Special Issue! Diving In: A Deeper Understanding and Paddle Battle II Saturday July 7th Appreciation of Lakes Starting on Page 8 Details on Page 5 Summer 2018 Free LEA Lake News A Publication of the Lakes Environmental Association, Protecting Lakes Since 1970 Lake Courses Oer Something for Everyone Are you looking for a way to build your resume? Modern Environmental Monitoring is a three day Do you have an interest in micro-electronics? Do course that will cover the principles of freshwa- you want to learn how lakes work rst hand? is ter science both in the classroom and in the eld. summer, a series of fun and educational courses Days one and two cover on-the-lake sampling, is being oered at the Maine Lake Science Center including the basics of water column charac- in Bridgton. terization using everything from a Secchi disk We are hosting three new courses geared to- to advanced multi-parameter probes. Students ward students in college or late high school and will learn how to take surface and deep water interested adults looking to enhance their un- samples for nutrient and algae analysis and get derstanding of natural systems and scientic an overview of the lab work that nishes the pro- methodology. Participants in these courses will cess. Day three is a comprehensive overview of enjoy learning about environmental science in rivers and streams. is course will be taught a relaxed classroom environment and then get by LEA’s Sta Researcher, Education Director, a chance to collect samples in the eld and run Teacher/Naturalist, and Research Director. July them in the lab. 30- August 1, 8am-3pm Continued on Page 3 Long Lake Milfoil Update by Christian Oren LEA’s milfoil control team was rapidly deployed remaining plants and work towards eradicating the majority of Long Lake, and only one other to Long Lake aer the surprising discovery of this threat for good. area was found to contain plants: Salmon Point variable leaf milfoil in August of 2017. e crew Long Lake has many acres of potential habitat in Bridgton. e plants there were young, and found over an acre of thick plants growing di- and could easily fall prey to another infestation easily removed by the control team, in contrast to rectly in the range of boat propellers in Mast of milfoil. LEA has worked diligently to protect the well-established growth in Mast Cove. is Cove. e boats were chopping up plants, fur- this ecologically and economically signicant re- summer, we hope to eectively eliminate the last ther spreading milfoil in the lake. Aer weeks source. Milfoil has been kept at bay by the con- of the patches in Long Lake. of intense removal, the weed was knocked back trol team in the connected waterways of Brandy at said, we will need to perform repetitive, me- signicantly, and plants were no longer at risk Pond and the Songo River for years, and Cour- thodic surveys in the cove for years to come and of spreading throughout the lake. is summer tesy Boat Inspectors are posted at all of the public remove any regrowth we nd. Milfoil is a stub- the crew will return to Long Lake to remove any boat launches around the lake. However, milfoil born weed, but with constant surveillance we was still able to hitch-hike its way into the hope we will be able to achieve eradication. LEA lake, likely through a private boat launch. will need all the help we can get to accomplish Many of these private launches exist around this goal. Control work is expensive, and vast ar- our lakes, too numerous to monitor by LEA eas need to be surveyed. We need donations to and not subject to any regulation by state or keep this project strong, and volunteer support local law. Over the winter and by request of to survey every inch of the lake. If you would like the Naples Select Board, LEA draed an ordi- to help out this summer please contact Christian, nance to require owners of private launches at [email protected], or donate to the mil- and large docking facilities to inspect nearby foil fund directly online or by mail. waters for invasive aquatic plants. e dra ordinance has been passed on to the Bridg- ton and Harrison Select Boards. At press LEA diver Derek Douglass holds a clump of milfoil time, the document is still under review and Inside pending adoption. LEA NON - PROFIT Completely eradicat- Invasive Plant Patrol Page 5 230 Main St. U.S. POSTAGE PAID ing invasive species is Bridgton ME 04009 Portland, ME Events Calendar Page 7 (Change service requested) PERMIT NO. 493 a dicult, and oen impossible task. Only a few lakes have been e Shape of Our Lakes Page 12 taken o of the list of infested waterbodies. Hemlock Wooly Adelgid Page 14 Still, that is LEA’s goal. Surveys were done over LEA Honor Roll Page 16 Smartphone Stormwater Mapping Update: LEA Contacts Erosion Map and Surveying Guide Now Available! by Christian Oren LEA Headquarters: Identifying erosion problems is essential to 230 Main Street maintaining and improving water quality. Bridgton ME 04009 Erosion brings soil and the nutrient phosphorus 207-647-8580 into waterbodies, which can cause sedimenta- tion and algal growth - two major causes of water quality decline. Remediating these sites is para- Maine Lake Science Center: mount to preserving water quality and possibly 51 Willett Road improving it in the future. However, erosion sites are numerous and watersheds are vast. Finding Bridgton ME 04009 and properly documenting all of these sites can 207-647-3318 be both costly and time consuming. As report- ed in our Fall 2017 issue, LEA started an ambi- tious project last summer, with funding from the www.mainelakes.org Horizon Foundation, to improve erosion surveys by using mobile phones. We piloted this project in Bridgton, and have now created a guidebook LEA Sta to help other groups replicate this novel and ef- cient method. piled into a map that ranks the erosion sites on Colin Holme their severity and proximity to a waterbody. Executive Director - [email protected] Traditional surveying techniques require a The map is also available online at mainelakes. GPS, camera, maps, and a lot of paper forms. Jenny O’Connor org/stormwater_survey where you can click on Oce Manager - [email protected] Fortunately, technological advancements have sites to get more info and view pictures. This made all of these available in the palm of your interactive map was shared with the Bridgton Alanna Doughty hand. Modern smartphones have GPS location, Public Works department and will be used to Education Director - [email protected] cameras, and the ability to fill out and upload help inform road work to alleviate these erosion Mary Jewett forms all in one device. Having all of these tools problems. Teacher-Naturalist - [email protected] available together makes surveying much faster LEA’s guidebook on mobile surveying is de- Amanda Pratt and simpler, and the device is always at hand! signed for people and organizations who want to Sta Researcher - [email protected] e data is automatically uploaded and imme- use this technology but aren’t sure where to start. Christian Oren diately available, unlike paper forms that have Initially, the survey programs and platforms may Landowner Services and Milfoil Control to be tediously transcribed. Another advantage seem complicated, which is exactly why we cre- [email protected] of this program is that new sites can be added ated this guide! The guide is designed to be in- at any time and old sites can be updated as con- sightful and intuitive for both professionals and ditions change. All you need is one minute and volunteers to use, and could be used to develop your phone. This new method of surveying saves any type of survey or data collection program. MSLC Sta time, and frees up funding for more important Already, staff at LEA have used the guide to cre- Dr. Ben Peierls work, like remediation. ate a citizen science algae monitoring survey. Research Director - [email protected] Over last summer and fall LEA interns and staff This new way to survey is faster, more efficient, Peter Lowell gathered erosion data for all of the public roads and easier than current methods. Sharing this Development Director in Bridgton. Over 300 sites were identified on method will help protect water quality and ad- [email protected] 66 roads throughout the town. This survey took vance scientific efforts on a statewide level. Get Dr. Bridie McGreavy weeks, but it would not have been possible with- a copy of the guide on our website, mainelakes. Consulting Executive Director out using mobile surveying. The data was com- org/stormwater_survey. Alyson Smith Center and Program Manager [email protected] Board of Directors Orrin Shane - President Roy Lambert - Vice President Lori omae - Secretary Julie McQueen - Treasurer Anne Butter • Matt Frank Phyllis Ginzler • Frank Howell Henry Hudson III • Lydia Landesberg Dan Richards • Justin Ward Peter Whitchurch • John Willson Anne Wold Honorary Directors Tom Rosen Hubert and Ray Caplan Stan Cohen Page 2 LEA monitors 41 lakes and ponds Sonde Data on the Move by Ben Peierls Lake Courses While brainstorming newsletter article ideas last year, I coined the phrase “sondes for ponds”. is Continued from Page 1 bit of rhyming fun produced much oce levity - Alanna and I even tried to create the “Sondes for For those interested Ponds” rap. in playing with and More than just fun though, sondes are good for understanding ponds (see Fall 2017-Winter 2018 building electronic newsletter, available online).