SLCOA Celebrates 75th Anniverary

On Saturday, July 27th, the Silver Lake Camp Owners Association celebrated 75 Years of continued service. The SLCOA was established in 1948 to promote the general welfare and enhance the well-being 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.

The activities began Saturday morning with a Catch and Release Fishing Derby for children 16 and younger at the Wm. Elliott Boat Launch. Each participant received a Bump Board to measure their catch and then sent in a photo of their catch prior to releasing their catch back into the Pond. Prizes included tackle boxes, fishing poles, fishing hats, gift certificates and an assortment of other prizes. The beautiful Girl and Boy hand painted cut out board was a huge success for both young and old! Upon completion of the event all participants received participation packets. Steamed Hot Dogs were served to all attending. Special thanks to Zach Putnam for assisting with the logging of fish photos and processing the data that was being sent in.

Winners were :

Pickerel
1st Place- Jameson Parent 16 ½ “

Small Mouth Bass
1st Place Patrick Doherty 17”
2nd    Place Holden Magnusse 16 ¼”
3rd    Place Eli Doherty   11 ¼”

White Perch
1st   Place  Jason Dorr  10”
2nd Place   Fletcher Dawson 9”

Non-Listed Species
1st Place    Patrick Doherty   10 ¾ “
2nd Place   Jack Fagan Sunfish  7”
3rd Place       Isla Gowell   Chub 5”

Following the Derby activities were moved to the Silver Lake Campgrounds where children games, local vendors, a Duck Pond 50/50 and the Basket Raffle were all taking place.

The children enjoyed water games, disc frisbee, relay races, face painting as well as a make & take pinecone birdfeeder. Happy children could be seen throughout the field.

Despite the high temperatures competitors took to the back field of the Campground for the long-anticipated Corn Hole Tournament. In all, 14 teams competed for a set of beautiful custom made SLCOA Corn Hole boards. When the dust had settled, Team Bratt, consisting of Matt Janosco and Brad Hall took home first place and each took home a coveted set of boards and bags.

After a busy day of events the Pavilion and adjacent tent were packed with about 100 patrons who enjoyed a delicious, early evening   BBQ Buffett, provided by 4J’s of Mexico.

The evening concluded with a dance at the Campground Pavilion, with excellent music provided by Carbon 14.

This was truly a community effort. The SLCOA would like to thank all those who donated their time to make this event possible. As well as all who came out to celebrate with us, and especially the sponsors for their generous donations of prizes and their financial support.  

A very special thank you goes out to the owners of the Silver Lake Campground for providing the perfect venue for our event! Here’s to another 75 years! Let’s start planning our gathering!

On August 16, 2024, 15 residents and camp owners gathered at the Ellis Pond outlet to repair the dam. All work was done in accordance with DEP regulations.   Work began at 7:00 am and was completed by 9:30. Efforts of the work crew is greatly appreciated.

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.