PERU – Worthley Pond has a core of volunteers who donate their time and money to protect the water quality of the pond through the Courtesy Boat Inspection Program.

The program trains volunteers to detect invasive aquatic plants. The inspectors at Worthley Pond are on duty seven days a week at two locations and they ask people entering or leaving the pond to volunteer to let them check the watercraft and fishing equipment for invasive aquatic plant life.

If found, the specimen is bagged and sent to the Voluntary Lake Monitoring Program for classification. Volunteers have identification guides for themselves and educational materials for the public on the subject.

Last winter association President Dave Clement applied for a state grant through the Lake Environmental Association in Bridgton and received $1,600. He also requested, on behalf of the Worthley Pond Association, an appropriation of $500 from the town of Peru. Taxpayers approved the request.

The money, combined with money raised from the Worthley Pond Association Golf Outing, helps sponsor the program that is aimed to detect invasive aquatic plants, such as milfoil, detrimental to ponds.

More than 29 volunteers have donated 496 hours so far this summer, and money has been spent to pay inspectors for 295 hours of inspection. The inspectors, under the guidance of Coordinator John Shea, have inspected 259 watercraft.

The program will continue through September. For more information, call Clement at 562-4611.