RANGELEY — Rangeley Lakes Heritage Trust is conducting courtesy boat inspections at public boat launches in the Rangeley Lakes region for the 18th year. To date, boat inspectors have already found eight plants from courtesy boat inspections, including, seaweeds, native plants and one that has been sent in for further analysis.

“It’s alarming the number of plants courtesy boat inspectors have found already this season. We encourage boaters to inspect their boats and we will diligently continue to be the first line of defense against invasive plants and animals on our lakes,” stated Alayna McNally, water quality steward at RLHT. “In 2019, inspectors found 16 plants in 16 weeks, and already this year eight plants in five weeks. We really need the community’s eyes on the water.”

During the past 18 summers, inspectors have educated more than 20,000 boaters and visitors to the region on the larger bodies of water, including Cupsuptic, Mooselookmeguntic, Richardson and Rangeley Lakes.

Invasive plants can be devastating on a waterbody and local economy. A tiny fragment or a single seed carried on a boat trailer or fishing gear can start an infestation. Invasive aquatic species are self-sustaining and can double in size in a single year, often out competing beneficial native plants. They have no natural predators and left alone can fill in shorelines with mats of thick fronds, making lakes unsuitable for swimming or boating. For more information, visit: www.rlht.org .

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