On January 3, the Agency of Natural Resources (ANR) published their wake boat Final Rule. The next and final step in the ANR petition process –the Legislative Committee On Administrative Rules (LCAR) meeting – will take place on Thursday, February 1.
Before the LCAR meeting is a great time for each of us to review how wake boats and wake sports differ from more traditional boats and recreational water activities and why their regulation is essential in protecting public safety and the environment. A presentation before the Wisconsin Conservation Congress in March 2023 in support of similar regulation provides an excellent summary which can be accessed here: https://www.townofstgermain.org/Library/haz_wk_03-08-23_boats_equipment_activities_meessmann.pdf.
While some enjoy wake boats and wake sports, enjoying them too close to shore has significant adverse impacts on shorelines and lake bottoms. They also create conflicts with other users and threaten the safety of others.
We encourage you to take a close look at the above informative refresher summary on wake boats. It will help remind you why our Responsible Wakes for Vermont Lakes (RWVL) group has worked long and hard for a strong rule regulating wake boats/sports, and why RWVL is so disappointed in the weak 500-foot minimum distance from shore rule filed by ANR on January 3.
Stay tuned … and in the meantime, please continue to send us your stories, comments and questions.