From The Harvard Press

By Lynda King

Friday September 26, 2008

Approximately 40 people showed up at the Stow Board of Health meeting Sept. 18 to protest new rules implemented at the Delaney Wildlife Management Project calling for dog owners to have their dogs leashed while on the property and to pick up and remove the animals’ waste. Attendees also expressed concern about a potential ban on dogs at the refuge, which encompasses land in Bolton, Boxborough, and Harvard, as well as Stow.

In a presentation to the board Stow resident Christine Midwood questioned whether tax dollars should be spent policing dog-walkers on the site, adding that the presence of enforcement officers disrupted the peace and beauty of the land. She said that because of the new rules, some dog walkers have taken to walking on the roads instead, which presents a safety issue for both people and their dogs due to the lack of sidewalks, she said. Midwood told the board, “Without a trash can readily available, some dog walkers are picking up poop and leaving it in nonbiodegradable bags along the road.”

Midwood said in her presenation that there would be a decision on Nov. 1 on whether to ban dogs from the park altogether, and offered suggestions to help avoid the need for such a decision. She proposed “creating a culture of cleaning up after dogs” by creating “positive messaging about the importance of keeping [the] park beautiful.” She also suggested that the Stow Board of Health coordinate the implementation of a dog waste cleanup service, at an estimated annual cost of $1,040, initially funded by dog walkers and community organizations. Future funding, she said, could be obtained by increasing the annual dog license fee by $1 and through Town Meeting votes in four towns.

Board of Health spokesperson Terri Cole told the Press this week that board members listened to the presentation and then explained to those gathered why they wrote a letter to the Mass Division of Fisheries and Wildlife in July requesting intervention. In the letter the board asked for a two-year moratorium on dog-walking at Delaney, suggesting that “Special permits could be granted to responsible groups or individuals who wish to use the area to train their dogs” and that “hunting would not be affected.”

Some Harvard residents were concerned that the new rules regarding leashes and cleanup were initiated unilaterally by the Stow Board of Health, without involving boards from the other three towns. Stow Road resident Cindy Buhner, who was unable to attend the Sept. 18 meeting, told the Press this week, “We want a cooperative approach, not a dictated approach.”

Cole said that, since the biggest parking lot for Delaney is in Stow, the Stow health board is the one that receives complaints about the area. She said the board has been receiving complaints about dogs on the property “for years.”

Pat Huckery, district manager for the Division of Fisheries and Wildlife, told the Press there has been “an accumulation of problems with dogs bothering people, and with dog poop” at Delaney for at least five years. She said that after receiving the request from Stow, the department implemented the two policies regarding leashing and cleanup, and added that “people have not been good about complying,” despite the prospect of a $50 fine if caught. She has observed this herself she said, while off duty, walking her own dog at Delaney. She also noted there was a recent incident there where an unleashed dog attacked another dog.

Harvard resident Sue Tokay, whose property abuts Delaney and who attended the Sept. 18 meeting, told the Press she doesn’t necessarily agree with the new rules, but wants to cooperate. She said that supporters of allowing dogs at the refuge will “continue to exert peer pressure” on those who use the area. In an effort to help the situation, she has gone over to clean up dog waste near abutters’ property, she said, and in the process has noticed “a lot of people” there with dogs not on leashes.

“It was interesting to see how many people just don’t get it,” said Tokay.

She added, “There are a lot of occasional users there who don’t read the signs, don’t understand, or don’t care.”

Huckery said that a lot of people have stopped using the area, due to dog behavior and dog waste.

“The dog-walking community isn’t doing a very good job of caring about what other people do at Delaney,” she said “Some families don’t feel comfortable going out there. Who wants some over-exuberant retriever jumping on their kids? Having dogs leashed “protects walkers and everyone else.”

Huckery said that, with recent dog bans at the Oxbow, Assabet River, and Great Meadows wildlife refuges, more people have been taking their dogs to Delaney, and the increased presence of dogs has been taking a toll on wildlife there.

“The grasshopper sparrow is gone from Delaney now,” she said.

Huckery said people have to understand that Delaney is “not a dog park. It’s a wildlife management area.”

Regarding the Nov. 1 decision mentioned by Midwood, Huckery said there would not be a decision on Nov. 1 to ban dogs. However, Fisheries and Wildlife will be making a decision Nov. 1 on whether to pursue a regulation for a moratorium on dogs at Delaney. If such a regulation is sought, there would be a public hearing, she said, and the question would be put before the Division of Fisheries and Wildlife board, which would be presented with data regarding dog-related complaints and incidents at Delaney, and would also consider arguments against a ban.
“I don’t think a ban is the right thing,” said Huckery, “but they [dog walkers] really have to keep their dogs on leashes. Everyone’s watching what’s going on at Delaney. It really is a privilege [for people] to have a dog out there at all.”