Raymond/Casco Maine, Tenny Stream

Body of Water: Tenny Stream (Tenny River), Casco/Raymond, ME [Maine Gazetteer Map 5 ] Tenny Stream/River connects Crescent Lake and Panther Pond.  

Directions (from Portland, ME): Travel west on Rt. 302 towards Windham.  Drive through Windham and into Raymond.  When Rt. 302 Intersects with Rt 85 (Good Life Market on your right)  Turn Right onto 85.  Follow Rt 85 and slow down when Rt. 85 intersects with Rt. 121.  The boat launch will be on your right.  

Boat Launch: Cement, grooved, used to launch power boats as well as kayaks/canoes.  (I will try to get pictures of the boat launch next time I go. I forgot to do that today!) 

Parking: Parking is available along the sides of Rt. 85.  

Wildlife: Ducks, loons, turtles, songbirds, snails, and fish.  (I have heard there are otters, but I have yet to see them.) 

Notes: Because this stream is the connection between two lakes, you can really spend an entire day exploring! This area is crowded on holiday weekends making parking hard and lots of traffic on the water.  In the summer there is a porta-potty next to the small private beach.  This would be a great place for people of all skill levels.  Also a popular place to fish for bass.  When returning to the boat launch, some people have been known to get confused.  When exiting the stream, returning to Crescent Lake, people panic because they do not see the boat launch, it's there, you just have to paddle to the left, along the shore.  

This is a culvert that goes under Rt. 85.  

This next picture is of a snapping turtle.  It was the biggest snapper I have ever seen.  It went to the bottom of the water and I watched it for close to 15 minutes as it foraged on the bottom. (next picture) 

(I know this picture is hard to see, but, this turtle hung out on the bottom for a long time.) 

I have been lucky seeing loons at this site.  Please be respectful of the loons and their nesting grounds)  

 

A musk turtle.  (Shell was probably 6 inches long) 

I originally thought this was a small snapping turtle, because it was not a painted turtle, but one of my students is doing a project on Maine turtles and this is a musk turtle.  I am very excited to have seen a new species that I have not seen before. 

A painted turtle whose shell was shaped oddly.  

A painted turtle with a blood sucker on it's leg! 

This is a walkway that crosses the stream as you exit the stream into Panther Pond.  There are a few summer camps along Panther Pond and this is one of them.  

Looking left as you enter Panther Pond. 

Oh... I had to share one of my favorite picture of Tenny Stream... I took this LAST year, 2011 in early May.  

This is one of my favorite local spots.  It is easy to get to, and can be a quick paddle if you do just the stream.  (Although for me, I take a lot of pictures, so it takes me a while to paddle through.)