A Call to Action
- Four loons are cavorting in front of our camp this morning as we breakfast on the deck.
- Yesterday I counted two dozen kayaks and paddleboards out enjoying the lake, half of them piloted by children.
- The 9-year-old champion water skier from last year, now 10, performed his waterborne ballet as the sun set over the calm water last night.
- Four anglers in kayaks and small motorboats cast their bait to the wind, but I did not see them catch any fish.
- As I waded out to fix the dock early in the morning, those same curious perch gathered found my bare feet to size up my mettle.
The violent intrusion of even one wake surfer would have made all that impossible here on Lake Elmore.
This is what all of us at Responsible Wakes for Vermont Lakes are working so hard to preserve. And this summer, we need your help more than ever. The next month will determine our petition’s success in regulating wake surfing on Vermont lakes.
Here’s what we need you to do:
- Come to the rally and public hearing in Montpelier on August 1.
- The Vermont Department of Environmental Conservation has proposed a rule regulating wake boats, but as you know it is not strong enough. DEC will take comments on its rule at a public hearing at 5:00 PM on Tuesday August 1 at the Pavilion Auditorium in Montpelier. RWVL and its supporters will rally at 4:00 PM on that day to advocate for a strong rule that keeps wake surfing 1000 feet from shore. We encourage your supporters to speak at the DEC’s hearing. Mark this date on your calendar. We’ll send details soon.
- Participate in the virtual public hearing on August 3.
- If you can’t make the trip to Montpelier, let your opinion be known by commenting at at the online meeting scheduled for August 3. Mark the date. As they are released, we’ll send you details on signing up for this event.
- Get your lake association to endorse the 1000-foot standoff.
- So far 14 associations support this stronger rule, but we need more. Work with your friends and neighbors to make this happen at your association.
- Write a letter to the editor of your local newspaper in support of the stronger rule.
- You may find supporting information and content for your letter at the RWVL website, which you are free to use in your letter. Especially useful are the items on the Media page, and the newsletter on 500 Feet is not Enough.
You’ll be receiving newsletters from us with more frequency this summer as the dates of the hearings approach. In the meantime, enjoy summer on the lake.