice president; Mac Blanchard, treasurer; Tom Lizotte, corresponding secretary; and Marie Woodbrey, recording secretary.