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approximately 54-twenty pound bags of milfoil taking 73 hours. We removed approximately 130-twenty pound bags of milfoil from Windham taking 117 hours. A few of the hours from each town are used for surveying. We are also fortunate to have a past crew member and a master fisherman scout areas that have been reported to us with concerns of milfoil. A native plant called water marigold has similar characteristics to the invasive variable milfoil. Most of the time when responding we find it is the native plant that we want to maintain to keep the milfoil from growing. Our diver reports there is a healthy bed of native Whether you put in and take out your boat for your summer use or just for the day, you are greeted by our team Jim and Jackie Fitzgerald. Their first job is to check your boat, trailer and gear for anything that is invasive that may carry into or out of the lake. Most know that we have invasive variable milfoil which even the smallest fragment can spread to other lakes or into our lake. There are other invasive plants and organisms that are close to our Maine border that we need to know how to recognize and avoid spreading. We are lucky to report that vigilant checking found no invasive plants. During this inspection the State requires us to record where boats are coming from, times of entry and exit, motorized or non-motorized, and report information

plants growing and schools of fish that are more plentiful than before. Let’s all do our part to keep the plants native or invasive under control. Remember that sand contains phosphorous and acts like fertilizer for the underwater vegetation. Please inform your neighbors who want that sandy beach, as all of us would like, to avoid putting sand down. Thank you goes to those who report, those who volunteer and those who care enough to keep the lake in a native condition to avoid an imbalance that ultimately will cause negative impacts to the lake. on a bi-weekly basis with a final report at the end of the year to receive grant money. To some people’s surprise our number of boats entering and leaving dropped by 266 boats. The total last year was 1917 and this year was 1651. The secondary benefit for having the Fitzgerald team is their assistance with parking. Many days over 30 boats needed to be turned away due to no space. They endure frustrated people’s comments but also embrace those who thank them for making the transition to and from the lake an easy task. Jim and Jackie had out educational material and provide a safe environment the boating experience. The Board of Directors and membership thank them for their service.

Courtesy Boat Inspections and Boat Ramp Report 2017 By Pam Wilkinson

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