Date: September 22nd, 2010

Dear Friends,

The DCR has scheduled two site walks which will set out from the Sheepfold Parking lot to provide the opportunity to view and discuss on-the-ground conditions and Draft Plan recommendations. The walks will cover the area of the Sheepfold proposed as an off-leash recreation area, spider-web trails north of the Sheepfold, and portions of the Skyline or Reservoir Trails. This is a great opportunity for the DCR to get to see just how many people with dogs care about options for off-leash recreation.

Please come to one of the site walks! Dogs must be on leash at Sheepfold and the Middlesex Fells.

Saturday, September 25, 9 a.m. – 10:30 a.m.
Thursday, September 30, 5:30 p.m. – 7 p.m.

Overflow parking will be available on Rt. 28/Fellsway East.

If you are not planning to participate in the site walks, you may wish to plan your visits to Sheepfold on Saturday and next Thursday so as not to coincide with them. Also, if your dog does not enjoy the company of other dogs while on leash, please consider making other arrangements for your pet while you participate in the site walk. Off-leash dogs--even friendly off-leash dogs--should never be allowed to approach a leashed dog or, for that matter, a human unless invited by the human to do so.

I am pleased that off-leash recreation has been elevated in the Draft Plan from illicit use to allowed use, and I am looking forward to the day in the not-too-distant future when it is among the managed uses at the Middlesex Fells (after the RMP process, which, according to the DCR, will take about a year and will begin in November 2010 [Note: RMP stands for esource Management Plan]).

I am less than pleased that the Draft Plan does not include off-leash trail use and specifically insists upon an "On Trail? On Leash!" policy. Without options for off-leash trail use, it will remain difficult to enforce this policy. It was mentioned during the presentation that the RMP process would offer an opportunity to continue to discuss off-leash trails.

Finally, I am deeply concerned about the proposal for a dog-owner tax: The plan recommends the evaluation, through the Resource Management Plan (RMP) process, options for a day use fee at the Sheepfold (see section 6.5 http://www.mass.gov/dcr/news/publicmeetings/materials/greenwaystrails/midfellsdraftplan2010-9-20.pdf).

All materials from the meeting last night including the full Draft Plan are available online at http://www.mass.gov/dcr/news/publicmeetings/greenwaysfellspast.htm

Cheers,
Michele
with Strummer (standard poodle)