Link to NFDOG Home Page
Any comments invited at the end of this page.
NFDOG has prevented the closure of Clayhill car park - for the second time in a year.
The Forestry Commission had given an undertaking that Clayhill, near Burley, would be removed from the list of winter closures (November to March). This happened when the FC persuaded Forest user groups to back a proposal to close Clayhill in the ground bird nesting season (March to June). In return for their co-operation, a promise was given that the winter closure would stop.
However, at a meeting of the New Forest Consultative Panel, the commission issued a list of car parks to be closed from November. Clayhill was included.
As soon as it was spotted, an NFDOG representative contacted Forestry Commission Communications Manager Emma Stevens at The Queen's House in Lyndhurst and requested an explanation. At first, she said she had no knowledge of the issue involving Clayhill.
However, after meetings with senior FC staff, Ms Stevens issued a statement 24 hours later admitting it was a mistake. She blamed “human error” and confirmed that Clayhill would definitely NOT be closed in winter. 'We are sorry if we caused alarm to anybody who uses the car park,' she added.
NFDOG was the only organisation to challenge the FC over the winter closure of Clayhill.
The FC also admitted that Crockford Clump car park should not have been on the winter closure list and that, too, has been reprieved.
The previous occasion that NFDOG halted the closure of Clayhill was last year when it was one of three car parks listed by the FC's Progress Project for permanent closure. Progress officials argued that closing them might reduce disturbance and encourage wading birds, like snipe, to breed. NFDOG opposed the closures because there was no evidence that such a move would benefit birds. It alerted members by email and with a newspaper advertisement, leading to so many objectors turning out to the Project's consultation sessions that it was forced to abandon the permanent closures.
Burley resident and NFDOG member Chris McDowell said: 'I was very disappointed when I heard the Forestry Commission was going to close Clayhill in winter, despite its promise. I am very, very pleased that NFDOG fought to keep our car park open. NFDOG is doing wonderful work.'
Mrs McDowell, who walks golden retriever Rosie in the Burley area, added: 'The Forest is there for people as well as for the wildlife. Over the years, the wildlife has learned to live side by side with the human users and as far as I am concerned seems to have flourished.
'My reason for living in the Forest is so that I can walk my dog freely. That is the joy of living here.'
It is not the first time the commission has stumbled over the controversial closures of car parks.
NFDOG committee member David Dickenson, who was at the meeting at which the FC promised there would be no winter closures for Clayhill, said: 'This underlines the need to be forever vigilant. The Forestry Commission must be made to realise that we will not readily throw away hard-won battles. We will work to preserve our members' freedom.'
Alarm bells rang when newspaper articles appeared saying that details of 'dog walking routes' in the New Forest could be found at the Forestry Commission’s web site.
NFDOG, whose policy has always been to resist any move to restrict dog walking to certain areas, was quickly on the case. A researcher discovered the Forestry Commission had circulated a press release dated July 6 2007stating: 'Details of some of the finest dog walking routes can be found at www.forestry.gov.uk/newforest.'
In fact, the web site had no information about dog walking routes. It contained only details of general walks for all users.
NFDOG member Wendy Cook, from Bransgore, was so worried by the newspaper report she telephoned the Forestry Commission. Said Wendy: 'I was so relieved when they said it was a mistake and that dogs are welcome everywhere in the Forest so long as they are under control.'
Wendy, who enjoys walking golden retrievers Rosie and Molly in the Burley area, added: 'I cannot think of anything worse than specific dog walking areas. It would defeat the whole object of walking in the Forest.'
NFDOG followed up with a letter to the Forestry Commission querying the press release. In reply, the co-ordinator of the Commission's Progress Project, Peter Thaxter, confirmed: 'As far as the management of the Forestry Commission in the New Forest is concerned, they have always welcomed well-behaved dogs across the Forest.'
Now, the Commission's web site has been updated so that no one could be misled. 'Well behaved dogs are welcome throughout the New Forest, and so get out and enjoy the fresh air together,” dog walkers are urged on the 'Walking, riding and cycling' page.
Said NFDOG chairman Pauline Ludlow; 'We felt that any hint of restricting dogs to certain areas had to be quashed straight away. We are grateful that the Commission has clarified the issue.'
Proposals to close another eight car parks in some of the most scenic parts of the New Forest have been opposed by New Forest Dog Owners Group.
Plans to close permanently three New Forest car parks as part of a wildlife project have been scrapped following massive opposition from users. However, the Forestry Commission’s Progress Project has gone ahead with seasonal closures of four car parks, plus the scrapping of many lay-bys despite admitting that the scientific evidence to support the move was 'not perfect”.
The car parks reprieved
from permanent closure are Longslade View, Crockford Clump and Clay Hill
at Burley. Crockford Clump and Clay Hill have now joined the list of
seasonal closures, along with Crockford and Hinchelsea Wood. The closures
started in March and run through to the end of June for a trial period.
Monitoring is due to last five years.
Pig Bush and Culverly, originally listed for seasonal closures, no longer feature on the hit list.
Many lay-bys popular with Forest users for parking before a walk are also to be closed. They include one on the A35 leading to Wilverley; those between Wilverley and Hincheslea; the Marchwood lay-by, and those in the area of Black Gutter near Godshill. Some lay-bys around Wilverley have already been closed as part of the scheme.
The proposals for the closures met with overwhelming public protests when the Forestry Commission organised consultation sessions at various car parks last September. Until NFDOG publicised them, very few people knew about the consultation sessions because they were not advertised in local newspapers.
Faced with this setback, the Forestry Commission broadened their consultation to include many more locals and visitors to the Forest. They were taken aback to find that only 27% of those questioned supported the permanent closure of any car parks.
The revised Progress Project plans also met substantial opposition when revealed at a meeting of a stakeholders group, on which NFDOG is represented, in January 2007. Universal anger was expressed at the inadequate research conducted on the numbers of ground nesting waders using the Forest. Although in significant decline elsewhere in the country, the evidence presented suggests this is not the case in the New Forest. The birds involved are snipe, lapwings, redshank and curlew.
The success or failure of the closures and other proposed pilot actions will be judged on surveys that have been conducted. The latest, the only one ever done that covers all the affected areas, was only carried out between June 10 and 29 last year, when many waders would have already finished nesting and moved away. The statistics collected are being judged against surveys conducted elsewhere in 1994 and 2004, which started two months earlier than the latest research.
NFDOG committee member and veterinary surgeon David Dickenson pointed out that last year’s survey covered only the final one and a half weeks of the scientific standard period. 'Moving ahead now means we will never be able to accurately judge the success or failure of the proposed measures, so the entire exercise, including the loss of the car parks, will be pointless.” he told the stakeholders.
He urged the leaders of the Project to postpone the closures so that a proper survey could be conducted; the results of which could be relied upon. 'Doing something badly is worse than doing nothing at all for the sake of waiting a year or two,” he added.
The co-ordinator of the Progress Project, Peter Thaxter, said the scheme did not allow them to wait for several years whilst more data was collected. It had to go ahead even though they did not have full statistics. The Project finishes its four-year term in October 2007.
'The length of the Project is your problem, not ours,” said Malcolm Forster, of the New Forest Equine Association
After the meeting, David Dickenson said ' It is bizarre that the Forestry Commission is determined to press ahead with these closures. They are fully aware that it will be impossible to judge the success or failure of such measures, because we have such limited knowledge of what exists out there today. We must remain vigilant that they do not use this as a precedent to press for more and more car park closures in the years to come.”
When a group of separate individuals come together because they feel passionately about an issue, and combine their various skills, the result can be extremely successful. The process can also be thrilling. Looking back over the early months of NFDOG's progress in 2001, there is a real sense of pride at how much can be achieved with just a few determined individuals.
Gather support for your cause in your local area. Contact dog training clubs, vets, pet shops, grooming parlours, and any doggie friends. Spread the word.
Set up a working
party/committee with a chairman, treasurer, vet, solicitor, publicist,
computer specialist and ornithologist/wildlife specialist.
Develop a constitution.
Do remember to organise public liability insurance in case you are sued by anyone.
All committee members/helpers should be willing to work free of charge.
Set up a network of willing helpers who can fill envelopes, stick on stamps, and distribute leaflets. These should be based right across the area - ultimately achieving higher membership.
Develop a name, logo and typeface that remain consistent in all that you do.
Set up a contact address to which people can write/send money.
Set up a web site that is regularly updated, and a database of members.
Generate media interest in your issue. Be absolutely single-minded about whatever your cause is (i.e. is the problem the Countryside and Rights of Way Act (CROW), conservationists, or something else?).
Befriend journalists. This may help to get your case covered in a more favourable light.
Remember always to emphasise that your group represents responsible dog owners - the vast majority. Always say that the more control we have over our dogs, the more freedom we have.
Always make your case seem reasonable, and the other side unreasonable. Why should you have to fight so hard for a quiet walk in the country?
Have a complete understanding of the legal issues facing you.
Find 'moles' in the organisations that oppose you. Discover what their hidden, as well as their stated, agendas are.
Buy the 'A-Z of Countryside Law' from the Government Stationery Office
(TSO),
tel. no. 0870 6005522, email customer.services@tso.co.uk
Plan to set up a public meeting to launch your group.
Ask for favours - try and get your venue cheap/free.
It is incredibly important that your public meeting is highly professional. This is the public face of your group and will create a lasting impression.
Send out hundreds/thousands of brightly coloured A4 leaflets highlighting the issue and announcing your public meeting. Put them in vets, pet shops, sympathetic local newsagents, notice boards, telegraph posts etc.
Send a press release to all your local and regional media organisations, including newspapers, local radio and television stations, and to the dog press, announcing the meeting. Make sure your press release includes details and contact numbers for dog owners who will suffer from the new restrictions.
Press news editors at those media organisations to cover the meeting. Bend over backwards to offer them facilities. You have to make it easy for them to attend.
Before the meeting, get parish and county councillors, and MPs on your side. This is a really easy vote winner for them - dog walkers usually outnumber whoever the enemy is!
Remember that these individuals can do a lot of the fighting for you in high places.
If CROW is the issue, make contact with the Countryside Agency and see if they will speak at your meeting. Give whoever is against you an opportunity to put their case in public - this will seem reasonable.
Invite influential people to the meeting; the Kennel Club, vets, MPs, wildlife representatives, and dog training clubs as well as the media.
For the meeting you will need your logo, blown up to poster size and laminated - several of these.
You'll need lots of stewards with buckets to collect money, and take down people's names and addresses. Make arrangements for the safekeeping of money collected.
In case you get hundreds/thousands of people, also consider taking blank envelopes into which people can put £5 membership (an easy amount to handle) and write their name and address on the front themselves.
Right from the start, collect as many email addresses as possible. A large register of email addresses of members and supporters is worth its weight in gold. It is by far the easiest and most cost effective way of contacting people, especially if you need them at short notice to attend a meeting or event to voice their protests. Remember that those attempting to impose restrictions on dog walkers may try to slip things through at very short notice in a low-key way, hoping to avoid unpleasant scenes like protest rallies outside council offices. Rallying your troops by email means they cannot get away with those tactics.
At your public meeting, all committee members and speakers should have badges with their name and title. You'll also need VIP badges (MPs, county councillors etc.)
Arrange a public address system. Also plan to video the meeting, and produce copies you can sell later to raise funds.
All the speakers need to have a consistent style to their charts, whether on PowerPoint or acetates. They should have no more than 15 words on a chart, otherwise the audience feels ' read to'. They need to be fully rehearsed, and answers to questions thought through.
No alcohol should be served in the meeting - it can inflame the mood if things become angry.
Develop a 'Dog Owners' Code' which you can take a vote on in the meeting. This should encourage dog owners to be responsible. Condemn the irresponsible minority who let their dogs run wild - it gives you more credibility.
Remember that big membership numbers are your power base. If you can claim many hundreds or even thousands of members, the powers that be will listen to you.
If petitions are raised, make sure that people are asked to print their name, address, postcode and email address, so that you can contact them later and ask them to support your group as a paid up member.
For the long-term get representatives onto relevant local committees which could influence how recreation in your area is run.
It is hard work but worth it to protect our long held and cherished privileges to walk our dogs off lead, but under control.”
Click here to view DOG WALKING - BENEFITS OF WALKING A DOG OFF-LEAD (Microsoft WORD document)
After viewing, from your browser, click 'Save as' if you wish to make a
copy.
Organisations are welcome to quote freely from this report, providing
they indicate NFDOG as the copyright source
Explore the beauty of the New Forest National Park
Link to NFDOG home page
Web page by DAVID DICKENSON for NFDOG © 2007