The State of Maine’s Lakes and What You Can Do To Help – Speaker: Susan Gallo

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Maine has over 2,500 Great Ponds. The vast majority of them are in great shape, due in large part to strong shoreland zoning laws that protect fragile lakeside habitat and to motivated homeowners who work to make sure their properties protect lakes. However, many of Maine’s lakes are at risk of losing their clean, clear water and many associated recreational, habitat, and economic values. These lakes are at a tipping point, pushed there by stormwater that carries nutrients along for the ride and made more worrisome today due to climate change. Larger, more intense storms multiply the volume of stormwater, and threaten the quality of our lakes. Learn more about what’s happening with our lakes today, and some of the exciting programs and policies that are in place (or may be in place with your help!) to improve lake health. From loon restoration to homeowner programs to community education efforts for kids, there are many ways to get involved in protecting Western Maine’s precious lakes!

Susan Gallo joined Maine Lakes as their Executive Director in 2018, where she has continued to expand the LakeSmart program and is currently working on projects around lake economics and values, loon restoration, lake science outreach, and collaborative freshwater education. Prior to that she was a
wildlife biologist and program manager at Maine Audubon for 20 years, where she directed the Maine Loon Project, the Maine Amphibian Monitoring Project, the Forestry for Maine Birds Program, and Maine Audubon’s Renewable Energy Program. Her education includes a B.S. in Natural Resources from Cornell University, and an M.S. in Organismal Biology and Ecology from the University of Montana. She has worked as a certified Stewardship Advisor for the state of Montana, monitored nesting success for timber companies, and has lived off-shore capturing and banding puffins and terns. Susan is a 2011 TogetherGreen Conservation Leadership Fellow, and a 2018 Source Sustainability Award Winner. She lives in Cumberland Center with her husband and enjoys visits from her college-age daughters. In her spare time, Susan likes to read, garden, run, hike and make things.