Can you identify this island?

This might mean you have to get out on the water in a boat of some kind.
Email bcc@tidewater.net with your answer/guess.
We'll post the answer soon.

Lakesmart Getting Underway

Local volunteers for the Lakesmart Progam recently met at the beautiful home of Mary Berger to fine tune local efforts and to get the program underway on Bremen's lakes and ponds.

The Lakesmart Program recognizes property owners in lake watersheds who manage and landscape their property to protect lake water quality. Declining water quality can affect the type and number of fish species that inhabit the lake and can harm other recreational uses as well as the local economy. Studies have shown that as water quality declines the value of shorefront property also decreases.

Lakesmart is a completely voluntary program that involves an on-site evaluation to review the landscape and maintenance practices in four categories:

• Road, Driveway & Parking areas,
• Structures and Septic Systems,
• Lawn, Recreation Area and Footpaths,
• and shorefront & beach area.

If the owner's property exceeds the criteria in all four categories he/she will receive:

• A personalized award plaque,
• Publicity in local newspaper or newsletter, and
• Signs for their Lakesmart property (optional).

Homeowners may schedule a visit to be evaluated for a Lakesmart Award by contacting DEP or the local Soil and Water Conservation District. Volunteers from Bremen who are certified as pre-screeners for the Lakesmart Program are Mary Berger, Bob Wheeler, Bennett Collins and Dennis Prior.

Visit the Lakesmart website at www.MaineDEP.com for more information.

QLF Exhibit Coming in August!

The BCC is working with the Quebec Labrador Foundation to exhibit their beautiful maps of Muscongus Bay.  These maps are detailed, theme oriented and beautifully done.  In addition the MVLT, PWA, Lakesmart and the BCC will be taking part in this event. The BCC is hoping for an opening at the Bremen Town House sometime around the second week in August.  More information will be available soon in the local newspapers.  Watch for more details or check back here soon!

Volunteers Needed

The Bremen Conservation Commission is forming a sub-committee to address issues relating to water quality and water resources in Bremen. The focus of the committee will be lakes and ponds, with some members participating in the Lakesmart program which recognizes landowners who practice stewardship of their waterfront properties.
Future focus areas for this sub-committee could be fishery protection, shellfish conservation and groundwater supplies. Anyone with concerns with the health of our water resources should contact Bennett Collins at 650-4759 or by emailing bcc@tidewater.net.

Warning - Invasive Plant Species

Yellow flag-iris

(Iris pseudacorus)

Yellow flag-iris (Iris pseudacorus) is an eye-catching perennial, found in wet areas at low- to mid-elevations, growing in ditches, irrigation canals, marshes, stream and lake shorelines and shallow ponds. Currently yellow flag-iris is distributed in BC's southern interior, and has quickly spread throughout the Okanagan valley, lower Similkameen valley, Christina Lake and other isolated sites in the West Kootenays. Plants have showy yellow flowers with 3 sepals that curve backward and 3 petals pointing upwards. Leaves fold and clasp the stem at the base in a fan-like fashion. They stand erect or bent at the top, with long sword-like leaves toward the outside of the plant. At maturity, plants can reach 1.5 metres in height. Yellow flag-iris reproduces quickly through seed dispersal and horizontal root systems, creating thickets in the water like cattails. Up to several hundred flowering plants may be connected rhizomatously under the water, and fragments can form new plants when they break off and drift downstream. Yellow flag-iris is widely sold in nurseries and on the Internet for wet areas and well-mulched soil. While seeds disperse in the wind and water, popularity of the plant in the market exacerbate efforts to contain new infestations. Dense stands of yellow flag-iris exclude native wetland species, threatening plant and animal diversity. Warning: Yellow flag-iris can sicken livestock if ingested, though it is generally avoided by grazing animals. Contact with the resins can cause skin irritation in humans.

BCC members attend Lakesmart Training

On June 22nd the state pilot Lakesmart Training Program was held at the Bremen Town House. Co-coordinated by the Pemaquid Watershed Association. (PWA), Damariscotta Lake Watershed Associaiton. (DLWA) and the Muscongus Pond Association the Bremen Conservation Commission represented the Town of Bremen well as Mary Berger, Bennett Collins and Dennis Prior completed a full day of classroom and on-site evaluation training to become Lakesmart evaluators.

The Lakesmart Program recognizes property owners in lake watersheds who manage and landscape their property to protect lake water quality. Declining water quality can affect the type and number of fish species that inhabit the lake and can harm other recreational uses as well as the local economy. Studies have shown that as water quality declines the value of shorefront property also decreases.

Lakesmart evaluations involve a site visit to review the landscape and maintenance practices in four categories:

• Road, Driveway & Parking areas,
• Structures and Septic Systems,
• Lawn, Recreation Area and Footpaths,
• and shorefront & beach area.

If the owner's property exceeds the criteria in all four categories he/she will receive:

• A personalized award plaque,
• Publicity in local newspaper or newsletter, and
• Signs for their Lakesmart property (optional).

Homeowners may schedule a visit to be evaluated for a Lakesmart Award by contacting DEP or the local Soil and Water Conservation District.

Visit the Lakesmart website at www.MaineDEP.com for more information.