The ANR’s new wake boat regulations went into effect on April 15th. With summer in the rear-view mirror, how well did they work on your lake?
The Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) has indicated there have been few violations involving wake boats reported to the VT State Police Marine Division and local game wardens (Fish and Wildlife) this past summer, but that’s hardly surprising. Given the limited enforcement capacity of these authorities, the public has little incentive to report infractions. Also, finding where to go online to report an infraction can be nearly impossible.
Our Responsible Wakes for Vermont Lakes (RWVL) group is sending this Our Responsible Wakes for Vermont Lakes (RWVL) group is sending this newsletter to encourage you to share what you have observed this summer. First, regarding wake boat activities on your lake:
- Have there been dangerous incidents or disregard of designated wake sport zones?
- Have wake sports negatively impacted the enjoyment of other users on your lake?
- When wake boats show up, are other users leaving the lake or retreating to “safe” places on the lake far from the wake sports zone?
- Are you or other lake users heading to another lake where wake sports are not allowed?
Second, as you probably know, the DEC did not implement the Home Lake sticker system this summer. Additionally, certified effective boat decontamination stations have been located only on Lake Champlain. Without these key aspects of the Home Lake rule in place, there could be no enforcement of this critical aspect of the new regulations this summer. Sharing concerns about enforcement of the Home Lake rule is especially important at this point in time so that they can be addressed in time for the summer of 2025. Regarding the Home Lake Rule:
- Were wake boats from elsewhere launched on your lake?
- Were there concerns about compliance with the Home Lake rule?
We urge you to take a few minutes today to report any violations, concerns, or observations you have regarding how well the new regulations worked this summer. The DEC plans to hold a meeting (likely with remote access) to obtain public feedback on the new regulations and to review input they have received from enforcement agencies about the effectiveness of the new rules. Although a date for that meeting has not yet been released, your comments will help RWVL prepare for that meeting. Your comments may also be helpful to lakes petitioning for stronger wake boating regulations.
Please copy us on your correspondence, so we can have a better understanding of what happened on your lake and so we know where you have submitted your comments. Here are the three links you will need:
- Write the Marine Division of the State Police using their “Submit a Tip” link: https://vsp.vermont.gov/tipsubmit.
- Call or write (if you can get his/her address) your local game warden.
- Remember to copy RWVL at responsiblewakesvt@gmail.com. We are especially interested in observations you might not feel significant enough to report to the authorities.
Feel free to email us if you need help submitting your information to these groups.
In addition to requesting feedback regarding wake boat activities on your lake this summer, we want to call your attention to the recent, compelling 7-minute video released by the Wisconsin Lakes at Stake group entitled, “Downward Prop Wash – Hidden Problems“ (https://www.youtube.com/watch?reload=9&v=DPhdLGrWX0Y). This video supports RWVL’s efforts in seeking to achieve a stronger wake boating rule in Vermont.
After viewing this video, a RWVL supporter wrote us about the hidden problems revealed in this video:
“The film clearly demonstrates how the power of these props combine with the bow angles of the boats and the physics of fluid mechanics to overturn bottom barrier and structure, and re-suspend both toxins and nutrients contributing to algal blooms and inevitably cyanobacteria events.”
Have a look at this video to decide for yourself if it makes a compelling case for the adoption of stronger wake boat management rules in Vermont and elsewhere.
Again, we hope you will take a moment to let us know how the regulations have worked on your lake this summer and report issues to the authorities. Thank you for your continued support for strong wake boat regulation in Vermont.