By Eagle Times Staff
Supporters and opponents of wakesports are expected to show up for a public hearing Tuesday in Richmond, Vt.
Ahead of the Environmental Conservation Department hearing at the Richmond Free Library, Responsible Wakes for Vermont Lakes will hold a rally in support of managing wakesports.
The rally will be at 4 p.m. and the hearing will begin at 5 p.m. It is the fourth and final in-person hearing on the rule that regulates where wakesports may be conducted on public waters.
Wake surfing involves a boat creating a wake large enough for people to ride a surfboard as if it were an ocean wave.
According to Responsible Wakes for Vermont Lakes, the large wakes disturb the natural environment, endanger public safety and on a smaller lake preclude the traditional pursuits of swimming, fishing, sailing paddling, and waterskiing.
Speakers at the rally will include environmental scientists and activists, paddlers, anglers, sailors and residents speaking on the damages caused by wake surfing. Responsible Wakes says it has more than a thousand supporters who use 26 lakes, and favors a strong rule that keeps wakesports more than 1,000 feet from shore in deep water.
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