Give Time

Lend a hand. Make a difference.
And meet your neighbors while you're at it.

East Pond is cared for by the East Pond Association: neighbors, seasonal residents, families, and local partners who give their time to protect the lake we all love. Whether you have an hour, a weekend, or a specific skill to offer, there’s a way to get involved that fits your interests and availability.

Explore the opportunities below to see where your time can make a meaningful difference.

Want to raise your hand? Let us know at info@eastpond.org.

Become a Courtesy Boat Inspector (CBI)

When it comes to invasive plants, the best defense is a good offense. Help prevent invasive species from entering East Pond by volunteering for a CBI shift at the public boat launch. Volunteers greet boaters, offer education, and conduct brief inspections. Training is provided — no prior experience needed.

Paid CBI coverage is one of our largest annual expenses, and East Pond leads the Belgrade Lakes in reducing those costs through strong volunteer participation. Every volunteer shift directly protects the lake and lowers our annual expenses.

Timing: CBI take place during peak boating hours from Memorial Day through early October. Volunteers sign up for flexible shifts throughout the season- shifts can be as short as two hours and work around your schedule constraints.

Good for: people-friendly volunteers, flexible schedules, full time and summer residents.

Volunteer for CBI

Monitor our shoreline for invasive plants

Help monitor a specific stretch of East Pond or Serpentine shoreline for erosion, invasive plants, and stormwater issues. You can adopt any stretch you can access from the water, and all we ask is that you inspect it twice a year and report any findings. We make training regularly available to help you learn to identify problematic species on our watch list.

Curious but not ready to commit? Keep an eye out for one of our twice-annual Plant Paddles where you'll be matched with an expert on plant identification from 7 Lakes Alliance.

Timing: Adopt-a-Shoreline monitoring is fully flexible and can be done on your own schedule from spring through early fall. The duration depends on the length of the shoreline you're monitoring. Group plant paddles typically take 3-4 hours and take place on designated mornings in June and August.

Good for: homeowners, paddlers, frequent shoreline users.

Volunteer for Adopt-a-Shoreline

Volunteer for a Plant Paddle

Make your property "Picture Perfect"

East Pond had participated in the statewide LakeSmart program since 2009, with nearly 60 properties earning recognition for their shoreline stewardship. In 2025, we launched a new program — Picture Perfect — designed specifically for East Pond and led by longtime board member, geologist, and LakeSmart evaluator Mel Croft.

Picture Perfect keeps the core principles of LakeSmart but offers more flexibility and fairness for historical and legacy properties that can make significant progress even if they cannot meet the rigid old criteria. Instead of a numerical score, Picture Perfect uses a simple green / yellow / red system that recognizes meaningful improvements.

The program also celebrates the stewardship many residents are already practicing — including those who previously fell just short of LakeSmart’s evolving requirements.

At our 2025 Annual Meeting, Mel awarded the first Picture Perfect awards to two property owners who have worked incredibly hard to protect their shoreline but were excluded under the old system. Picture Perfect ensures their efforts — and the efforts of many others — can now be acknowledged.

Timing: Picture Perfect evaluations take about 2-3 hours and are conducted throughout the summer, scheduled directly with interested property owners. Our volunteer evaluators will work with you to find a convenient time.

Good for: shoreline owners who want to learn Best Management Practices (BMP), make improvements to their property, and be recognized for their stewardship.

Request information about Picture Perfect evaluation

Plan community gatherings with our Fun Bunch

Help plan and support the community gatherings that make East Pond special — including annual favorites like Band on a Boat and the Winter Gathering on the ice. Volunteers assist with logistics, outreach, set-up, and creative ideas.

Timing: Event planning and volunteer needs occur throughout the year, especially in the weeks leading up to major community events like the Annual Meeting and Band on a Boat in July.

Good for: social connectors, organizers, anyone who loves community spirit.

Join the Fun Bunch

Help us raise the funds to protect our lake

Support the long-term health of East Pond by helping with donor identification and outreach, campaign planning, materials, and events that sustain both annual stewardship and the East Pond Preservation Fund.

Timing: Fundraising efforts take place year-round, with most activity concentrated between late winter and early fall.

Good for: writers, communicators, relationship-builders, grant writers, and anyone passionate about lake stewardship.

Join the Fundraising Taskforce

Join our all-volunteer leadership team

We are actively expanding our committees, taskforces, and board as we identify the next generation of future stewards. We especially welcome individuals with skills in:

Technology & website support
Communications, marketing, and branding
Environmental science
Finance & nonprofit governance
Grant writing (a top priority)
Maine state and local advocacy
Social media
Community engagement
Education

Timing: Leadership roles involve year-round engagement, with a 2-hour monthly board meeting commitment and work shared across committees and taskforces. All board applicants must be vetted by our nominating committee and we prioritize applicants who have served on a committee or taskforce.

If you’re interested in contributing at a leadership level now or in the future, we would love to talk with you.

Request information about leadership roles

Give Time

Lend a hand. Make a difference. And meet your neighbors while you're at it.

Become a Courtesy Boat Inspector (CBI)

Lend a hand. Make a difference.
And meet your neighbors while you're at it.