I know, I know...an apology
I know that one of the basic commandments of blogging is "Thou shalt update thy blog on a regular basis." What can I say? Spring migration got out of hand and then I got a cold and then .... Anyway, I am sorry and I shall try to blog on a more regular basis.
The Death of Ducky
On May 8th Ducky (my name for her) was found dead by a park worker near The Pool. She had been killed by an unleashed dog. How do I know? I spent the following week going to the Pool early in the morning and asking people if they had seen what happened. Two people confirmed that they had seen a large black dog (one said it was a Labrador) walking around with the duck in its jaws. I first photographed this duck back in 2002 while The Pool was still under renovation. She was very friendly and people would feed her through the chain-link fence that surrounded the area. Many adults and children loved this duck and she will be sorely missed.
Our former Parks Commissioner, Henry Stern, may have been bowing to political pressure when he arbitrarily decided dogs could run off the leash in Central Park after 9 pm and before 9 am. I could live with this but certain parts of the park are supposedlyoff limits to unleashed dogs at all times. These are the areas that concern me most since they contain vital habit that supports thousands of migrating and resident birds. Dogs tear through The Ramble, North Woods, Loch and Turtle Pond with impunity and contribute to the destruction of this habitat. Ask the gardeners uptown about problems with the Wildflower Meadow. Despite signs every 10 feet telling people to keep their dogs on the leash many still let their dogs run wild in the fenced-off areas. They view it as their own private dog run. It cost the Parks Department money to keep repairing the damage. It has to stop and the only way to stop it is through enforcement.
Had Mr. Stern asked me I would have told him that, for the most part, dog owners are a nice bunch of people and I have no problem with his unofficial rules provided he enforced the leash law at other times and at all times in the "Forever Wild" areas. Sadly this is not the case.
Unleashed dogs destroy vital habitat in the so-called "Forever Wild" areas. They also destroy fish spawn in the shallows of Central Park's lakes and streams. Ask any fisherman what he thinks about dogs in Central Park Lake. Even during the height of spring migration it's not unusual to see many unleashed dogs tearing through the Ramble. I routinely ask dog owners to put their dogs on the leash and am just as routinely ignored. I have never seen one of these unleashed dog owners picking-up after their dogs but I have seen plenty of dog feces around the Ramble contributing to groundwater pollution and the pollution of the soles of my shoes.
I think the problem of unleashed dogs in Central Park has reached epidemic proportions and something should be done about it. If you feel as I do write (or e-mail) the Park's Commissioner and tell him what you think. Tell him that you would like to see enforcement of the leash laws in the "Forever Wild" areas. You can e-mail him at: http://nyc.gov/html/mail/html/maildpr.html
You can write him at:
Adrian Benepe
Parks Commisioner
The Arsenal Central Park
830 5th Avenue
New York, NY
I have posted some comments from people on my "Ducky" page: http://www.calvorn.com/ducky.htm
The Death of Ducky
On May 8th Ducky (my name for her) was found dead by a park worker near The Pool. She had been killed by an unleashed dog. How do I know? I spent the following week going to the Pool early in the morning and asking people if they had seen what happened. Two people confirmed that they had seen a large black dog (one said it was a Labrador) walking around with the duck in its jaws. I first photographed this duck back in 2002 while The Pool was still under renovation. She was very friendly and people would feed her through the chain-link fence that surrounded the area. Many adults and children loved this duck and she will be sorely missed.
Our former Parks Commissioner, Henry Stern, may have been bowing to political pressure when he arbitrarily decided dogs could run off the leash in Central Park after 9 pm and before 9 am. I could live with this but certain parts of the park are supposedlyoff limits to unleashed dogs at all times. These are the areas that concern me most since they contain vital habit that supports thousands of migrating and resident birds. Dogs tear through The Ramble, North Woods, Loch and Turtle Pond with impunity and contribute to the destruction of this habitat. Ask the gardeners uptown about problems with the Wildflower Meadow. Despite signs every 10 feet telling people to keep their dogs on the leash many still let their dogs run wild in the fenced-off areas. They view it as their own private dog run. It cost the Parks Department money to keep repairing the damage. It has to stop and the only way to stop it is through enforcement.
Had Mr. Stern asked me I would have told him that, for the most part, dog owners are a nice bunch of people and I have no problem with his unofficial rules provided he enforced the leash law at other times and at all times in the "Forever Wild" areas. Sadly this is not the case.
Unleashed dogs destroy vital habitat in the so-called "Forever Wild" areas. They also destroy fish spawn in the shallows of Central Park's lakes and streams. Ask any fisherman what he thinks about dogs in Central Park Lake. Even during the height of spring migration it's not unusual to see many unleashed dogs tearing through the Ramble. I routinely ask dog owners to put their dogs on the leash and am just as routinely ignored. I have never seen one of these unleashed dog owners picking-up after their dogs but I have seen plenty of dog feces around the Ramble contributing to groundwater pollution and the pollution of the soles of my shoes.
I think the problem of unleashed dogs in Central Park has reached epidemic proportions and something should be done about it. If you feel as I do write (or e-mail) the Park's Commissioner and tell him what you think. Tell him that you would like to see enforcement of the leash laws in the "Forever Wild" areas. You can e-mail him at: http://nyc.gov/html/mail/html/maildpr.html
You can write him at:
Adrian Benepe
Parks Commisioner
The Arsenal Central Park
830 5th Avenue
New York, NY
I have posted some comments from people on my "Ducky" page: http://www.calvorn.com/ducky.htm
