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Federation Position On Berlin Pond Vermont's Washington County Superior Court has before it a case filed by the City of Montpelier in which the city seeks to bar all recreational use of the Berlin Pond. In the initial public court proceeding, officers of the Vermont Federation of Sportsmen's Clubs who were present in the audience were seriously disappointed with the backpedaling actions of the lawyers representing the State of Vermont. As the judge attempted to identify a state agency willing to represent the public interests of the State of Vermont in this case these lawyers for the state took repeated actions to dissassociate their agencies from the case. It was obvious the judge was confounded by the unwillingness of the state's lawyers to have their agency involved in the case. Though the City of Montpelier uses the Berlin Pond as a source for its water, the city has a water treatment plant to purify its water. There is no reason for the City of Montpelier to bar public non-motorized recreational use of the pond. Therefore, the Vermont Federation of Sportsmen's Clubs holds that the Berlin Pond should be available for the recreational use of non-motorized water vessels, fishing and hunting. The federation further holds that it is the duty of the agencies of the State of Vermont to represent these public recreational rights in the case before the court.