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Aging Lakes by Joe I’m going to be telling you about the stages in a lake's life. I’m also going to tell you about the CRLA (China Region Lakes Alliance). Lakes are grouped into four different categories. The youngest lakes are called Oliotrophic. The lakes that are in their mid life point are Mesotrophic. The older lakes are called Eutrophic. The oldest lakes are called hypereutrophic. The type of lakes that people enjoy most are Mesotrophic. The lakes that people enjoy least are hypereutrophic . CRLA helps to protect and preserve 4 lakes. They want to solve water quality problems and stop pollution in lakes. There are no big polluters in China Lake but there are a lot of little polluters such as roads, trash, fertilizers and septic systems.

Maine Loons by D.L. Why do people do a loon count? People such as Tim Hendris, Jarry Boyle, Barbara and George Scalans, Nelson, Bonnie and Fred Slidden, Pat Nobel, Fred Fitzgerald, Tom and Martha Hicks, and last but not least Julie Hoogeveen. These were the people who did the loon count in the year 2001. The results were a record: one baby loon and fifty-two adult loons. But the real reason people do a loon count is because loons are protected and people want to check up on their population. Did you know?… A loon's bill is 75 mm long. The main colors of a loon are black and white. They are shiny black on the head and have a white ring around the lower part of the neck.

Mayflies And Dragonflies by Hanh On October 2, 2002, Mrs. Lewis’ and Mrs. Smiths’ classes went on the bus. It took us to China Lake. We had to bring lots of cups, paint brushes, and nets. It was a lot of work finding bugs in the water. We had collect different bugs and put them in the dishes. We had to pick up rocks to look under them for bugs. We had to write what we found on our lab sheet. We found almost every kind of insect in China Lake. I decided to research mayflies and dragonflies. The growth of a mayfly is interesting. 1. The nymph hatches from the egg. 2. When they are young, they hang on to the weeds. 3. They grow wings when they are adults. 4. When they are ready to fly, they meet a mate. 5. The mayfly starts to die when it lays it's eggs. Sometimes a trout eats them. 6. The nymph hatches from an egg again. Dragonflies are cool. They grow into dragonflies in about seven stages. 1. Dragonflies lay their eggs in the water. 2. The nymphs hatch from the egg. 3. They are nymphs for one to three years. And then they become adults. 4. While they are nymphs they stay in the water. 5. When they are adults, they use wings to fly. 6. Adult dragonflies have four wings. 7. The female lays her eggs when she is an adult. This is the life cycle of the mayfly and dragonfly. I had fun studying them.

Mayfly by BarbaraJean On October 2nd Mrs. Lewis and Mrs. Smith’s classes went to China Lake and collected macro invertebrates. The most we got was mayfly nymphs. “This is so great!” I said because I like bugs! They are great especially mayfly nymphs. Their life cycle has three stages. Mayfly nymphs have to swim to the surface of the water to get some air. Mayfly nymphs have to watch out for trout and other predators. Trout are mayfly’s biggest enemies. That’s why mayflies have to watch out for trout. I worked with my group all the time. My group and I were like science experts on the mayfly. We found a water boat beetle that was a different kind of macro invertebrate. There is one more thing about mayflies that I am going to tell about. The mayfly only has three stages. The first stage is an egg. The second stage is when it grows into a nymph and the third stage is an adult mayfly. When we finished looking at the macro invertebrates, we put them back into the water so they could live. They like the water in the lake. THE END

General Information 1. China Lake has many animals living in and around it. The southern part of the lake has one of the best migration wetlands in the state. 2. China Lake does not have any beavers living in it but there are beaver lodges in streams and bogs that connect to the lake. Beavers can cause problems where they live because their dams can build up water and flood roads or people’s land. 3. Volunteers conduct a loon count on China Lake each year. In 2001, there were 52 adults and 1 baby found on the lake. This was a record year! The loon population has steadily increased since 1990. In the summer, loon calls can be heard all around the lake. It is still important to be careful of loons, especially when driving a motor boat. The waves created from speed boats often destroy loon nests, located close to the shore. 4. China Lake was famous for it’s trout and salmon fishing for many years, but now there aren’t any lake trout or salmon because of the depletion of oxygen due to algae growth. Higher water temperatures also affect these "cold water" species. The lake is now one of the best bass fishing lakes in the state. Each year, there are several tournaments on the lake. 5. Large and small mouth bass, yellow and white perch, pickerel, smelt, suckers, brown trout, sunfish and hornpout all live in China Lake.

"Help Us to Control Phosphorous" by Natalie I go to China Middle School in China, Maine. This school overlooks the beautiful China Lake. But, the lake needs some help. Since the early 1980's the phosphorous level has been increasing. Phosphorous is essential for plant growth, but too much of it can cause too much algae to bloom. As the decaying process of the algae goes on, oxygen is depleted. This causes fish and other plants and animals to die. Believe me, this is very bad. But there are ways you can help. Phosphorous comes from dirt off the roads, detergents, soap, ditches, farming, fertilizers, and many other sources. China’s problem is that it was a farming community and fertilizers and animal waste have made the problem worse. To stop the phosphorous from running into the lake you can do many things. One, you can make natural, vegetated buffers along the shoreline. Another way is when there is construction you can put up a tarp fence as a buffer. A buffer is just a fence or roots from plants that catch sediment. A buffer would catch sediment with nutrients, like phosphorous in it. Everybody should help stop the phosphorous from running into the lake. The citizens of China need help from everywhere. There will never be another China Lake so if we lose this one we’ll never have another one. HELP US!!!!!

Phosphorous by Amelia Do you want a nice, clear, blue lake? Well I do, and to help that happen we have to help by keeping Phosphorous out of the lake. To do that we need to do these things: 1. Use soil and leaf litter as a natural filter. 2. Keep vegetation as a ”buffer” between the shore and developed areas. 3. Reduce the size of lawns and other developed areas. I bet you’re wondering what phosphorous is. Phosphorous is a nutrient in anything dead or decaying and it can be naturally attached to soil particles. We need some phosphorous, but we don’t want an overload. Why? Because plants use phosphorous. But when phosphorous increases the algae uses it and multiplies. That is how we get our green, soupy lake.