COMMISSION TO VOTE ON JUNE 22!

From Leslie Goldberg, Friends of Willard's Woods

Hi, Everyone!

It appears that the Conservation Commission will vote on the Willard's Woods recommendations THIS TUESDAY, JUNE 22ND (7:00 P.M. IN CARY HALL).

We realize that sitting through another ConCom meeting isn't anyone's idea of a good time, but it's important to show that FOWW is willing to stay-the-course and continues to have significant public support. PLEASE PUT THIS DATE ON YOUR CALENDAR and be part of the off-leash dog contingent on Tuesday, June 22nd.

The public hearing on June 7th demonstrated to the Commission that many people in Lexington support the FOWW recommendations and do not want to see any of the three more restrictive ConCom's options enacted. We had a respectable number of supporters that night. Thanks to all who spoke and to everyone who attended. The ratio of those testifying in favor of keeping dogs off-leash vs. the anti-off leash people was about 8 to 1 in favor of off-leash. No one supported the Commission's options.

Everyone has been doing a terrific job of keeping the woods 'poop free' and looking good. Here are a few guidelines that we think are worth keeping in mind:

1. Keep picking up after your dog and telling others to do the same
2. Keep your dog under voice control and out of the abutter's yards
3. Avoid conversations with people in the abutting neighborhood if they start to complain about your dog or dog walkers -- anything we say will be used against us. Some neighbors have complained that people walking dogs in the woods have yelled at them, used profanity, and have been rude. Try to stay above it -- the less negative interaction you have with these folks, the better!

See you on Tuesday, Cary Hall, at 7:00 p.m.!

3D Helicopter Coyote Hunter

Coyotes are a source of amusement around the country but a big problem at Willard's Woods. Since this is a family-oriented site, we have decided not to show any depictions of coyote hunting and are in fact only showing a picture of a Lego helicopter.  You can find plenty of videos of coyote hunting techniques on YouTube.  Even some with helicopters.   However, we could not pass up this description of 3D Helicopter Coyote Hunter:

Hop into the pilot's seat of a new 3 dimensional super-futuristic helicopter equipped with highly advanced coyote seeking radar. As you fly through the array of missions you will be equipped with the best weapons available: an ultra-fast rifle, powerful shotgun, flame thrower and an electronic ray gun. You will need to use these weapons to save the farms before they are overrun with dangerous coyotes. This game contains stunning 3D graphics, and ten perspectives. You will also have to deal with variable terrain, weather, the glaring light of day or the gloomiest of nights, making your coyote hunting experience intense! You will travel anywhere from the heartland of Middle America to the exotic city of Transylvania. Home of the famous vampire coyote. The demo contains 2 out of 20 levels. The full version contains 20 difficult missions to fly. Your fuel, ammunition and time are limited. You'll need to learn to fly your realistic helicopter and need to practice your shooting, flame throwing and ray gunning in the coyote arcade mode before you can proceed to the do or die missions where there will be no margin of error. Not only do the coyotes become more cunning as you advance to the further missions but also you will have to deal with different types of coyotes. Among the different types of coyotes you will have to cope with are rabid, mutated, vampire and even coyotes wearing bulletproof vest. This game is not for the faint of heart. You will find that your reactions must be lightning fast. Any hesitation on the trigger can cost you and the farmers of the world serious and dire consequences. Get ready to protect the world from coyotes. Brought to you by Cosmi, the inventors of the helicopter flight simulator. 3D Helicopter Coyote Hunter requires Direct X 6, Windows 95 and higher. 3D Helicopter Coyote Hunter is a free to try software. You can free download and try it for an evaluation period.

Transylvania is a region of Rumania, not a city.

JERRY NEEDS NO HELP PLAYING WITH HIS BALL

No political or Willard's Controversy content in this one. As of this posting, this has been watched 4.5 Million times.

June 7 Meeting - Illustrated Summary

From the Conservation Commission Public Hearing, June 7. Selected notes, illustrated by vintage and contemporary photographs. No names.

Willard's Woods is the friendliest place in Lexington.

I see my "dog friends" every day.

Dogs drive away kids who used to set fires in the woods.

The Woods were a real mess, but the dog owners have picked most of it up.

I saw some drunk people at the picnic table near the North Street entrance one morning.

I would like to see a one year moratorium on rule-making.

Coyotes are unleashed 24/7. If there were no domestic dogs, Willard's Woods would turn into a coyote park.

Under "Voice Control" needs to be better defined.  There needs to be some kind of "test" given to the dog before a permit is issued to be offleash.

Mowing the fields actually destroys the wildflowers and small animals and birds that might be nesting there.

People pay to use the town swimming areas, why not pay for permits to use Willard's Woods with unleashed dogs?

Coyote Alert!

We heard today that coyotes were menacing walkers in the woods around 5:15 yesterday.  This is serious and walkers need to take precautions.  A nautical friend suggested whistles or canned-air horns.  This got us to thinking the appropriate nautical item is a flare gun.

A flare gun was used by a jogger on Cape Breton to scare off a coyote this spring.  The "coyote sprang from the woods and began to circle him."

I’ve been running since 1995 and put a lot of miles on this road and have seen coyotes. They usually just run off in the woods, no big deal, but (Tuesday), that was scary. He was aggressive. He charged me. He meant business.

He had a flare gun handy because he was a fisherman.


Flare guns are dangerous.  This example was filmed in a different zip code than 02420/02421, probably one with a somewhat lower SAT average and where the most popular books bought on Amazon are not the AP exam guides:

JUNE 7 2010 URGENT FINAL REMINDER: PUBLIC HEARING

(Editor's note: We approved this picture, but we do not approve of the guy smoking.  Smoking is dangerous on its own, but in the presence of tear gas, it might be downright lethal!)

Just one final reminder:
THE PUBLIC HEARING IS TONIGHT AT 7 P.M. IN CARY HALL. WE NEED YOU THERE!


If you would like to speak, please ARRIVE EARLY to sign up--we anticipate many speakers and limited time. You will be alloted 2 minutes for your comments. Please, if you plan to speak, we ask you to include the following at the end of your remarks:


"The 3 options for restricted off-leash dog walking that the Conservation Commission is proposing ARE COMPLETELY UNACCEPTABLE TO ME AND THE DOG WALKING COMMUNITY!" (or something similar to that)


They need to hear OVER AND OVER again that we will not be relegated to a tiny corner of the woods or to extremely limited hours/spaces. They have to realize that no one in our community will tolerate what they are proposing. WE WILL NOT GO AWAY if they institute these restrictions.


If you choose not to speak, that is fine. JUST SHOW UP WITH SIGNS, BUTTONS, ETC. Your presence--and that of your friends and neighbors--is critical.


The Boston Globe will be there.


See you tonight!
Friends of Willards Woods Steering Committee
Leslie B.G. Goldberg

Commission Invites Comment

Culled from the Lexington Minuteman, Jun2 3, 2010

Commission Invites Comment

On Monday, June 7, at 7 p.m. in Cary Hall, the Con­servation Commission will hold a public hearing on several options that would change the times or areas open to off-leash dogs in Willards Woods. These options were proposed by our subcommittee as one ap­proach to an equitable bal­ance in the Woods between owners who want to walk their dogs off-leash, and concerns for the habitat im­pacts and the conflicts with other users that off-leash dogs may cause. The op­tions and the subcommit­tee's report can be viewed at the Conservation Depart­ment's page on the town's website and at the Conser­vation Department office.

We encourage everyone who cares about Willards Woods and its use to attend and speak at the hearing, or submit comments via letter or e-mail before then. We want to hear from you, whether you walk your dog off-leash or on, walk there without a dog, or avoid Willards Woods because of the dogs; whether you believe the Woods are dam­aged by dogs or are a better place with them. While our decision will not be based on a popularity contest, we do value your perspective, and welcome your input as we try to find the right bal­ance for the long-term protection and use of this won­derful conservation area. — Joyce Miller, chair, Lexing­ton Conservation Commis­sion