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	Vol. 15, No. 1		Summer 2010

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Littorally Speaking: Update from the Front Lines

Growing & Sustaining Maine's Invasive Plant Patrol

By Roberta Hill, Program Director
VLMP's Center for Invasive Aquatic Plants

Over the eight years it has been in existence, the VLMP Invasive Plant Patrol program has grown by leaps and bounds.  This is great news for Maine lakes… but with growth, of course, come new challenges.  With 250 to 300 new Invasive Plant Patrollers being added to the program every year, and over 2,000 Invasive Plant Patrollers now trained across the State of Maine, the IPP program has evolved to the point where a more inclusive, interactive, and agile system is needed.  Ideally, volunteers will play leadership roles at every level of this system…

When the VLMP achieves its ultimate goal as an organization, virtually every lake in the State of Maine will have one or more water quality monitors and an active team of trained Invasive Plant Patrollers routinely monitoring the health of the waterbody. This statewide cadre of dedicated volunteers, trained and certified by the VLMP, will be supported and sustained by a well-organized, integrated, collaborative system involving the VLMP, local, county and State agencies, trained volunteer coordinators, local lake associations, and regional lake conservation groups. The benefits of such a system include:

Technical assistance and Quality Assurance checks at each level of the system

Enhanced volunteer involvement and contribution

Greater program efficiency

Cost savings

And the bottom line … if we are to continue to grow and sustain Maine’s Invasive Plant Patrol, this kind of organization, integration and collaboration is essential. This is why the VLMP has launched the Invasive Plant Patrol Sustainability Initiative.

Though the list of tasks and responsibilities for this more formalized, multi-level system has yet to be fully defined (VLMP purposefully wishes to include its volunteers and collaborators in this process) a working outline describing the duties and responsibilities of the primary leadership roles within the system has begun to be articulated. (See Sustainability Initiative…Where Do You Fit In? inset below)

IPP Growth and Sustainability Initiative Where Do You Fit In?

This diagram illustrates (in a very simplified way) the envisioned Invasive Plant Patrol multi-level system. Starting at the bottom of the diagram, the VLMP, working with its State agency partners—primarily the Maine DEP—work collaboratively with the IPP Regional Coordinators to promote and support citizen involvement in the IPP program. The coordinators, in turn, work in direct contact with IPP Lake Team Leaders in their respective regions, notifying them of trainings, providing technical assistance, reminding them to send in their data, etc. Each Lake Team Leader, in turn, is responsible for coordinating and providing local technical assistance for the individual members of his or her team. The arrows indicate the two way flow of information and resources. See how you and/or your organization fit into this system, and an overview of the roles and responsibilities at each level of the system.
 

The trained plant patrolleris at
the top of the envisioned structure.

The trained Invasive Plant Patroller is at the top of the envisioned structure. Once trained by the VLMP, the Invasive Plant Patroller works on the front line to determine if any of the target aquatic invaders are present in the survey area. Volunteer Invasive Plant Patrollers are now responsible for more than 80% of all invasive aquatic plant screening survey activity being conducted in the state of Maine. IPP volunteers bring energy, expertise, ingenuity, passion and commitment to Maine’s early detection effort.

When it comes to monitoring aquatic invaders, the more eyes on the water, the better. The creation of strong, active Invasive Plant Patrol Lake Teams is seen as essential, not only to ensuring the quality of invasive aquatic plant surveys, but also to the long term sustainability of the effort. Each patroller can focus more comprehensively on a smaller survey area; no one’s survey area is too onerous. Teams are formed by dividing the shoreline of a waterbody into appropriately scaled sectors (e.g. 500-1,000 foot sections), and recruiting and training volunteers to conduct a survey in each sector.
The Lake Team Leader plays a key role in energizing, organizing and providing local technical support to members of the Lake Team. Lake Associations also play an important role in sustaining the team: helping to recruit team members, raising funds for supplies and equipment, providing recognition of the team’s work, etc.

Lake teams, in turn, benefit from similar organization and support at the regional level. The VLMP currently has seventeen Volunteer Regional Coordinators across the state of Maine helping to manage the collection, verification, and documentation of water quality data collected from Maine lakes. Through the IPP Sustainability Initiative we are working to develop a more formalized, statewide network of Regional IPP Volunteer Coordinators for the Invasive Plant Patrol program, as well.

Every year the Hancock County Soil & Water Conservation District and their partners The Hancock County Lakes Alliance sponsor a countywide IPP Survey Week, during which they work to engage as many volunteers as possible in conducting IAP surveys at all major boat ramps in the county. (Photo of volunteer, Tricia Dyer, surveying the Tunk Lake boat landing, courtesy of HCSWCD)

Regional conservation groups can play a tremendously important role in achieving a sustainable statewide early detection system, whether directly performing the functions of the IPP Regional Coordinator, or supporting a trained volunteer to carry out these essential tasks. The VLMP is already working in active partnership with a number of regional conservation groups to address the threat of aquatic invaders in Maine. Over the years these groups have directly contributed to the success of the IPP program by providing one or more of the functions that are essential to regional coordination—assisting in the organization of trainings; outreach to, and recruitment of, volunteers; collating and proofing local data, etc. The service area and number of waterbodies represented by these regional groups ranges widely, from the relatively small (Tacoma Lakes Association covering five lakes and ponds), to the relatively large (Hancock County Lakes Alliance covering 268 lakes and ponds). It is by building upon these important partnerships and forming new alliances, that we will build a strong, statewide IPP Regional Coordinators system.

At the base of this envisioned system, are the VLMP Center for Invasive Aquatic Plants and its State Agency partners. Our primary role is to provide educational and technical support needed to grow and sustain the effort at all levels.

The VLMP is the oldest and one of the largest citizen based lake monitoring programs in the nation. Its protocols, training programs and technical resources are widely seen as models for similar programs across the US and Canada. If we have learned one thing over the nearly forty years we have been in existence, it is that our relationships with our volunteers and collaborators are by far our greatest asset as an organization. It is our hope, now that you have a better idea of our vision for the future of the IPP program, that you will help to shape that vision. We welcome your thoughts, comments, ideas, concerns, etc. With your support and feedback, we are confident that we can create a system that will ensure the long term growth and sustainability of this important endeavor.

Invasive Plant Patrol Sustainability Initiative

		The map to the left shows the approximate location of these regional groups. The big yellow stars indicate county wide invasives initiatives led and sponsored by SWCD staff. The smaller stars represent the remaining smaller regional groups on the list. You can see, here too, many gaps remain statewide. Through its IPP Sustainability Initiative, the VLMP will work to develop full statewide regional coverage. Ideally, volunteer Plant Patrollers will be trained to take on the primary tasks of the Regional IPP Coordinator in each defined region. In regions where there is already a strong regional lake conservation presence, the Regional IPP Coordinator volunteer will work in direct affiliation with the regional organization. (More on the role of the local and regional lake associations below.)
Outline of Roles and Responsibilities
Role of the Invasive Plant Patroller	Role of the Lake Team Leader	Role of the IPP Regional Coordinator
Attend one or more VLMP Invasive Plant Patrol Trainings (IPP certification encouraged but optional) Conduct invasive aquatic plant screening surveys using standardized VLMP protocols and data sheets Cooperate with and help support local IPP Lake Team Provide contact information updates to Lake Team Leader and the VLMP Contact Lake Team Leader in the event that survey of assigned sector cannot be completed Submit completed survey data form(s) to Lake Team Leader Provide educational outreach and technical assistance to lakeshore property owners and local community when appropriate/possible	Help recruit and train IPP volunteers Check and maintain the survey gear Contact team members every spring for affirmation of engagement Disseminate the latest version of the VLMP IAP screening survey documentation forms Send out reminders to team members during the summer to complete assigned survey sectors and to send in data forms Provide technical assistance to team members, and/or help get it Proof survey forms as they come in, and monitor who has not yet reported; send reminders to late reporters Submit hard copies of the team data forms to IPP Regional Coordinator (if applicable) for additional proofing and collation, or submit directly to VLMP	Provide outreach to regional community Help recruit new IPP volunteers Partner with the VLMP to organize and conduct volunteer trainings in the region Maintain contact with and up-to-date contact information for Lake Team Leaders and, in the case of lakes without Lake Teams, individual IPPs Provide technical support to Lake Team Leaders Collect and proof IAP screening survey data from Lake Team Leaders Send proofed data form to VLMP by November 15 Help facilitate the flow of information between VLMP, Lake Team Leaders and Individual IPP Volunteers Contribute to the continued development of the State-wide early detection effort through participation in annual Roundtable Meetings, etc.
Role of the Lake or Regional Lake Association	Role of the VLMP Center for Invasive Aquatic Plants	Role of the Department of Environmental Protection
Work with the VLMP to help recruit, train and organize IPP lake team/s. Outfit team members with equipment, e.g., view scope and boats to the extent possible Raise funds to support the team. For example, create an optional donation check off to support IPP lake team, in the annual lake association dues appeal Plan and host periodic social events, such as a pot lucks or BBQs to report team findings and thank all volunteers for their dedication and service.	Provide training for new and continuing volunteers Provide updated data sheets, information, and resources Provide technical and educational support at every level Provide aquatic plant identification assistance Maintain up-to-date contact information for volunteers Maintain statewide database of all IAP survey data submitted to the VLMP Disseminate the information collected by Invasive Plant Patrollers to the public, via newsletters, annual Maine Lakes Report, events, and other forms of outreach.	Help to financially support the effort with funds made possible by boater participation in the Maine Lake and River Sticker Protection program. Partner with the VLMP to provide volunteer training and technical support Provide rapid response for any newly detected infestation Provide additional plant identification assistance

Regional IPP Coordinators

County	Regional Conservation Group
Aroostook	Island Falls Lakes Association (IFLA); Organization for Watershed Living; St. John Valley Soil & Water Conservation District (SJVSWCD)
Cumberland	Lakes Coalition (LC); Raymond Waterways Protective Association (RWPA)
Franklin	Rangeley Lakes Heritage Trust (RLHT)
Hancock	Acadia National Park (ANP); Hancock County Soil & Water Conservation District (HCSWCD) /Hancock County Lakes Alliance (HCLA)
Kennebec	30-Mile River Watershed Association (30MRWA); Belgrade Regional Conservation Alliance (BRCA); Cobbossee Watershed District (CWD)/ Friends of Cobbossee Watershed (FCW); Four Towns Lake Association (FTLA); Tacoma Lakes Improvement Society (TLIS)
Lincoln	Damariscotta Lake Watershed Association (DLWA); Pemaquid Watershed Association (PWA)
Oxford	Community Lakes Association of Greenwood and Woodstock (CLA); Five Kezars Association (FKA); Kezar Lake Watershed Association (KLWA); Lakes Association of Norway (LAON); Lakes Environmental Association (LEA)
Penobscot	Baxter State Park (BSP); Dexter Lakes Association (DLA); Penobscot Nation; Penobscot Soil & Water Conservation District
Piscataquis	Piscataquis County Soil & Water Conservation District (PCSWCD)
Waldo	Citizen’s Association of Liberty Lakes (CALL);  Lincolnville Lakes and Ponds Committee (LLPC)
York	York County Soil & Water Conservation District (YCSWCD)

 

Maine Volunteer Lake Monitoring Program

vlmp@mainevlmp.org
24 Maple Hill Road, Auburn, ME 04210
(207) 783-7733
www.MaineVolunteerLakeMonitors.org
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