ROXBURY – The Silver Lake Camp Owners Association has been awarded a grant to conduct courtesy boat inspections.

The program, funded by the Maine Department of Environmental Protection and administered by Lakes Environmental Association, is designed to help protect Maine lakes from invasive aquatic plants. invasive aquatic plants.

Among them is milfoil, which is a nonnative plant that infests bodies of water and has no natural enemies or controls.

There are some 30 lakes and ponds in Maine that have some form of infestation. The biggest invader is variable leaf milfoil, which is as close as Lake Auburn.

The volunteer boat inspection program will help raise awareness of the invading hitchhikers and how they are transported from location to location.

The association is looking for volunteers willing to invest a little of their time to help protect Silver Lake and the water shed. Those able to help protect the pond should contact either Michael K Ronan by calling 545-2119 or e-mail [email protected] or Matt Towle at 401-524-3249 or [email protected].