Felt-soled waders banned in VT

Felt-soled waders banned in VT

July 14, 2010

On April 1, 2011, it will be illegal to use felt-soled waders or boots in Vermont’s rivers and streams.

Due to the spread of didymo and other aquatic invasive species, several states, including Vermont, have already enacted or are proposing legislation to ban felt-soled wading shoes.

H.488

Vermont Representative David Deen introduced a bill in the 2010 Vermont Legislature banning the manufacture and sale of felt soled waders, which was amended to ban the use of felt soles in the waters of Vermont. The bill passed the House and the Senate, and was enacted into law at the end of May.

The prohibition of felt-soled boots and waders reads, “It is unlawful to use external felt-soled boots or external felt-soled waders in the waters of Vermont, except that a state or federal employee or emergency personnel, including fire, law enforcement, and EMT personnel, may use external felt-soled boots or external felt-soled waders in the discharge of official duties.”

The Agency of Natural Resources will post information relating to the ban at all public access areas along rivers, and will include information about cleaning gear at locations where hunting and fishing licences are sold.

For the complete text of H.488, follow this link.

For more information about didymo, visit our Didymo Information page.