Temporary signs have repeatedly disappeared.
AMHERST - The town's new dog policy went into effect Nov. 21, however, there has been an on-going issue with signage notifying dog walkers of the policy change.
Temporary signs posting the hours dogs can be off leash went up and have been repeatedly taken down. Permanent signs have been ordered and are expected next week, said Beth Willson, the town’s wetland’s administrator.
The Conservation Commission, meanwhile, is slated to talk about fines for those who violate the policy as well as who has the authority to enforce it, Willson said.
In November, the Conservation Commission voted to allow dogs off leash from dawn until 10 a.m. at Mill River and Amethyst Brook instead of all the time as had been allowed in the past.
That was an attempt to satisfy those who wanted to walk their dogs off leash and those who wanted them leashed at all times.
For a decade, dogs were allowed dogs to run off leash at these two areas year-round. That policy was considered a trial when it was adopted but has remained in effect ever since.
The policy also stipulates that dogs must be leashed or under control at all times.
At Amethyst Brook, that policy is still posted so on recent day, dog owners had their dog off leash after 11 a.m.
But even when signs were in place, Matthew Cornell, who had been tracking the number of leashed and unleashed dogs, found that 77 percent of the time dogs were off leash when he was there in the afternoons.
Cornell, who mountain bikes in the area, opposes the policy and wants them leashed at all times.
The commission, which has jurisdiction over town-owned conservation land, took up the policy because of the increasing number of calls and letters about the issue the town received.
Both W. David Ziomek, director of conservation and development, and animal welfare officer Carol A. Hepburn had recommended that commission require that dogs be leashed at all times. Ziomek had said the town is growing and the town has more dogs.
Earlier in December, he said the commission was committed to giving the policy time. The commission is slated to review it in about six months.