While I am not a Lincoln resident, I have enjoyed over the last year
bringing my dogs to Mt. Misery to join a group of people and dogs on the
weekends.  It is a great place for both people and dogs to enjoy being
together and getting some much needed exercise (more me than the dogs
for sure).  In reading the articles in the Lincoln Journal and the
article that appeared in the Globe yesterday I am struck by several
thoughts. 

Simply leashing dogs is not necessarily going to diminish trail
compaction - if I come with my dogs on leash we are all still walking on
the trails.  I would also argue that the horse traffic and manure go a
lot further in making the trails compacted and smelly than all of the
dogs in our little group combined in a month of use.  And I don't see
any discussion about what impact the large groups of joggers is having
on the trails. 

I am also aware that a few years back there was an effort in several
other state parks to restrict mountain bike use much for the same
arguments.  They could never find a study or produce any data that
supported this argument.  The problem is that they cannot prove it
unless they begin purposefully studying a particular area and begin to
keep track of it over several years, documenting how the area changes
and what the causes are.  In all of these scenarios, the only thing
people have to point to are isolated incidents where they have seen a
dog in the water, chasing a mouse or someone reporting having been
confronted by either an overly friendly dog (and Gus my Schnauzer
officially apologizes for anyone who has been offended by his very
friendly advances, he is learning better manners as he grows up) or
worse, been assaulted by a dog.  They have admitted they do not have the
personnel to monitor park use, consequently they most likely do not have
any hard data to support what they are saying are the problems. 

In the globe article there was an incident related where a local farmer
lost a chicken to dogs, and dogs chasing and eating mice, voles and
other animals that are part of the food chain.  I would ask if there is
any chance at all, and call me crazy for asking this, but any chance at
all that in a wooded area like that, that the loss of a chicken, mouse,
vole or rabbit might have been due to predation by a fox or coyote?
Both of which are mistaken for dogs fairly regularly. 

As with much in life, I believe this is a case of a few squeaky wheels
getting noticed.  If we dog walkers abandon Mt. Misery altogether, then
there will be some people who will be able to walk the woods in utter
solitude, any time of the day, and not be bothered by another person or
animal and that will be the way they will like it.  Except the dogs who
live right along the border of Mt. Misery, who seem to have full access,
off leash and without benefit of any owners walking with them, who feel
welcome to join our group when we encounter them, and who are some of
the most ill behaved dogs in the woods. 

I have very little sway over what will happen in Lincoln, as a non
resident, but I will be sad for my dog as well as for the other dogs who
are well behaved and enjoy the free, out door experience of Mt. Misery
if we have to go to being on leash all the time.