Shannon Brown - FOCW, AmeriCorps Intern
If preventative efforts including Courtesy Boat Inspections (CBI) are recognized as the "first line of defense" against the threat of invasive aquatic plants, early detection efforts including Invasive Plant Patrols (IPP) are a close second. Though there are no real success stories for eradication once a non-native plant takes hold,
early detection and rapid response can go a long ways towards limiting the infestation.
This summer, taking off on their highly successful Youth Conservation Corps program, the Friends of the Cobbossee Watershed established a
Youth Plant Patrol (YPP) team who spent six weeks surveying for and mapping the vegetation of
18 of the 28 lakes and streams that comprise the Cobbossee Watershed, including
12 public boat launch sites and the
majority of inlets and outlets for each water body.
This year's YPP team consisted of Katie Jennings, a senior majoring in Biology at the University of New Hampshire and Cameron Dufour, a sophomore majoring in Rural Public Safety Administration at the University of Maine, Ft. Kent. Both are well aware as to the importance of this pilot project, and reflected on their summer. Says Cam, "I like knowing that we are designing the YPP program from the bottom up, and having the challenge of making the program work well." Adds Katie on her experience, "Being able to enjoy the serenity and beauty of the lake as my work environment. It has given me a greater appreciation for both the complexity and the fragility of the watershed ecosystems."
Spending the summer aboard the "L'il OTTER", a 10-foot jon boat powered initially by a 30 lb. trolling motor and then later supplemented by a 2½ h.p. gas engine, has also produced some memorable moments.
Cam recalls "the first day of YPP, when Katie and I got all the way to the end of Torsey Pond, only to have the only battery for the electric trolling motor die, and having to row for two and a half hours back to the boat launch!", while Katie will always remember "being at the mercy of an electric 12 volt trolling motor to tote Cam and I around an entire lake. Cam and I knew we were really in trouble when kayakers passed us going at our maximum speed!"
"The Youth Plant Patrol has been a great experience for me," says Katie. "I have been able to see countless lakes, observe the similarities and differences in their plant life, shore line, and water quality. There are very opportunities for summer positions out there where you can get hands-on with your job, see results from what you are doing, and learn at the same time. The YPP project is constantly teaching, and allows us to see parts of lakes that most never see."
Dufour adds, "In conducing the plant surveys, the lakes get a yearly check up to make sure that they are still invasive-free. If they do fall victim to an invasive plant, early detection can be vital in limiting the spread. The Youth Plant Patrol provides a critical check and information about the lakes, and allows trained eyes to watch over our lakes."
Both Cam and Katie attended plant identification training provided by the Maine Center for Invasive Aquatic Plants, part of the Maine Volunteer Lake Monitoring Program, and were assisted by Toni Pied, Program Director of the Friend's MilFoiler Program. The YPP project was made possible due to funding provided by the Davis Conservation Foundation of Falmouth, ME; support from the Four Towns Watershed Association and Maranacook Lake Association; and local business sponsors Downeast Energy, Knowlton-Hewins-Roberts Funeral Services, Kristie Rowell Insurance, and Lipman, Katz & McKee.
August 2009
