Sebec Lake Association Invasive Plant Patrol initiates mapping project

Under patchwork skies, the Sebec Lake Association Invasive Plant Patrol (SLA-IPP) team performed the first mapping event on Saturday, Aug. 29. This first session mapped a section of Newell cove near the Bowerbank launch.

“We accomplished several objectives with this first session”, Program Director Rudy Davis said. “First, we met our goal of getting the mapping part of the program started this year. Second, we sorted out some methodology and equipment elements, as Sebec Lake is unique in many ways. Finally, we cataloged the vegetation in this part of the cove and importantly, found no invasive species.”  

The team is hoping to do one more mapping event before the end of summer, but will see a significant ramp up in activity beginning next year.   “We still think, provided our team stays intact, that we’ll accomplish our goal of mapping the entire lake shore within five years” Davis said.  

The team also had a couple of camp owners recently contact them to evaluate ‘things growing in the water’ that they had not noticed before. Those investigations identified the ‘culprit plants’ as native lake vegetation. “We’ve gotten the word out, and camp owners are responding and becoming better informed …. that’s a great sign, and the best way to prevent invasive species from entering the lake,” Davis said.