Commentary: Is a Mt. Misery ban on humankind next?
By Jennifer Brody/ Guest columnist
Thursday, April 21, 2005
I have been trying in vain to understand exactly the nature of the complaints about dogs at Mt. Misery. So far my letters to the Conservation Commission have gone unanswered, but the lately the Lincoln Journal has yielded some clues. Two weeks ago a resident complained that dog feces on Lincoln trails caused him to seek cross country skiing refuge elsewhere, and last week a woman was quoted at length about an injury sustained when she was knocked over by two large golden Labradors, while the commission pointed to trail compaction as evidence of environmental degradation. I find this fascinating. Let me reply to all points.
First, in response to the dog feces letter, well said. I completely agree, the risk of a bit of dog poo on any trail in Lincoln outweighs the rights of all dog owners to exercise their pets and enjoy the outdoors in any of the town's conservation areas. The next logical step is to enact a leash law for those pesky deer, which in addition to befouling our trails also decimate the shrubbery and serve as a reservoir for the exploding tick population. Ditto Coyotes, groundhogs, squirrels - and the ticks themselves. What is the Conservation Commission planning to do about tick poo, I would like to know? This is a serious problem. Even Lyme disease pales by comparison to the dangers of an underfoot turd. It's high time the town recognized the equal rights of us poo-phobic outdoor enthusiasts.
In short, the existence of not only well-behaved dogs but all excrement-producing wildlife should be banned from Lincoln's public areas, or at least chained up. Bambi and Thumper, your leashes await you.
Next, I am thrilled to hear that those who have met rude or irresponsible dog owners now have the town's backing in banning all such individuals. A few months ago I had an unfortunate encounter with a husky, 6-foot tall man and his beagle in the Minuteman National Park, where I was threatened and verbally abused. Naturally, I have been wary of entering the park since then; but now that I have grasped the Lincoln logic, I plan to appeal to MMNHP to have all beagle-accompanied large men - deranged or otherwise - banned from the area so I might venture there safely. With that rule in place, I am sure I will never again risk personal injury or insult from any source. My apologies to all the sane beagle owners who want to enjoy the park, but you'll just have to pay the price for that guy. My peace of mind comes first.
Finally, imagine how silly I felt when I realized that public use and enjoyment of Mt. Misery is, in fact, not the purpose of having a publicly maintained trail system there. Clearly it was naïve of me to think there was a connection. Trail compaction, the natural result of trail use, apparently degrades the environment. In order to preserve the natural beauty and integrity of our surroundings, trail use must be curtailed. I now believe Mt. Misery should be closed entirely to human traffic - it being unquestionably the case that humans, with their trash and beer cans and pollutant-emitting vehicles and trail-compacting ways, degrade the environment far more than a few dogs do. Or is that dog-doo? Anyway, now that I understand the case against dogs at Mt. Misery, I'm a convert. I propose a new no-people law at Mt. Misery. Who's with me?
Jennifer Brody is a Brooks Road resident. | |
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