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Show brought about by a growing population, over- crowding in cities, shorter work hours, better roads and means of transportation, and a more general acceptance of the principle of vacation leave with pay for most groups of workers. Although there is increasing pressure for recrea- tion facilities, conversely, there are trends which tend to reduce the number and extent of recrea- tion areas available to the public. Many of the larger lakes and ponds in the vicinity of urban areas have been set aside for water supply uses. Be- cause the prospect for public recreation areas does not look encouraging, more and more individuals and organizations are acquiring and restricting lands adjacent to the most desirable fishing streams, lakes, and bathing beaches for their own use. Thus the recreation facilities available to the general pub- lic are shrinking concurrently with an increasing demand. This is less true in the upper part of the basin, in the less populated areas, and on public lands like the national forests. The forest lands of the basin, especially in mountain areas, are an important recreation resource. As a further result of this situation, artificial reservoirs, with the exception of single-purpose flood control reservoirs, will become increasingly important in meeting recreation needs in the years ahead. Where feasible, therefore, reservoirs oper- ated for recreation needs insofar as consistent with their primary objectives, will answer a real need. The contribution that farm ponds and small arti- ficial lakes can make in helping meet increasing recreation needs should not be overlooked, particu- larly in the lower basin. Farm ponds generally have been considered only as a source of farm water supply. More recently, however, the success attained with fish has justified considering ponds as an important potential recreation resource. A good pond, properly managed for fish, can contribute to the recreation needs of more than a farm family. There are opportunities for farmers to supplement their income by charging a nominal fee for fishing privilege or by leasing pond sites. Conclusions The recr-eation situation in densely populated areas such as the Connecticut Basin calls for imag- ination and a venturesome spirit on the part of the people and their government. It calls for a more general reaL ization of the ultimate adverse effect of the present trend to restrict, rather than expand, recreation opportunities for the general public. Therefore: (1) Recreation must be given careful consider- ation in plans for full development of water resources. (2) Restrictions which are now resulting in a decrease in the recreation areas available to the public call for two courses of action: Local government units should study further the possibilities of meeting recreation needs for water in areas where water supplies are dedicated exclusively to water supply purposes. State and local governmental units should ac- quire rights to streams, lakes, and beaches so as to provide opportunity for public enjoyment of these resources. Also, where lands are publicly acquired for watershed protection purposes, Federal and other public agencies should endeavor to obtain lands containing desirable fishing waters and pro- vide public access to them. (3) Consideration must be given to the effects on recreation in selecting reservoir project sites, establishing reservoir operating levels, and deter- mining methods of operation. (4) Steady increase in demand for warm water game fish and the number of people affected in New England demand that considerable weight should be given to sport fishing when in conflict with other water uses, and that all benefits from development of the recreation industry associated with sport fish- ing be properly assessed. The construction of farm ponds as a means of adding to the warm water game fish supply should be encouraged. C. The Character of Development 1. Adequacy of Basic Data Essential for Basin Development The Problem Adequacy in quality and quantity of basic data for planning and programing water resources and related development in the basin. The Situation Coverage of the basin by United States Geologi- cal Survey topographic maps is complete, although in some areas these maps do not meet present stand- ards of map accuracy. In many areas of Vermont and New Hampshire and in parts of Connecticut the maps are based on surveys made several decades 500 |