Upper Truckee Marsh to be off-limits to dogs in 2011
By Kathryn Reed
Unleashed dogs in the Upper Truckee Marsh are wreaking so much havoc on wildlife habitat that the California Tahoe Conservancy has decided that beginning in 2011 dogs will be banned from this swath of public land in South Lake Tahoe.
“The purpose is to preserve habitat value,” Ray Lacey, CTC deputy director, told Lake Tahoe News.
Canines will not be permitted in the area starting in May during the breeding season. The cut-off date has not been determined, but it could extend into the fall to encompass the migratory season for birds.
Beginning in 2011 dogs will be banned in the summer from the Upper Truckee Marsh. Photo/Kathryn Reed
This is expected to be an annual closure.
The 300-plus acres were acquired for the purpose of preserving habitat, not for recreation. For about a decade the Conservancy has been trying to educate dog owners about what happens when their animals walk in sensitive marsh areas. It impacts the terrain as well as scares off wildlife.
“They are traipsing in the meadow. There is a lack of complete understanding by people who want to get to this isolated beach,” CTC board member Kathay Lovell said at Thursday’s meeting.
El Dorado County Animal Control and the South Lake Tahoe Police Department will help regulate the closure. People violating the law will be cited and fined.
The goal this year is to educate the public about why the closure will be implemented.
Tina Carlsen, who has a doctorate in ecology and is an environmental program manager with the CTC, was tasked with analyzing the impact dogs have on wildlife and habitat in the marsh that is on the east side of the Truckee River adjacent to the Al Tahoe neighborhood and leads to Lake Tahoe.
She said birds are leaving the area because of dogs. Dogs are also affecting feeding and nesting areas of several species of birds.
Sean Butler, urban land management supervisor, said he won’t be surprised if people are angry about the closure, but said this has been a long time in coming because people continually disregard the current rules.
He said he expects the closure to be easier to enforce because it is not subject to confusion – like can a dog be off-leash to swim in the lake.
The CTC pointed out that no changes are planned for Cove East, on the other side of the Truckee River. Al Tahoe residents have the option of the dog park at Regan Beach for lake access for dogs.
That’s BULL. Enforce the leash law! So responsible people get to pay because some people are irresponsible?! How typical is THAT of the liberal agencies that run this town?!
Won’t make much difference to the bird population anyway with the overpopulation of coyotes in that meadow. Are you going to regulate THEM too?
I suspect the so-called adverse impact is from the coyotes, not the dogs. The coyotes know where to find the buffet.
If you don’t like it Dogwoman – vote Lovell out. Spread the word that she has a complete lack of understanding in general and should not be re-elected.
“Tina” said birds are leaving the area because of dogs. Just how did she ascertain that? Did she sit in the marsh for months on end, watch a dog walk in and the bird fly away? Ah-ha! The bird left because of the dog. Maybe the bird flew over Tina’s head and dropped something that let her know why the bird was leaving. And since there seems to be a massive amount of dogs running wild there, where are the puppies from all those wild dogs? Who’s caring for them? Why weren’t those dogs or their owners ticketed from letting the run wild since they’ve been so obviously observed causing all the havoc.
How much of our tax dollars went to create another job for Tina to watch the birds fly away? How many more dollars will be used to protect the birdies? And my tax dollars to create another job for Mr. Lovell’s family of cops? and Another job for CTC or El Dorado County.
Whose job is it to let CTC, Tina, Lovell, County Animal control know about this little thing called, “that’s life folks.” Really, our world will not collapse because Tina says the birds are flying away. Maybe that’s natural part of their progression.
Isn’t there something more important that worrying if a few dogs and birds don’t get along?
I know, how bout the economy? Got any answers for that? Maybe the CTC employees could find something to do that would help bring jobs here, EXPAND recreation areas instead becoming land barons, Let people, yeah, that’s right PEOPLE who pay your salaries, use the land you bought up. Let PEOPLE live and create and have some fun and let a few of them bring their dogs, Oh my.
Let’s try that and if you have a job opening where I can watch the people and see if they play or not, i”ll take one of those tax payer jobs.
Tina, try focusing the habits of the People who pay your salary and see if you can bring them some jobs , good business, stimulate the economy, so they don’t fly away too taking with them money for our schools for OUR CHILDREN, and see if you can figure out why the County cares more about the birds and creating jobs for Lovell’s family, oh and while you’re out there watching birds can you see if any of them have found a way around all the rules and regulations here, maybe that’s where they’ve headed.
Great! This will now be one place where I can walk dogless and not have to dodge dog poop! I made the mistake of walking over by Valhalla meadow this spring and I couldn’t even look at the scenery as I was constantly trying not to step in poop. Take some responsibility and clean up after your pet!!
FTFA
“The 300-plus plot of land was acquired for the purpose of preserving habitat, not for recreation. For about a decade the Conservancy has been trying to educate dog owners about what happens when their animals walk in sensitive marsh areas. It impacts the terrain as well as scares off wildlife.”
The land was acquired to preserve habitat, not for your personal recreational desires. Grow up people. This isn’t about you.
First dogs, then people. It is a drain to have to police the area. The residents surrounding the meadow are a large part of the “policing”, and not by choice …. when an area becomes a nuisance because of infractions to posted rules, it becomes easier and less expensive to restrict further or close down. My feeling is that this beautiful area will be closed off because because of public misuse. I once lived on this meadow and enjoyed my early morning coffee, watching the coyotes, Canada geese, cows, the occasional person with a dog. It was so peaceful at all times of the day. There were occasional parties that were so disruptive that you might wish each perpetrator, 4 flat tires and a hideous migraine, but that was only every once in a while and this was a long time ago. I know disturbances and infractions have greatly escalated over the years and don’t blame the residents, or the CTC, for taking steps to further restrict the meadow. I will just have to remember how it was. I remember it as being very different than it is now.
Good for you Tina, we all know that dogs can destroy our own back yard, so why are people shocked that they are destroying the meadow. Unfortunatly many people are very selfish and short sighted in Tahoe and don’t accept responsibility for their dogs or their own actions. Keep up the good work protecting our environment, I think all of the marshes should be protected from the dogs and their owners.
This is BS!! Its public land!!! Is CTC going to make all their restoration projects off limits? You go invest tens of millions of dollars to have people go disrupt and disturb sensitive areas. What about your greenway project? Are you going to make the UTR off limits and those meadows? By the way you plan to invest tens of millions into restoration there… They cant enforce this stuff anyway… Your all clueless….
This has been coming for a long time. When I walk in the meadow with my leashed dog I come across many dogs that aren’t leashed. Why can’t people just obey the rules instead of ruining it for others?
Dog owners need to be more responsible. Public land means that it is shared, often by folks who would rather not deal with our dogs. That is their right. 99% of the Basin is open to our dogs. A seasonal closure for habitat restoration is a tiny sacrifice.
The signs near Kiva have been destroyed and Kiva is once again a dog park. The beach again smells like dog crap. It’s a shame, but the sheriff’s need to spend more time enforcing such trivial laws.
Before the Conservancy bought the land no one could use it. A seasonal closure to dogs to protect this unique place is a pretty small sacrifice.
Public land means it belongs to everyone. It does not give anyone the right to do whatever they want on it regardless of how it affects other people or the environment.
all you tree huggers, dogs need trees too
The burning question I have is why do dogs crap in everyones lawn but their own?
I have been saying and writing for years that irresponsible dog owners will bring more regulation due to their unwillingness to control and pick-up after their dogs. Well folks…here it is. Can you hear me now??
The problem, Tom, is that everyone is being punished for the transgressions of the few.
Where’s the justice in that?
It not just a few that don’t follow the rules. There are many who have ruined it for everyone else.
Snoheather has it right…..responsible dog owners (ie: those who control and pick up after their pets) constitute a very small minority of dog owners. When I see people picking up after their dogs or who are obviously carrying a bag or other means of picking up their dogs poop, I go out of my way to thank them for their conscientiousness. Ditto for those who’s dogs are leashed or well trained and respond to voice commands so as to not bother or alarm people, other dogs and wildlife. They are the ones for whom this is unjust and I feel bad that they are being regulated because of the inactions of the majority of dog owners.
it’s about time! and I hope the next place the CTC looks at is Cove East….there is a total disregard for the leash sign–some dog owners don’t even bother to carry a leash with them and most simply let their dogs off their leash once they pass the sign! what’s up with that?
“The land was acquired to preserve habitat, not for your personal recreational desires. Grow up people. This isn’t about you.”
Exactly.
And these people complaining are conservative republicans, only interested in themselves, as usual.
Was the land purchased with public money? If so, it’s not only owned by the righteous few enviros. It belongs to everyone.