Weedwatchers

2006 Update on WeedWatcher Program at Great East Lake - Bess Smith

The Weed Watcher program continues to be very successful. We now have 65 active volunteers covering nearly all of the shoreline including the Scribner River. We are proud to say that our lake continues to be free of any exotic weeds. This is particularly good news since several of our neighboring lakes are infested with milfoil. These lakes include Belleau, Balch, Winnipesauke, and Wentworth.

This past July we were fortunate to have Amy Smagula of the NH Department of Environmental Services come to the Lake for a Weed Watcher training event. She brought along various exotic weeds so we could see them up close and personal. We then went to the Scribner River where Amy pulled a sampling of the weeds we have in Great East Lake such as Badderwort, Waterweed, Pondweed, water lilies, various grasses, etc. All of these are native and do not threaten the quality of our Lake. We will be scheduling another training session like this next year for anyone who wants to participate.

Anyone can be a Weed Watcher! If you are interested in volunteering please call or email Bess Smith for a Weed Watcher's Kit. (Phone: Home 978-689-9202 / Lake 603-522-0074; Email: bess.smith@techcelerate.biz ). Even if you are not interested in volunteering at this time, please keep a look out for weeds as you swim or fish at your property. If you happen to see anything suspicious, give Bess a call or collect it and wrap in a wet paper towel, put it in a plastic baggy and send to either NH DES (603-271-2248) if found in NH or ME DEP (207-283-7733) if found in ME.

Many lakes in Maine and New Hampshire have an exotic weed problem primarily with variable milfoil. It is considered the number one aquatic plant problem for lake residents, visitors, and aquatic plant managers. It is spreading at a rate of one to three new waterbodies each year since the 1980's and is taking over lakes at an alarming rate. Once milfoil is found in a lake it can not be eradicated. It takes a great deal of money to attempt to control the growth but it can never be stopped completely. So please, keep your eye out. If you don't know what milfoil looks like, choose either the Maine or New Hampshire link below for more information.

The NH Department of Environmental Services website, teaches more about the threat of Aquatic Exotic Species. It gives a very comprehensive look at the plants, the Weed Watcher program and the effects of this very serious problem.

There is an excellent volunteer program in Maine that works collaboratively with many individuals, organizations, communities, and agencies throughout Maine. It has invasive plant descriptions and pictures. To report a suspicious plant in Maine To get information about the Maine Sticker program.

July, 2006

GELIA would like to congratulate expert Weed Watcher Carol Lafond on her discovery of what appears to be variable milfoil. Carol routinely snorkels the cove at the Maine boat launch and spotted the single plant which was then pulled. Amy Smagula, NH DES Exotic Species Program Director, examined the specimen and is fairly certain that it is the dreaded variable milfoil but has sent it out for conclusive DNA testing.

According to Amy, this early detection and routine subsequent inspections can prevent the plant from ever spreading further so we may have dodged a bullet. This is a RED ALERT for all Weed Watchers to be extra vigilant in your inspections and please report any questionable plants directly to Amy Smagula, 271-2248 or GELIA Weed Watcher Coordinator, Bess Smith at 522-0074. We can beat this threat if we all work together.

- Linda Schier

Click here for excellent pictures of variable milfoil on the Maine Volunteer Lakes Monitoring Program website. If you click on the pictures you can see an enlarged version. Note the redish brown color of the stem. This is one of the ways to distinguish this plant from some of the similar looking plants native to our lakes. The plant found in Great East was in about 4 feet of water and had not reached the surface, so there was no flower on the plant.

Variable watermilfoil is a submerged aquatic plant that has densely packed whorled leaves. It is usually found along the shorelines of lakes and ponds. Watermilfoil can grow in depths of up to 10-12 feet, forming dense mats near the surface of the water. The plant produces a spike-like flower that grows above the water's surface from mid to late summer. It reproduces primarily by fragmentation. The plant can break apart very easily, and the fragments float to new locations and take root. When the plant was pulled from Great East a fine net was used to scoop it up to prevent fragment from escaping.