This past Sunday, August 25th, MCRRC residents, together with RJP’s Louise and Jenna, RJP board member Rob Porter and Lake St. George park rangers, Sunshine and Alex, joined forces at Lake St. George in Liberty to celebrate the end of summer by swimming, boating, fishing, and picnicking!
To support this amazing park and the folks who so passionately care for its health and well-being, MCRRC residents stepped up to give thanks in as many ways as they could. The group assisted in organizing an upcoming yard sale, they learned in circle about the invasive Milfoil weed and how to inspect boats and educate boaters on the importance of proper inspection and cleaning practices so as to avoid invasive plant transfer, AND the group learned about the Chinese Mystery Snail, an invasive snail species found in lakes across the United States. Per the Lake Stewards of Maine Volunteer Lake Monitoring Program, the “introduction of non-indigenous invasive aquatic plant and animal species to the United States has been escalating with widespread destructive consequences. The impacts of the spread of invasive aquatic plants are well known: habitat disruption, degradation of native plant and animal communities, reduced shorefront property values, impaired fishing and negative impacts on recreation.” The MCRRC residents and RJP group were so appreciative of these learning opportunities and grateful for the new skills and everyone just loved giving back to the park (and park community) in the form of snail hunting along the shallows of the lake!
Be sure to check out the pictures, as our crew collected dozens of snails… the largest snail weighed in at 28 ounces!
Many, many thanks to park rangers, Sunshine and Alex of Lake St. George! Their support of our group along with their enthusiasm for park health made the day fun, informative and super productive. We couldn’t have ended the summer in a better place! The water was clear and warm, the sun was out and everyone was in happy spirits. We’re eager to roll into autumn and the adventures the cooler season brings.
