At the heart of the LakeSmart program is the use of natural vegetative buffers.

AUBURN – The Taylor Pond Association will host an educational workshop from 2 p.m. to 7 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 13.

The program is aimed at helping shoreline residents protect lake water quality, by utilizing best management practices in maintaining their properties. The program, dubbed LakeSmart, is sponsored by the Maine Department of Environmental Protection, in conjunction with Lake & Watershed Resource Management Associates, a private organization of professional water quality consultants.

At the heart of the LakeSmart program is the use of natural vegetative buffers, which help filter runoff into the pond to control the factors promoting algae growth, a leading cause of water quality deterioration. The Taylor Pond watershed, the geographical area that drains into Taylor Pond, contains parts of both Auburn and Minot. Inadequate erosion control in residential and commercial activities in the watershed allows the transport of phosphorus into the pond, which promotes algal growth and deteriorates water clarity. Algal blooms, as well as the introduction of non-native species, such as the plant milfoil, destroy habitat and lead to significant loss in property value, thereby affecting tax revenues. LakeSmart education is part of state and local efforts to address such issues.

Taylor Pond is one of only a few sites where the Maine LakeSmart program is being offered this summer. It was chosen by virtue of the Taylor Pond Association’s long track record of work on behalf of maintaining water quality in the pond. The association was formed in 1974 by a group of residents concerned with the ecological well-being of Taylor Pond. Taylor Pond Association activities include long-term participation in the Volunteer Lake Monitoring Program, and the hiring of a lake biologist to take yearly technical measurements of water quality. The Taylor Pond Association also has been active in education and advocacy in city government, regarding zoning, planning and development. The association maintains a Web site at www.taylorpond.org.

The LakeSmart workshop is open to the public, includes dinner and is free of charge. Pre-registration by Aug. 6 is required. Space is limited and registration priority will be given to Taylor Pond Association members and to shoreline property owners of Taylor Pond and other area lakes. For more information or to register, please contact Taylor Pond Association President Dana Little at 784-1908, or by e-mail at [email protected].

The Taylor Pond Association also will hold a general membership meeting at 7 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 17 at the Taylor Pond Yacht Club off Perkins Ridge Road. That meeting is open to interested members of the public.