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Messalonskee Lake Part of State Effort to Control Milfoil

April 11, 2010 - OAKLAND -- Eradicated? Probably not, at least not yet. But it can be controlled.


That's the thinking behind forthcoming plans to research and manage infestations of the harmful invasive plant called milfoil in Maine's inland waters, including Messalonskee Lake in Oakland.


Supported by $500,000 in federal aid, the first-ever Maine Milfoil Initiative will begin in earnest in the coming months as boats and divers plunge into the waters, armed with suction machines and other tools, as part of a coordinated effort to find and remove milfoil hot spots.


In Oakland, $13,000 in aid from the U.S. Department of Fish & Wildlife will go toward efforts on Messalonskee Lake, but local officials say they must match double that amount with private fundraising and other in-kind contributions such as equipment use and volunteer time. That means the Messalonskee milfoil effort will be a $39,000 project.


"This whole milfoil thing is a control-management-type process. We'll never get rid of it," said Mike Willey, president of the nonprofit Messalonskee Lake Association. "Our objective is to manage it and maintain recreational use of the lake."


Milfoil is an aquatic plant species that grows quickly, can choke out other plants and interfere with recreational activities such as swimming and boating. The invasive plant is sometimes spread by boaters using different lakes.


In Messalonskee, project officials will be hunting for variable-leaf milfoil, which is less common nationally than the Eurasian milfoil that has plagued Salmon Lake in Belgrade, according to Dr. Peter Kallin, executive director of the Belgrade Regional Conservation Alliance.


As the milfoil threat grows, the latest effort comes at a critical time, Kallin said.


"It's the first real removal strategy that Messalonskee's done," Kallin said. "So, our strategy is to do a complete mapping of the lake, which compares results with previous mapping, evaluate where it's growing the fastest and concentrate on high-traffic areas, with the goal of controlling the worst places first."


The Messalonskee Lake Association will be assisted by the Belgrade Alliance, whose paid staff will help administer the effort and keep track of the grant money and expenses.


Much of the work in recent months has been behind the scenes, Willey said, as his organization and others developed management plans, attended workshops and prepared tests. Now, with summer coming, the work will become more visible as plans become action on lakes and ponds, he said.


First, though, local officials plan to update existing maps, development of which was spearheaded by Dr. Daniel Buckley, chairman of the biology department at the University of Maine at Farmington. The maps will pinpoint the areas most heavily infested with milfoil and chart spreading trends.


Updated maps will enable officials to target certain areas that are the most heavily infested by milfoil, Willey said.


And managing the infestations will take a variety of forms. At least 8 acres of the lake will see Benthic barriers -- underwater mats that block sunlight and kill milfoil, Willey said. Boats and divers will also play a role, either by manually ripping the milfoil out or by using a suction harvesting machine.


The Benthic barriers are targeted to go into the lake in May or June, Willey said, and diver-assisted efforts will follow in July or August.


Fortunately for Messalonskee Lake, its "unique characteristics" of being mostly deep and narrow helps prevent milfoil from spreading, because the invasive plant won't grow in water much deeper than 20 feet, Willey said. Messalonskee contains about 39 billion gallons of water covering 6,000 acres, Willey said, and reaches depths of more than 100 feet.


Still, there are several shallow areas used frequently by people, such as the Oakland Boat Launch and Snow Pond Swim Area off Old Belgrade Avenue on the lake's northern end.


The federal grant lasts for one year, so "we need to figure out a way to make this sustainable and promote it," Willey said. Part of that will involve recruiting volunteers and contributions, while selling the public on the idea that the effort is worth backing year after year with local time and money.


"If we just do it for this summer, it's going to do nothing; it has to be a long-term effort," he said.


That pitch will be made to immediate stakeholders: the lake association has about 100 members, while 10-mile-long Messalonskee Lake, which runs through Oakland, Belgrade and Sidney, has about 600 lakeside residents, according to Willey.


But it's also important for the group to convince the public that the cause is worthy, he said.


"It's in everybody's interest in the towns, because this is a money generator for the town(s), through recreation and property values," Willey said.


Kallin said the milfoil management plan is the start of an "exciting" effort, because it could help spawn "an army of milfoil warriors" in local communities.


"It's the first step of a long process," he said. "These invasive plants take a while to take over a lake, but they take even longer to get rid of."


by Scott Monroe, April 11, 2010, Morning Sentinel

Lakes: Messalonskee Lake
Regions: Belgrade


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