Mousam Lake Region Association

06/11/2026

* save dates 6/20 AND 7/9 * First invasive meetup, 6/20, 9-11am.

Shallow-water training for air-surface breather aka "ho**ah" (allows you to go deeper and continuously breathe vs snorkel), 7/9 6-8pm.

Event pages, signup forms, and details to follow. Image courtesy ©Kristi Borst

thanks our commUNITY for stepping up. We are thrilled to have FILLED our class for the upcoming scuba certification 👏🏼

06/08/2026

Reminder ... DASH subcontractor starts service Monday morning in Goose Pond. They'll be treating deeper waters than we can do with local volunteer in Goose, Upper, Lower Mousam. M-F, 10-hour days, through 6/18.

This is a DIVER UNDER WATER flag. Steer clear!

Kindly consider ANY area in which you see them working a NO WAKE ZONE for their safety and best production. Large waves affect the surface equipment.

Thank you to those who have offered to share their dock and help dispose of invasive plant matter.

06/06/2026

MLRA is comprised of lake frontage property owners who are working together to protect the water quality in the Mousam Lake Watershed, specifically Goose Pond, Upper Mousam and Lower Mousam ... not only for the present moment but for those who came before and those who will follow.

Some homeowners volunteer to be on the Board, some take on Herculean tasks and work in the background without fanfare, some provide access to the water and disposal of when the and OR our DASH (diver-assisted suction harvesting) contractor are working these waters.

We'd like to give a BIG 🥰🎉🎈shout out to Janis and Ken Kordana for all they have done and continue to do to support these efforts and the water quality in Goose Pond. Thank you two so much for allowing this sign to be placed on your property!!!

If you have shoreline ownership on Lower or Upper Mousam or on Goose Pond, join us this-coming Saturday, June 13, for our informational MLRA 2026 Annual Meeting.

06/04/2026

/// please ... DASH Contractor in our waters 6/8-11; 15-18 working 10-hour days. Last year someone was doing donuts near the boat. Wake impacts the machinery and can endanger the UNDERWATER DIVER. STEER CLEAR and MINIMIZE WAKE when you see this flag!!!!!

DASH stands for Diver Assisted Suction Harvester. U&L Mousam and Goose Pond contain an invasive aquatic plant named Swollen Bladderwort (SB or Utricularia Inflata)

STAY CLEAR OF THIS FLAG which indicates a DIVER IS UNDERWATER!!! Friends, yesterday was NOT a good day on the lake for the DASH TEAM (Diver Assisted Suction Harvesting ... getting the invasive plants out of our waters). A large infestation was found in Lower Mousam near the mouth of HEATH BROOK (survey maps are linked below to clarify sections of the lake).

As the team was gathering HUNDREDS OF GALLONS of plant matter their SAFETY and OPERATIONS WERE COMPROMISED! Jet skiers and power boats towing water skiers came so close that (1) their diver's safety was jeopardized, (2) their suction equipment was getting messed up by intense wave turbulence and (3) they had to move away from that infestation to be safe.

They will continue to work in the lake for a few more days (SATURDAY, Mon, Tues, Wed) ... the time has been extended because of the weather. If/when you see this DIVER UNDERWATER FLAG (red field with a white diagonal stripe), respect that there are people underwater and GIVE THEM SPACE!!! Please share this knowledge. Thank you.

https://www.facebook.com/photo?fbid=1055502393277347&set=pcb.1055502939943959

Note, this image was created to communicate and is not an actual photo taken during any of these incidents.

06/03/2026

MLRA loves to collaborate for the good of our treasured water sheds! We also get a lot of support from other groups and State agencies. Did you know, a team of volunteers have been trained in "lake water quality testing" and they conduct tests throughout the summer, passing the information on to reporting agencies. They measure desolved oxygen content (important to sustain fish and other lake life), clarity, +.

This-past Monday, Mousam hosted recertification training for this area. Here's a shot of the trainers and participants. See someone you recognize? Say THANK YOU! If you'd like to know more about helping monitor the water quality, contact Lake Stewards of Maine - Volunteer Lake Monitoring Program.

Here is a video from LSofME:
https://vimeo.com/851694319

Add'l details here:
https://www.lakestewardsofmaine.org/volunteer-programs-tools/water-quality-monitoring/

05/28/2026

Mousam Lake & Goose Pond (which cover parts of Shapleigh and of Acton) have an intruder ... their name is Swollen Bladderwort (SB), or more formally Utricularia Inflata. The good news for remediation is that they do not set roots; they float around. Increasing numbers of invasive aquatic plants highlights the reasoning behind Maine's CLEAN DRAIN DRY Boating Law.

We CURRENTLY have volunteers from our out surveying Mousam and Goose Pond to see where we have concentrations of this invasive Bladderwort. Please safely boat around anyone in the water or standing in a boat near the shoreline. If you see someone arrive to your waterfront, go say "hi", meet a neighbor, and know what you can help pull from your waterfront in the future! TY

Mousam Lake is the native habitat for Purple, Common, and Floating Badderwort plants. You can see comparisons of native and invasive plants in our downloadable Lake Dwellers' Handbook, which also offers information about enhancing and protecting our local water sheds. We encourage anyone who enjoys time on Maine's pristine lakes to take a look!

https://mousamlake.org/images/uploads/files/mlra-2024-digital.pdf

In this video, team members are using an underwater drone to spot SB plants amid the natives. We are assessing deepest and worst spots to assign to a DASH (Diver Assisted Suction Harvester) contractor. Get involved; email [email protected] and ask how you can help!

https://youtu.be/W_DbEhXRb7g

Plenty of Utricularia inflata here.

05/23/2026

The Association's docks, DASH Boat and Water Quality Testing Boat were launched this morning by a small yet mighty team, comprised of members of our Board and of the .

Our thanks also to Fred Kelly Jr, who has aptly taken over his dad's volunteer gig, conducting our off-season camp inspections and placing the State of Maine's navigational markers on their stipulated GPS points.

It is unlawful to tamper with or move any marker; yet accidents do happen. 🙈 During the boating season, should you cause/notice a missing, broken or moved marker, please send an email to [email protected] (subj, MARKERS) so our volunteers can remedy.

If you'd like to get involved, we can likely match you with a need. We are still short on people good with gaming consoles and willing to learn to operate our underwater drone (used in scouting for invasive underwater plants). Email is best communication method.

05/20/2026

It's MAINE STATE LAW that boats should operate at lowest possible speed while still maintaining steering capability WITHIN 200 feet of ANY LAKE SHORELINE. So, if you want to speed along, avoid being within 200' of the edge of the lake.

There are tight points in our lake which get posted as NO WAKE ZONES because they are less than 200' in total (markers are imminent within this week). It is ultimately every boater's responsibility to follow Maine Boating Laws. Stay at head speed within 200 feet of the shoreline or edge of the lake.

Take note that if you wait until the last second to throttle down (or zoom out of a No Wake Zone), you will create a large wake rushing toward the shore. Ease off gradually, in advance of coming toward the shore or into a squeeze point. Mercury Motors also suggests "don’t be tempted to inch the throttle forward while navigating a no wake zone. Increasing speed while off plane can quickly create a substantial wake, which is the very thing you’re required to avoid in such an area."

Otherwise, you are contributing to shoreline erosion and a degradation of water quality in our lake! Respect the Law, respect the Lake, respect your neighbors. Thank you!

FAQ

Why are large waves bad for the habitat? Large waves, from any source, cause shoreline erosion. Plant matter goes into the water (that = more phosphorous) and changes the lake pH, enabling algea bloom.

We've shared more on p. 22 of this downloadable Mousam Lake Region Association MLRA handbook.

https://mousamlake.org/images/uploads/files/mlra-2024-prints-2-8_5x11.pdf

02/01/2026

Renewal notices for the calendar year 2026 have been emailed (based upon prior year's membership data base). MLRA membership is open to shoreline owners on Goose and Mousam.

https://mousamlake.org/membership/join.asp

If you're not lakefront, we appreciate your interest/caring, social media follow and efforts to help preserve water quality for the Mousam Lake Region Watershed.

If you have any questions or concerns, please reach out via email to [email protected].