LETTER FROM THE PRESIDENT.

AuthorCampbell, Bradley
PositionCONSERVATION MATTERS - Column

In summertime, water becomes the organizing element of my life, or at least of my free time. The sensory delights of being on New England waters--the awe of a night passage under full sail, the perfect cast of a fly onto a serene river pool, the cacophony of children cavorting on an otherwise quiet lake, the reassuring diesel clatter of a lobster boat at dawn--these are moments of sublime beauty that define our region and our identity.

But beneath the aesthetic and wondrous, New England's waters are among the hardest-working of our natural resources, providing the water we drink, the seafood on our tables, and the experiences driving a regional tourist and recreation economy worth many billions.

Without the magnificent waters of the Cape and Islands, tens of thousands of trades-people, hospitality workers, and their supplying vendors would be idle. Without a flourishing ocean, fleets of whale-watching and fishing vessels would be destined for the scrap heap, their crews left unemployed. Without a resplendent Lake Champlain, hotels and house rentals would sit empty and property values across the area would plummet.

We needn't pause in our rhapsodizing to recognize that both our survival and the prosperity of future generations of New...

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