September 2024- Message from Silas Mohlar, Program Leader & Field Technician
30 Mile River Watershed Association
Hi all -
We recently discovered a benthic cyanobacteria species Stigonema in both Echo Lake and Parker Pond. Stigonema looks like little green balls and can look more like a mat when there's a lot of it together. It can easily be suspended if you to swirl your paddle into it. It rests on the bottom, in shallow, and often sandy areas where it takes up nutrients from the lake bottom. Whitney entered the observations (with good photos) into iNaturalist, which can be seen here for Echo: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/181244974 and here for Parker: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/239971504. You can also see the green "moss like" mats when a lot of it's resting on the bottom together in this video from Echo: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1TNCxCSvnoLESFP-xa2Klb1n1C6w__zHA?usp=drive_link.
Not much is known about Stigonema, as it's generally understudied in Maine and elsewhere, but we have no concern and reason to believe the species is harmful to the public. The lab has told us not to bother sending in a sample, as Stigonema tends to not be a toxin producer.
As you all are out on your lake or pond surveying for invasive plants, we're wondering if you think you've possibly come across or seen something similar to Stigonema in your surveying. If so, please let me know, as we're curious to where else Stigonema may be in the watershed.
Please also pass this along to your IPP team members, as well as others you think might be interested and/or have maybe seen it.
Thanks for all that you do,
Silas
--
Silas Mohlar
Program Leader & Field Technician
30 Mile River Watershed Association
P.O. Box 132
Mount Vernon, Maine, 04352
(207) 860-4043