DCR Proposes New Regs

[michele biscoe]

Dear Fells Dog Owners,

It is finally happening.  For years the DCR, which was formed when Governor Romney merged the former Division of Environmental Management (DEM) and the Metropolitan District Commission (MDC), has been promising to come up with consistent regulations for all the properties it manages by combining the old DEM regulations at state parks outside of greater Boston and the old MDC regulations at parks within greater Boston.

The DCR has released its draft rules and regulations. There will be a single public meeting Thursday, January 10, 2013, 7:00 p.m. – 8:30 p.m. at Ponkapoag Golf Course, 2167 Washington Street, in Canton, MA.

The draft regs and the meeting notice are available online: http://www.mass.gov/dcr/news/publicmeetings/policiesandregsupcoming.htm

The Coalition of Massachusetts Dog Groups (MassDOG) discusses four proposed changes to the rules and regulations that will impact the way that we enjoy our state parks with our dogs (http://www.massdog.org/2012/12/new-rules-and-regulations-for-state-parks/):  

1. Prohibiting dogs on all state beaches from from April 1 through September 30;
2. Establishing a "leash law" in state forests outside of greater Boston where voice control has been the longstanding customary use;
3. Requiring commercial dog walkers--defined as "any person who receives compensation for walking one or more dogs"--to obtain and display a special use permit; and
4. Empower the DCR to designate areas where dogs are allowed off-leash.

I'm planning to attend the public meeting tomorrow and participate in the formal hearing process that will be conducted early this year.  Join me for the fun! fun! fun!

Best,

Michele

with Strummer (standard poodle)

[Chris Paddock]

Hi Michele,

I fully intended to make this meeting, as these new rules are truly detrimental to my current lifestyle, but the flu wouldn't allow it.

How did it go? Do you think there is an opportunity to negotiate some of these points, particularly the voice-control rules in DCR parks?

Thanks!

Chris

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From: michele biscoe <mic...@fellsdog.org>
To: fellsdog <fell...@googlegroups.com>
Sent: Monday, January 7, 2013 5:13 PM
Subject: [FellsDOG] DCR Proposes New Regs

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[michele (with Strummer)]

Dear Chris,

I'm sorry you were sick last month.  I hope you are feeling well now!  I'm sorry, too, that I've been out of touch.

Charlene and I went to the meeting together.

Interestingly, the majority of the people there were members of the equestrian group, Bay State Trail Riders Association (BSTRA).  They were upset about the definition of "Pets" in the new proposed regulations, which includes horses. They pointed out that, in the general laws  (M.G.L.), horses are defined as "livestock" and discussed some interesting unitended consequences of defining horses as "pets" including

a. the proposed limit of three "pets" at a campsite would put a family camping with two horses and two dogs in violation of the regulations

b. the rule about cleaning up pet waste would apply to them, too.

Regarding the restriction of no more than three pets on a campsite, a man described how he camps in an RV with five dogs.  He said that the number of dogs should not be the issue, but rather whether or not the dogs are under control.

The point that I made--which appeared to be well received--is that we should be wary of a "cookie cutter" solution given how different specific properties across the state are from one another.

I talked about having met people who visit parks west of 495 and being regaled with stories of the wonderful sense of community that is shared by people who participate in different kinds of recreational activities, in particular people who use trails with their dogs under voice control  and the other trail users they meet who have only friendly greetings for them and their dogs.

I reminded the DCR that, during the Resource Management Planning (RMP) process for the Middlesex Fells Reservation, they found the Fells to be unique and remarkable for the "strong passions" that it evokes in users and the conflict that these strong passions provoke between different user groups.  I suggested that the Fells might not be so unique after all and that the DCR should be careful before it prepares public information--on its website, in brochures and on signage--requiring that dogs be on leash in places where, by longstanding customary use, people keep their dogs under voice control. I predicted that if signs requiring that dogs be on leash go up at properties where users are accustomed to voice control three things will happen:

1. People who have been visiting the property for years with their dogs under voice control will be angry that the policy changed without their involvement and input, and
2. People who formerly had happy encounters with the owners of dogs under voice control will now look at these same dog owners and say "Criminal!" "Lawbreaker!"
3. All of these people will have worse experiences visiting the park.

Samantha Overton, Deputy Director of Urban Parks, asked MassDOG (the Coalition of Massachusetts Dog Owner Groups to provide language for them about voice control that they could use in the regulations.

MassDOG has suggested revisions to section 12.13: Rules of Conduct on DCR Properties – Pets (Pages 31-32) of the draft Parks and Recreation Rules and Regulations (http://www.massdog.org/2013/02/143/).

A formal hearing process, including statewide public hearings and a public comment period, will be conducted in accordance with requirements of the Massachusetts Secretary of State in early 2013. For more information, please call the DCR at 617-626-4974 or email DCR.U...@state.ma.us.

Best,

Michele

[PAUL E KEANE]

Michelle, Thanks to you and Charlene for attending the meeting.

While I fear that the DCR will indeed throw the cookie cutter solution at Essex Fells, i do want to say that my Border Collie (Chance) is highly trained and under complete voice control.   The number of places we can walk dogs like mine is diminishing every year.  

I hate it when I see a dog owners using a leash to drag a dog from one point to the next.  It would seem a good idea to suggest incorporating dog training into a program at the Fells to teach owners the correct way to leash train their dogs, to teach them to come and stay.  wouldn't that help sweeten our appeal to the DCR?

Thanks,

Paul Keane

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