Invasive Plant Species Threaten Maine Waters.

When looking for signs of summers approach all one needs to do is notice the longer days and warmer weather. However here in the state of Maine, these signs of summer are also signaling the start of an invasion. When most of you think of invasions during the summer time you may think of swarms of mosquitoes and tourists who both possess the penchant to annoy us during the warmer summer months than disappear as soon as the first chill of fall rears its head. However the invasion that truly worries many here in Maine is the rampant infiltration of aquatic plants into our states waterways.

For several years now there have been warnings from environmental groups and agencies about the oncoming introduction of invasive plant species into Maine’s waterways, however for the most part a wide scale infiltration has been avoided. Yet this may not always been the case and has caused numerous groups and residents to set about cleaning up existing outbreaks and by establishing preventative measures.

The state is taking the threat so seriously that they have established Maine Milfoil Initiative which will contribute $500,000 in federal aid money to prevent to spread of the invasive plant species milfoil in Maine’s waters. In the town of Oakland this has resulted in a $13,000 dollar contribution to rid Messalonskee Lake of milfoil. The efforts to control milfoil in the lake will involve the installation of benthic barriers in high traffic areas of the lake. These barriers will rest at the bottom of the lake, preventing sunlight from reaching the milfoils root system and kill the plants.

There have also been state laws instituted to prevent the spread of these invasive species. Seaplanes landing in Maine’s lakes and ponds will now need to carry a water protection sticker. These stickers were already mandatory on all boats entering Maine waters however the Maine legislature added seaplanes to the list after establishing the planes potential to carry invasive species into the state. The stickers will cost $20 dollars and need to be applied to the outside of each pontoon.

For more information about invasive plant species residents can contact the Maine Bureau of Land and Water Quality. Also there are citizen based groups such as the Maine Volunteer Lake Monitoring Program who monitor the over 6,000 lakes and ponds in Maine trying to control invasive plant species. They have produced a comprehensive report about the current state of Maine’s waterways which can be viewed here; http://www.mainevolunteerlakemonitors.org/2009MaineLakesReport.pdf.

Measures need to be taken to stem the tide of invasive plant infestation or soon the problem will be much larger than it currently stands. The natural balance of Maine waterways rests in the balance and as experience in other parts of the country shows, the risks of waiting for an infestation to happen are much higher than the costs involved in preventing one.