Refuge dog ban begins
By Jon Brodkin and Chris Cassidy/ Staff WriterS
Thursday, July 7, 2005
Fido isn't welcome here anymore.
The Great Meadows and Oxbow national wildlife refuges are telling dog owners their pooches are no longer allowed within the sanctuaries. It turns out man's best friend is ticking off his wild neighbors, including birds, squirrels and river otters.
"Dogs, when they're off the leash, they'll chase just about anything that's moving," said Michael Dixon, visitor services manager for the Eastern Massachusetts National Wildlife Refuge Complex. "The real problem is people view the refuge as their backyard or a local park and they don't recognize it as being part of a national system."
Many dog owners don't observe leash rules, Dixon said, creating conflicts between the pets and wildlife. And since wild animals cannot distinguish between leashed and unleashed dogs, even a secured pooch can cause species to abandon their nests or young, leaving them vulnerable to predators or starvation, officials said.
A number of other factors played into the refuge decision. Dog waste can harm water quality and create an unsightly nuisance, and dogs can also intimidate other refuge visitors and interfere with wildlife education and observation, officials said.
Barring dogs from the refuges will be slightly controversial, said Elizabeth Herland, the Eastern Massachusetts refuge complex manager. But, she said, it's the right thing to do, and people will adjust.
"There are so many places where people are allowed to walk their dogs, including natural areas. Most people will just have to make a minor change in their habits," Herland said.
Great Meadows borders eight towns, including Concord, Framingham, Sudbury and Wayland. Oxbow is in Ayer, Harvard, Lancaster and Shirley.
The no-dogs rule was formalized in the new comprehensive conservation plans for the two refuges. Federal officials reviewed more than 2,000 public comments on the plans, which included 130 opposing the dog ban, Dixon said. The plans place a priority on six public uses, including fishing, hunting, wildlife observation and photography and education, he said.
The Assabet River refuge, which opened to the public this year, never allowed dogs, and there are several other examples of such prohibitions. The Massachusetts Audubon Society started banning dogs in 1981 because of threats they pose to wildlife, especially endangered species, said Ted Clark, the group's public relations manager.
The Sudbury Valley Trustees do allow dogs on their lands, but issue guidelines to owners to minimize impacts on wildlife and other visitors.
"We basically are sympathetic with people who want to walk their dogs in a responsible way, and we're happy to have them use our properties for that purpose," said Ron McAdow, the trustees' executive director. "There's that contingency that we do need them to be responsible to the other users of the property and to the plants and animals."
McAdow said there's logic behind the refuge ban, but said some dog owners may not understand why hunting would be allowed but not dog walking.
Dog owner Steve Orr, a member of the Framingham Conservation Commission, said he doesn't object to the dog ban.
"I think they got a point," Orr said. "There are a lot of animals out there that have like a really visceral reaction to dogs. They don't care about a lot of things, but they get really freaked out by dogs."
Jogger research
Running will also be prohibited on impoundment trails during certain times as part of a three-year research project to determine if jogging has an impact on wildlife.
Runners will only be allowed to utilize impoundment trails every other week, starting this week and stretching until Dec. 4. During weeks that impoundment trails are closed, runners will be able to jog elsewhere on the refuge.
Stephanie Koch, a wildlife biologist at the refuge, said she has heard feedback from about a half-dozen park-goers, mostly happy with the solution. Although she said about two were dissatisfied with the plan.
Officials at the refuge have planned to study the impact of jogging on birds since July of 2003. But many residents encouraged refuge officials to continue to allow jogging. In its comprehensive conservation plan released in January 2005, the refuge determined it would allow but not encourage jogging on the impoundment trails.
After the 22-week research period, officials will analyze data and determine whether to permanently ban jogging at the refuge.
Among the other changes, refuge officials will soon install two cameras connected to laser beams that will snap photographs whenever visitors walk by. Koch said the idea is to measure the percentages of different activities, from birding to photography, that take place at the refuge.
"It's important for us to know how many people use the impoundment and what the uses are," Koch said.
After the photos are analyzed, they'll be deleted. And refuge officials insist the photos will not be used for law enforcement purposes.
A series of changes have been announced at the refuge over the past six months. In January, officials announced they would allow shotgun hunting of water foul and bow-and-arrow hunting of deer. Also announced was the creation of a voluntary entrance fee.
At the time, refuge officials admitted some of the changes would be controversial.
"My experience has been when you institute change, you initially hear from people opposed to the change and not from the people who support it," Koch said.
Koch encouraged anyone with questions to contact the refuge at 978-443-4661.
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