Have you ever thought that your boots could be causing environmental damage?
Felt-soled boots provide unrivaled grip on slimy rocks and boulders. In fact, no other type of sole even comes close. It’s dangerous to wade through river without felt soles.
New Zealand have banned the use of felt-soled boots since 1998 in an effort to stop the spread of didymo (Didymosphenia geminata) or “rock snot”, a microscopic pest that can be spread by a single drop of water. Evidence have shown that felt-soled boots carry these noxious microorganisms from stream to stream.
While not poisonous, it can be severely damaging to stream habitats and disrupts the sources of food for fish.
Alaska and Vermont have also banned felt-soled boots but there’s some resistance to it, most notably by the fishing community in New Zealand. I’m not sure how it goes but I’m betting that the resistance was futile.
via Technorati.
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