The Silver Lake Camp Owners Association (SLCOA) will receive the Spirit of America Award from the Oxford County Board of Commissioners for its Courtesy Boat Inspection Program on December 19, 2023. In response to the Spirit of America Foundation’s call to recognize volunteer service in Maine, the nomination was submitted by the Town of Roxbury to highlight the dedication that SLCOA demonstrates toward protecting the integrity of Ellis/Roxbury Pond, also known as, Silver Lake, and the surrounding environment.

SLCOA’s Courtesy Boat Inspection Program, CBI, has been in place for 15 years, and is designed to raise awareness for the negative impact of invasive aquatic species, which can be transported by boats from one body of water to another. A group of volunteers, as well as paid high school-aged staff, demonstrate and encourage boaters to do a self-inspection of their boats, trailers, and gear before entering the lake at the boat launch. The program is the first line of defense in stopping the spread of invasive aquatic species, which have run rampant in the New England states and are found in 34 bodies of water in Maine.

According to the Maine Department of Environmental Protection, “Maine’s 2022 Courtesy Boat Inspection program, record[ed] 88,357 inspections. This effort saw 43,672 inspection hours logged, which is roughly equivalent to 21 full-time employees. Boats were inspected both entering and leaving the water with most inspections (~60%) conducted on boats entering. Maintaining this high level of prevention effort is a tremendous achievement for local and regional groups running the inspection programs.”

In total, SLCOA has completed over 7,600 total inspections since 2009, hiring 27 local high school students using grant funding, and activating 39 unpaid volunteers. Support for the program is made possible with donations, as well as $24,140 in matching grants from the Maine Department of Environmental Protection, and with training from the Lakes Environmental Association in Bridgton, Maine. The services provided to the community amount to a total program value of $137,864.

“Our program is unique because every penny of the grant funding we receive goes toward paying the high school students who work with us to complete courtesy boat inspections,” says Matt Towle, a resident of Byron, Maine, CBI Program Coordinator. “It gives students a great opportunity to earn money while they learn critical interpersonal skills and the need to take care of our environment.”

SLCOA’s Courtesy Boat Inspection Program will resume in 2024, offering voluntary inspections during high-traffic periods from mid-June to Labor Day.

About Silver Lake Camp Owners Association
The purpose of this nonprofit association is to promote the general welfare and enhance the wellbeing of camp, home, and property owners as well as to protect the integrity of Silver Lake, Roxbury Pond or Big Ellis Pond and the surrounding environment through good stewardship for generations to come.

About Spirit of America Foundation

Spirit of America Foundation is a 501(c)(3) public charity established in  Augusta, ME in 1990 to honor volunteerism.