Mark's Letter

Natural Resources Board

Attn: Chair, Peter Young Jr.
National Life Records Center Building
National Life Drive
Montpelier, Vermont 05620-3201
(802) 828-3309

Regarding: Holland Pond Petition discussion via teleconference on
Friday May 23rd 2008, at 1:30 p.m.

Mr. Chairman,

I would like to request a copy of the minutes to the meeting referenced above, the petition which precipitated this meeting, and any proposed rules that are being considered. Regretfully I was unaware of the petition and the resulting teleconference. I was in the general area that very day and would have gladly attended, had I known.

I am a native of Holland, a lifetime member of the Holland Pond Community, a camp owner, and co-owner of a second camp. My parents were the first, and remain one of only two couples that are year-round residents on the lake. They were not approached with the aforementioned petition, otherwise I would have been aware of this much sooner than I have thus become.

The conditions under which the petition originated and the subsequent “circulation” of the petition seem to me to ooze personal vendetta. Regrettably there appears to be a lack of neighborly relations at the north end of the lake. It would seem a shame that such a personal vendetta would spill over to affect all camp owners and even the general public, under the guise of protecting shoreline. Spring ice movement and natural wave action causes considerably more impact/damage than any boating activity I have ever observed on the lake. I would also point out that the lake's uninhabited shores are naturally protected as they are rimmed with granite boulders, thick scrubby vegetation, and in many places consist of solid granite bed-rock. Any cottages losing shoreline have, most likely, been altered. Generally folks have either removed the naturally occurring boulders, removed stabilizing growth, or filled past the point at which the shoreline would normally reside.

I would also like to take this opportunity to express my concern over the petition and the potential effect of any proposed rule changes on Holland Pond. The historical and continued use(s) of the lake, as an asset to the town and community at large, speaks for itself. It is my personal opinion that the rules and regulations currently governing the use of the lake should remain unchanged, and unfettered by personal agenda or vendetta through unfounded environmental claims. Restrictions of any kind would prove to be detrimental in the loss of tourist income for the state, rental income for some owners, and the greater loss of a safe lake that campers and locals alike can utilize for recreational activities such as water skiing, tubing, and jet skiing.

Thank you for your consideration in this matter.

Respectfully,
Mark D.Tice