One of this year’s challenge participants, The Looney Tune Paddlers, are seen out on the pond enjoying its ambiance. Guest appearance: Skye, the neighborhood dog. (Photo provided)

SARANAC LAKE — The Friends of Moody Pond have reached the halfway point of this year’s Foil the Milfoil: Moody Pond Challenge.

The annual fundraising event began on July 10 and continues through Aug. 7, rain date of Aug. 8. The event is designed to inspire members of the community to support the group’s efforts to protect and preserve Moody Pond by donating or registering a team for the challenge.

The challenge can be any activity such as walking, running, biking, paddling, reading or knitting, as long as it encourages others to join you on a team, or encourages others to sponsor you to complete your challenge within the given timeframe.

To donate, register a team or learn more about this year’s challenge visit: https://friendsofmoodypond.org/the-moody-pond-challenge.

“Our ‘challenge’ this year is to get out and paddle the many lakes, rivers, and ponds that grace our region in an effort to keep Moody Pond pristine and milfoil-free for the wonders of nature that visit the pond and for all of us that are renewed by its serenity and peaceful setting,” said Donna Walsh, a member of the Looney Tunes Paddlers team and a Moody Pond neighbor. “We want our grandchildren and all children to enjoy the pond for generations to come. That’s why the challenge is so important to us.”

Friends of Moody Pond’s main objective at this time is to educate the public and gain control of the Eurasian watermilfoil that has invaded Moody Pond. This aquatic invasive species grows at an alarming rate, crowding out native plants, reducing biodiversity and diminishing wetland habitats. It can form thick, floating mats of vegetation, clogging the water and hindering recreation.

Gaining control is an expensive undertaking and financial support is crucial. One-hundred percent of donations from this event go toward the expense of removing the EWM from Moody Pond. At a cost of $7,500 per week, Friends of Moody Pond have hired the Invasive Solutions Dive Company to hand-harvest and remove EWM each summer.

Last month, divers harvested 575 pounds of Eurasian watermilfoil from the pond over a one-week span, thanks to the financial support from the community from last year’s fundraiser. They’ll return at the end of the summer to harvest for another week.