8544-R5_ML&P_LSLA_2023_FallNewsletter_Web

2023 Milfoil Militia Program Pam Wilkinson & Tim Greer

didn’t matter to them if it rained the whole month of July and part of August-they get wet anyways. Our crew dressed warm and wore slickers to ward off the elements. Our last day was September 21 st blessed

Diver Jim during break

with summer sun and warmth finally returning. This ignited a summer

Diver Jim removing milfoil

bloom and led to 47 onion bags being removed the last week of our operation at the lower lake located in Windham. As they scoured the bottom of the last pull of plants diver Jim felt comfortable that we got as much as possible for the year. One interesting find was by happenstance. My neighbor lost a treasured fishing pole near Bean Island. He asked if one of our divers would be interested in looking for it. Peter Dollard accepted and while searching he found a mother load of milfoil. As he was not with the program during the initial years of large milfoil beds he was quite taken with the quantity. As diver Jim was next to work, Peter joined them and videoed Jim digging up roots and suctioning the milfoil (picture found in this article). Whether it was divine guidance or just pure luck the 35 bags are gone!

Do you think all the rain stopped us from working? Not on your life-or the life of invasive milfoil. Our team is so dedicated that they found fun singing in the rain this summer. Otherwise, if we didn’t go out because of the rain-the invasive hybrid variable milfoil would win the battle. Our program begins in June with program updates and safety reviews. This year Windham Fire and Rescue attended the meeting giving suggestions on Milfoil Crew Front row: Sheryl Bernard, Pam Wilkinson, Tim Greer, John Vozella Back Row: Jim MacNaught, Gordon Smith, Jack Grassman, Allen Cronan, Geoff King

John singing in the rain

Captain Sheryl braving the rain

improvements we could make should we have an emergency.

Our core returning team was joined by a few new recruits which made our summer seamless. June is spent surveying last year’s hot spots and prioritizing a plan of action after the busy week of July 4 th . Jim MacNaught and Peter Dollard are our divers and it

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