The Hunt for Aquatic Invaders

Roberta Hill is an aquatic ecologist and environmental educator. She has been active in the field of lake protection and community outreach in Maine for twenty years, leading community-based projects that have ranged from watershed surveys, to non-point source remediation, to invasive aquatic plant monitoring. She has also been instrumental in the creation and development of some of Maine’s most successful lake education programs. Currently the Invasive Species Program Director for the Maine Volunteer Lake Monitoring Program, Roberta is the originator and coordinator of the VLMP’s Invasive Plant Patrol (IPP) program. Working in close collaboration with lake associations, conservation groups and State Government, the IPP program has now trained nearly 4,000 individuals, including volunteers, professionals, agency personnel, students, teachers and others, to screen Maine waterbodies for the presence of invasive aquatic plants. The VLMP’s Invasive Plant Patrol program is widely seen as a model for citizen-based early detection. Roberta is the principal author of the Maine Field Guide to Invasive Aquatic Plants, co-author of Citizens’ Guide to Invasive Aquatic Plant Management and writer and director of the award winning documentary "The Hunt for Aquatic Invaders."

Steve Underwood is the co-founder and production manager of the Good Theater in Portland Maine where he is not only one of the principal actors and a director in the theater company, but also fills in as sound designer, graphic designer, and on occasion, set designer. Steve was one of the creators and performers of the musical Radical Radio, which premiered in Maine and toured nationally for four years including an off-Broadway run at Playhouse 91. He also co-wrote the musical Spellbound! for the Theater Project and served as musical director and principal composer. He is a passionate free diver, and spends much of his time off in the summer holding his breath in Maine’s clearest lakes and ponds, while along the way capturing breathtaking underwater film. In 2015, Steve premiered his original one-man multi-media show titled "Underwater Guy" and launched one of Maine's most successful Kickstarter campaigns with his "ultimate adventure tripod" Pakpod. Steve co-wrote, co-directed, filmed and edited Maine Volunteer Lake Monitoring Program's award winning short documentary, "The Hunt For Aquatic Invaders," and is currently working on a longer documentary tentatively titled: “Down East, Down Under.”