IAP AND CHEMO POND – WHY SHOULD I CARE?
Would it concern you if your property values dropped by 20% or you were unable to sell your home or camp?
Would you care if the surface of the pond was taken over by mats of plants making it almost impossible to swim, fish or use your boat?
Would you care if the pond became sterile? No fish, no frogs, no loons or eagles…?
If the answer is yes to any of these questions, then you need to be aware of IAPs and the risks they pose to Chemo Pond and other bodies of water in Maine.
What are IAPs?
IAP stands for Invasive Aquatic Plants. These plants are not native to Maine and they have no natural competition in our lakes. Once they get in, they take over. They overgrow and out compete our native species, disrupt habitat, and harm our local ecosystem.
Where do IAPs come from and how do they get into lakes and ponds?
Many IAPs were originally sold as aquarium plants and were dumped or flushed into our waterways when people got rid of their aquariums. Some plants hitched a ride in the ballast of overseas ships and were discharged into rivers and lakes when the ships were in port. The plants come from Asia, Europe and South America.
IAPs move from place to place inadvertently on boats, motors, trailers and vehicles. It only takes a small bit of plant material to establish an infestation in a lake or pond. With the increase in out of state visitors and a warming climate, Maine is at a higher risk of IAP than ever before.
Are there IAPs in Maine?
Yes! The Maine DEP has created a list of 15 “Most Unwanted” Aquatic Plants that lists all the plants that either are already in some Maine lakes or that are in nearby states and are potential risks to Maine lakes. I have included this list with the newsletter. The plants already found in Maine are marked with an “#”. The closest lake with invasives in it is Alamoosook Lake in Bucksport.
How can you help prevent the spread of IAPs into Chemo Pond?
Join CPLA. It only costs $25 per year. We use this money to support projects that help protect the pond and the surrounding area, including our Invasive Plant Patrol Team. We also hope to be launching a water quality testing program soon.
Keep your boat in Chemo Pond and don’t take it into other bodies of water. If you must move your boat in and out of Chemo…
CLEAN – plant debris, mud and algae from all boats and fishing gear and dispose of in the trash.
DRAIN – drain any live wells, bilge water and engine water away from a body of water.
DRY – dry any gear that comes in contact with the water.
Support the Chemo Pond Lake Association, Invasive Plant Patrol Team. We have a small group of volunteers who monitor the pond for any signs of IAPs. We DO NOT have enough volunteers to monitor the entire pond. If you are interested in assisting our team please contact Kathy Trenholm, trenholm2014@gmail.com. The time commitment is 2-4 hours ONCE in the summer between mid-July and mid-September. You do not have to identify a plant, just determine if it is suspicious, take a sample and mark the area. Kathy will manage it from there.
Fishermen and women – you go to all areas of the pond. If you would like to help even just a little, please do. Contact Kathy and she can get you started to learn how to determine if a plant is suspicious, how to take a sample and mark the area. She will do the plant ID and see if it needs to be submitted.
PREVENTION IS OUR BEST OPTION! PLEASE HELP.
Some examples
Cobbosseecontee Lake was discovered to have Eurasian Water Milfoil 6 years ago. Initially thought to have been eliminated from the lake with a combination of removing it by hand and the judicious use of herbicides in certain areas, it came back in more places than ever the following year. It is now established in the lake and unfortunately has escaped the lake through the dam into Cobbosseecontee Stream which feeds into the Kennebec River. Currently, the local lake association and watershed association are working together to control the infestation and budgets $250,000 per year for this effort. This money is coming out of the pockets of the land owners around the watershed. There is no money coming from the state for their efforts. There is an article about this in the May edition of DownEast magazine.
In Augusta, state legislators recently stripped the funding of LD 2141. The bill was for a one-time $2 million infusion to a fund managed by the Maine DEP to address IAP infestations. It would have allowed Maine environmental agencies to develop more stringent prevention and courtesy boat inspections, which are managed by local volunteer lake associations and other conservation groups. So, in addition of providing all the manpower needed to prevent, monitor and treat IAPs in out waterways, this also puts the cost directly on the backs of the waterfront property owners.