I have been a paddler of canoes and kayaks for 30 years. When questioning a paddler friend last summer about why he'd never paddled on Lake Auburn, I found out most kayaks are prohibited. I didn't believe it until I saw a sign at the boat launch that denied access to kayakers, but welcomed power boaters and their boat trailers. I was surprised.

I can understand the necessity of protecting water supplies, but are kayakers somehow "poisonous" while boats with engines are better users? Why are we second-class citizens when it comes to Lake Auburn?

On a recent trip to Bar Harbor, I paddled on beautiful Eagle Lake, also a public water supply. The only ban was "no swimming." Why a different attitude in Auburn than in pristine Acadia?

I called the Auburn Water District and was told, "We don't want any skin touching our water. Those boats turn over and we don't want bodies in our water supply."

All of the paddlers I've known are responsible users and protectors of the environment. We are not knuckle-draggers. We use paddles, not our bare hands to paddle, and we seldom get our feet wet at a decent boat launch. Our goal is to enjoy nature and bring no harm.

I write this in the hope that someone will clear the muddy waters on this question. I could understand banning all boats from the lake to protect the public water supply, but discriminating against paddle crafts doesn't seem to make sense.

Faye Brown, Lisbon Falls