Moosehead region invasive species forum
GREENVILLE — On Friday, June 20 from 4-6 p.m., the Maine Volunteer Lake Monitoring Program, Friends of Wilson Pond Area and the Moosehead Marine Museum will host a forum on ways to protect Moosehead region lakes from threats such as invasive aquatic species and nutrient pollution.
The program, which is open to the public, will take place aboard the historic steamship Katahdin, docked in downtown Greenville.
The forum will include the findings of a recent invasive aquatic plant survey of Moosehead Lake and a discussion of possible next steps for protecting local waters from existing and future threats. “The Hunt for Aquatic Invaders,” a new documentary about aquatic invaders featuring the Moosehead survey project will be premiered.
Space aboard the Katahdin is limited and registrations will accepted on a first-come-first-served basis. Contact the VLMP at 783-7733 or christine@mainevlmp.org for more information and to register.
Given its vast size and popularity with the boating public from Maine and beyond, Moosehead Lake is seen to be especially vulnerable to the threat of aquatic invaders. “The development of an informed, integrated, locally-driven strategy for prevention and early detection is needed if we are to protect area lakes from this serious threat,” according to forum organizer and lifelong Greenville resident Kay Johnson. “Aquatic invaders are coming to the Moosehead region; it is only a matter of time. If we work together, we can be ready to stop them.”
Since 2008, the Volunteer Lake Monitoring Program has been leading a team of trained “citizen lake scientists” who have been scouring the shoreline of Moosehead Lake in search of aquatic invaders.
The VLMP is the oldest — and one of the largest — statewide citizen-based lake monitoring programs in the nation. The VLMP trains, certifies and provides technical support to hundreds of participants across the state that monitor a wide range of indicators of water quality, assess watershed health and function and screen lakes for invasive aquatic plants and animals.
Drawing upon 43 years of experience in supporting volunteer monitoring efforts in Maine, VLMP staff will offer recommendations for the development of a locally-sustainable, citizen-based monitoring program in the Moosehead region.
VLMP staff and volunteers will also be conducting an invasive aquatic plant screening survey at the public boat landing on Thursday, June 19, following a report received by the VLMP from a seasonal resident who believes he spotted a fragment of Eurasian water-milfoil floating near the boat launch.
According to VLMP Invasive Species Program Director Roberta Hill, “Unfortunately, the suspicious fragment was not collected, so its identity could not be confirmed. We want to investigate the area to be on the safe side.”
Invasive plants and animals are easily moved from one water body to another, often “hitchhiking” on boats and boating gear. A new introduction can quickly explode into an ecologically and economically disastrous infestation. Once an invader is well-established, eradication is extremely difficult and costly, if not impossible.
With more than 6,000 lakes and ponds, and thousands of miles of stream habitat, the task of preventing the spread of invasive aquatic species in Maine waters is an enormous environmental challenge.
The Moosehead Region Lakes Forum is supported through a grant from the Plum Creek Foundation.
For the complete list of funding sources for the Moosehead Lake survey and Hunt for Aquatic Invaders documentary, visit www.mainevlmp.org.