Pawtuckaway Lake Association

Friday evening, July 27th, Amy Smagula of the NH Dept. of Environmental Services conducted a weed watchers training program at the home of Dr. Stephen and Peggy Tucker. Volunteers were trained how to search out and indentify exotic weeds that can infest and overtake a lake.

Prior to this year, Pawtuckaway Lake has never had an exotic species infestation. Through the efforts of the PLIA Lake Host program, which inspects boats at our boat launches for stray weeds brought from other lakes, Pawtuckaway has managed to stay weed free. Early detection and prevention of infestations give a lake a fighting chance to stop the spread of exotic species.

During the course of the Weed Watcher training, the students were taken around the lake in a pontoon boat to do some field study. On that trip, Amy Smagula identified three separate clusters of Common Reed (Phragmites australis). This exotic plant often outcompetes other native wetland plants, thus limiting the plant diversity and food source value of the wetland.

Amy recommended that the clusters be removed immediately before they had a chance to seed and spread any further. She also recommended that the specific sites be revisited every year to remove any persistent growth. While pulling the weeds out may never fully eradicate them, it will help to stop the spreading. This is the first discovery of an exotic species in our lake.

At 7:00 am Saturday morning, Weed Watcher volunteers headed out to remove the first two clusters of Common Reed. The plants were pulled out by the roots, cut up, and placed in black plastic garbage bags for disposal. The weeds grow 3 to 15  feet tall and their 3 to 4 foot roots dig deep in the lake bed. Gary St. Pierre,  Steve Soreff, Peggy Tucker, Merideth, John and Tricia Caiati,  and Jeff Gurrier turned out to pull and bag the weeds. Garey St. Pierre provided the pontoon boat and Peggy Tucker provided fresh baked muffins and coffee!

 Weed Watcher volunteers attending training: Steve Soreff, Peggy Tucker, Gary St. Pierre, Merideth & Tricia Caiati, Gail Kenney, Jeff Gurrier, and Karen Batchelder.

Cluster of Exotic Species Common Reed spotted between Twin Islands

Gary St. Pierre pulls the first weed 

Weed Watcher Volunteers pull the final weed! 

Second cluster of Common Reed before removal 

Final cluster of Common Reed still needs to be removed.