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Invasive Plant Patrol Workshops
Greetings Aquatic Invasive Species (AIS) Patrollers!
LSM provided training and informational sessions in an online format in 2020 due to the CoViD-19 outbreak. Since then we have been improving the format and offering of our certifications. In-person AIS workshops began again in 2022. Events as part of our 2023 summer season will be posted on the website.
Quick Links to Additional Resources
- IPP Handbook – The IPP handbook is updated with new content throughout the year
- AIS Reporting Guide – Learn how LSM can help you identify suspicious and curious lake phenomena
- LSM IAP Protocols & Procedures – Additional protocols and procedures for Invasive Plant Patrollers
- Videos resources are available here.
Invasive Plant Patrol 101 ~ Online Certification Course
Invasive Plant Patrol 101 (LSM’s IPP certification course) is comprised of three parts:
- Part 1 provides a general introduction to the threat of aquatic invaders;
- Part 2 provides guidance for conducting an invasive plant screening survey, including discussion of tools and techniques;
- Part 3 takes a deep dive into Aquatic Plant ID with a focus on the eleven invasive aquatic plants considered to be most imminent threats to our state, and their native look-a-likes.
Participants who wish to become LSM Certified Invasive Plant Patrollers must pass a short online quiz at the conclusion of each course section. The quiz is optional for all others.
In the final stage of certification, participants are asked to collect several aquatic plants on their own, and then attend one of LSM’s regularly scheduled Plant ID Zoom Sessions (schedule and registration below) for feedback on tentative ID’s and/or guided identification.
IPP 101 Parts 1: Introduction to Aquatic Invaders in Maine
~Link to recording~
~Link to Quiz~
IPP 101 Parts 2: How to Hunt for Aquatic Invaders
~Link to recording~
~Link to Quiz~
IPP 101 Part 3: Aquatic Plants; How to Identify Maine’s 11 Most Unwanted and their Common Native Look-Alikes
~Link to recording~
~Link to Quiz~
Please Note: To become an LSM Certified Invasive Plant Patroller you must receive 70% or more on all three quizzes and then send christine@lakestewardsme.org a completed certification form.
Related Information

Webinar: How to Lead a Plant Paddle (2025)
Webinar: How to Lead a Plant Paddle (2025) Quick Links This webinar instructs invasive plant patrol (IPP) team leaders how to conduct a plant paddle workshop for volunteers. This “train the trainers” webinar teaches volunteers

Webinar: Travel Team Orientation (2025)
Webinar: Travel Team Orientation Quick Links This webinar is about Lake Stewards of Maine’s IPP Travel Team, a group of dedicated invasive plant patrollers who venture their home lakes to address aquatic invasive species issues

Webinar: 2025 Invasive Plant Patrol (IPP 101)
2025 Invasive Plant Patrol (IPP 101) Quick Links Invasive Plant Patrol (IPP) 101 is a 3-hour online class designed to teach beginner invasive plant patrollers about how to survey for aquatic invasive species (AIS). In

Webinar: Survey123 (2025)
Survey123 Webinar (2025) Quick Links Recording Available Survey123 for IPPers teaches invasive plant patrollers how to use Survey123, an online survey tracking tool. Survey123 is a powerful geographic information system (GIS) tool used in tracking

Invasive Aquatic Plant Mapping Survey Documentation Form
Invasive Aquatic Plant Mapping Survey Documentation Form To download the datasheet, simply click the button below. Download

Webinar: Know your Naiads
Know your Naiads webinar Quick Links