Most users follow regs
By Cheryl Lecesse/ Staff Writer
Thursday, November 17, 2005
Four months since the dog regulations went into effect at Mt. Misery, conservation officials say users are, for the most part, following the rules.
"I think there's definitely been improvements in the area," said Tom Gumbart, conservation director.
"It's improved quite a bit and most people do seem to be respecting the regulations," said Jane Layton, conservation ranger.
Layton, who works part-time for the Conservation Department, spends time at Mt. Misery and sees firsthand whether dog walkers are following the leash requirement on certain trails.
"If they want their dog off leash then they head for the off-leash trails," she said.
Layton said, when she does run across people who do not have their dogs on a leash along an on-leash trail, they understand and abide by the regulation when she explains it. In many cases dog walkers do not realize they are on an on-leash trail, she said.
But this hasn't always been the case, she said.
"When I would talk to people before about getting their dogs under control, they were kind of surly at times," she said.
And while the commission hearings regarding the regulations were going on, Layton said some dog walkers responded nastily to her requests.
"Now that the new regulations are into effect they seem to be much better about it all," she said.
Regulations regarding dogs at Mt. Misery went into effect July 5, following a process that included heated debate between dog walkers who used the conservation land and the Conservation Commission.
The regulations were developed during a number of public hearings, at which Mt. Misery users expressed their concerns and offered suggestions. The debate over dog regulations at the land began in March, when the commission announced plans to require all dogs to be leashed at all times at the property.
Now, dog walkers are required to keep their dogs on leash on the main trail leading from the parking lot on Route 117 to the agricultural fields, in the agricultural fields, over the top of Mt. Misery and around the two ponds on the property. Walkers will also be required to leash their dogs within about 100 yards of the main parking lot, and to clean up after their dogs.
"I stay on the off-leash trails and I'm glad they allowed that," said Elizabeth Shienbrood of Sudbury, who was at Mt. Misery Monday with her 2-year-old daughter and her dog.
Shienbrood said she has been coming to Mt. Misery for five years.
"It's a treasure," she said. "I feel like it's a very special place for a lot of people."
Shienbrood said she and a few other Mt. Misery users became friends there, had children around the same time, and now hold a playgroup together.
"We all still come here," she said. "It's like a community. We feel safe here."
Layton, however, said there is still a ways to go to get all Mt. Misery users to follow the regulations.
"There's always people who don't respect the rules," she said.
"I really don't follow any rule in my life," said Jim Osborn of Reading, who was walking his border collie Eclipse at Mt. Misery Monday.
Osborn said he has been asked by a conservation ranger to put his dog on leash, when walking off-leash on a leash-required trail. He said he always carries a leash with him, and is quick to leash his dog around others if necessary.
"He's a border collie, so he obeys," he said, saying he understands there are situations in which a dog should be leashed.
"Some people who are not dog people have a right to use the park in a way they choose," he said. "Dog people tend to think everyone loves dogs."
Commissioners said reasons behind the push for regulations included safety concerns - the office continued to receive reports of people being knocked over or jumped on by out-of-control dogs. Although Lincoln does not have a leash law, town bylaws require dogs to be under the control of their owners at all times.
"It seems like we're back in harmony here," said Shienbrood. "Hopefully the commission will relax a little bit."
Since the regulations went into effect, Layton said she has seen more diversity among Mt. Misery's visitors.
"There's a lot more people without dogs, people with small children, elderly people," she said. "I feel like they're safer in there now. In the past a lot of these big dogs would be jumping up on people."
However, Layton said she does not see many of the same people she used to see. Shienbrood said there is one woman who has not returned to Mt. Misery since the regulations went into effect.
"I wish she'd come back," she said.
Layton said enforcing the leash requirement is her top priority. She said dog walkers are quick to pick up after their dogs.
"We have dog bins out there now for people to put dog waste in," she said. "We clean those out once a week. There seems to be plenty of people using them."
Said Layton, "There's still a ways to go because there are always people who will flaunt the rules, but I think we're getting there." | | 
Mary Kerr unleashes her dog, H'Alekalani, while Chris Way watches as they walk trails at Mt. Misery. (Staff photo by Karen Sparacio) |
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