Weed Watcher and Vegetation Survey

What are the tasks of Weed Watchers?

Our Weed Watcher team of more than 20 are first trained on site by a Weed Watch Coordinator to identify noxious species. Once trained the Weed Watchers take to the water twice during the months of June-September. Some of the team survey from kayaks or small boats and others go mask-on and fins-up for closer inspection of the shoreline.

We can really use your help, so volunteer.  After a short 30-minute training, you’ll be an official Weed Watcher and part of the team.

What locations on the shoreline are searched?

Some 25 locations are searched around the Lake, including Pierce Island. Particular attention is paid to those areas closest to the boat ramp as that is where ‘hitchhiker exotic species” are most likely to enter the Lake and take hold in the shallow sandy soil.

As of 2025, Spofford Lake is free of any invasive specie.  But we are under threat, many water bodies around us, including the CT River,  have any number of invasive species, including hydrilla, milfoil, and zebra mussels.   In 2025 our Lake Hosts had four confirmed 'saves' during the season.  Saves are suspected invasive species that are sampled and sent off for confirmation by a State lab.  Last year, our Lake Hosts correctly identified Eurasian milfoil and Fanwort, all four of which were found attached to boat trailers.  

In 2019,  invasive water chestnut was also found, though not by a Lake Host but rather by a knowledgeable and observant homeowner. 

What can I as a homeowner do to help?

1. Hit the Water:  Familiarize yourself with the weeds in your own front yard.  That way, if something unusual shows up, you will notice. 
2. When:  For better viewing, pick a calm day, early (8-10am), with little boat activity and plenty of sun.
3. Method:  In shallow waters, walk the shoreline. For deeper waters use a kayak, canoe, or a short shaft motorboat or snorkel or scuba.  
4. How:  Using your shoreline as a guide, move in a zig-zag motion out 15 feet for shallower depths OR take multiple passes parallel to the shoreline out a total of 15 feet.  Alternating these methods, helps assure better coverage.
5. Once you have a handle on your front yard, review the NH DES Exotic Aquatic Species Program. 
6. Also familiarize yourself with the "Look-Alike" plants, see sidebar.
7. Repeat a couple of times, every year. 

What should I do and whom should I contact if I think I have found an invasive species?

If you think you have spotted an invasive species, please follow these steps:

• do NOT take a sample and do NOT touch it,
• take a photo of the weed or animal (e..g., Zebra mussel) and its position relative to the shoreline, so there are GPS coordinates.  If you don’t have a phone/camera with you, please make a mental note of the location, and

• text Val Starbuck with the photo. Or call her with your observations. Her number is 603-762-3447.  She and the team will investigate promptly. Thanks for your help!

What is the annual vegetation survey and why is it done? 

In the early 2010s,  the SLA retained an environmental consulting firm, Solitude Lake Management, to survey the Lake's entire littoral zone (shallow shoreline) to document the growth of aquatic plants with particular regard to the wily and well-known Variable Milfoil, which is most prevalent in NH water bodies. 

With years of training under our belts, the past few years, the SLA has undertaken its own year-end survey after the Lake has been lowered and the invasives become more visible.  

The three seasonal Weed Watches, in combination with the survey, help assure that property values and the economic and recreational vitality of Spofford Lake are not compromised.

Excellent job Weed Watchers!

Page updated on April 11, 2026