PROGRAMS
COURTESY BOAT INSPECTIONS
The best way to combat invasive plants in Maine waterways is to prevent them from entering in the first place. Recognizing this, in 2001 the Lakes Environmental Association, based in Bridgton, Maine, partnered with the State and other conservation minded organization to produce legislation to protect Maine from the threat. As a result, the Courtesy Boat Inspection and Milfoil Sticker Programs were born CLICK HERE. The new programs and laws have helped slow the spread of the invasive plants by educating boat owners and by making it illegal to transport plant matter. In 2009 the milfoil sticker will be absorbed into registration for instate boaters. Out of state boaters will still need to purchase a sticker, which they can do on line through the Inland Fisheries & Waterways on line store, Click Here, or wherever boats are registered or fishing licenses sold.
Check out the 2008 Milfoil Summit Fact Sheet for information and statistics about the 2008 boat inspection season.
Interested in becoming a Courtesy Boat Inspector?
Each spring TLEA hires a number of Courtesy Boat Inspectors (CBIs) to monitor boat launches at three sites on Thompson Lake. Hours are clustered around weekends and holidays. Boat traffic is usually highest on Saturday and Sunday so inspectors must be able to work at least one weekend day a week. Inspectors talk to and educate boaters to do a self-inspection of their watercraft for invasive aquatic plants as they launch and remove their boat from the water. Reliability, honesty, and good people skills are a must for all CBIs. Inspectors generally start at $8 per hour. To learn more about becoming a Courtesy Boat Inspector, watch the CBI training video CLICK HERE hosted by the Maine Volunteer Lake Monitoring Program or read the Courtesy Boat Inspector Handbook CLICK HERE.
If you are interested in becoming a Courtesy Boat Inspector on Thompson Lake, CLICK HERE, or call Scott Bernardy at 539-8220
“CBI Tate Tibbets greets a boater at Thompson Lake”
