Dog-Friendly

Dog walking is a popular outdoor activity that benefits human and canine health

Many pet owners love hiking trails with their pet. However, wild animals see pets as potential predators and pet walking causes native animals to abandon their natural habitats. As a result, Restoring Lands’ wildlife conservation goals, especially those focused on birds, require restricting or prohibiting pets.

Restoring Lands' Pet Policy

Most Restoring Lands preserves allow leashed pets on trails. However, no pet is allowed to be loose on any RL property. Forest Beach Migratory Preserve restricts pets on the preserve. Restoring Lands preserves are not public parks; they are private property that are open for public use.

Forest Beach Migratory Preserve, protected in 2008 expressly for bird conservation and designated as a monitored migratory preserve, is an example of a preserve where no pets are allowed.

As a certified land trust, Restoring Lands takes pride in its commitment to strong management and conservation goals. Providing wildlife habitats and healthy lands are important goals to our organization and it is our responsibility to protect the health of wildlife and habitat on our properties. We also strive to support community health by offering the preserves for public use. We understand that even people walking on trails can reduce the number and quantity of wild animals. People walking leashed pets on trails reduce wildlife further, and off-leash or off-trail pets reduce them further still. Reducing pet disturbance is essential to support more wildlife and greater wildlife diversity; therefore, we must put restrictions in place at all Restoring Lands Nature Preserves.

Hunting and trapping are allowed on many of our preserves. Keeping your pet on-leash and on trails protects them from accidental harm. Thank you for leashing your pet!

Wildlife see pets as natural predators. Unleashed pets can chase, injure and kill ducks, squirrels, deer, amphibians and birds. Even if you don’t see native animals, your pet can find them long before you do. Digging and soil disturbance can cause trail erosion and inhibit native plant growth, reducing wildlife food sources and natural habitat and encouraging invasive plants.

Pets can spread and contract diseases to and from wildlife. Pet waste pollutes water with excess fertilizer and parasites. For wildlife, the effects are long-lasting, since pet waste “marks” the territory and repels wildlife long after the pets are gone.

When birds are disturbed, they feed less, expend more energy, and may abandon their nests. Thrushes feed on the ground. Killdeer and meadowlarks build nests on the ground. Waterfowl feed and breed along shorelines. Young hatchlings and birds during migration have low energy reserves and are especially vulnerable.