Windham, ME

Now that the leaves are off the trees and we've seen a few snowflakes dance in the air, lakefront property owners are probably thinking more about the upcoming holidays than they are their place on the lake. But the offseason is a great time for reflection and planning, and getting educated about the natural world around us is a responsibility we all share.

If you have even a passing interest in Maine lakes and ponds, by now you have probably heard about invasive aqauatic plants that are not native to Maine. Maine has over 6000 lakes and ponds and keeping an eye on them is a big job. There is an organized volunteer lakes monitoring program that does a great job keeping tabs on these bodies of water and one of the primary things they are on the lookout for is invasive aquatic plant species.

Maine has aquatic plants that are native to the state and pose no threat to either the eco-system or the enjoyment of lakes and ponds by the public and property owners. But these invasive non-native plants are another thing altogether. These invasive species can drive out the native ones, make shore areas unswimmable and foul boat propellers, rob oxygen from the water thereby impacting the fishery, and upset the natural eco-system that has been in balance for years and years.

Lake monitoring volunteers are making a huge effort to identify areas of invasion and work with professionals to inhibit non-native growth and work toward eradication. Everyone who lives on a lake or vacations on a lake can be a volunteer and help in this cause. But first you must educate yourself to know what you're looking for. And once you know what you're looking for you need to know what to do when you identify "an invasive".

The Maine Center For Invasive Aquatic Plants and the Maine Volunteer Lake Monitoring Program have published a most informative book that details not only Maine's eleven most unwanted invasive aquatic plants, but also gives information about the native species that are okay, but may look like the bad guys. There's also a section about non-native animal species like rusty crayfish and mitten crabs. You can be on the lookout for these badboys, too. They not only tell you how to identify these plants and animals, but also tell you how to collect them and who to call.

You can order this book for $20 through the MVLM website or you can download for free here. Take a look and see if you might want to be a volunteer lake monitor the next time summer rolls around and help in the effort to rid our good Maine waters of these undesirables.

While we wait for "ice out" to come to area lakes and ponds later this month, the snow is already melting around here at a rapid pace. Camp roads and shorelines are emerging and, much like our beloved Red Sox, lakefront property buyers should be moving out of "spring training" mode and into the "regular season".

Phones in the office are ringing and new lakefront property listings are coming onto the market. Early bird buyers are venturing out of hibernation to see what the new listings are - as well as what older, unsold listings have come down in price.

If you're in the market this season for a Maine lakefront property, there are distinct advantages to starting early.

The first is selection. There's a lot of lakefront inventory and it's growing by the day. That means a lot to look at and a lot to choose from. Start now and pare down your possibilities.

The second reason has to do with money - more specifically, price and financing. A seller may take an early season "fair" offer, rather than wait for a fuller price offer, finding the "bird in the hand..." scenario more appealing. In this strong buyer's market, it eliminates a huge amount of uncertainty for the seller and puts cash in his hand, now! And as far as financing goes, mortgage rates are still at historically low levels and there's no predicting where they'll be in six or eight months.

The third and, I feel, most important reason for buyers to look early and often, is because if you were to put something under contract now, you can get a full season's enjoyment of your purchase this year. If you delay looking and buying until mid-summer, it's very possible you could make a purchase this year, but not start to really enjoy the property until summer of 2009.

Don't miss a season's worth of enjoyment and memories - come now to see what the possibilities are and make your summer of 2008 truly memorable.

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Don't forget - our Lakefront Locator is here to serve you. If you're thinking about looking at Maine lakefront real estate, there's no better place to start than with our Lakefront Locator.

There's a battle being waged along many shorelines of two dozen or more lakes and ponds in southern Maine. The foe is a persistent, virulent aquatic plant known by most as milfoil.

Milfoil is a plant that grows under water, in shallower areas where it can get sufficient sunlight to grow and prosper. It clogs shoreline areas with its leafy growth, making those areas unusable for swimming and boating. It also robs the lake's ecosystem of necessary oxygen which affects all the other living things in the water. Milfoil is bad news.

The 9th annual Milfoil Summit was just concluded in Lewiston and news from that summit offers hope for all of us seeking relief from this nasty enemy.

Volunteers pulling plants by hand and using blanket barriers have stemmed the tide of milfoil growth in many areas, but eradication still seems unattainable. Reports from the summit recognized the value of the coordinated volunteer efforts, but were painfully aware of their limitations.

Two new thrusts seem to be coming into play, however, that may make a sizeable difference in this battle. One is in the area of biological controls and the other is an increase in funding for further research.

The possible introduction of certain types of nematodes into milfoil-infested waters is one method of eradication being looked into. For the uninitiated, a nematode is a microscopic worm that has an appetite for all kinds of things. The idea is to find the proper nematode whose one desire in life is to eat as much milfoil as it possibly can. Throw a bunch of these into an infested area and - presto - no more milfoil. While my rendition is not very scientific, I think you get my drift. If the right nematode can be found it could have a huge impact on eradication efforts.

As far as funding is concerned, there seems to be some significant monies available to fund research that may lead to a solution to the milfoil epedemic. Maybe the research can find the proper nematode. Who knows?

The point is, this scourge of local waters that can devalue waterfront real estate, spoil recreational activities, steal oxygen from all the good things in lakes, and create conditions for continuing lake degradation, could be put in recession and then eradication if some of this biological research can come to the fore.

Our local newspaper, The Bridgton News, had a full report of this Milfoil Summit and you can read that article right here in our Lake News.