Hancock County Annual Lakes Survey Week

for Invasive Aquatic Plants

August 13-19, 2012

VOLUNTEERS NEEDED!

Join us for our 9th Annual Lakes Survey Week!  Volunteers pick a public boat launch or a hand-carried access point on a Hancock County lake of their choice to perform an aquatic plant survey.  Training, survey forms, and most field equipment (including underwater view scopes) are provided and surveys take approximately 1 hour to complete.  Early detection is crucial to protecting our lakes and ponds!

To sign up for a lake or pond please contact the District by calling us at 667-8663 or email me at: megan.faccciolo@me.nacdnet.net.  Please sign up for your lake before you survey to avoid conducting duplicate surveys.

Invasive aquatic plants, already present in 33 water bodies in Southern and Mid-Coastal Maine, spread rapidly and are virtually impossible and extremely costly to remove once established.  Invasive plants can devastate a lake’s recreational uses and beauty and can lead to reduced property values along the lake (which leads to higher property taxes elsewhere).  Heavy traffic areas, such as boat launches, tend to be the first location of invasive aquatic plant growth as plant fragments are accidentally spread from boat trailers, canoes, kayaks, etc. that have recently been in infested lakes.  Early detection of these plants is the best defense, since once they are established, eradication is extremely difficult (if not impossible) and very costly. 

If you are interested in being trained to identify invasive aquatic plants, please call the HCSWCD to find out about upcoming workshops.  Please check the Upcoming Trainings link for information on plant identification workshops, or contact the District at 667-8663 or email megan.facciolo@me.nacdnet.net if you would like more information or to volunteer during our Hancock County Lakes Survey Week. 

This important work can’t be

accomplished without you!