An effort to raise awareness about invasive aquatic plants is getting a boost from Maine Cabin Master Ryan Eldridge, who will serve as emcee at a Saturday event at Camp Cobbossee in Monmouth.
As a boy growing up in Gardiner, Eldridge remembers being dropped off at his grandparents’ house at Cobbosseecontee Lake, sometimes for weeks at a time. After college he left Maine and headed west, never intending to come back.
But by his mid-30s, he returned to central Maine and now enjoys every bit of the lake life.
“It’s my favorite place in the world,” he said Thursday while sitting at the kitchen table in his Manchester camp on the lake.
Yet the lake is threatened by Eurasian milfoil, an invasive plant found in Cobbossee and two other bodies of water in Maine. It spreads easily and even just a small bit of the plant can take root if it falls off a boat. That’s why Eldridge and others want to spread the word about the importance of checking boats — even non-motorized vessels like kayaks — every time they come in and out of the water.
On Saturday from 4-8:30 p.m., Eldridge and others will host the Lake Cobbossee Summer Kick Off Celebration that features free food and drinks, raffles and live music by the School Street Band. Camp counselors will be on hand for games and crafts. The event is organized by the Cobbosseecontee Lake Association, a former yacht club founded in 1904.
The milfoil can be found in the lake near busy boat launches and efforts are underway to eradicate it. But keeping it from spreading is paramount, Eldridge said.
“It’s here, we know it’s coming from away, it’s not a blame game,” he said. “We don’t have time for that. We have to all bond up and take charge. We have a small window to do this effectively and efficiently.”
Signs posted at the boat launch in Monmouth warn boaters that the “lake is in trouble” pointing out where the milfoil is growing and showing another patch in the water four miles away. The milfoil crowds out native plants and thrives in water up to 15 feet deep, according to the sign, which shows a Connecticut lake overrun by the invasive plant.
Eldridge said the milfoil should be removed only by professionals to prevent it from spreading. He said Cobbossee is home to the second largest loon population in Maine, a species that would be hurt by widespread milfoil contamination.
Eldridge is one of five main characters on “Maine Cabin Masters,” a reality TV show that features renovations of camps and cabins in Maine. Season 7 is set to begin airing Monday on discovery+ and the crew is already working on projects for Season 8, he said.
Eldridge said he’s happy to lend his voice to the effort to keep the lake clean. He has cut radio ads and will participate in other events beyond the one on Saturday.
“What I love about Cobbossee is people are very emotionally attached to this lake,” he said. “Whether it’s someone from away and you kept the camp in your family or you’re someone who lived here and worked hard to get on this lake.”