The writer is a member of the Dummerston Conservation Commission
DUMMERSTON-A friend of mine visited Sunset Lake in Dummerston to enjoy the beauty of the area and listen to the loons. While she was appreciating her time there, a family was, too.
Unfortunately, the adults were hitting golf balls into the reservoir. She asked them to stop and they refused. It is important to note that Sunset Lake is a reservoir, and is a water supply for Brattleboro!!
According to an article in Chemical and Engineering News, these days, a golf ball is typically made of a butadiene rubber center surrounded by one or more rubber mantles and topped off with a tough skin. These outer layers are made from blends of high-performance ethylene copolymers known as ionomeric resins, which harden through ionic crosslinking between negatively charged acid groups and positively charged metal salts, such as zinc and sodium salts.
According to the website Tomorrow Golf, Traditional golf balls are crafted from synthetic materials such as rubber, plastic, and metal, which can take centuries to decompose. As they break down, these materials release harmful chemicals into the environment, polluting water bodies and endangering marine life. During that entire time, animals and plants are absorbing the chemicals, which is why they are so detrimental.
Please don't use Sunset Lake, or any body of water, as a golf course. And if you see someone hitting golf balls into the reservoir or any other body of water, please ask them, in a kindly fashion, to stop.
Lynn Levine
Dummerston
The writer is a member of the Dummerston Conservation Commission
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