Photo by John Hanson

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In This Issue

-LPC Update and Lake Policy Survey

-Freshwater Education Survey

-Is This Bladderwort Native or Invasive?

-Lakes Environmental Association Reports Eurasian Milfoil Save

LPC Update and Lake Policy Survey

Hopefully you have all read about the formation of the Lake Protection Coalition which is bringing together lake associations, watershed organizations, businesses, municipalities, and others who care about lakes so we can better coordinate, plan and advocate for vital lake protection policies and funding. You can read more about the LPC in our past newsletter HERE

The Lake Protection Coalition is currently seeking input from

its members about priorities for lake policies.

The coalition is also looking for ideas about what we can do in the coming years to make sure the necessary policies, regulations, and funding pieces are in place for lake protection across the state.

If you’re already a Coalition member, thank you! You should have received a link to the Lake Policy Survey this past Thursday.

If you’d like to participate in the survey, please join the LPC as an individual (or a lake association) HERE. You'll get a link to the survey after you sign up.

We look forward to bringing you more updates about the

LPCs work, and the outcome of this survey, in upcoming enews issues!

Freshwater Education Survey

We are still looking for your feedback on priorities for watershed education to help us focus the work of the Freshwater Education Network.

As someone with a passion for lake protection, we are asking for your help making sure we are identifying the most crucial concepts, threats, and issues regarding the health of Maine's freshwater resources.

You do not have to be a formal educator or education expert to weigh in with your thoughts. In your opinion, what are the most essential concepts that all Maine residents and visitors should know in order to understand the importance of healthy waters and how decisions impact the quality of our water ecosystems, both positively and negatively?

Click the button below for a short questionnaire that we hope will help us in our network-building activities this fall! Thank you for sharing your thoughts on this important topic! The survey is open through the month of September.

Freshwater Education Network Survey

Survey Incentive!

As an added incentive for filling out the Education Survey, we’ll be doing a drawing for a Maine Lakes stow-away backpack, courtesy of L.L. Bean. The backpack will be mailed to one lucky participant after the survey closes at the end of September.

Is This Bladderwort Native or Invasive?

Photo: Native floating bladderwort (left) next to the much larger invasive swollen bladderwort. Both have wagon wheel-like floats and yellow flowers. Photo credit: 30 Mile River Watershed Association

The following is reprinted from a recent

30 Mile River Watershed Association Newsletter.

In 2023, swollen bladderwort was added to Maine’s list of unwanted aquatic invasive plants, making it illegal to import, sell, and transport it under state law. Not long after, it was discovered in Tilton Pond (Fayette) by a volunteer plant patroller. Although this species of bladderwort is not native to Maine and poses a threat, there are nine native species of bladderwort in Maine. How do you know if what you are looking at is native or invasive? There are a few distinguishing characteristics to look for.

Of the nine native bladderworts here in the state, two are most commonly mistaken for the invasive: floating bladderwort and common bladderwort.

Floating bladderwort, when flowering, can look very similar to the invasive swollen bladderwort. They each produce the same circular “wagon wheel” floats to support their snapdragon-like yellow flowers. However, the size of the native species’ floats is significantly smaller than the invasive (half or quarter the size!). Floating bladderwort’s underwater leaves are much more delicate, opposed to the robust ones of swollen bladderwort. While the majority of swollen bladderwort plants typically flower in late spring (May to early June), floating bladderwort typically flowers later in the season (mid-July and August). You can see lots of these flowers now! It’s important to note that each may be seen in flowers outside of the noted timeframes; flowering tendencies vary between waterbodies and years.

Common bladderwort does not produce the aforementioned wagon wheel-like floats, only snapdragon-like yellow flowers, making it easier to identify when in bloom. However, the leaves are more robust, similar to the invasive swollen bladderwort. One key difference lies in the arrangement of the bladders on each leaf. On common bladderwort, the large bladders appear in an orderly, parallel pattern along the leaves, while on the invasive swollen bladderwort, all bladders appear randomly scattered, with no clear pattern on the leaf (think of sprinkling pepper). For more on bladder arrangement and identifying bladderworts when not in flower, including a key and images, click HERE.

Lakes Environmental Association Reports

Eurasian Milfoil Save

Photo: Lakes Environmental Association

The following is reprinted from a recent

Lakes Environmental Association Newsletter.

On Friday, August 8th, this fragment of Eurasian milfoil was pulled from the prop of a pedal-powered kayak by a courtesy boat inspector as the boat was leaving Highland Lake. After tracking down the kayaker, it was determined that the fragment likely came from the boater’s home state of Massachusetts.

After leaving Massachusetts and before entering Highland Lake, that kayaker also spent time in another uninfested Maine lake north of this area. In both these Maine lakes, the boater used a separate electric outboard engine for propulsion and not the pedal-powered prop on the kayak. While this reduces the likelihood that pieces of the plant broke off and entered Highland Lake, this catch is eye-opening and demonstrates the need for boat inspections of ALL watercraft, regardless of engine horsepower.

This was a huge save! By removing this fragment, the inspector prevented it from entering the boater’s next destination. We don’t have Eurasian milfoil in our area lakes - yet. It can grow deeper than the invasive variable leaf that we are currently battling in Long Lake, Sebago Lake, Brandy Pond, and the Songo River. Most experts consider Eurasian milfoil to be more aggressive than the variable leaf.

All boaters should conduct self-inspections

(clean, drain, and dry) between water bodies.

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