About Us

PPDLW came together in 2009 as a grassroots organization of citizens who share a concern for maintaining the unique natural resource that the Downeast Lakes Watershed represents. The founders are especially concerned about the impact industrial wind energy generation projects will have on the area. Recently, Massachusetts based First Wind Energy LLC formed a subsidiary, Champlain Wind, LLC and leased 5,445 acres for just such an industrial project. The site includes Bowers Mountain and the surrounding area which is at the head of the Downeast Lakes Watershed.

After retaining legal council and incorporating as a non-profit in the State of Maine, we established working relationships with a number of groups with similar concerns. These groups include the Friends of Lincoln Lakes and the Citizens' Task Force on Wind Power.

Members of the PPDLW have met with town officers of both Lakeville and Carroll in an attempt to express our concerns and gauge their positions with regard to the Bowers Mountain project. We have met with Grand Lake Stream Select Board members, Guides Association members, lodge owners, and other interested parties to review this project and our efforts to stop it. 

PPDLW 's founding members are:

Kevin and Marie Gurall, who have lived year round on Junior Lake for the past 10 years
        and are Lakeville residents.
Tracy Allen and her husband Phillip Daw, former Carroll residents, now live in Georgia and         also have a summer place on Junior Lake in Lakeville.
Gary and Kay Campbell are residents of Massachusetts, but spend half the year at their
        camp on Bottle Lake in Lakeville.
Tammy and Eric Lane live in Durham, Maine and own a seasonal camp on Junior Lake
         in Lakeville.

We have received support from property owners, businesses, and residents of Lakeville, Carroll, and as far away as Grand Lake Stream. Our supporters own property on Junior, Duck, Keg, Bottle, West Grand, and Sysladobsis Lakes. As we move forward we hope to garner support from many others within the Downeast lakes watershed, from Lakeville to Princeton.

The magic of the Downeast Lakes Watershed is its natural beauty and recreational opportunities that attract people from all over the world to come and live and recreate in this watershed. Any threat to this natural wonder is taken very seriously by its residents, business owners and everyone who appreciates and cherishes it!