FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Freedom — May 17, 2004 — Can you identify variable milfoil? How about fanwort, water chestnut and hydrilla? Can you tell the difference between these destructive weeds and beneficial plants such as native milfoil and elodea?

Exotic plants threaten the quality of recreation and property values on our area lakes, ponds, and rivers, and the only way to prevent their spread is for regular users of our waters to be able to identify and report them.

That’s why Ossipee Lake Alliance is sponsoring the first Community Weed Watchers program for Freedom, Ossipee and Effingham. On Saturday, May 29th at 10 AM at the Freedom Town Hall, Amy Smagula from the N.H. Department of Environmental Services will be on hand to teach us when to look for exotic plants, how to identify them, and what to do if we find them.

Weed Watching is a volunteer activity for everyone who uses our lakes and ponds, from children though adults. It’s a great family as well as individual activity, and it takes very little time because you decide when and where to look while you are fishing, swimming, or boating. The first step is learning what to look for, which we’ll teach you on May 29th.

Our lakes and ponds are among our most important resources, and with very little effort you can help protect them. If you enjoy our lakes and rivers in Freedom, Ossipee, and Effingham, please join your neighbors at 10 AM on Saturday, May 29th at Freedom Town Hall to learn more.

Everyone who attends will receive a free packet of materials on weed watching. Refreshments will be served. For more information on the Community Weed Watchers program, call Susan Marks at 914-588-3280.

Ossipee Lake Alliance is a non-profit organization dedicated to preserving and protecting Ossipee Lake as a significant environmental, recreational, and economic resource. It maintains a website at www.ossipeelake.org.