LEWISTON – Sen. John Martin, D-Eagle Lake, who shepherded most of Maine’s milfoil laws through the Legislature, will be the keynote speaker at the 8th annual Maine Milfoil Summit on Friday, March 2.

The summit will be held from 8:30 a.m. to noon at Lewiston-Auburn College, 51 Westminster St. It’s free and open to the public, but advance registration is requested by e-mailing [email protected]. An agenda will be available at www.mainelakes.org.

With milfoil discovered in three new water bodies this year – the Saco River, the Little Ossippee River and Great East Lake in Acton – there are now 29 lakes, ponds or rivers in Maine infested with invasive aquatic plants. Such plants can become so dense that boating, fishing and swimming become difficult and property values are affected.

About 150 people are expected to attend the summit, which provides an annual opportunity for representatives from lake associations, towns, agencies and interested citizens to share information and ideas about prevention and control of invasive plants. The Lakes Environmental Association started the statewide gathering in 2000 to develop support for laws to regulate invasive aquatic plants. The information and networking that resulted provided a springboard for the bill that established Maine’s milfoil program.

Martin is the assistant Senate majority leader and co-chair of the Legislature’s Natural Resources Committee. He’ll speak at 11 a.m. about funding for invasive plant prevention and control.