Indian Pond

Indian Pond, Greenwood, is 68 acres with a maximum depth of 62 feet. It is stocked annually with brook trout, splake, and rainbow trout. Access is limited and a private road runs along the shore. Owner permission to use road is needed. Only small boats or canoes can access the pond. Indian Pond is closed to winter fishing but is open during summer season under general law regulations.

Indian Pond was chemically reclaimed in September 1962 to eliminate competing species and permit more intensive management for brook trout. At that time a barrier dam was built on the outlet to prevent undesirable species from migrating into the pond. Since then, beavers have become established on the outlet and their dams have flooded the barrier dam and allowed certain species to enter the pond. Although these species compete intensively with the trout s species,Indian Pond still produces an excellent fishery. Splake, a cross between brook and lake trout, have been stocked in Indian Pond.

The Maine Department of Environmental Protection (ME-DEP) and the Volunteer Lake Monitoring Program (VLMP) have collaborated in the collection of lake data to evaluate present water quality, track algae blooms, and determine water quality trends. This data set does not include bacteria, mercury, or nutrients other than phosphorus. Water quality monitoring data for Indian Pond has been collected since 1992 (6 individual years). During this period, 4 years of basic chemical information was collected, in addition to Secchi Disk Transparencies (SDT).

In summary, the water quality of Indian Pond is considered to be well above average, based on measures of SDT, total phosphorus (TP), and Chlorophyll-a (Chla). The potential for nuisance algae blooms on Indian Pond is low.

Water Quality Measures: Indian Pond is an uncolored lake (average color 13 SPU) with an average SDT of 7.8m (25.6ft). The range of water column TP for Indian Pond is 4-7 parts per billion (ppb) with an average of 6 ppb, while Chla ranges from 2.2-5.1 ppb with an average of 3.7 ppb. Recent dissolved oxygen (DO) profiles show little DO depletion in deep areas of the lake. The potential for TP to leave the bottom sediments and become available to algae in the water column (internal loading) is low. Oxygen levels below 5 parts per million stress certain cold water fish, and a persistent loss of oxygen may eliminate or reduce habitat for sensitive cold water species. There is no indication of this problem in the lake.

(Source: ME-DEP)

Local History of Indian Pond

Indian Pond occupies the valley south of the Rowe Hill Road. Access to the pond is via the Hobbs Road. The Indian Pond Road is now closed to motorized vehicles for environmental reasons. This pond has a dirt boat ramp used mainly by fishermen.

The Bryant Neighborhood north of the pond was first settled between 1810 and 1820. The farms of Dustin Bryant, and Allen T. Cummings both ran down to the north shore of the pond.

The first camp on the pond was built at the southern end sometime before 1920. It was originally a hunting and fishing camp and at one time served as a logging camp. By the late 1930's Stan Morgan and Albert Ring owned the camp. Around 1946 or 1947 Morgan and Ring sold the camp to Beryl and Ethel Martin. The camp is still owned today by a local family.

Ethel Hobbs operated a girls' camp at Indian Pond from 1924 until around 1935. The camp was located on the old Dustin Bryant farm at the north end of the pond. In its early days the camp was known as Camp Opeechee, but within a few years the name was changed to Camp Sebowisha.

Around 1949 or 1950 the Mt. Abram Fish & Game Club built the first dam at Indian Pond. This dam still exists today at the outlet on the south end of the pond. Today there are camps on the west and north shore of the pond.

The first half of the Hobbs Road and the Indian Pond Road are both town owned. The Maine Inland Fisheries and Wildlife Dept. has a right of way to the boat ramp via the Indian Pond Road only. The private section of the Indian Pond Road has had some environmental issues. This road is in need of repairs and trailering boats is not recommended. (Source: Blaine Mills' Ponds of Greenwood)