Over the past three months, 30 Mile, Basin-David-Tilton Ponds Association (BDTPA), and the Maine Department of Environmental Protection (MEDEP) have dedicated significant time to surveying David Pond for the aquatic invasive plant swollen bladderwort (Utricularia inflata). The plant is well established in Tilton Pond, just a few hundred yards upstream.
30 Mile staff completed two pond-wide surveys by kayak: the first during the first week of June when the plant was in peak bloom (most visible) in Tilton, and the second during the second week of August. Throughout the season, BDTPA volunteers have continuously monitored shoreline areas. On September 8th, MEDEP completed a dive-tow survey in the portion of David Pond closest to the inlet from Tilton Pond. Dive-tow surveys involve a scuba diver being towed behind a boat through deeper waters not visible from the surface, ensuring thorough coverage of the pond’s littoral zone, where sunlight reaches the bottom and aquatic plants can live.
No swollen bladderwort was found in David Pond during any of these efforts.
The absence of swollen bladderwort in David Pond is an encouraging and significant finding for not only David Pond, but also other downstream lakes and ponds from an ecological, recreational, and economic perspective. Preventing the spread of this aggressive species downstream and elsewhere remains a top priority for 30 Mile and MEDEP. Multiple professional engineers from MEDEP have met with representatives from 30 Mile, MEDEP, and the Town of Fayette to assess and recommend containment strategies at Tilton Pond’s outlet. These recommendations are in addition to the two nets 30 Mile currently has in place, which are aimed at capturing any fragments before they can move downstream. Work to implement recommended strategies will begin this fall.
We thank Lake View Estates for allowing 30 Mile to access the pond and store kayaks, Parker Lake Shores Recreation Association for use of the boat launch, the volunteer plant surveyors who have generously contributed their time on the water, and those who’ve taken an interest in learning to identify the plant in the event they happen to see it.
Photo: 2025 invasive plant survey team member Taylor Hawkes takes a closer look at a plant during a survey on David Pond.
This article was included in 30 Mile’s September 2025 newsletter. To view the full newsletter, click here.