Lee's Initial Reactions to Petition

Motorized, wake-producing activities on Holland Pond:

1. are not common, traditional recreational uses
   Maybe they should have done some research. This is just false information. Lorraine water-skied on Holland Pond in the 50s/60s! I grew up water-skiing, tubing, and for a short time, jet-skiing on Holland Pond in the 80s/90s.
   
   
2. disrupt the enjoyment of traditional uses of Holland Pond (paddling, fishing, quiet recreation)
   Want to know what another "quiet traditional use" is? Sitting on shore and enjoying the lake - including watching family boaters, paddlers, and fishermen, from AFAR. Guess what disrupts this enjoyment? Annoying paddlers 4 feet off shore gawking at my camp!!! Goes both ways!
   
   
3. create possible safety issues of other recreational uses
   Seeing as water-skiing is a traditional recreational use (refer to #1 above), paddlers pose potential hazards to skiers as well! Let's go ahead and call this a wash.
   
   
4. contribute to shoreline erosion problems
   This is complete BS! The shoreline is mostly granite! Ice movement, storms, and other natural events contribute to shoreline erosion.
   
   
5. are potentially harmful to water quality, flora and fauna
   Please! The amount of traffic on Holland Pond is negligible, environmentally speaking. That's why motorized activity isn't already prohibitted. It's a large lake, with only a few boats. Or it was, until all this publicity!
   
   
6. threaten the wilderness-like characteristics of the area
   Gag me. In the problem-solving field of study, this is what we call a stream of "junk words", which is just a kind phrase for "crap". It's subjective and vague.
   
   
7. are not compatible with low-intensity use management of adjacent wildlife management area
   Funny, seems it's been compatible for a decade. Seems to be working out just fine.