92 Miles of Shoreline Surveyed

In August and September, volunteer Invasive Plant Patrollers mapped the shorelines to identify invasive species on 13 waterbodies in the Rangeley Lakes Region.

Volunteers surveyed Beaver Mountain Pond, Cupsuptic Lake, Cupsuptic River, Dodge Pond, Gull Pond, Haley Pond, Kennebago Lake, Little Kennebago Lake, Loon Lake, Mooselookmeguntic Lake, Quimby Pond, Rangeley Lake, Round Pond, Saddleback Lake. 

Community Conservation Corps volunteers donated 338 hours of their time, the equivalent of $10,123.10 (2022 volunteer time is worth $29.95/hour). The hours they gave demonstrate their dedication and enthusiasm, along with the quality of their work, support, and attendance to plant identification webinars on the Lake Stewards of Maine website.

Plant Patrollers receive free training to detect invasive aquatic species before the infestation reaches an acre. Early detection is the key to cost-effectively managing an infestation. By patrolling each season, volunteers become familiar with the flora native to their lake and are more likely to recognize an infestation before it grows. 

To date, there are no invasive species documented in the Rangeley Lakes. 

Rangeley Lakes Heritage Trust would like to thank Janet Bissell of Oquossoc, who volunteers to coordinate all the Lake Leaders and their teams on the respective water bodies.