WESTBORO – The welcome mat is still out for dogs on MassWildlife’s more than 200,000 acres across the state.
New proposed regulations, however, would require that dogs not being used for hunting, or involved in some form of training, be leashed at all times in state wildlife management areas.
The regs also would call for dog owners to pick up after their pets to protect the health of animals and people.
A public hearing on the regulations will be held at 7 p.m. Feb. 6 at MassWildlife field headquarters, 1 Rabbit Hill Road, Westboro. The Fisheries and Wildlife Board will vote at its March meeting whether to adopt the regulations.
Marion Larson, MassWildlife chief of information and education, said if the board approves the regulations would take effect once published by the office of the secretary of state.
Ms. Larson said enforcement would be the responsibility of the state environmental police.
She said with new regulations, environmental police officers "usually do more educating of people, issuing a verbal or written warning, rather than a citation,” she said.
Specifically, the proposed regulations state that dogs may be off-leash only when hunting or hunt-training with licensed hunters under existing regulations, or if they are participating in retriever or bird dog trial events that have been permitted by MassWildlife.
Earlier this month Jason Zimmer, supervisor of the Southeast Wildlife District, explained the proposed regulations in a 30-minute PowerPoint to the Fisheries and Wildlife Board.
Mr. Zimmer said the regulations would bring MassWildlife in line with other state agencies, like the Department of Conservation and Recreation, along with private organizations that allow public access to open space.
He said the regulations came about in response to repeated complaints about unsafe encounters with unleashed dogs and concerns about dog waste.
He said the agency’s primary responsibility is the protection and management of the land to sustain wildlife abundance and diversity while providing wildlife-related recreation and a safe and enjoyable outdoor experience for all visitors.
Mr. Zimmer said MassWildlife staff had reached out to a range of agencies, organizations and individuals for feedback.
“Most were very positive about the proposed regulations; some were indifferent, and others were opposed to the changes,” he said.
That range of sentiment is reflected in the more than 100 comments on MassWildlife’s Facebook page outlining the proposed regulations.
Some said the wildlife management areas should be the exclusive province of dog-owning hunters and sportsmen. Others citing the short-staffed state environmental police and questioned whether the regulations would ever be enforced.
Some who endorsed the restirctions said they had been bitten or harassed by unleashed dogs.
State Sen. Anne M. Gobi, D-Spencer, said, “I do walk some WMA properties and the dogs are off leash. I have found that when meeting other people with dogs, the dogs are better behaved if the other dogs are off leash as well.”
“I am not a dog expert, but it does seem dogs get more protective when they are confined. Not every WMA property is the same. I do a lot of walking along the dam at Moose Hill Reservoir. It’s not a hunting or birding area, but is a popular spot for dog walking,” the senator said.
She said she does her best to clean up after her dogs, but noted there are times when the dogs go far into the woods, off trail.
“There are also areas where horseback riding is allowed on WMAs, and I don't see that (waste) being picked up and that is right on the trails,” Ms. Gobi said.
Mr. Zimmer said the agency has been discussing off-leash dog walking in wildlife management areas for more than five years.
“MassWildlife has a long history of welcoming dogs and their owners onto its properties, and that’s something that will continue well into the future. Our properties are attractive places for the public to come, enjoy nature, and bring their pets with them,” he said.
The district supervisor added, “We also recognize along with virtually every city and town in Massachusetts, other state and federal agencies that with more intensive use, and the accompanying conflicts and complaints, this was something we needed to do.”
Mr. Zimmer said a 73-year-old man walking in a wildlife management area on Cape Cod was attacked by an off-leash dog and was seriously injured. He said that after "multiple incidents," the man was too afraid to visit the property.
According to Ms. Larson, other incidents and complaints from WMA users include: user conflicts between loose dogs with hunters, birders, field trial dog participants, naturalists and hikers; observations of dogs harassing or chasing wildlife; and dogs chasing or killing livestock on abutting property,
Also, chasing or harassing neighboring property owners and families; dogs spooking horses, resulting in injuries to riders or horses; and dogs trampling endangered species restoration projects or newly planted agricultural crops.
According to Mr. Zimmer, 38 states have some kind of leash law that applies to wildlife management lands. Three of 38 states prohibit dogs outright in such areas, except for hunting, training or field trials, and a dozen states have no restrictions or very limited restrictions.
“Seven of the 10 most densely populated states have leash restrictions for wildlife land. Massachusetts is the third most-densely populated state and one of three without regulation,” he said.
He noted that in Massachusetts, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the DCR and the National Park Service all have leash and animal waste removal requirements.
“We have to remain cognizant of our mission: the conservation and management of fish and wildlife and their habitat along with providing the public with outdoor recreational opportunities that are wildlife-dependent. Right now the current unregulated use is jeopardizing the agency’s mission,” Mr. Zimmer said.