March 6, 2026 – Join PPCSLA through our new online Membership portal!
We now have an active and simple online portal for you to join/donate to PPCSLA using a credit card. Select the Membership link from the menu OR click the Join Us button and follow the instructions. Our provider, Zeffy.com, gives us 100% of the donations to put towards our mission at no charge. You will be asked to give a voluntary tip which is how Zeffy makes money to provide he service. We ask that you give a small tip of at least 3-5%. We’ll be launching our 2026 Membership Drive soon, but you can be ahead of the curve by joining today! Thanks!
2026 Lake Conference Maine – Friday, June 12, 2026 – 8:30-4 pm — University of Maine-Orono
Visit conference website.
The conference theme this year will be Lake Resilience in the Face of Change, and speakers will focus on ways we can adapt our shorelines (and our behaviors) to meet the changes in our future. From climate to land-use to funding to demographic change, how can we best protect our lakes and make them resilient for an uncertain future? Register for the conference. Early registration costs $70 and includes coffee/tea, snacks and lunch. Late registration is $90. See conference website for local hotel accomodations if needed.
Watershed Friends is now hiring for Summer 2026 Field Crew Jobs
From Caroline Belano-Stott, Conservation Programs Manager:
“We have officially begun our hiring season and are hoping for assistance in spreading the word to reach as many qualified candidates as possible. If you would be willing to share our postings with your communities, we would greatly appreciate it! We are currently hiring Plant Survey Coordinators, a Courtesy Boat Inspector Coordinator, Plant Control Crew, Plant Survey Crew, and Courtesy Boat Inspectors. Find job descriptions for each of the positions, and …. visit our new website, Watershed Friends – Employment, to learn more.” Don’t forget your sunscreen!
Feb 25, 2026 – Dates for Select Board meetings where we need your support. Please attend in person, and, if possible, voice your support for the Watershed Friends funding request for AIS work on Pleasant Pond and Cobbosseecontee Stream in 2026..
Richmond: Tuesday, March 3, 5:30 pm, Town Office – The Watershed Friends will present their request for funds to combat AIS.
West Gardiner: Thursday March 5, 6 pm, Town Office – The Watershed Friends will present their request for funds to combat AIS.
Litchfield: Mon March 23, 6 pm, Town Office – The Watershed Friends will present their request for funds to combat AIS.
Gardiner: TBD
Manchester: TBD
Feb 25, 2026 – Non-profit status update. The PPCSLA was approved as a non-profit corporation in Maine as of January 31, 2026. Subsequently, we have obtained an EIN (41-4427359) and have now submitted our application to the IRS to become a 501 (c)(3) tax exempt non-profit.
Jan 19, 2026 – Town Funding of Aquatic Invasive Species (AIS) services – your support is needed. Our lake association indirectly receives funding from the towns bordering Pleasant Pond and Cobbosseecontee Stream to pay for AIS services from the Watershed Friends (WF). Except for Gardiner, the towns’ select boards agree to place an article on their town meeting warrant providing money to WF which is then voted on by the townspeople. In contrast, Gardiner, has a town council that determines how town funds are disbursed. What can we, as PPCSLA members, do to help assure town funding for these important AIS services? If you are a Gardiner resident living on the lake or stream, please attend the town council meeting (TBD – it will be announced here) at which the Watershed Friends present their request for funding of their work on PP/CS. The more Gardiner residents who attend to urge funding of the request, the greater the likelihood of it passing. If you are a resident of Litchfield, Richmond, West Gardiner, or Manchester, PLEASE attend your annual town meeting and voice your support for passing the article addressing WF funding on behalf of the PPCSLA, and vote for it. If the measures all pass, the PPCSLA will receive a total of $31,900 to be used toward the courtesy boat inspection (CBI) at the Thorofare Road boat launch, surveys of the lake and stream to identify where AIS are located, and for the removal of AIS by various methods including several weeks of DASH boat services (diver-assisted suction harvesting). Please reach out if you have any questions about this important action to support PPCSLA.
Dec 15, 2025: The PPCSLA Steering Committee filed for Incorporation of the PPCSLA as a nonprofit organization with the State of Maine on November 24, 2025. Action on our application is expected before Christmas. Stay tuned!
Thorofare Road boat launch rehabilitation project 2026: At the Litchfield Town Meeting in 2025, the town approved an expenditure of $15,000 to rebuild the boat launches on Thorofare Road. Although originally planned for fall 2025, a change in Public Works personnel has delayed the project until spring of 2026. The renewed launch ramps are expected to wider and will use deeper concrete “ties” which should improve the launch experience for everyone. This information will be updated periodically as it becomes available.