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Help ensure Maine's lakes stay healthy!
Volunteer for the Zebra Mussel Settling Plate Project
With the recent discovery of invasive zebra mussel infestations so close to the Maine border in Canada, we're looking for volunteers to help with a pilot project to monitor for potential spread. If you live on or commonly recreate on lakes in the northern part of the state, you may be able to help!
Zebra mussel infestations can be easily monitored for with a tool called settling plates, where zebra mussels may attach once past their larval stage. Routine visual checks of these settling plates by volunteers will allow quick detection of any new zebra mussel infestation. Volunteers should be prepared to monitor the plates every 2-3 weeks May - October. The project can be completed by individuals, lake associations, businesses, or create your own group.?
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We are primarily looking for assistance in certain water bodies within Aroostook and Piscataquis counties. If you are interested in participating in this project on a water body outside of these lakes, you are encouraged to complete the form and provide the lake name and county. We will determine the necessity of this program on that water body based on the threat zebra mussels may pose there and prioritize our resources accordingly. Thank you for your interest.
What is Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife doing about the zebra mussel threat?
As part of an initial response plan developed in 2023, the Department is undertaking multiple efforts to proactively address the nearby invasive zebra mussel risk. This includes taking water samples from waterbodies potentially more vulnerable to zebra mussels and testing them for environmental DNA (eDNA) that would indicate zebra mussel presence likely much earlier than they could be physically detected. Learn more about the use of eDNA for early detection in our blog.
The Department is also piloting a community science program which relies on community members who are regularly visiting a waterbody to use a tool called settling plates can help to detect any potential zebra mussels in waters at risk (please see details above). These active monitoring approaches are just one portion of our broader efforts to educate on the threats that all aquatic invasive species pose, emphasizing the need to practice proper clean, drain, dry guidelines. Prevention is the most effective way to limit the spread of invasive species and protect Maine?s many water resources.
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