One of the recommendations in the Draft Trail System Plan for the Middlesex Fells Reservation is to "Provide Positive Experience for Dog-Owners and Their Pets" (section 6.10). At a public meeting on September 20, Paul Jahnige, Director of Trails and Greenways for the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR), elaborated on this recommendation in the Draft Plan which would establish a trial off-leash dog area or times at Sheepfold and evaluate, through the Resource Management Plan (RMP) process*, options for off-leash trail opportunities.

Everyone who enjoys visiting the Middlesex Fells Reservation with their dogs is strongly encouraged to submit written comments to Fells Trails Plan, 136 Damon Road, Northampton, MA 01060, or Fellstrail.Comments - at - state.ma.us. Comments may also be directed to Paul Jahnige at 413-586-8706 x20. The deadline for submitting comments is November 19, 2010.

In your comments you may wish to address the following issues (in addition to your strong support for off-leash recreation at Sheepfold).

• The Draft Plan includes no recommendation for off-leash trail use and specifically insists upon an "On Trail? On Leash!" policy (see sections 6.4, 6.7, and 6.10). 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. The DCR needs to hear from more families with dogs that we need legal options to enjoy off-leash recreation on the trails of the Middlesex Fells Reservation.

  Representatives from the DCR have explained that they are trying to alleviate the problem of off-trail activity—all off-trail activity by all users including hikers, joggers, mountain bikers, walkers and our pets. In your comments, you may want to invite Paul Jahnige to take a walk with you and your dog on your favorite trail in the Middlesex Fells so that he can see that, even off-leash, your dog does not venture off-trail.

• The plan recommends the evaluation, through the RMP process*, options for a day use fee at the Sheepfold (see section 6.5). Since Sheepfold is the one area at the Fells that families that enjoy off-leash recreation will be allowed to use, a fee to park at Sheepfold is, in effect, a fee for off-leash recreation. If no other areas and no other uses are subject to a fee, there should be no day use fee at the Sheepfold, either.

Last week, the DCR offered site walks on Saturday morning at 9:00 and Thursday evening at 5:30 to provide the opportunity to view and discuss on-the-ground conditions and Draft Plan recommendations. The walks covered the area of the Sheepfold proposed as an off-leash area, spider-web trails north of the Sheepfold, and portions of the Skyline or Reservoir Trails. These walks were under publicized, and the DCR has been asked to offer additional site walks before the public comment period for the Trails Plan ends on November 19.

*A Resource Management Plan (RMP) is a framework for managing public lands based upon a comprehensive inventory and assessment of environmental and recreational resources, an identification of the unique characteristics of a property or management unit, the development of clear management goals and objectives, and an implementation plan to guide the short and long-term management of the parks, forests and reservations under the stewardship of the DCR. Resource Management Planning for the Middlesex Fells will not begin until after the public comment period for the Draft Trail Plan has concluded on November 19, 2010. Representatives from the DCR have stated that the RMP process for the Middlesex Fells will take nine months to one year to complete. A RMP process is presently underway for the Blue Hills Reservation: an initial public meeting was held July 29, 2009. In April 2010, Paul Cavanagh, Resource Management Planner, notified interested citizens and stakeholders that they would be notified when the draft is available and that a second public meeting would be held to obtain additional input. Information about Resource Management Planning is available online from DCR.