Conservation and protection of the region’s natural assets are the anchors that ground Rangeley Lakes Heritage Trust to its mission. The mission is more than woods and lands. The trust works tirelessly to protect, conserve and restore the region’s water bodies.

Courtesy boat inspectors are tasked with inspecting boats for aquatic plant material and with educating boaters about their responsibility in stopping the spread of invasive plant species.

While the boat inspectors are responsible for the health of a body of water from its shore, Sadie Gray oversees the quality of the water from the water.

The purpose of the water quality monitoring program is to observe and assess the health of the region’s lakes, Gray explained.

“As climates warm and development increases, it is important to monitor our lakes and ponds for any signs of unnatural disturbance or variation,” she said.

Volunteers monitor Rangeley Lake, Quimby Pond, Gull Pond, Loon Lake and sections of Mooselookmeguntic Lake. Gray is responsible for several of the area’s smaller lakes and ponds, including Haley Pond, Dodge Pond, Round Pond, Beaver Mountain Lake and Long Pond, Saddleback Lake, West Richardson Pond and Little Kennebago Lake.

The trust is always looking for volunteers to cover more of the larger lakes, such as Richardson Lake and Aziscohos, as well as ponds that are currently unmonitored.

Gray said monitoring the water involves paddling by canoe or kayak to a designated testing spot and using specialized tools to read and record water clarity and temperature. An opaque white and black disc, called a Secchi disk, is used to read the water transparency, she said. The disc is lowered into the water until it can no longer be seen. Its depth is measured using a scope and recorded.

Volunteers use a dissolved oxygen meter to read the water’s temperature as well as measuring the level of dissolved oxygen every meter from the surface to the deepest hole in the lake or pond, Gray said. Dissolved oxygen is important to sustain aquatic life. A reading with no oxygen is called anoxia, she said.

“In July and August, we also do invasive plant paddles, which allow us to determine what plants are growing in each body of water, and if any invasive species are present,” Gray noted.

In August, samples are collected from many of the area’s lakes and ponds to determine phosphorus levels. The samples are sent to the Maine Health and Environmental Laboratory in Augusta for analysis.

“High levels of phosphorus are a great indicator for pollution via runoff of fertilizers or waste in a body of water,” Gray said.

Ideally, readings are taken from each monitoring location twice a month from May through September.

“When we go out we are looking for the visibility of the water, that temperatures are not too high, that (dissolved oxygen) levels are not too low, and that there are no invasive species present,” Gray said. “If there are low visibility readings, it is a possibility that there is excess algae or nutrients in the water that could be harmful to the lake’s health. If temperatures are too high, many cold water fish species will not be able to thrive as well as they do in colder temperatures. And if (dissolved oxygen) is too low then there could be an insufficient amount of oxygen in the water for many aquatic species.”

Results are sent to the state, she said. The data is then updated on the Lakes of Maine website.

Gray also noted that water quality reports are available for anyone curious about the details of a specific body of water. The reports are available on the Rangeley Lakes Heritage Trust website.

Gray has a bachelor’s degree in environmental science from the University of Maine at Farmington. This fall she will pursue a masters degree in the same field.

“My education has provided me with much of my background knowledge on lakes and freshwater systems,” she said.

There are also training programs through Lake Stewards of Maine that certify anyone to be a water quality monitor and invasive plant patroller. These trainings are available at the beginning of each summer for those wishing to participate as a volunteer, she added.

Not including the time it takes to paddle to the monitoring site, volunteers can spend anywhere from five minutes to an hour collecting readings. Avid kayakers and those who spend significant time on the water make great volunteers because they are already spending time on the water.

“Most of Rangeley’s lakes are seeing similar trends of slight temperature increases leading to slight decreases in dissolved oxygen,” Gray said. “However, each lake is different and can see very different trends based on depth, size, location, development and much more. On the positive side, we have found no invasive aquatic species in the region.”

One important step anyone can take in improving lake health is to minimize phosphorus pollution through fertilizers, chemicals and waste, she said.

“Lakefront property owners should consider becoming LakeSmart certified,” Gray said. “This Maine Lakes program allows us to evaluate your property and suggest ways to improve your home’s impact on the lake. A large part of protecting our lakes is maintaining vegetative buffers around bodies of water to reduce the impact we leave on the water and keep lake habitat as natural as possible.