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Weekly News & Updates

Inside This Newsletter

September 28, 2026

Winter Office Hours

Holiday Potluck - RSVP

Road Closure Reminder

LSM Calendar

Water Quality Program

WQ Community Technical Discussion

Cyanobacteria in Autumn

Water Quality Data Due

Aquatic Invasive Species Program

IPP Leader Meeting - Oct 6

2027 Workshop Planning

Notice from our Partners

Office Hours

LSM will be closed on October 12

for Indigenous Peoples' Day.

🚧Road Closure

The Auburn Water District and the City of Lewiston Water Division are working with Maine DOT to replace the Townsend Brook culvert on Lake Shore Drive, the primary road to get to LSM. The road is closed. They anticipate having the road re-opened by October 6.

If you plan to visit LSM during this time, please see the detour map.

Next Community Water Quality Technical Discussions 

Our next session will be held on

October 9th at 9:00 AM.

🍂 Autumn Cyanobacteria

Autumn brings water-column mixing to most Maine lakes. While temperatures are cooler, we can still have warm, sunny days. These changing conditions can create opportunities for cyanobacteria to appear in lakes that have not experienced a bloom yet this year, or where cyanobacteria had previously diminished. Increased autumn rainfall can also carry nutrient-rich runoff into lakes, so this is a good time to make sure gutters, rain gardens, and drainage ditches are clean and working properly.

Please keep an eye out 🔎 for suspicious green water, surface scum, paint-like streaks, or an overall greening of the lake. If you think you've spotted a bloom, report it using the form below. You can also check the dashboard to see reports submitted from around the state.

Every report matters. Your observations help us better understand cyanobacteria activity across Maine and help keep Maine's lakes safe.

Cyanobacteria on the shore of Androscoggin Lake, Maine. Credit: Terry Brooks

Cyanobacteria on Paradise Pond, Maine. Credit: Chuck Dinsmore

Cyanobacteria on Unity Pond, Maine. Credit: Steve Krautkremer

Water Quality Data Due⏰

Another monitoring season is winding down! Thank you to everyone who has been out on the water this year, taking careful measurements, filling out datasheets, and helping build Maine’s long-term record of lake health. We know it takes time and effort to keep up with monitoring, and we appreciate all the work you put in.

If you still have water quality datasheets to send in, please get them to LSM as soon as you can. Getting datasheets in early helps us avoid a large backlog and gives us enough time to review and digitize the data before submitting finalized batches to Maine DEP.

In accordance with our Quality Assurance Project Plan with Maine DEP and US EPA, we need paper datasheets so they can be added to the vault and referenced years down the road. Scanned copies are fine to send by email, but we print them for our paper records.

💙 Thank you, as always, for another season of careful monitoring and for the tremendous contribution you make to understanding and protecting Maine’s lakes.

2026 Invasive Plant Patrol (IPP) Leader Meeting

We are holding our IPP Leader Meeting on Tuesday, October 6th from 9:30 am to 12 pm. at the Auburn Public Library and on Zoom. Everyone, regardless of experience, is welcome!

Please RSVP to staff@lakestewardsme.org if you plan to attend in person,

or register to attend by Zoom

Planning the 2027 Workshop Season

With the 2026 workshop season all wrapped up, it is time to begin working on the schedule for next year! If your group is interested in hosting a Plant Paddle or Live Plant ID workshop in your area, please reach out to be added to our workshop request list.

Notice from our Partners, Colleagues

and Collaborators

If you have any questions regarding the information below,

please contact the organization mentioned in post directly.

Maine Field Studies Capstone Projects

Poland Regional High School is looking for community partners to connect with students who are conducting real-world environmental research, developing scientific skills, and contributing useful data to the local community.

How the Program Works:

• Research: Students collect and analyze original data.
• Partnership: Community experts guide the projects.
• Impact: Students share their findings with the community.

For more information CLICK HERE or contact:

Patrick Martin

Science Teacher

Poland Regional High School

pmartin@rsu16.org

Winter Hours

Monday, Wednesday, Friday

8:30 AM - 4:30 PM

or by appointment.

(Winter hours start October 19th.)

Office Closed – Indigenous Peoples' Day

Monday, October 12

We recommend calling ahead

(207) 783-7733.

If you would like to support Lake Stewards of Maine,

kindly click on the button below. Thank you!