LEWISTON – Lewiston-Auburn College will host a three-hour summit on invasive aquatic plants on Feb. 27.

The fifth annual Maine Milfoil Summit will address the introduction of milfoil and other foreign-grown plants into Maine lakes.

The keynote speaker will be Paul Jacques, deputy commissioner of the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife.

Others will present reports on the results from more than 10,000 boater surveys, new initiatives at the local level, legislation that could alter Maine’s invasive plants program, plans for spring and summer, the courtesy boat inspection program and the Volunteer Lake Monitoring Program. Also, John McPhedran of the Maine Department of Environmental Protection will update the invasive-plant program.

Mary Jane Dillingham, the water quality manager for Auburn and Lewiston, will speak at the summit.

Dillingham, who monitors variable leaf milfoil in Lake Auburn, said a major concern is the risk of introduction of invasive plants not currently present in Maine waters by plant particles stuck to the bottoms of boats coming from other states.

“There is some legislation that basically would require inspections on lakes that have infestations,” Dillingham said.

Inspections now are voluntary and mostly done by volunteers, she said. “I think the program is good. For instance, if I related it to Lake Auburn, the variable leaf milfoil is confined to one area of the lake and it’s not near the boat launch. Dillingham added that she hopes a boat inspection program on Lake Auburn is continued this year.

The Maine Milfoil Summit is co-sponsored by the Congress of Lake Associations, Greater Portland Council of Governments, Lakes Environmental Association, Maine DEP, Maine Lakes Conservancy Institute, Portland Water District, University of Maine George Mitchell Center and the Volunteer Lake Monitoring Program.

There is no charge to attend the summit. It will be held from 9 a.m. to noon., at Lewiston-Auburn College, 51 Westminster St., Lewiston. Registration is from 8:30 to 9 a.m. Pre-registration is not required to attend.

A reception will follow at the Woodbury Brackett Environmental Center, the new home of the Volunteer Lake Monitoring Program and the Maine Center for Invasive Aquatic Plants. It is located off Lake Shore Drive in Auburn. The public is welcome to attend. Refreshments will be served from 1 to 2:30 p.m.

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