A Picture Perfect Summer Day on Messalonskee Lake in the Belgrade Lakes Region of Maine

by Leigh Macmillen Hayes

Calling all Maine lakefront property owners. It’s time to register for the Maine Milfoil Summit to be held at the University of Maine Lewiston-Auburn campus on Friday, February 28th. The summit begins at 8:30am with sign-in and refreshments and ends at noon. The afternoon features training sessions for Courtesy Boat Inspectors and those interested in conducting a “Plant Paddle.”
To register, e-mail the Lakes Environmental Association at lakes@leamaine.org. Be sure to include your name, organization or lake of interest and any training session you wish to attend. If you are coming with a group, each person should register independently.

Lakefront Properties For Sale on Messalonskee Lake

View Vacation Rentals on Messalonskee Lake

Organizations receiving grants for CBI programs must send a representative to the training. CBI supplies will be distributed at the summit. Each lake association can receive three free shirts and multi-lake associations receive five. Additional shirts are $5. Shirt orders need to be e-mailed to LEA ASAP and should include the number needed for each size: XXL, XL, L, M and S. No supplies are mailed out, so they must be picked up at the summit. Brochures and CBI handbooks will also be available.
This year, LEA is also taking orders for “Inspector on Duty” signs with the milfoil logo. The signs are double-sided and include metal holders. The cost is $10 for each one. Please bring a check made out to “LEA” or include the sign cost with your shirt check if you are ordering extra shirts. Shirt and sign orders must be received at LEA by February 8.
In our winter newsletter, Maine Lakes News Digest, Jacolyn Bailey, program director for the Maine Milfoil Initiative at Saint Joseph’s College, shared the following with us: “There was good news overall with no new infestations reported this year, keeping the count at five aquatic plant invaders (hydrilla, curly-leaf pondweed, European naiad, Eurasian watermilfoil, and variable-leaf watermilfoil) and 24 infested areas in Maine (see http://www.maine.gov/dep/water/invasives/invasivesmap.pdf for a list and map).”
Jackey tells us that “the big battle in Maine has been variable-leaf watermilfoil with 18 of the 24 listed infested areas having this plant. The types of waterbodies run the gamut from rivers and streams (Songo River, Great Meadow Stream, Ossipee River) to small ponds (Shagg Pond (56 acres), Cushman Pond (37 acres), Collins Pond (43 acres) and larger lakes like Damariscotta Lake (4,686 acres), Messalonskee Lake (3,691 acres) and Sebago Lake (29,992 acres). Most of the groups in attendance reported positive progress on their control efforts.
The Maine Milfoil Initiative of Saint Joseph’s College, in conjunction with the Maine Volunteer Lake Monitoring Program, has been working diligently on the Maine Citizen’s Guide to Invasive Aquatic Plant Management. The Guide is a comprehensive handbook to developing, implementing and maintaining a successful management program and control plan. It includes case studies highlighting the experiences of lakes currently managing invasive aquatic plants. If you would like to be notified when the Guide is available, e-mail milfoil@sjcme.edu.”
To learn more about various initiatives around the state, sign up to attend the Milfoil Summit.
To learn more about lakefront properties for sale on Messalonskee Lake in the Belgrade Lakes Region of Maine, click on the green box above.
And to learn more about the Belgrade Lakes Region, check out the blog links below.
Sparkling Messalonskee Lake in Maine’s Belgrade Lakes Chain
Salmon Lake, Belgrade & Oakland, Maine: Experience Rose-colored Sunsets