New Forest Protests

[derelict]

I gather that while I was down in Brockenhurst at the WAB Deer Meet the implications of the New Forest National Park Strategy Plan was coming in for a lot of stick, particularly from local dog-owners and those whose rights to pasture horses is under threat of restriction. There is even a new protest group called "Forest Uprising".

The park authority have plans to reduce the number of horses, restrict dog-walking, to close some carparks around the forest and to make others "dog-free".

This latter has raised considerable ire; there is nothing guaranteed to raise a dog-owner's hackles more than the suggestion that their animal should have its rights to defecate at will over someone else's property curtailed in any way (other than the suggestion that it should do so on their own!)

Apparently a "whole way of life" is under threat.

I saw several dogs running freely round Ober Heath when I was down there - and it doesn't surprise me to hear that deer sightings there are down.

This all reminds me very much of what happened when Richmond Park became a SSSI - following sustained local campaigning. There were then howls of protests when substantial restrictions on driving (speed/access/roads) , dog-walking, horse-riding and deer numbers came into force. The reverberations from these can still be felt years later.

National Parks and Nature reserves are the exact opposite of prisons - everyone wants one in their backyards but no-one wants to live with the consequences!

[Dan Salter]

Its the best thing i have heard on the radio all day...im all for it of course as i detest dog walkers and dogs in the countryside or nature reserves.

[derelict]

Originally Posted by Dan Salter

Its the best thing i have heard on the radio all day...im all for it of course as i detest dog walkers and dogs in the countryside or nature reserves.

I should warn you that the RP park manager has a (non-working) dog that he walks in the park (just in case you apply for a job there!)

[Dan Salter]

Originally Posted by derelict

I should warn you that the RP park manager has a (non-working) dog that he walks in the park (just in case you apply for a job there!)

Ha ha no problem....isnt high on my list of places i want to work

[Ukwildlifeo]

I personally think dogs should completely banned from around bolderwood. The second time I visited some idiot with a dog decided to walk it down the platform when the deer were only a few metres from it. When it start going crazy, barking and tugging at the lead, she just stood there, made very little effort to calm it down, and rather than do the sensible thing and take the dog away she just stood there, watching as the deer understandably walked off, ruining it for the 20 or so ther people that had come to enjoy the deer.

Im all in favour of banning dogs for nature reserves and other sensitive areas, and having seen the damage to paths the local stables do to my local park (you cant use them most of the winter as they churn the none bridal paths into foot deep mud) I thinks is fair there are some restrictions on where they can go

[derelict]

Originally Posted by Dan Salter

Its the best thing i have heard on the radio all day...

I tracked this down on the BBC website and have just had a listen and some of the vox pops make some interesting if alarming listening. I gather Chris Packham didn't go down too well with those dog-owners resenting the threat to their "traditional" way of life.

As I recall during the "900 years of self-management" there were some pretty stringent rules about dogs... you were allowed one small dog to guard your house. This dog had to fit through a large stirrup. Any other dog was deemed capable of chasing and catching a deer and so had to have its toes removed from its front feet to stop it running fast enough. That should keep those whinging veterinarians busy for a while... but in practice the owners paid a substantial annual capitation fee for each of their dogs in the Forest equivalent to 1-2 days pay i.e. £200 per dog for someone on £25k p.a. Now there's a bit of "tradition" that could do with being revived...

[Gill Catton]

This sounds like a happy middleground, I don't see why responsible dog walkers shouldn't be able to walk their dogs somewhere interesting (just because you own a dog doesn't mean you have automatically removed your interest in wildlife) but also there should be areas they are excluded from- particularly areas with rare ground nesting birds - I'm far less bothered about the deer as they can get themselves out of the way in a manner that young woodlark chicks can't. Being that deer are considered to be the biggest threat to ancient woodland perhaps der should be heavily controlled in some areas too!!

[Kayleigh]

It all boils down to being responsible for your dog..keeping them under control and on a lead..
Something should be done about irresponsible dog owners as they give a bad name to everyone else..
I see a dog now off the lead and I walk the other way as I trust none of them..
Horse riders should be restricted to summer only when the ground is dry and dogs should have designated areas.
I am a responsible dog owner.

[Gill Catton]

Originally Posted by Kayleigh

It all boils down to being responsible for your dog..keeping them under control and on a lead..
Something should be done about irresponsible dog owners as they give a bad name to everyone else..
I see a dog now off the lead and I walk the other way as I trust none of them..
Horse riders should be restricted to summer only when the ground is dry and dogs should have designated areas.
I am a responsible dog owner.

Yes I think that's it though, for some areas you need to ban all dog walking because that one or two irresponisible people can do so much damage. Actually, I bet there's significant percentage of folk who just don't understand the potential for damage, they're not so much irresponsible as uneducated.

Horse riding is a bit different it seems to me as provided they stick to pathways the potential for significant damage is reduced - perhaps keep them off paths meant for disabled folk but otherwise if you can't negotiate a few ruts or boggy patches in the path while out walking you probably should stick to 'nice' bowling-green manicured parks!! I'd be more concerned in relation to the grazing by the new forest ponies and keeping on top of their numbers but that's done annually isn't it?

[Gill Catton]

Originally Posted by derelict

National Parks and Nature reserves are the exact opposite of prisons - everyone wants one in their backyards but no-one wants to live with the consequences!

Sadly this is the case for seemingly everything, everyone wants good roads, houses to live in, electricity, cheap meat etc etc but don't want to have to deal with the consequences of prodcing these things!