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RANGELEY — Volunteers for Rangeley Lakes Heritage Trust patrolled more than 90 miles of shoreline in the Rangeley Lakes Region looking for invasive plants. Not one has been found.
Taking to their kayaks or canoes, teams of patrollers paddled along the shoreline mapping plants or the lack of throughout the months of August and September, when the plants are at their peak.
The shorelines of Cupsuptic, Mooselookmeguntic, Rangeley, Kennebago and Little Kennebago lakes, along with Beaver Mountain, Saddleback, Loon, Gull, Haley, Dodge and Quimby ponds, were surveyed.
“Our volunteers on Dodge Pond moved away so this year, patrollers from the other waterbodies joined RLHT staff on the water to ensure Dodge Pond wasn’t overlooked,” said program manager Amanda Laliberte. “It’s so important that we each have our eyes on our shoreline because once an invasive plant, like milfoil, takes root, it is an uphill and expensive battle to eradicate it.”
Aquatic plants can survive as long as sunlight can reach their depths. Patrollers zigzag the shoreline trying to cover any and all areas of the waterbody that could host plants. It only takes one plant fragment on one boat for an infestation to take hold on a lake. Once established, there is no native predator to slow its progress, and it grows at an exponential rate, rapidly taking over shorelines making the area unsuitable for swimming or fishing.
You can make a difference; if you would like to learn more or to report any unusual plants growing in your water body, contact RLHT at 207-864-7311 or the Lake Stewards of Maine at VLMP.org.
The Rangeley Lakes Heritage Trust maintains traditional public access and uses of its land for recreation, education and scientific study. The trust also offers a summer youth program, maintains a water quality program, and offers remote and traditional camping through its social enterprise, Cupsuptic Lake Park & Campground. To learn more about RLHT or how to get involved, visit rlht.org.
