01/10/14
First Four On-Leash Dog Walking Trails in Huntington Town Parks Approved!
On Tuesday, Jan. 7, 2014, the Huntington Town Board unanimously approved four new on-leash dog walking trails for Huntington dog owners and their dogs. The approvals are the first designation of trails under the Town’s new on-leash dog walking trails initiative. In June 2013, the Town Board unanimously approved a resolution to allow people to walk their dogs on-leash on designated trails in Huntington Town parks. That decision overturned a longstanding ban on dogs in Town parks. Read the full story here.
At the same time the four trails were approved, the Town Board also voted to appoint an LI-DOG representative to the Huntington Greenway Trails Citizens Advisory Committee. The Trails Committee is responsible for promoting the use of trails and recommending new trails to the Town Board. LI-DOG was invited to review all potential trails with the Committee. We are now looking forward to becoming a permanent member of the team that is expected to make recommendations for additional on-leash trails and help make sure the initiative is a success.
The first four trails designated for on-leash dog walking are:
- The woodland trail in Dix Hills Park in Dix Hills
- The right-of-way segment in the Jerome Ambro Wetland Preserve in E. Northport
- The perimeter path at Frazer Drive Park in Greenlawn
- The paved path in Sunshine Acres Park in Commack
In a statement, LI-DOG President Ginny Munger Kahn noted that each of these trails has unique characteristics—some are short, paved paths, while others are longer wooded trails. What underlies them all, she said, “is the opportunity they provide Huntington dog owners to enjoy public parkland just like any other Huntington resident.”
It is very important for the success of this initiative and our ability to get future trails designated that people follow two key rules: 1) Clean up after your dog at all times and 2) Keep your dog on-leash. This is for the safety of your dog—there are hazards on trails including bikers, horses and wildlife; out of consideration for other dog owners—people who don’t take their dogs to dog parks because they are fearful or have issues with other dogs often walk their dogs on-leash on trails; and out of consideration for non-dog owners who may not appreciate coming into contact with your dog.
The perimeter trail at Frazer Park is now available for dog walking as the Town Board converted what was a pilot on-leash program at the park into permanent status on the 7th. The three other trails will be accessible to dog walkers as soon as signs with rules are posted, which is expected soon. The Town also expects to provide waste bags on some of the trails.
We want to thank Councilman Mark Cuthbertson for sponsoring the initiative to designate trails for on-leash dog walking as well as the resolutions approving these new on-leash trails. “The pilot program created for Frazer Park helped explore the expansion of this program,” he said. “Now residents and their canine friends can walk hand-in-leash on these three other sites as well. “ And, thanks to the entire Huntington Town Board—Supervisor Frank Petrone plus Councilmembers Susan Berland, Eugene Cook and Tracey Edwards for their unanimous support!
Finally, thanks so much to all our supporters who wrote emails to the Town Board and came to Town Board meetings. Thank you for your support!