Article in the Boston Globe on Fells trail plan
An article was published today in the Boston Globe that discusses MassDOG’s ongoing efforts to work with the Department of Conservation & Recreation (DCR) on the trail plan at the Middlesex Fells. Below is a brief excerpt – click here for the full article.
While hikers/conservationists and trail bike enthusiasts continue to battle over who gets to use certain areas of the Middlesex Fells Reservation, the group that uses the state park the most has been lost in the shuffle.
Dog owners pushing for off-leash options at the Middlesex Fells Reservation were dismayed by the absence of any changes to pet policies in a preliminary draft trail plan released to stakeholders earlier this month, several groups said.
“They really weren’t giving any attention to the dogs, which is discouraging,” said Melrose Dog Society president and MassDog member Greg Penta, who attended the May 4 meeting. “When I asked why, the response was user conflicts and the environment.”
The draft, part of an ongoing assessment of the park’s trail network conducted by the state Department of Conservation and Recreation, is still subject to change before it is presented to the public. Penta and others are holding out hope that the draft’s final version will include reference to requests for off-leash trails and the legalization of an off-leash open space near Sheepfold.
“I’m really hoping that it will be changed significantly before it gets released to the public,” said MassDog member Michele Biscoe, who is also on the Som Dog board of directors in Somerville. “I know for a fact that a lot of dog owners submitted comments.”
