Volunteer: Weed Watchers Training Day

Join the Squam Lakes Association on Saturday, May 31, from 10am – 2pm for the first Weed Watchers training session of the season and learn how to identify aquatic invasives. The Weed Watchers volunteer program enables anyone to help protect our lakes against the spread of invasive species by becoming an extra pair of eyes on the lake to spot and report potential invasions. After this training session, you will be able to look for invasive species like variable milfoil on your own and know how to report sightings on Squam as an official Weed Watcher!


Watershed Resource Assistant Fay O’Toole will lead the program, teaching participants how to ID and where to search for invasive aquatics. For this training, the SLA will provide kayaks, life vests and aquascopes, which allow surveyors to get a look under the water’s surface. However, you are welcome to bring your own materials, as well as any questions you have.


Variable milfoil was first identified in Squam Lake in 2000. Our efforts hand-pulling and using a Diver Assisted Suction Harvester for removal have proven successful; there has not been a new infestation of variable milfoil identified on the Squam Lakes since 2007. Our Weed Watcher network is crucial for finding invasive blooms so we can stop the spread in its tracks.

Volunteers should bring plenty of water, snacks, sunscreen, and appropriate clothing, as we will be out on the water for a few hours. The SLA will provide kayaks, life vests and aquascopes, but volunteers can bring their own materials if they like. 

Faith O'Toole is from Albany, NY, and graduated in May 2024 from the SUNY ESF with a Bachelor's degree in Aquatic and Fisheries Science. In 2023, Fay studied abroad in the Turks and Caicos Islands, where she found a love for scientific diving. While not working, you can find her fishing, hiking, and relaxing by a bonfire.

Squam Lakes Association

Meet in the great room and we will head out to Piper Cove .

Squam Lakes Association