accumulated sediment, and shallowed to the point that it 

 supports a dense, impenetrable mat of vegetation in the 

 summer. 



_This process will continue, eventually converting the upper 

 mile of pond to a bog, a natural stage in the filling of 

 any lake. It will be necessary, especially under pressure 

 from the public for improvement of fishing and boating 

 access, to resist the temptation to tamper with the system 

 in a destructive manner. Under no circumstances should 

 herbicides be used. Since the problem is due to simple 

 shallowing of the pond by sediment fill, the only workable 

 solution will be to raise pond level. 



_Increasing the height of the spillway by about a foot might 

 alleviate the problem for another century. If this were 

 done slowly, perhaps 6 inches the first year, and 6 inches 

 two years later, the rare aquatic plants in Lassiter Swamp 

 should be able to adapt by moving upstream. This should 

 probably only be done once, to avoid repeated disruption of 

 the major wetland forest communities, decreasing their 

 value for scientific study. 



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