Education - "Eyes on the Water"

Lucy LaCasse (Chair)
Susan Hamlin
Anna Romer
Ann Williams

Objective:

• To increase awareness about the threats of invasive aquatic vegetation within the Kezar Lake watershed
• To increase the engagement of residents and visitors in preventing the introduction of invasive aquatics to the watershed
• To increase the likelihood of early detection of invasive aquatic vegetation within the watershed

The Education Committee will work to accomplish these goals through signage, the distribution of educational materials, and program offerings.

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Posted April 4, 2012:

There are several Plant Paddles scheduled for this summer, designed to gain confidence in learning about native aquatic plants. The idea is that is we know what should be growing in our waters, then we can learn to recognize what should not be there. The first one scheduled will follow up on the Plant ID Workshop on June 21, and will be held on Saturday June 23, from 9 am - 11 am., to practice the skills of aquatic plant identification in Lower Bay. Meet at the end of Timber Bay Shores Rd., which is off of the West Lovell Rd. Signage will direct you. The second will be held in the Narrows on Monday, July 23, from 9 am - 11:00 am; meet at the boat launch, and we will fan out from there. There will be a full-blown “Eyes on the Water” excursion, sponsored by the Education Committees of both the KLWA and LIPPC, on August 19, from 2:00 pm - 4:00 pm on Horseshoe Pond, with expert Jacolyn Bailey to help with identification. Meet at the boat launch on Horseshoe Pond. For each excursion, come with canoes or kayaks, plenty of sunscreen and enthusiasm for learning about aquatic plants.

Posted April 4, 2012:

Aquatic Plant Identification Workshop Planned for Lovell!!

The Volunteer Lake Monitoring Program (VLMP), in conjunction with the Lovell Invasive Plant Prevention Committee (LIPPC), has scheduled an aquatic plants identification workshop in Lovell on Thursday June 21, from 1:00 pm - 7:00 pm. We will break for supper, so bring a sandwich for supper, or plan to get something from Rosie’s. It will be held in the Stephen & Tabitha King Meeting Room on the lower level of the Charlotte Hobbs Library. It is one of only nine to be held in Maine this summer, and the only one in Oxford County. Others are scheduled as follows. Contact the VLMP (www.mainevlmp.org) for more information on these:

• Tue. June 5, Time TBD, Somerset County, Carrabec High School in North Anson
• Thu. June 7, Time TBD, Knox County, MicMac Campground in Union
• Tue. June 19, 2-8PM, Lincoln County, DLWA Headquarters in Jefferson
• Tue. July 3, 3-9PM, York County, Town Hall in Waterboro
• Fri. July 13, Time TBD, Aroostook County, Location TBD in Island Falls
• Fri. August 3, 1-7PM, Hancock County, City Hall in Ellsworth
• Fri. August 10, Time TBD, Piscataquis County, Beaver Cove Marina in Beaver Cove
• Sat. August 25, Time TBD, Cumberland County, Grange Hall in New Gloucester

These are intensive hand-on workshops intended to familiarize participants with both native and non-native (invasive) plants. The workshop is presented in four parts:

• Overview of invasive species issues in Maine and beyond
• Plant identification fundamentals
• Plant identification hands-on exercise with live plants
• Conducting a screening survey, tools and techniques

It is a wonderful opportunity to gain the skills necessary to protect the waters of our watershed, and there is NO COST to attend! Every participant will be given a copy of "Maine Field Guide to Invasive Aquatic Plants". Pre-registration is required for all workshops. Please contact the Maine Volunteer Lake Monitoring Program at vlmp@mainevlmp.org or (207) 783-7733 to register. For on-line registration and workshop schedule updates please visit www.mainevolunteerlakemonitors.org/workshops. We look forward to seeing you there!

Posted July 16, 2011:

A few photos from our 1st Eyes on the Water Outing, held at the North Lovell Landing on the afternoon of July 9. We hope you have one of these Plant ID booklets: they are FREE! Find them at the CBI shelter at the Narrows boat launch, at the Marina, at the Town Office, at Harvest Gold, and at both libraries. Donations are appreciated to defray printing costs.

LIPPC is proud to announce their new educational outreach initiative, Eyes On The Water. This program is designed to increase the engagement of residents and visitors in keeping invasive aquatic plants out of the watershed.

Eyes on the Water Educational Materials:

• Eyes on the Water Invasive Aquatic Plant Species ID Booklets for both native and invasive plants have been printed and are available at the Charlotte Hobbs Library, the Lewis Dana Hill Library, the Lovell Town Office, Harvest Gold Gallery, the Kezar Lake Marina, and the Greater Lovell Land Trust office. These laminated booklets FREE; however donations to defray the cost of printing would be appreciated. There is a Donation Can at the Lovell Town Office that needs filling! Our intention is to 'flood the watershed' with these species ID booklets.
• How To Make a Bucket Scope: These are very helpful in looking down into the lake, stream or pond, and make a great tool to introduce children to the wonders beneath the water surface. Thanks to the Volunteer Lake Monitoring Program (VLMP).
• 'Vital Signs'. This link will take you directly to portion of the Vital Signs web pages dedicated to our Eyes on the Water initiative. Click on the (blue) link to see what we've been up to, and join in the fun! You, too, can participate, by following the clear instructions given, and enter your own findings. Remember, the 'Vital Signs' programs were designed for the elementary and middle school classrooms throughout Maine, and are very 'user-friendly'!

Eyes On The Water Activities for 2011:

The goal of Eyes On The Water is to increase the number of people looking for invasive aquatic plants within the watershed.  Early detection is critical because some of these plants can double or triple their area of infestation each year. With Eyes On The Water, we hope to “grow the lookers”.     

• Monday, June 20. 7:00 PM at the Charlotte Hobbs Memorial Library--- Members of KLWA and LIPPC will describe ongoing efforts to keep invasive aquatic plants from the ponds and lakes of the watershed. Come hear what’s happening and how you can help! ·      
• Saturday, July 9. 9:30 AM. KLWA Annual Membership Meeting at the Lovell United Church of Christ. Social time with coffee & donuts will begin at 8:45.      
• Saturday, July 9. 2:00 PM --- Eyes On The Water Outing!  Meet at Kezar’s North End boat ramp, arriving by land or by sea.  Bring your cameras and your curiosity, as well as life jackets and pencil and paper, and we will scatter to scour the north end for invasive aquatic plants.  Afterwards, we will gather at the Center Lovell Market to upload data on the Vital Signs website. ·      
• Saturday, July 16 --- Old Home Days.  Visit our booth at Old Home Days! ·      
• Saturday, August 6. 10:00 AM (Note change in time! This hopefully will allow us to work on 'flat water')– Eyes On The Water Outing #2!  This time we’ll meet at the Narrow’s Lovell Town Landing to search those waters for invasives. We are honored to have Jackey Bailey, from St. Joseph's College, join us. Jackey is an Environmental Biologist and director and researcher with the Maine Milfoil Consortium, which includes St. Joseph's College, the Little Sebago Lake Association, the Maine Congress of Lakes Associations, the Lakes Environmental Association, and the Maine Volunteer Lake Monitoring Program. Details are the same as those of the July 9 Outing, except for time change.

Thank you for keeping your eyes on the water!

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Eyes on the Water was developed by the Education Committees of the Lovell Invasive Plant Prevention Committee (LIPPC) and the Kezar Lake Watershed Association (KLWA) in 2011 to address Invasive Aquatic Plants. Eyes on the Water can be easily adapted to involve people in other issues relevant to the health the watershed.

If you would like to introduce Eyes on the Water as your lake or watershed association’s educational outreach program, please contact us. To use Eyes on the Water, we ask that you credit LIPPC and KLWA for its origination and that you please keep us informed of your outreach endeavors. For more information, visit www.eyesonthewater.us.