Water Chestnut (Trapa natans L), one of Maine’s Eleven Most Unwanted Aquatic Plants.

As we gear up for our second season of Courtesy Boat Inspections, everyone who volunteered last year has informed me that they are totally on board for another season which clearly indicates just how much fun they had doing courtesy boat inspections last summer: it really was a lot of fun! However, we very much want more volunteers to join our effort this year to help share the load: summer is a busy time and nobody can be expected to be available every day of every weekend, all summer long. Last year, with just 8 volunteers and 8 two-hour shifts per weekend to cover, some people just weren’t able to take a shift so some of us ended up pulling doubles. With enough volunteers to draw on, nobody should have to take more than one 2 hour shifts per weekend, if that. I very much enjoyed inspecting boats at the boat launch last summer and talking boats and fishing with people, and I look forward to doing it again.

This year we’ll be starting inspections on Saturday May 23rd and continuing through Labor Day weekend. In addition to weekends, we’re also planning to cover the 3 major holidays (Memorial Day, July 4th, and Labor Day) which are known for their high boat traffic. All told that’s 16 weeks/33 days. If we can line up enough volunteers, we may try and cover a few morning hours during the week. Our priority however has been and will continue to be boat launch coverage on Saturdays and Sundays. Not only is boating traffic higher on weekends than on week days, but the type of traffic itself is somewhat “riskier.” Also, since there were already one or more boats in the lake by 7 AM most weekend days last summer and very few boats putting in after 2 PM, this year we’re planning on starting our two hour shifts at 6 AM and going until 2 PM.

Please Consider Volunteering!

Please consider volunteering for our Courtesy Boat Inspection program! This is a very  important initiative and we need help protecting Clary Lake. A few things to consider:

1. First and foremost, Courtesy Boat Inspections are important. We’re all stewards of Clary Lake and volunteering for our CBI program is a great way to do something to protect Clary Lake.
2. Being a Courtesy Boat Inspector is fun! You get to be outside and talk to people about fishing, boating, and of course, Clary Lake. Bring a folding chair, a cold drink (or a hot coffee), and a book. Or a fishing rod 🙂
3. Conducting courtesy boat inspections is easy and not particularly physically demanding! With just a little training, almost anyone can do it, and we’ll provide that training.
4. Many of our volunteers work as teams with one member talking to the boat owner and filling out the inspection form while the other inspects the boat and trailer. Team up with your spouse, child, or friend!
5. No long term commitment required! We try to schedule shift coverage one to two weeks in advance. If you’re not available, you’re not available.
6. You don’t need to be a Clary Lake Association member to volunteer for our Courtesy Boat Inspection program. This isn’t a membership drive, it’s Call to Action to help safeguard Clary Lake from invasive aquatic plants. Clary Lake is a valuable natural resource and even people without an interest in joining the CLA can still help out with CBI.

If you’re interested in volunteering this summer or you think you are but have some questions or reservations, please get get in touch with George Fergusson or use our Contact Form to send us a message and we’ll get back to you.