To all our friends on Watchic Lake,

I’m thrilled to say LakeSmart was active on 54 lakes and ponds (23 more than 2015) in 13 Maine counties in 2016. Our combined efforts engaged 212 lakefront homeowners. 135 of them received the coveted LakeSmart Award, and 55 are LoonSmart. LakeSmart volunteers across Maine reported over 1,000 hours of volunteer service. According to Independent Sector, which assigns a dollar value to volunteer hours by state, LakeSmart volunteers contributed $21,462 to protecting Maine lakes in 2016!

This year saw tremendous growth, some real program improvements, and recognition of LakeSmart as a force for lake protection.

To all our LakeSmart volunteers, I’d like each of you to know that I can’t thank you enough for all the hours so freely given, for the questions, critiques, and contributions that are improving our shared project, for your generosity in helping colleagues on sister lakes, and for your tireless enthusiasm. You continually inspire and amaze me, and I would be truly grateful if you could forward my thanks to the screeners and evaluators on your team.

Maggie Shannon

Executive Director of the Maine Lakes Society and Coordinator for the LakeSmart Homeowner and Education Program

Click here to learn more about LakeSmart on Watchic Lake