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May 2, 2008
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Off Leash Dog Trails
I attended the Duluth Parks and Recreation Commission meeting 4/30/08. Although I had asked to be a trails representative for the club this was the second meeting that I was aware of, the first conflicted with a High School rase I attended. The issue of off leash dog trails has evidently been in the works for ~ 6 years and has involved approximately 20 prior public meetings. So I had no input into the planning process. There was a vote which was not tallied in the presence of the audience, to choose 3-4 sites from the 8 potential sites listed in the 4/30/08 Duluth News Tribune article.
In principle the off leash dog trails are not to displace any existing official trails designated for nordic skiing, snowmobiling, the Lake Superior Hiking trail, mountain biking, et cetera. The sites will not be developed for seasonal use given the recognition that once a usage pattern is established people’s behavior won’t respect seasonal boundaries. There will be no money available for enforcement just as there is no money available for enforcement of loose dogs making ski trails hazardous in winter. Any new trails need to be developed and built by interested volunteer groups. The areas will not be fenced unless done by the volunteer group. There is an assumption that all dog owners who take their dogs to run off leash will have adequate voice command of their dogs. The areas proposed are all wooded and dog owners will not necessarily have line of sight contact with their dogs to use voice commands.
The proposed sites are:
Amity Creek:
From my viewing of the map at the meeting The area for running dogs would be below Hawks Ridge road, but could extend as far east as the sledding hill visible off Seven Bridges Road and the portion of the Lester Park trail that loops past the hockey rinks. It should not involve the current portion of the Amity trail used by horses walkers and double track mountain bikers. There are evidently some wild cat trails used by mountain bikers in the area that would no longer be available for mountain biking.
Downer Park:
This is a small park west of Vermillion Road. Currently the Superior Hiking trail goes through this park and off leash dogs would potentially hassle hikers on the trail.
Central Park:
This is a park below Enger Park and W. Skyline Parkway that extends to W. 1st St.. My understanding was that area may be somewhat wet. Enger Park would not be included although it is adjacent to the off leash area. There is another area of green space north and west of the Wheeler Athletic Complex. The map in tthe paper was incorrect in indicating that the leashless area would be in Lincoln Park.
Brewer Park:
This is a larger area North of W. Skyline Parkway and west of Haines Rd and 40th Ave W. and east of Getchell Rd. I don’t know enough about the area to know what the terrain is like or what other use takes place there currently .
Birchwood Park:
This is a small area west of Commonwealth Ave. and North of Hwy 23 almost 2 blocks due west of the road to Oliver (Hwy 39)
The other 2 areas I am even less sure of. I think one is a small area below Magney Snively on either side of Grand Ave. and east of Commonwelath Ave. near Morgan Park. The final area is off Rice Lake road but whether it is southwest or northeast of Rice Lake Road between Chinook Drive and Howtz St. I do not know. In all honesty, I spent much of my map review time trying to figure out the first two options above as they are the closest to where I am active. Time for understanding the maps and possible conflicts was limited.
It should be understood that Park Point is not a lash free zone. How often have you seen that enforced? There was only one reported dog bite in the city parks last year and that occurred with an off leash dog at Chester Bowl.
Respectfully reported,
Jed Downs
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May 5, 2008 at 9:15 am |
Hello Jed,
Thanks for the great write-up! I have been watching this with concern as well.
I am disappointed that the meeting focused on where the trails should be and not if the trails should be. Having very bad experiences with dogs on ski trails this past winter made me realize that the city wide dog regulations are openly violated and the city is not capable of enforcing them. There were people at the meeting who were opposed to the expansion of trails but that view was not carried in the DNT. My own opinion is that trail expansion is OK but only if the city implements an effective city wide enforcement strategy first. If that happens, I suggest that no trail should be placed near or adjacent to trout streams or water body with human contact or to tributaries of these waters. Most illegal dog activity (feces and no-leash) are from park neighbors thus the expanded opportunities are unlikely to have an affect on current park use. This idea is currently being considered from to narrow of a view point. The park commission needs to step back and get a broader perspective before moving ahead.