{"id":1555,"date":"2026-02-09T20:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-02-10T01:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/responsiblewakes.org\/?p=1555"},"modified":"2026-02-10T14:05:25","modified_gmt":"2026-02-10T19:05:25","slug":"urgent-act-now-to-protect-vermonts-lakes-from-wakesports","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/responsiblewakes.org\/?p=1555","title":{"rendered":"URGENT: Act Now to Protect Vermont\u2019s Lakes from Wakesports"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><strong>Submit your public comment by the Feb. 20th 4:30 PM&nbsp;<em>DEADLINE<\/em>!<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The Vermont DEC has proposed&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/dec.vermont.gov\/sites\/dec\/files\/documents\/Use_of_Public_Waters_Rules_Proposed_TrackChanges_with%20deconlanguageupdates.pdf\"><\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/dec.vermont.gov\/sites\/dec\/files\/documents\/Use_of_Public_Waters_Rules_TrackChanges.pdf\">improved wakesports rules<\/a>&nbsp;that, if implemented, will prohibit wakesports on an additional 13 Vermont lakes and prioritize&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/dec.vermont.gov\/sites\/dec\/files\/documents\/Summary%20of%20Proposed%20Changes%20to%20VUPW.pdf\"><strong>safety and lake health<\/strong><\/a>&nbsp;over industry interests. However, wake boat industry lobbyists are pushing back hard. Your voice is crucial to ensure these protections cross the finish line.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>This is our last chance to get these highly favorable DEC rules enacted!<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>How You Can Help (Takes 2 Minutes)<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Follow the link below to the&nbsp;<strong>DEC Online Comment Form<\/strong>. There are only 5 short questions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>When the DEC tabulates the responses, we must show overwhelming support!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\ud83d\udc49&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/tinyurl.com\/4fdtbpv9\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><strong>CLICK HERE TO SUBMIT YOUR COMMENT<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Quick Guide for Your Response<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>For Question 3:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>You can provide a &#8220;Simple&#8221; or &#8220;Detailed&#8221; response to <strong>Concerns<\/strong>. Choose what works best for you:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>The Simple Approach:<\/strong>\u00a0State that you support the DEC\u2019s changes in response to your concerns about\u00a0<strong>boater &amp; swimmer safety<\/strong>\u00a0and\u00a0<strong>shoreline erosion.<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>The Detailed Approach:<\/strong>&nbsp;Mention these specific proposed improvements:<ul><li>Increasing the minimum wakesports zone to&nbsp;<strong>100 acres<\/strong>&nbsp;(with a 3,000-foot run). Support as written without flexibility or compromise.<\/li><\/ul>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Expanding safety buffers from 200 feet to&nbsp;<strong>500 feet<\/strong>&nbsp;from other users or in water structures.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>IMPORTANT:<\/strong>&nbsp;For either approach, sharing a personal story about a wake boat encounter or how wakesports have impacted your enjoyment or access to your lake is the most effective way to be heard!<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>For Question 5:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>To ensure maximum protection, check the box that says:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>          <em>&#8220;I support these proposed changes, but they do not go far enough.&#8221;<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Concerns to Share in Your Response to Question 3:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Public Safety:<\/strong>&nbsp;Massive wake waves can suddenly overwhelm swimmers, children, and other boaters.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Infrastructure Gaps:<\/strong>&nbsp;The DEC plans to replace the &#8220;Home Lake Rule&#8221; with hot water decontamination but lacks the necessary funding and timeline to build the required decon stations.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Environmental Damage:<\/strong>&nbsp;High-impact wakes erode shorelines and destroy loon nests. Residual water in ballast tanks&nbsp;can spread invasive species.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Limited Visibility:<\/strong>&nbsp;Heavy aft ballast weight lifts the boat\u2019s bow, significantly impairing the driver\u2019s view of others on the water.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>The Deadline is February 20th.<\/strong>&nbsp;Please take a moment <em>right<\/em> <em>now<\/em> to protect the lakes we love.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Your voice matters!<\/strong>&nbsp;For more information, review the graphic below and visit the&nbsp;<a href=\"http:\/\/responsiblewakes.org\/\">RWVL website<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/responsiblewakes.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/WakeBoat_Graphic_FINAL_RWVL.jpg\" alt=\"\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Submit your public comment by the Feb. 20th 4:30 PM&nbsp;DEADLINE! The Vermont DEC has proposed&nbsp;improved wakesports rules&nbsp;that, if implemented, will prohibit wakesports on an additional 13 Vermont lakes and prioritize&nbsp;safety and lake health&nbsp;over industry interests. However, wake boat industry lobbyists are pushing back hard. Your voice is crucial to ensure these protections cross the finish [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1555","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/responsiblewakes.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1555","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/responsiblewakes.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/responsiblewakes.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/responsiblewakes.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/responsiblewakes.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1555"}],"version-history":[{"count":10,"href":"http:\/\/responsiblewakes.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1555\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1565,"href":"http:\/\/responsiblewakes.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1555\/revisions\/1565"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/responsiblewakes.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1555"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/responsiblewakes.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1555"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/responsiblewakes.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1555"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}