Cushman Pond 27-year-long milfoil eradication COMPLETE!
Scott Gregory (left) and Doug Faille celebrate the 27 year cleanup and declare Cushman Pond “milfoil-free. (courtesy: Conway Daily Sun)
Maine DEP eradication standard:
3 years with no discoveries. DONE!
This summer, after 26 years of battling an insidious milfoil infestation, caretakers of Cushman Pond declared that they have finally eradicated their pesky green foe. Residents found variable-leaf milfoil in Cushman Pond in 1995, perhaps unwittingly brought by bait fisherman who move traps from pond to pond.
Excessive plant growth can reach from the bottom of the pond to the surface. It reduces the dissolved oxygen in the water, which harms fish and native plant life. Recreation is spoiled by tangles of plants that clog propellers, intakes, and wrap around swimmers’ arms and legs.
Over the past 26 years, more than 150 people have participated in the anti-milfoil effort, which collectively has taken thousands of hours. In 1998 an aquatic herbicide was applied to the infestation and isolated from the rest of the pond. Following the treatment, snorkelers and divers removed recurring growth by hand.
Even small broken fragments of the tenacious and fragile plant can produce regrowth, so the work is slow and recurrence is common. Benthic mats—black cloth or plastic that sits on the bottom and smother the plants—were custom-sized for the small pond. Native plants reclaimed the areas where the mats were used.
Maine Department of Environmental Protection considers a water body to be milfoil-free if the plant isn’t found for three consecutive years. Eradication is rare, a very small number of infestations have been successfully removed and ponds returned to pristine condition, and only at great cost.
The last time the eradication workers found Milfoil in Cushman Pond was August 2018. The 2021 dive with six snorkelers, four scuba divers and about 35 people in canoes, kayaks, and along the shore combing the pond was the last of 16 consecutive lake surveys with no finds.. The Friends of Cushman Pond passed with flying colors!
The Lovell Invasive Plant Prevention Committee conducts courtesy boat inspections at launches throughout the town. If you see a suspicious plant, note the location and contact LIPPC or take a sample to Kezar Lake Marina for identification.
Milfoil was found in Cushman Pond in 2014
To date, in the town of Lovell only Cushman Pond has been troubled with aquatic invasive Eurasian Milfoil. Multiple summer dives have been contracted to work toward control and hoped for total eradication.
2015 Status
Eight dives were completed in 2015.
2018 Status
Three dives were completed in 2018.