Rangeley Lakes boat inspection season closes

2 mins read
Inspectors check out a boat near Rangeley Lake.

RANGELEY – Rangeley Lakes Heritage Trust wrapped up the Courtesy Boat Inspection program with the close of fishing season in the Rangeley Lakes Region. This year was highly successful, with nearly 1,700 boaters participating in the program, a few boats more than the previous year.

Since 2002, RLHT has diligently checked boats over 25 thousand boats for aquatic hitchhikers, like milfoil. Paid and volunteer inspectors focusing their efforts in high traffic public boat launches, like

The Courtesy Boat Inspection program purpose is threefold; to educate the public of threat aquatic invaders pose, to educate boaters on how to inspect their recreational equipment and lastly, to change the behavior of recreationalist to instinctively inspect their boats when entering and exiting a water body.

It only takes one plant fragment on one boat for an infestation to take hold on a lake. Once established, there is no native predator in to slow its progress and it grows at an expediential rate, rapidly taking over shorelines making the area unsuitable for swimming or fishing.

Support for the Courtesy Boat Inspector program annually comes from the voters of Rangeley, Rangeley Plantation, Dallas Plantation and Sandy River Plantations, along with private donations, and grants from the Maine Department of Environmental Protection and Brookfield Renewable Energy.

We all enjoy the beauty of the waters of our region. You can make a difference; please report any unusual plants growing in your water body to RLHT at (207) 864-7311 or the Maine Volunteering Lake Monitoring Program at VLMP.org

The Rangeley Lakes Heritage Trust maintains traditional public access and uses of its land for recreation, education, and scientific study. They also offer a summer youth program, maintain a water quality program, and offer remote and traditional camping through their social enterprise, Cupsuptic Lake Park & Campground. To learn more about Rangeley Lakes Heritage Trust or how to get involved, visit www.rlht.org.

Print Friendly, PDF & Email

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published.