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Recent Opinion & Letters Out with the new, in with the old Dog regs are much needed Just give her peace Safety Corner: Plan your own fire escape Letter: Will regs ruin Mt. Misery?

Mt. Misery dog regulations are unnatural
By Nancy Bryant/ Guest Commentary
Thursday, March 31, 2005

Below is an abridged version of the letter I submitted to the Lincoln Conservation Commission when I learned of their move to require all dogs to be on leash at Mt. Misery. I fully believe that the claims of dogs damaging the environment are blown out of proportion. I fear the commission's long-range goal is to ban dogs completely and to that end they have set up new rules that are bound to fail (for instance, requiring dog poop to be removed but providing no disposal container).
     Mt. Misery is not a museum or nature preserve; it is conservation land meant for use. Dogs are "man's best friend;" as a society we need to provide for their welfare too. There exists a beautiful synergy between the regular walkers, their dogs and the land of Mt. Misery that will be destroyed by a full-time leash law. I hope that compromise is possible here. Please note that although I work professionally in this region, I write this opinion as a private citizen.
     To the Lincoln Conservation Commission:
     I have walked Mt. Misery for 21 years. I know this land like the back of my hand. I have made wonderful friends here, always learning the dogs name first! I have seen how trees foam at the base of their trunks in a pouring rain; I have witnessed the brilliant lime green of spring leaves filling the view down to the river. Mt. Misery nurtures my soul, it inspires my work.
     Because of a limited few, you are changing our experience forever - a leash walk is not the same experience for you or for your dog. Personally, I have a bad back and my dog has bad arthritis, we both must exercise for our health, yet a leash would worsen both our conditions. One can no longer cross-country ski, snowshoe or push a baby stroller with your dog unless you're incredibly dexterous. A dog can no longer retrieve a ball, stick or Frisbee. Walking with a leash changes everything, I am sure that you recognize that.
     The great majority of dog owners are responsible and courteous, their dogs are under voice control, and they are excellent stewards of the land, keeping an eye on the property, respecting and protecting wildlife, alerting the police about suspicious behavior, picking up the occasional piece of litter (there's never much there).
     To insist that dogs are degrading the environment, widening trails, disturbing mammals and amphibians, is an opinion, backed by no scientific data of either degradation or of dogs as the source. To suggest that a dog swimming in the Sudbury River damages the river is extremism, and it unfortunately gives environmentalists a bad name. In my observations as an environmental scientist, I don't see any evidence of this purported damage. I do, however, see runoff from large manure piles in the field, significant sedimentation from the parking lot into the stream, and oil sheens on the pond from runoff from Route 117. These three runoff issues are real environmental damage that certainly affect habitat and ought to be addressed.
     Over the years, the parking lot has been intentionally reduced to fit fewer cars (only 16 parking spaces for 227 acres; that's an ecologically favorable ratio of more than 14 acres per parking space). Ironically, not repairing the parking lot has been bad for the environment but a good deterrent to use, whether or not that was the intention.
     I have witnessed degradation at Mt. Misery, but none of it has been caused by dogs, in fact, some of it would be worse if not for the presence of the daily dog walkers: The serious runoff problems described above, car break-ins, flat tires (mine was one) caused by the rutted parking lot, bottles left by partiers, bonfire remnants, kids hiding in the woods firing BB guns at hikers, horse manure in the middle of trails, erosion from mountain bikes, the occasional lone man following a single woman in the woods (thank goodness for the protection of our dogs), poison left by someone of criminally ill intent that was ingested by several dogs nearly killing them (and I'm sure that it was also consumed by wildlife), and a baby fawn sliced in half by a hay baler in the field.
     Mt. Misery was purchased with the aid of federal dollars for passive recreation for people from any town. People need to connect to nature and dogs need to exercise, including swimming for many breeds. They need to socialize in order to be good canine citizens. Dogs need to play, but playing with a leash on can lead to strangulation. Leashes will cause more problems than they will solve. Ask any animal behaviorist; leashes often lead to aggression between dogs.
     For those who do not like dogs, they can walk at Walden Pond or on the huge tracts of the Great Meadows National Wildlife Refuge where dogs are banned entirely. They have other choices, but do we? I suppose we do. There are hundreds of miles of relatively undiscovered conservation trails in Lincoln, but I don't think that these choices are as good for dog walkers or for Lincoln residents.
     We appeal to you not to punish the majority because of the tales of the few. All those who love and enjoy this special land with their dogs are learning a new meaning for the name "Mt. Misery" as our hearts are broken.
     We plead with you for compromise. Maybe require leashes on the weekends and in the fields. Possibly require dogs to be leashed when passing people without dogs. Charge us money for the privilege of walking dogs unleashed. But this "all or nothing approach," with no communication with the dog walking community, no opportunity for us to have input or effect change with the minority who you claim to be causing problems, is unfair. Please, let's work together. I am sure there is common ground to be found here for the good of us all.
     Nancy Bryant is a Lexington resident.
     

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