Leashes Will Be Required Next Year at Land and Garden Preserve Lands
New Leash rules at Little Long Pond and Hunters Cliffs, no dogs on Harbor Brook Trail
MOUNT DESERT ISLAND—People looking for a leash-free experience outside for their dogs will no longer be able to do so during most hours on the Land and Garden Preserve properties on Mount Desert Island.
The policies begin in May 2025. Dogs heading out to Little Long Pond from May 1 through September 30, must be leashed from 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. Dogs must always be leashed at Hunters Cliffs and the trails around Thuya Garden. No dogs are permitted on the Harbor Brook Trail.
The changes come after an eight-person task force worked for ten months to evaluate the property’s leash policy and then created recommendations. Those on that task force included Preserve staff, a member of Maine Coast Heritage Trust, board directors, and community members.
According to a post by Tate Bushell, director of natural lands, “The Preserve has spent years measuring the number of visitors and dogs we attract, and Little Long Pond gets over 65,000 visitors annually, approximately one-third of whom bring one or more dogs.”
Bushnell said that the amount of dogs at the site “can impact the visitor experience and the natural environment,” and it is the Preserve’s mission to conserve, as well as share, Mount Desert Island’s lands and gardens.
“The task force recommended, and The Preserve adopted, new policies that will be implemented on May 1, 2025. The policies on the Harbor Brook Trail and the Hunters Cliffs area are stricter than at Little Long Pond to protect their sensitive and unique environments,” Bushell wrote.
The Rockefeller family had owned the Little Long Property until nine years ago. In 2018, the Preserve had multiple complaints about aggressive dogs off leash. Improperly disposed of dog waste and erosion were also concerns at that time.
Other expectations of dog owners that currently exist will remain. Off-leash dogs must be under voice control and in sight at all times. Dogs are only allowed in four designated water access areas. Waste must be picked up and put in the proper receptacles. If people do not want to interact with dogs, that should be accepted. Dogs should not go near horses and carriages drawn by horses. Only leashed service animals (as defined by the Americans with Disabilities Act) are allowed in gardens.
LINKS TO LEARN MORE
These new policies are in addition to existing policies that will remain the same.
Refer to the Preserve website for a list of those policies.
Abby Aldrich Rockefeller Garden
Little Long Pond & Natural Lands
https://www.gardenpreserve.org/dog-policies
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Wow- I think this is an overblown and very ineffective response to a minimal problem. I've been on the property 100+ times in the last 10 years. The presence of off-leash, and therefore happy, dogs is such a stress reliever to those of us who no longer have dogs.
Yes, there was one time when we were surrounded (with our dog) by 3 full-blown, aggressive hunter bloodhounds with radio tags, threatening to tear all 3 of us apart. The owner could barely contain them even once he got them back on-leash. But staff knew the perp/owner, and had previously banned him from the area. Will these new rules stop that behavior? Nope. The owner is a known creep. (I carry dog mace now.)
And, will the new leash rules stop the common (and outrageous) event of people bagging poo then leaving the bag on the trail? Nope. Leash rule won't help that. More disposal cans likely would. People don't want to carry poo for miles once a hike has begun.
Will leash rules make dogs less aggressive/ better controlled? Nope. Most long term dog owners know that dogs develop more aggressive behavior on-leash than off, as they think they must protect their leash-attached owners.
And, will there be less erosion along Harbor Brook? Prob not, as -most- of that erosion is caused by our harsh rainfall events, plus the constant traipsing of humans off-trail. Proof of this is that it is happening everywhere else too, even where dogs are not common.
No, this is just a case of a board being given power, then feeling it must do -something- to justify its existence. But regulating for the sake of regulating is just wrong.
California handles the issue well. Rules at the regional parks state you may have dog off-leash unless you do not have voice command of them. This way, inappropriate dog behavior becomes de facto proof of the violation of the dog owner, who legally becomes a "trespasser," capable of being banned from the Park.
I think this is a reasonable approach and appreciate the Garden Preserve for finding a balance between leashed and off leashed times. While I used to walk frequently there with my dogs, I have not done so in years after encountering one too many off leash humans who could not seem to keep track of, much less manage, their canine companions.