The Rangeley Lakes Heritage Trust (RLHT), in partnership with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife (MDIFW), and Trout Unlimited (TU), has partially completed an effort to restore habitat for native Eastern brook trout and other aquatic species in the Kennebago watershed.
An old program is getting a fresh start in the Rangeley Lakes Region. Rangeley Lakes Heritage Trust is now coordinating and performing LakeSmart evaluations for shorefront property owners in the region.
Rangeley Lakes Heritage Trust (RLHT) hosted the first annual Invasive Rusty Crayfish Contest in the Rangeley Lakes Region from August 7-13. RLHT provided a trap, and information to correctly identify the native and invasive species and provided cash prizes to incentivize the public to participate.
The 40th Annual Loon Count was a success in the Rangeley Lakes Region with a record number of volunteers and surveyed waterbodies. The Annual Loon Count occurs on the 3rd Saturday in July, when volunteers monitor lakes and ponds simultaneously across the state. Since 2020, Rangeley Lakes Heritage Trust has coordinated the efforts in the region.
Since 2016, RLHT has documented the Invasive Rusty Crayfish, Faxonius rusticus, in the Rangeley Lakes Region. This year, they’ve decided to act against these invaders by hosting the first annual invasive rusty crayfish contest from August 7th through 13th.
Rangeley Lakes Heritage Trust will host their annual mushroom workshop on August 12 in Rangeley. Taught by expert Greg Marley, this day-long workshop is devoted to building the skills needed to identify common mushrooms and to begin a lifetime of wild mushrooming. The class will combine lecture and outdoor experience to look at identification features, ecology, and the seasonal occurrence of mushrooms. Participants should be prepared for a hike and a fun learning day and are invited to bring fresh specimens of mushrooms from their property.
Our community cares deeply about conserving our land and water. The threat of an invasive species is real for the lakes, rivers, and our regional economy. Last summer, Rangeley Lakes Heritage Trust received numerous calls about suspicious plants in our lakes.
RLHT needs water quality volunteers for the 2023 season! Water Quality Monitors are volunteers who collect clarity, dissolved oxygen data, and total phosphorus biweekly on regional waterbodies. Each year, RLHT appeals to the community to lend a hand; there are three ways to help.
The week of April 15-22, Rangeley Lakes Heritage Trust sponsored daily events celebrating International Dark Sky Week encouraging our community to “Discover the Night!”
The Discover the Night Poster Contest was for all students through grade 9 in the Rangeley Lakes Region. Submissions were displayed at businesses along Main Street in Rangeley.
Julia Morin of Broad Brook, CT, is the 2023 Maine Conservation Corps Environmental Steward with the Rangeley Lakes Heritage Trust.
While serving with RLHT, Morin will coordinate the Headwaters Lake Protection Program, which oversees the water quality health in the Rangeley Lakes region. Morin is a certified Water Quality Monitor, LakeSmart Evaluator, and Courtesy Boat Inspector and will be an Invasive Plant Patroller.
