Our Milfoil Search Team started its summer activities on Pawtuckaway Lake on June 1.
So far PLIA volunteers John Hudson, Jim Kelly, and Neil Santos have conducted three snorkeling sessions in the area near the State Park Horse Island boat launch in the South Channel. They have found several small milfoil plants that were marked for removal by NH DES divers on June 9. A larger milfoil plant in the area of the red and white buoy was found by the certified scuba-diving relative of a lake resident, but subsequent attempts to locate it again have not been successful. This effort, and underwater searching in general, has been hampered by the murky conditions due to the amount of pollen suspended in the water. Underwater visibility has been less than 4 feet, but should improve in the next few weeks as the pollen settles to the bottom. The Search Team should then be able to get a better assessment of the overall milfoil situation in the South Channel. Their activities in the South Channel will continue throughout the summer and NH DES divers will return periodically to remove any milfoil plants that are found. Several additional snorkelers and scuba divers have expressed an interest in helping with these efforts and more assistance is always welcome.
We ask all boaters to please stay well clear of any orange milfoil markers in the South Channel and, for the safety of our Milfoil Search Team, stay at least 100 feet away from any “Diver Down” flags that you see anywhere in the lake.