W E ARE PRETTY EXCITED ABOUT

this edition of the WaterColumn! Four of the feature

articles were written by volunteermonitors. The stories are informa-tive, creative and inspiring, and theyunderscore the benefits of collabo-rative ventures. Each article has adifferent emphasis, but the writersshare common motivations andaspirations. Their stories demon-strate clearly that volunteers,through commitment and ingenuity,can and do make substantial contri-butions to our understanding, andultimately to the protection ofMaine lakes and ponds.

Bob Dunlap and Dick Cook are vol-unteer monitors on Green Lake inDedham. Their article explores aninteresting relationship between theduration of winter ice cover and dis-solved oxygen levels in Green Lakeduring the late summer. Their obser-vations and conclusions help usunderstand the complexity of theseasonal variables that influencelake water quality, and their workmay inspire volunteers andresearchers to look at this phenome-non on other lakes and ponds inMaine. Bob and Dick’s research isbased on lake data that they have

collected over the years, along withhistorical information gathered bythe Maine DEP and other sources.

Al Huff’s“ T h r e eAces” arti-cle is aunique tes-timonial tothe bene-fits of synergy. Al has been the vol-unteer monitor on Kezar Pond inFryeburg for several years. Recentlyhe became aware of the intertwinednature of the VLMP, LakesEnvironmental Association, and theMaine Center for Invasive AquaticPlants. His involvement with eachof these entities, and his interest inprotecting water quality has led himon an odyssey, on which he recentlyidentified and documented a rareaquatic plant. Al has experiencedthe rewards of discovery in thediversity and beauty of lakes andponds in his own back yard. In alarger sense, he has become awareof the interconnections and avail-ability of technical resources andsupport for anyone who is interestedin learning more about and protect-ing Maine’s water resources.

Vol. 8, No. 3 Provided free of charge to our monitors and affiliates Winter 2004

SCOTT WILLIAMS,EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

OUTSTANDING VOLUNTEERCONTRIBUTIONS

Volunteers - continued on page 2

WHAT’S INSIDE

Volunteer Contributions 1

2004 Events 2

Rangeley Plant Patrollers* 3

Littorally Speaking 4

Creating Connections* 6

Three Aces* 7

Green Lake Ice Out* 8

Lake Leader Institute 11

So You Think You Know Maine Lakes 11

Salute to the Crew 12

Photo Contest Results 13

Quality Counts 14

Lake Lingo 14

New to the VLMP 15

Moving On 15

* Volunteer Monitor Articles

2004EVENTS

Quest Episode “Bioinvasion”

Maine PBS Feb. 17, 22, 23

Maine Milfoil Summit

Lewiston Feb. 27

Maine Stream Summit

Belfast April 7

Maine Water Conference

Augusta April 21

VLMP/COLA Annual Meeting

& Maine Milfoil Summit

So. Portland June 19

IPP Advanced Plant ID

Auburn July 22

LakeSmart Workshop

Auburn July 31

For more information on any ofthese events contact the VLMP:

phone: (207) 783-7733

email: vlmp@megalink.net

VLMP Staff

Scott WilliamsExecutive Director

Jim Roby-BrantleyProgram Assistant

Roberta HillProgram Director Maine Center for

Invasive and Aquatic Plants

Linda BaconQA/QC Advisor (Maine DEP)

Board of Directors

Peter Fischer - PresidentBristol

Dick Thibodeau - Vice PresidentTurner

Jim Burke - TreasurerLewiston

Poppy Connor-CrouchPoland

George CrossSangerville

Mary Jane DillinghamAuburn

Phoebe HardestyLewiston

Ken HoltNorth Turner

Steve KahlOrono

Bill MonagleWinthrop

Gerry NelsonLovell

Will ReidSkowhegan

Visit us on line at:www.MaineVolunteerLakeMonitors.org

Contact Us:24 Maple Hill Road

Auburn, Maine 04210207-783-7733

vlmp@megalink.net

Editorial Staff

Jim Roby-Brantley, LayoutScott Williams, Editorial Comm.Roberta Hill, Editorial Comm.

Funding for this newsletter is made possible by grants from the US Environmental Protection Agency and theMaine Department of Environmental Protection, through Section 319 of the Clean Water Act.

Printed on Recycled Paper By:

Curry Printing & Graphics - Auburn, ME

2

Tana Mcnutt’s story is also one of dis-covery, creativity and the tangible bene-fits of collaboration. Her growingsense of awareness of living in a lakewatershed community, combined withparticipation in many conservation-based activities in the area, has helpedher recognize the value of the Secchidisk and dissolved oxygen readingsthat she monitors on Drews Lake inAroostook County. Tana’s level ofcommitment to protecting local waterresources is quite remarkable.

Rebecca Kurtz describes another greatexample of how sounding the alarmabout aquatic invaders has resulted inthe formation of an effective actionnetwork in the Rangeley Lakes region.The VLMP’s MCIAP Invasive PlantPatrol training program provided tech-nical guidance to help launch this suc-cessful effort through the RangeleyLakes Heritage Trust. Rebecca’s storyclearly shows how the public can bemotivated to step up to the plate andprovide a high degree of vigilancewhen an imminent threat exists. That isconsistent with the take-home messageconcerning this threat to Maine’s lakesand ponds. The investments of RLHT,EcoVenture campers, the VLMP andthe many Invasive Plant Patrollers inthe region are providing big returns forthe Rangeley Lakes.

As exceptional as these stories are,we’re willing to bet that many of youare equally involved in efforts to under-stand and protect the lake that youmonitor. If you have a story to tell,please share it, so that we may all ben-efit from your experiences.

VOLUNTEERScontinued from page 1

3

INVASIVE PLANT PATROLLERS OF

all ages are working to protectthe Rangeley Lakes region from

the devastating impacts of invasiveaquatic plants. 2003 was a verybusy year for the new program.Things became especially interest-ing toward the end of the seasonwhen the Rangeley Lakes HeritageTrust (RLHT) received three sepa-rate “suspicious milfoil” alerts.The Rangeley Lakes WeedWatchers, ranging in age from 5-year-olds to seniors, have learned toidentify invasive plants through avariety of educational programsincluding the Volunteer LakeMonitoring Program and MaineCenter for Invasive Aquatic PlantsInvasive Plant Patrol workshops.

Sponsors of the education pro-grams include the RLHT, the Townand Plantations, and local lakeassociations.

The first alert was raised by threeyoung girls who had been swim-ming in front of their camp onMooselookmeguntic Lake. MiriamFrisch, Naomi Frisch, and ElyssaAuerfeld, noticed several fragmentsof plants floating near their dock.Having learned about invasive mil-foils while attending EcoVenture,the RLHT summer day camp, thegirls became concerned when theynoticed that the fragments hadfeathery-looking leaves arrangedaround the stem like a bottle brush.

Grabbing a pail half filled withwater they scooped up the frag-ments and rushed to the RLHToffice. Pointing out the tell-talecharacteristics that they had learnedabout while playing “boat inspec-tion relay” at EcoVenture, Miriamand Elyssa asked, “is it a milfoil?”

Examining the plant in a shallowdish of water, we were able to con-firm that it was indeed a milfoil, butmuch to our relief, not one of theinvasive species. The fragmentswere identified as a beneficialnative milfoil. We are so pleasedour young patrollers were able toidentify this plant as a milfoil andbring it here for identification!

Less than 48 hours later, JackMcCormack, an employee of BaldMountain Camps, produced a sec-ond sample of milfoil along with a

few strands of pondweed. Havingseen the devastation caused byinvasive milfoil in other states,McCormack was extremelyalarmed when he saw the plantsfloating in front of the camps.Once again the suspicious plantsturned out to be native milfoil.

Approximately 10 days later afourth EcoVenture camper reportedfinding several patches of milfoilon the Cupsuptic River. MeganCrosson, age 10, had been paddlingwith her puppy “Miss Emily” andher friend Claudia Comstock whenshe noticed the feathery lookingplants growing in three to four feetof water. She alerted RLHT andsamples were collected for positiveidentification by the VolunteerLake Monitoring Program’s Centerfor Invasive Aquatic Plants.Fortunately, a thorough examina-tion of the plants revealed that theytoo were from a native beneficialmilfoil.

This is proof positive that the localeducation and prevention programis working and that people of allages are helping out in the effort toprotect our lakes. With continuedvigilance and participation from allmembers of the community, we canprotect the future of our lakes.

If you are interested in learningmore about the Rangeley LakesHeritage Trust EcoVenture or theInvasive Plant programs, pleasecontact Rebecca Kurtz at 864-7311ext 5 or rkurtz@rlht.org.

Miriam Frisch, age 9 ½, NaomiFrisch age 5, and ElyssaAuerfeld, age 11, hold the sampleof native Milfoil they found float-ing on Mooselookmeguntic Lakenear Haines Landing.

W E E D W A T C H E R SKeeping an Eye on the Lakes

by Rebecca Kurtz

Life,whether we areaware of it or not, isdominated by cycles. Thewater cycle, the nutrient cycle, thecycle of life itself, are all naturalprocesses, fundamental to life onearth, that essentially follow circu-lar trajectories. One of the greatjoys of exploring the littoral zone isthe discovery of the many ways inwhich nature’s cycles, grand andminute, elaborate and simple, areplayed out in these sun-filledwatery places.

The annual cycle of the seasons isone of the most obvious—and mostextraordinary—cyclical processesin the littoral zone. In Maine,where environmental conditionsvary so sharply from one season to

the next, changesin these areas areespecially dramat-ic, and at no timeare these condi-tions so extremeas in the winter.How do aquaticplant communi-ties respond to theshortened days,the decrease in theintensity of thesun’s energy, theplummeting airand water temper-

atures, the transformation of thehabitat from one that is warm andliquid, to one that is encrustedunder a thick layer of ice and snow?

Though each species has its ownunique approach to preparing for,and surviving the hardships of win-ter, there are some common strate-gies employed. Since most aquaticplants evolved from terrestrialplants, it is not surprising that manyof their over-wintering strategiesare similar to those of their wildand cultivated upland kin, strate-gies you may already know wellfrom observing the plants in yourgarden. Aquatic plants, just likegarden plants, can be sorted intogroups based upon what they do inresponse to winter, and how theyprovide for regeneration the follow-ing spring.

Annuals: Annual plants, in a mat-ter of speaking, are those that havechosen not to bother with survivingthe winter at all. As their nameimplies, annuals live for one grow-ing season only and must produceviable seed by season’s end if theyare to ensure a new generation thefollowing year. This strategy hasadvantages and disadvantages.Seeds are more durable and mobilethan rhizomes and rootstalks. Theycan disperse widely and settle intosmall openings in the plant cover.Many seeds are able to lie dormantin the sediments for years, awaitingfavorable conditions. The product

of sexual reproduction, seeds alsoprovide genetic diversity, helping toensure the “adaptability” of thespecies to environmental changes.Energy-wise, however, seed pro-duction is costly, and compared toroots and rhizomes, seeds packaway relatively little in the way ofenergy reserves.

The tiny “seedling-like” waterwort(Elatine minima) is a good exampleof a native annual. The miniatureflowers and seed capsules of thisplant are produced during the warmsummer months, in the leaf axils(where the leaf meets the stem.)

The ripened seeds drop and settleonto the bottom sediments throughthe late summer and fall, and therethey remain, in a state of dormancy,through the winter. Whereas someseeds of native annuals, like wildrice (Zizania spp.) germinate prolif-ically in disturbed sediments, thekey to successful germination forwaterwort is a stable, undisturbedbottom and good water clarity.

By Roberta Hill

LITTORALLY SPEAKING

4

The tiny waterwort is a nativeMaine annual (photo courtesy of

the Maine Natural Areas Program)

cattails in winter

Of the eleven invasive aquaticplants listed on Maine’s watch list,only European naiad (Najas minor)is a true annual. The abundant seedproduction of this invader—tens ofmillions of N. minor seeds per acrehave been counted—is a particulartorment to those trying to controlthis plant. During the late summeror early fall, the stems of the naiadsbecome brittle, and the profuselybranched stem tips break into smallfragments. Seeds remain attachedin the leaf axils, and wind and watercurrents disperse the fragments.

Perennials: Most aquatic plantspecies found in Maine are perenni-als, plants capable of over winter-ing, in whole or in part, and surviv-ing three or more years. Some,indeed, are very long-lived; awater-lily bed may be hundreds ofyears old. Aquatic perennials oftenform extensive and overlapping rhi-zome systems, expanding everygrowing season. These persistentmat-like networks stabilize shore-line and bottom sediments through-out the year, making these plantscritical components of the aquatichabitat and important allies in theeffort to protect water quality.

Some perennials, like cattails(Typha spp.), send new shoots upfrom their rhizomes late in thegrowing season that remain dor-mant in the sediments until spring.Others, blue-flag (Iris verisicolor)for example, die back to the root orrhizome completely, waiting forspring to send up new growth.

Several perennials persist as “ever-greens” through the winter, andcontinue to photosynthesize at a

reduced rate underthe ice and snow.Our native commonwaterweed (Elodeacanadensis) is a goodexample of an ever-green perennial. Andthough it may lookrather ragged anddrained come spring,the stems (and evenstem fragments) ofinvasive variable-leaf

milfoil (Myriophyllum heterophyl-lum) may also over winter in thismanner, new growth ready comespring, to unfurl from the tip ofeach blackened stem.

Most perennials that propagate pri-marily by root division have backup strategies for ensuring long-termsuccess. For example many alsoproduce seeds. Some develop com-pact vegetative structures calledturions (also referred to as winterbuds) or tubers, turion-like struc-tures emerging from subterraneanstems. These starchy, denselypacked structures have the durabili-ty and mobility advantages ofseeds, without the high-energydemand or the hit-or-miss nature ofsexual reproduction. The highlyinvasive hydrilla (Hydrilla verticil-lata) sets abundant turions andtubers during the growing season,both structures helping to earn thisplant its dubious title of the “perfectweed.” Hydrilla tubers, for exam-ple, are unaffected by aquatic herbi-cides and may remain dormant inthe sediments for up to ten years.

Some aquatic perennials have noroots or rhizomes to “die back” to atall. The duckweeds (Lemna spp.)

are examples of free-floating nativeperennials. The tiny but prolificplants are more cold tolerant thanmany other aquatic vascular plants,and can continue to grow at a nor-mal rate in water temperatures aslow as 7º C. In fact solar radiationallows a dense mat of duckweed togenerate its own microclimate(with temperatures up to 10º higherthan ambient air temperatures.) Astemperatures approach freezing, the

winter buds of the duckweeds sinkto the bottom where they lay dor-mant until warmer conditionsreturn. In the spring, the budsbecome buoyant and bob back tothe surface, completing their sea-sonal cycle.

Roberta Hill isProgram Director forthe Maine Center forInvasive Aquatic Plants.

Sources:1. Through the Looking Glass A FieldGuide to Aquatic Plants, Susan Borman et.al., Wisconsin Lakes Partnership, 1997.2. Aquatic and Wetland Plants ofNortheastern North America, Garret E.Crow and C. Barre Helquist, University ofWisconsin Press, 2000.3. Flora, Fauna, Earth and Sky: TheNatural History of the North Woodshttp://www.rook.org/earl/bwca/nature/4. U.S. Army Engineer Research andDevelopment Center (ERDC) websitehttp://www.wes.army.mil/el/pmis/plants/html/najas_mi.html.

5

Elodea

Duckweed forming turions

Ihad no idea that there werepeople who monitored wateron lakes until Kate Albert

who was an AmeriCorps volun-teer with the Presque Isle DEPcame to one of our lake associa-tion meetings and spoke aboutwatersheds. She asked for vol-unteers from Drews Lake, akaMeduxnekeag Lake, in SouthernAroostook County, to do awatershed survey. I volunteeredand it was while work-ing with her on the sur-vey that she mentionedthe need for a volunteermonitor on our lake.

I was very interested inlearning how to checkfor water clarity and inhow to keep our lakeclean and environmen-tally safe. So I told her Iwould become a volunteer lakemonitor. I was trained for secchidepth and two years later wasable to train for dissolved oxy-gen testing, but there were notenough meters available for meto have one to test our lake.

Then at another of our lake asso-ciation meetings I met AngieReed with OWL, Organizationfor Watershed Living. Wequickly became good friendssince we both had a love of theoutdoors and natural waters inparticularly. Angie suggestedwriting a grant through OWL tosee if she could get a DissolvedOxygen (D.O.) meter for me. Iagreed that if she was successfulI would test other small lakes,

and the Meduxnekeag River andbe of assistance to the Band ofMaliseets Native Americans thatlive on the river. We met withsome members of the Band ofMaliseets and they were veryagreeable to the plan. She wrotethe grant and we were awardedthe money for the meter. I amnow in possession of a wonder-ful YSI-55 meter!

I find it intriguing how my liv-ing on a lake has steered mealong so many roads that allintertwine. I am on the Board ofDirectors for our lake associa-tion and an agent of record forour dam. From that position Iwent on to the Planning Boardfor New Limerick where I dealtwith building permits forShoreland Zoning. Now I am aSelectperson into my fourth yearand on the Board of Directorsfor OWL. Each July, I assistLaurel Pinales, our local veteri-narian, with the Loon Count. Iam also the secretary for roads,which means I do a yearly letterin April asking for $50.00 fromeach property owner to maintainour private roads. We have to

plow them in winter and havethem ditched, graded and buygravel in summer. This is direct-ly related to the lake since wemust be very careful that ourculverts are ditched correctlyand have proper buffers. Anyrunoff going into the lake canaffect the reading I get on theSecchi Disk. So it is a continu-ous circle all relating back to thequality of the water.

I love monitoring the lake. Ittakes just a few minutes to pad-dle or motor out to the spotwhere I test. Several times peo-ple have stopped in their boats towatch what I do and ask ques-tions. I explain what I am doingand why. When talking to peoplefrom other lakes I always try tobring up the VLMP to encouragetheir interest in becoming amonitor. The volunteer monitorfor nearby Nickerson Lake is arelative of mine, Paul Porter.He was interested in what I wasdoing and when the volunteermonitor on his lake had to quitPaul took over. I would like tosee every small lake in Mainehave a volunteer monitor. I thinkif we all talk about it in the rightplaces that will happen.

Tana (left) demonstrates her new D.O. meter

C r e a t i n g C o n n e c t i o n sBy Tana McNutt, Monitor for Drews (Meduxnekeag) Lake

2004

VLMP/COLAANNUAL MEETING

JUNE 19SO. PORTLAND

6

POKER hasn’t ever been mygame of choice, but this pastsummer I realized that I had a

hand with three aces. That’s prettygood isn’t it? This winning hand (1)protects the water quality ofMaine’s lakes and ponds, (2) pro-tects them from ruin by invasiveaquatic plants and (3) provides thethrill of a treasure hunt at the sametime.

For several years, the VolunteerLake Monitoring Program (VLMP)has given me the opportunity, andsometimes the nudge that I need, topaddle my canoe about half a mileinto Kezar Pond every couple ofweeks to where it’s deep enough toget a good Secchi Disk water clari-ty reading. This is sent to the LakesEnvironmental Association (LEA)in Bridgton that acts as VLMP’sregional coordinator for water qual-ity measurements for 37 lakes andponds in our area. I can almostalways find a beautiful day to dothis and with the mountain views,exercise and satisfaction of helpingto preserve Maine’s treasures, I cancertainly count that as ACE #1.

Due in large part to the dedicationand fine work of organizations suchas LEA and VLMP, Maine hasadopted what many regard as thefinest legislation and “action plan”in the country to protect Mainewaters from the threat of invasiveaquatic plants. As part of this effort,the Maine Center for InvasiveAquatic Plants (MCIAP), estab-lished by VLMP, has trained manyof us as “plant patrol” volunteers to

recognize the invaders that havedecimated water bodies in neigh-boring states and throughout thecountry. As a result, Maine hastaken early action to prevent theirspread.

All you have to do to add plantpatrolling to the clarity reading tripis to attend an MCIAP training ses-sion, get its invasive plant recogni-tion material, and add some plantsample collection gear to yourcanoe. Then you can use the recom-mended patrol procedures to paddlearound the likely spots like a boun-ty hunter to find any “bad guys”and enjoy the thrill of the chase andsome more outdoors. Ace #2!

Then there are the “good guys.”The Maine Department ofConservation has begun a compre-hensive program called “Beginningwith Habitat” that is dedicated toidentifying and preserving vitalhabitats for plants and animals

throughout the state. It includesclassifying and recording rarespecies so that they may receivespecial attention in what are desig-nated as “Focus Areas.” Many ofthese species are found along theshores of our lakes and ponds andthe search is best done leisurely bycanoe. A little more study withsome of the plant guides suggestedby VLMP and you’re ready to go.

We are all excited when we make anew discovery, and I was thrilled tohave one of the plants I encoun-tered: Narrow leaved goldenrod(Euthania tenuifolia) recorded as arare plant by the state in its perma-nent record. You don’t need to dis-cover something rare to make yourday though. Try viewing the cardi-nal flowers or the giant sundews atThe Five Kezar Ponds, or the mar-velous carnivorous pitcher plants atHolt Pond. For a stunning assort-ment of fresh-water sponges, tryCold Rain Pond. I’ve been lucky tomake countless such discoverieswhile paddling slowly aroundmany of LEA’s 37 lakes and ponds.My luck grew by leaps and boundsafter I met Norm Wight, MasterMaine Guide and naturalist. Likethe postman that goes for a walk onhis day off, Norm jumps into acanoe on his. In his 90th year, he’sstill doing it. We, with our wives,have taken picnic lunches and pad-dled many shores with cameras,benefiting from Norm’s marvelousknowledge and ability to identifyand record the findings and eventsof the day. For my money, you can’tfind a better ACE # 3 than that.

T H R E E A C E SBy Alfred Huff, Monitor for Kezar Pond

Plant patroller Alfred Huff on thelook out for invasive plants in

Kezar Pond.

7

W E HAVE BEEN MEASURING

the temperature and oxy-gen concentration as a

function of the lake depth twicemonthly during summers at twoGreen Lake sample stations since1996. Our late summer averagehypolimnion oxygen concentra-tions at sample station 2 in 1998,1999, 2000, and 2002 were 3.8, 3.5,3.7, and 3.0 mg/L respectively,which are below the historic aver-age of similar measurements at thisstation. We are concerned aboutlow oxygen concentrations becausevalues above 5 mg/L are considerednecessary to support a healthy cold-water salmonoid fishery. Our dataare shown in Figure 1,along with historicdata dating back to1942. The 1942 meas-urements were report-ed by Fuller andCooper (1) and themeasurements in1976, 1986, and in1991 were made bythe Maine Departmentof EnvironmentalProtection (2). Linear regressionanalysis of all of the data shown inFigure 1 gives a Pearson correlationcoefficient of 0.61. The decreasinglate summerhypolimnion oxy-gen concentrationswith time is real.

The ice-out date iswhen ice leaves thelake in the spring. At this

time, the lake water is saturatedwith air at a temperature close tozero degrees centigrade. The con-centration of oxygen is nearly con-stant at about 13 mg/L from thelake surface to the lake bottom. Asthe water temperature increases,everything that grows in the lakebegins to grow faster; much of theoxygen leaks into the atmospherebecause air is less soluble in warmwater than in cold water. Some ofthe oxygen is metabolized by zoo-plankton and other members of theanimal kingdom, and it also reactswith organic matter from deceasedbiota.

In late June or early July, the waterin the lake separates into three lay-ers, a process called thermal strati-fication. The surface layer, called

the epilimnion,about 10 metersfor Green Lake, ismaintained at a

rather uniform tem-perature and oxygenconcentration because

CORRELATION OF LATE SUMMER HYPOLIMNION

OXYGEN CONCENTRATIONS WITH ICE-OUT

DATES FOR GREEN LAKE, MAINE

By Robert D. Dunlap and Richard C. CookMonitors from Green Lake

continued on page 9

Bob Dunlap and Dick Cook havebeen measuring water temperatureand dissolved oxygen concentra-tions in Green Lake in Dedhamsince 1996. They have comparedtheir lake monitoring findings tohistorical data for the lake, andconcluded that over time, latesummer dissolved oxygen levelshave declined.

It is well understood that theenrichment of lakes over time withthe nutrient phosphorus, andorganic matter from their water-sheds, leads to an increase in algalgrowth. This process is exacerbat-ed by watershed development.Ultimately, algae and other organ-ic matter in the water decompose,and in that process dissolved oxy-gen is consumed. The rate at whichthis relatively slow process occursvaries from one lake to the next,depending on a myriad of factors,including the shape and depth ofthe lake basin, land uses in thewatershed, soil geochemistry andothers.

The authors of this article havefocused their attention on anotherimportant influence on lake waterquality variability: the weather.Their observations about the rela-tionship between winter ice coverand summer dissolved oxygen lev-els in Green Lake are very interest-ing, and their conclusions are strik-ing. They underscore the impor-tance of the weather as an impor-tant driving force in the function oflake ecosystems. And they portendthe potential negative effect onlakes from global climate change.

While it may not be possible forindividuals to influence the effectsof weather on lakes, there is noquestion that watershed conserva-tion practices have a positive effecton lake water quality.

~ Scott Williams

Figure 1

8

Thermal Stratification

it is being stirred by the wind. Thebottom layer is called thehypolimnion. The temperature of thislayer is reasonably constant. The cor-responding oxygen concentration,however, decreases during the sum-mer months because oxygen, trappedin this layer by stratification, is con-sumed by thevarious biologi-cal and chemicalprocesses goingon in the lake.

The ice-out dateis the beginningof the more rapidgrowing seasonfor the lakesbiota. When theice-out date islate, the lake'sgrowing seasonis short; when theice-out date isearly, the lake's growing season islong. From Green Lake ice-out datasince 1935, compiled by RaymondJenkins (3), the earliest ice-out date isMarch 29, and the latest ice-out dateis May 7. This amounts to a differ-ence in the lakes growing season of38 days! When the lake's growingseason is short, more oxygen is leftover in the hypolimnion layer in thelate summer; when the lake's growingseason is long, less oxygen is left overin the hypolimnion layer. One yearago, we measured a late summer oxy-gen concentration of 3.0 mg/L in thehypolimnion stratum at sample sta-tion 02. The ice-out date for 2002 wasApril 6. In the spring of 2003, the ice-out date was April 29 and we foundthe corresponding hypolimnion oxy-gen concentration on August 27 to be5.8 mg/L.

In Figure 2, we plot the differencesbetween the measured and average of

late summer hypolimnion oxygenmeasurements and the differencesbetween modified ice-out dates andthe average of modified ice-out datesagainst the corresponding years whenthe measurements were made. Themodified ice-out date is the ice-outdate in Julian days divided by 30.

The correspondence between theseseparate and different kinds of meas-urements is amazing with a correla-tion coefficient of 0.74; early ice-outdates correspond to low late summerhypolimnion oxygen concentrations;late ice out dates correspond to highlate summer hypolimnion oxygenconcentrations. This suggests thatwhen we compare any kind of meas-urement in the lake from one year toany other year, we should use a timescale that has it's ice-out date for thatparticular year as the origin. In Figure3, we show the late summerhypolimnion oxygen concentrationsplotted against the difference betweenthe date that the measurement wasmade and the ice-out date for that par-ticular year. Linear regression gives acorrelation coefficient of 0.94 with astandard deviation of 0.2 for the oxy-gen concentrations.

About the Authors

Robert Dunlap and DickCook have been monitors onGreen Lake since 1996.Robert Dunlap is Universityof Maine Professor Emeritusof Chemistry.

Bob Dunlap sailing onGreen Lake

Richard Cook measureswind speed on Green Lake

continued on page 10

Figure 2

9

Also shownin Figure 3are the yearsduring whichthe measure-ments weremade. In1942, 1986,and 2003,the ice-outdates werelate, and thelate summerhypolimnion oxygen concentrationswere high. In the years 1998, 1999,2000, and 2002, the ice-out dateswere early, and the late summerhypolimnion oxygen concentrationswere low. Figure 3 also demon-strates the remarkable conformity inour oxygen data acquired over a peri-od of 60 years by several investiga-tors using different instruments andmethods. Fuller and Cooper used theWinkler wet chemical method. Weare using a YSI Model 50b tempera-ture and oxygen meter with a YSIModel 5739 membrane electrode.

The preponderance of low late sum-mer hypolimnion oxygen concentra-tions in recent years is most certainlydue to the warming trend in our localclimate as is indicated by the shorten-ing of the ice-out dates. The rate of

decrease in the hypolimnion oxygenconcentrations at Green Lake isalmost identical to the rate of shorten-ing of the ice-out dates. The ice-outdates for several Maine and NewEngland lakes have been decreasingfor the past 100 years (4, 5, 6.)Hodgkins and coworkers (5) havecorrelated the decrease in ice-outdates with our warming local climate.Also the average temperatures of theocean at Boothbay harbor andGeorges Basin have been increasingat the rate of 2 and 2.5 centigradedegrees per 100 years (7.)

We wish to acknowledge and thankthe Green Lake Association for sup-porting this project. One of us (RD)wishes to acknowledge and thankGlenn Hodgkins, U.S.GeologicalSurvey, Augusta, ME, for helpful dis-cussions.

References:

1 John I. Fuller and Gerald P. Cooper, Fish Survey Report No. 7, 1942, Maine Department of Inland Fisheriesand Game, Augusta, ME 043332 Personal Communication, Roy Bouchard, Maine Department of Environmental Protection, State HouseStation 17, Augusta, ME 043333 Raymond Jenkins, Dedham Historical Society, Dedham, ME 044294 Glenn A. Hodgkins and Ivan C. James, USGS Open File Report 02-34, 2002, Augusta ME 043335 Glenn A. Hodgkins,Ivan C. James and Thomas G. Huntington, Int. J. Climatol. 22: 1819-1827 (2002)6 John J. Magnusen, et al. Science 289, 1473-1476 (2000)7 Personal Communication, University of Maine Department of Marine Science

I C E - O U Tcontinued from page 9

GLOSSARY OF TERMS

Dissolved Oxygen (D.O.) -The amount o f oxygendissolved in the water .The D.O. concentra t ionin water is affected bythe wa te r t empera tu re ,water quali ty, and otherfactors . Organisms l iv-ing in the water use thisoxygen to breathe.

Hypol imnio n - Thedeepest layer of water ina l ake o r deep pond ,when the water body iss t ra t i f ied by temperatureand densi ty differences.

Ice-Out Date - When theice leaves the lake in thespring.

Zooplankton - See LakeLingo (page 14.)

Figure 3

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SO YOU THINK YOU

KNOW MAINE LAKES?Question: What is the legislativedesignation for Maine lakes thatare protected by state law, and thatare in the public domain?

Answer choices:A. Grand PondB. Great LakeC. Great PondD. Gross Pond

If you think you know the answer,call or email the VLMP office. Thefirst correct respondent willreceive a gift certificate to L.L.Bean.

THE University of Maine Cooperative Extension (UMCE) is themajor educational outreach program of the University of Maine,with offices statewide. Our Watershed Stewards Program pro-

vides twenty hours of research-based scientific information on water-shed land use practices to protect lake water quality. Programs havebeen held in six Maine counties, for eleven lake groups, with over 250participants. In return, each Steward volunteers at least twenty hours inlake stewardship activities. Results of an intensive program evaluationindicate that our Stewards have a statistically significantly higherknowledge level about lake processes and threats compared with lake-front landowners on the same lakes who did not participate in our pro-grams (Jemison et al., 2004). We also learned that Stewards spend moretime in pollution prevention activities. Our program evaluation indicat-ed one key weakness that keeps our Stewards from complete success.We found that Stewards are not transferring their knowledge to otherlandowners on their lakes. The evaluation data suggest that they do nothave the confidence to approach their neighbor, and they do not haveoutreach skills to communicate their needs. We found that other lake-front landowners are concerned about lake water quality, but are notaware of the Stewards as a local community resource.

To address this need, we will offer a series of Lake Leader’s Institutes,to train Leaders in effective outreach techniques, so they are able toengage more of the lakefront community in protection efforts. TheLake Leader’s Institute will be held June 3-5, 2004, on the Universityof Maine campus. All participants will receive training in:

Leadership Styles/Methods Conflict ResolutionLocal Political Process – how it worksWorking with the PressWorking in Groups

Breakout sessions (at least one person from each group will attend each)will focus on building organizational capacity, effective outreach, andeducational lake event planning.

We are now seeking participants for the Lake Leader’s Institute.Applications are available online at:www.umaine.edu/waterquality/lakeleaders, or from Laura Wilson at581-2971 (toll-free in Maine: 1-800-870-7270). Selection of partici-pants for the pilot program will be made by April 15; notificationswill be mailed before the end of April. Priority will be given to lakegroups that send three or more participants, for groups including a grad-uate of the UMCE Watershed Stewards Program (however, you do NOT

LA K E LE A D E R IN S T I T U T ECALL FOR PARTICIPANTS

need to be a Watershed Steward toattend!), and for individuals with thesupport of their lakeassociation/group. Three participantsensure that one person will be able toattend each breakout session, andbring that expertise back to the group.Estimated costs are $150 per personto defray housing expenses – dis-counts for multiple participants maybe available.

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V O L U N T E E R S

from the VLMPBoard of Directors,

Maine DEP, InvasivePlant Patrollers, and Volunteer LakeMonitors gathered on October18th to prepare the WoodburyBrackett Environmental Center forthe big move. Crews worked allmorning inside painting win-dowsills, removing old carpets andcleaning the exposed hard woodfloors. David Gregory, a retiredcarpenter, donated his skills inremoving sections of sheetrock inthe kitchen.

Outside our landscapers mowed theovergrown grass, pruned the manytrees and renovated the gardens.Buried under several inches of sodthey discovered two beautiful slatewalkways!

Then on moving day more volun-teers stepped up to help, lending

their knees, backs, and vehicles to agrueling one day transfer of offices.We are truly grateful for their gen-erous time and hard work. Themove would not have been possiblewithout their help.

Will Reid and Clyde Waltontame the wild Solomon’s Seal

in the garden

Susan Breau and Jessie MaeMacDougall discover a slate

walkway in the lawn

David Gregory and ScottWilliams assess leak damage

in the kitchen ceiling

Paul Gregory paints win-dowsills in the living room

Richard Jennings has volun-teered many hours developing

the VLMP Outreach Center

SALUTE TO THE CREW:

Roy BouchardSusan BreauDan BuckleyGeorge Cross

Mary Jane DillinghamPaul Gregory

Aubrie GridleyTom Hannula

Richard JenningsRalph Johnston

Jessie Mae MacDougallGerry NelsonMeg Nelson

Will ReidMargot Siekman

Clyde WaltonKeith Williams

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List of lakes in need of volunteers

Wish list of donations and volun-teer help

Expanded site for the MaineCenter for Invasive AquaticPlants

Directions to the BrackettEnvironmental Center

New images including a photoalbum of Maine lakes

Check out the newupdates to the VLMPwebsite including:

w w w . M a i n e V o l u n t e e r L a k e M o n i t o r s . o r g

PHOTO CONTEST RESULTS

Congratulations to David Hodsdon for submitting thewinning photo that will appear on the cover of the 2003Annual Report.

Many excellent photographs were submitted. It was achallenge to make the final selection.

We would also like to recognize the beautiful entries from:Ruth Cyr, Betty Hutchinson, Lila Minkowsky, GerryNelson, and Teg Rood.

You can see some of photos on the VLMP website. Justfollow the Lake Photos link off of the Volunteer Page.

Address and Telephone Number for the VLMP and MCIAP

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coming soon!

L A K E

L I N G O

Plankton:The word plankton is derivedfrom the Greek planktos, mean-ing to drift or wander. Planktonare minute plant and animalcommunities that passivelyfloat (or swim weakly) in theopen water region of lakes andponds. These tiny, often micro-scopic, “wanderers” can besorted into two groups: plank-tonic plants, collectivelyreferred to as “phytoplankton”(also called algae) and plank-tonic animals called “zooplank-ton.” Plankton communities aresubject to the effects of windand wave action and water cur-rents, but are capable of regulat-ing their vertical location in thewater column to some degree.Planktonic algae are the major“producers” and the base of thefood web in lake and pondecosystems.

For most lakes and ponds,Secchi disk transparency read-ings represent the abundance ofplankton in the water column,although other factors such assilt and natural water color mayalso influence water clarity.This estimation of the abun-dance of phytoplankton andzooplankton in the water col-umn is a measure of lake pro-ductivity, which can be used todetermine a lakes’ trophic state.

QUALITY COUNTS!Feel like surfing?How about surfing without leaving the comfort ofhome?

If this sounds like a winter distraction that strikes your fancy,we’ve got a mission for you!

To frame this mission, I’ll start with the word quality. Onedefinition for quality per Webster is “the degree of excel-lence which a thing possesses.” We all like our clothes,our cars and especially our food to be of a certain,preferably high quality. And we each have our own‘yardsticks’ with which to measure that quality. Forexample, unless the date on the milk is at least 10 days inthe future, I won’t buy it. The VLMP, DEP and EPA are for-ever stressing the importance of quality assurance and quality control in thecollection and entering of lake data. But data attributes are not the only aspectof lake information that deserves attention of this sort.

This is where we need you! About 30 volunteers are needed to build a new‘yardstick’. For the past 6-7 years, the data collected by volunteers in theVLMP have been posted on the PEARL web site, maintained by the SenatorGeorge J. Mitchell Center for Environmental and Watershed Research. Thissite is about to have a makeover and we need some site users or potential siteusers to help define how the site should look and what it should provide. Ina nutshell, you must be willing to visit a list of 4-5 sites in addition to thePEARL site, and then answer some questions about what you like, whatworks well, what is confusing, etc.

‘User-friendliness’ of a web site is a challenging attribute to address. An indi-vidual’s perception of a site’s friendliness is influenced by numerous factors,for example, the number of sites they’ve visited, their familiarity with theinformation presented on the site, their level of comfort with computers, andthe questions that lead them to the site. We’d like to receive input from folkswith a variety of perspectives to provide feedback to PEARL developers. So

we need a range of folks from ‘novice surfers’ toexperts, from volunteers that have only recentlybecome interested in water quality issues to folksthat studied such issues in depth years ago.

If you have some time and have a computer that isless than 4 years old with a reasonably fast Internetconnection, we could use your help. To volunteerfor this mission, please contact Jim at the VLMPoffice by phone (207-783-7733) or email(vlmp@megalink.net) before March 10th. Thanks!

Linda Bacon, MaineDEP QA/QC Advisorseeks volunteer feed-back for the PEARL

website14

MOVING ONEileen and David Burnell started monitoring Watchic Lake in 1977 dur-ing the early years of the VLMP. For more than a quarter century theyreliably collected water quality data, and used the information to helpinform and educate landowners in their lake watershed about the threatsof nonpoint source runoff, efficient septic system practices and invasiveaquatic plants.

Their son, Shawn, began monitoring the lake with them soon after hewas born. He continued to do so through his college training as an envi-ronmental engineer. The Burnells worked with a Bonney Eagle HighSchool Biology teacher, hosting water quality monitoring sessions onthe lake and allowing students the opportunity for hands-on experiencesin lake assessment, protection and management.

When the VLMP went through the transition from state government toa freestanding nonprofit organization, David and Eileen were on astrategic planning committee to facilitate the change, eventually servingon the VLMP Board of Directors. In 1996 the Burnells were awardedthe State of Maine Lake Conservation award, and last November theywere honored at a celebration of Watchic Lake for their commitmentand dedication to protecting and preserving the lake.

The Burnells recently relocated to New Hampshire. It is difficult to fath-om the long- term benefits to Maine lakes and ponds from such com-mitted individuals. We are extremely grateful for their efforts, and forthe opportunity to have known and worked with them. They will alwaysbe welcome visitors to all Maine lakes.

David and Eileen Burnell at the 2003 VLMP Annual Meeting. Weapplaud their outstanding contributions to Maine lakes and wish them

well in their new home in New Hampshire.

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NEW TO THE VLMP

Jim Roby-Brantley, ProgramAssistant

Jim is from western New York wherehe graduated from the StateUniversity of New York at Geneseowith a degree in physics and a minorin environmental studies. In 2001 heserved with AmeriCorps as theVolunteer Coordinator for the MaineDepartment of Transportation(MDOT.) He has also worked inlandscaping and education.

Working for the VLMP is very excit-ing for me. During my AmeriCorpsservice as the MDOT VolunteerCoordinator I was drawn to the com-munity of volunteers working to pro-tect Maine’s environment. There is agreat satisfaction in being part ofsuch a generous dedicated group.

My favorite part of the job so far ismeeting and working with so manygreat people. I feel like I have beenaccepted into the extended family ofvolunteers and organizations work-ing to protect Maine lakes.

Jim is the new VLMP ProgramAssistant. Stop by the office andyou’ll meet Jim and his dog Max.

Maine Volunteer LakeMonitoring Program24 Maple Hill RoadAuburn, Maine 04210

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