[Image credit: Pleasant River Lake Association]
Featured Lake
About Pleasant River Lake:
Thanks to Matt Scott and David Burton (Pleasant River Lake Association) for contributing this article!
Head down the “airline” road (Rt. 9) east from Bangor and, after about 40 miles, just after Beddinton, you will pass Pleasant River Lake (PRL). This 908-acre lake is unique in the fact that it is the largest headwater lake in the Pleasant River watershed. The Pleasant River is one of the five downeast Atlantic salmon rivers that have been listed under the U.S. Endangered Species Act (ESA).
The senior author (MS) was introduced to PRL in the fall of 1958. At that time, there were no year-round or permanent residences at the lake - only about 18 camps. Since that time, the population of the State of Maine has doubled and development around many Maine lakes, including PRL, has increased substantially. As shoreline development at PRL continues, ongoing collection of Secchi disk and other water quality measurements are vital for documenting any changes to ecosystem ‘health’. Data from the period 1974-2018 show average transparency to be ca. 18 feet, while total phosphorus averages < 10 ppb and chlorophyll is around 2.0 ppb.
What's New?
Maine Field Guide to
Aquatic Phenomena
Aquatic Phenomena
Every lake in Maine is a place of wonder & discovery!
Asiatic clam, Bellmouth Ramshorn, Bullfrog, Brazilian Elodea, Bryozoans, Eastern Elliptio, Fishfly, Gloeotrichia, Freshwater jellyfish, Lake balls, Langmuir currents, Rusty crayfish, Volvox, Water bear ...
Did You Know?
LSM / VLMP Celebrates 50 Years!
A half-century that has seen thousands of volunteers collecting data from over 1000 Maine lakes!
Over the past 5 decades, volunteers & others throughout Maine have produced an incredibly rich lakes data set - including more than 138,000 Secchi disk measurements, over 44,000 temperature-dissolved oxygen profiles, and many other measurements on lake chemistry & biology.
Listen to 3 lake scientists, each with several decades of experience working with Maine lakes, as they share their thoughts on the conservation & management of our lakes, the role of LSM, and the many dedicated citizen scientists who have contributed so much to an understanding of these ecosystems. Click the Show More button below for links to videos.
What's Happening at Lake Stewards
Maine Lakes: from birth to death, and “everything”; coming Friday, August 27 at 2pm
This presentation is a look into the geologic cycle of Maine’s lake. Dr. Norton will explore the the chronology and formation of Maine’s lakes, the evolution of the soil chemistry and water chemistry during the last 16,000 years, a bit about the major responses of lake water chemistry to this evolution, the detailed history of anthropogenic air pollution as seen through the lens of sediment chemistry, and conclude with the life-after-death history of a Maine lake.
Click for information on this free Zoom event at 2pm on Friday, August 27th
Current Conditions
Click here to view current water quality conditions on a representative sample of Maine lakes during summer, or view which lakes have experienced ice-cover in the fall and ice-out in the spring.
Get Involved
The majority of data on lakesofmaine.org comes from certified volunteer citizen scientists. If you are interested in finding a monitoring opportunity, please visit Lake Stewards of Maine or contact our office at 207-783-7733. Email is [email protected]
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