Lake Dwellers' Handbook
|
Mousam Lake Region Association Lake Dwellers' Handbook |
 Mousam Lake Dwellers' Handbook with links (view online/download) Lake Dweller's Handbook PRINTER file for letter-sized 8.5x11 paper Illustration on how to Print front-back to Letter Size paper |
|
The Mousam Lake Region Association (MLRA) is providing this handbook to educate and encourage residents and seasonal visitors to become more involved in watershed protection efforts, while responsibly enjoying Mousam Lake and Goose Pond. If you are already a member of the MLRA, thank you! If not, please consider becoming a member by visiting JOIN MLRA. We have never needed your support more! In 2023, we discovered Utricularia Inflata (Swollen Bladderwort) in the lake. Unfortunately, this plant has been found in most areas of our water body from Goose Pond to Lower Mousam and everywhere in between. How it got here is unknown. How long it has been in our lake is also unknown. What is known??? This invasive aquatic plant, if left unchecked, will cause great damage to Mousam’s water quality, our native aquatic vegetation, our fish populations and probably your property values. How can you help? Learn about this plant. Know what it looks like and take action to remove it from our lake. Educational information is available on our FB page and the WWW. Make it a family effort … consider buying a scuba mask and fins for yourself, kids or grandkids and go hunting for this plant for an hour or two on a regular basis. Please see pp. 17-18 for additional information. There are many roles and many do not require you to even get wet! Please reach out to mlradiveteam@gmail.com to volunteer. We are grateful for your financial and volunteer support! The Mousam Lake Region Association (MLRA) was founded in 1956 and has focused on protecting the water quality of Upper and Lower Mousam Lake and Goose Pond. The MLRA remains active and is, in fact, one of the longest running and largest lake associations in Maine. Maine DEP has been monitoring lake quality since 1974. The current data available indicates our water quality is average and stable, based on Secchi disk transparency readings as well as total phosphorus and chlorophyll levels. However, Mousam Lake has an elevated risk of future water quality problems due to its high density of shoreline development and increasing boat traffic via one of the State’s most heavily utilized public launches. Protection of Mousam Lake’s watershed requires our awareness of water quality threats and our actions to sustain or improve water quality. As property owners and, collectively, as an association, we can each do our part to protect our lake from pollutants, help minimize shoreline erosion, and protect the future of our lake. We hope you’ll join our commitment and passion for this beautiful place! Special thanks to Kristi Borst, Ann Brown, Jill Folsom, David Landry, Mark Rousseau, Judy Verity, and our friends at the Square Pond Improvement Association for their help in our publishing this MLRA version of the Lake Dwellers’ Handbook. You can view, download, and print the handbook right from this page! Most especially, thanks to each of you who strives to be a good neighbor and a good steward of the Mousam Lake Watershed! James (Jamie) Verity, MLRA President June, 2024 |
|
Mousam Lake Region Association Lake Dwellers' Handbook |
|
Mousam Lake Dwellers' Handbook with links (view online/download) Lake Dweller's Handbook PRINTER file for letter-sized 8.5x11 paper Illustration on how to Print front-back to Letter Size paper |
|
The Mousam Lake Region Association (MLRA) is providing this handbook to educate and encourage residents and seasonal visitors to become more involved in watershed protection efforts, while responsibly enjoying Mousam Lake and Goose Pond. If you are already a member of the MLRA, thank you! If not, please consider becoming a member by visiting JOIN MLRA. We have never needed your support more! In 2023, we discovered Utricularia Inflata (Swollen Bladderwort) in the lake. Unfortunately, this plant has been found in most areas of our water body from Goose Pond to Lower Mousam and everywhere in between. How it got here is unknown. How long it has been in our lake is also unknown. What is known??? This invasive aquatic plant, if left unchecked, will cause great damage to Mousam’s water quality, our native aquatic vegetation, our fish populations and probably your property values. How can you help? Learn about this plant. Know what it looks like and take action to remove it from our lake. Educational information is available on our FB page and the WWW. Make it a family effort … consider buying a scuba mask and fins for yourself, kids or grandkids and go hunting for this plant for an hour or two on a regular basis. Please see pp. 17-18 for additional information. There are many roles and many do not require you to even get wet! Please reach out to mlradiveteam@gmail.com to volunteer. We are grateful for your financial and volunteer support! The Mousam Lake Region Association (MLRA) was founded in 1956 and has focused on protecting the water quality of Upper and Lower Mousam Lake and Goose Pond. The MLRA remains active and is, in fact, one of the longest running and largest lake associations in Maine. Maine DEP has been monitoring lake quality since 1974. The current data available indicates our water quality is average and stable, based on Secchi disk transparency readings as well as total phosphorus and chlorophyll levels. However, Mousam Lake has an elevated risk of future water quality problems due to its high density of shoreline development and increasing boat traffic via one of the State’s most heavily utilized public launches. Protection of Mousam Lake’s watershed requires our awareness of water quality threats and our actions to sustain or improve water quality. As property owners and, collectively, as an association, we can each do our part to protect our lake from pollutants, help minimize shoreline erosion, and protect the future of our lake. We hope you’ll join our commitment and passion for this beautiful place! Special thanks to Kristi Borst, Ann Brown, Jill Folsom, David Landry, Mark Rousseau, Judy Verity, and our friends at the Square Pond Improvement Association for their help in our publishing this MLRA version of the Lake Dwellers’ Handbook. You can view, download, and print the handbook right from this page! Most especially, thanks to each of you who strives to be a good neighbor and a good steward of the Mousam Lake Watershed! James (Jamie) Verity, MLRA President June, 2024 |
