Current City of Portland Leash Rules in Mayor Baxter Woods
1. Daily Off-leash Hours: 6am-9am, 3pm-10pm
2. Dogs must be leashed: 9am-3pm.
3. Dogs supposed to be on leash at all times in the Bird Habitat Restoration Area (on the Motherhouse side of the Woods)
FULL-TIME ON LEASH HOURS
IN ALL OF BAXTER WOODS ANNUALLY
FROM APRIL 1ST - JULY 31ST!!!
Our FoMBW Group President, Marc filed a civil complaint, about the MBW Leash Law, against the City of Portland in February 2021. As of October 2023, the Judge is still “reviewing” Marc’s complaint, which is simple. In passing the MBW Leash Law City Council (the defendant in the complaint), did not take into account Gov. Baxter’s intent regarding off-leash dogs.
There is supporting precedent for this argument, in part based on a Maine State Supreme Court case that was decided in 1978. This case, Fitzgerald vs. the Baxter State Park Authority (BSPA), involved how the BSPA conducted a massive tree clearing operation in BSP, that a concerned citizen like Marc took exception to, as a violation of Gov. Baxter’s intent for how the BSP should be managed. The MBW case is very similar, and to date the City Attorneys have made no legal arguments refuting the case!
As a group we believed at one point in 2021, after meeting with Councilor Zarro (now running for Mayor) that there was a chance the current leash rules could be amended by City Council. But there has been no indication in the 2 years since that he or any current members of the City Council are interested in taking up these leash rules for amendment, unless requested to do so by City Staff - which is very unlikely.
If you are interested in sharing your thoughts with any members of City Council or Leadership, below are names and addresses where you can forward e-mails.
For talking points and other ideas or info about the leash law - please go to the "new leash law" and "unintended consequences” sections of the website.
District 1 - Anna Trevorrow *** elected ‘21
atrevorrow@portlandmaine.gov
District 2 - Victoria Pelletier *** elected ‘21
vpelletier@portlandmaine.gov -
District 3 - Regina Phillips *** elected ‘22
rphillips@portlandmaine.gov
District 4 - Andrew Zarro *** elected ‘20
azarro@portlandmaine.gov (originally agreed to work with us on amending the rules, but has done nothing since being elected after the leash law was initially passed in October 2020)
District 5 - Mark Dion *** elected ‘20
mdion@portlandmaine.gov
(initially agreed that daily off leash hours every day of the year are reasonable, but has recently been a vocal opponent of Marc and our contentions )
At Large - April Fournier *** elected ‘20
afournier@portlandmaine.gov
At Large - Pious Ali * elected ‘23
pali@portlandmaine.gov
At Large - Roberto Rodriguez *** elected ‘22
rrodriguez@portlandmaine.gov
Mayor - Kate Snyder * elected ‘19
ksnyder@portlandmaine.gov - term ends ‘23 (Mayor Snyder met with us before the vote, ignored all of our arguments and betrayed our trust)
City Manager (Acting) - Danielle West *
citymanager@portlandmaine.gov (as Corp. Counsel in 2020 - supported the leash law changes and allowed these inappropriate rules to take effect)
*voted for/supported the restrictive leash law in 2020
***joined Council after leash law passed
Please ‘cc any correspondence you send to City Council/Leaders to our e-mail address at: baxterwoodsfriends@gmail.com
1. Daily Off-leash Hours: 6am-9am, 3pm-10pm
2. Dogs must be leashed: 9am-3pm.
3. Dogs supposed to be on leash at all times in the Bird Habitat Restoration Area (on the Motherhouse side of the Woods)
FULL-TIME ON LEASH HOURS
IN ALL OF BAXTER WOODS ANNUALLY
FROM APRIL 1ST - JULY 31ST!!!
Our FoMBW Group President, Marc filed a civil complaint, about the MBW Leash Law, against the City of Portland in February 2021. As of October 2023, the Judge is still “reviewing” Marc’s complaint, which is simple. In passing the MBW Leash Law City Council (the defendant in the complaint), did not take into account Gov. Baxter’s intent regarding off-leash dogs.
There is supporting precedent for this argument, in part based on a Maine State Supreme Court case that was decided in 1978. This case, Fitzgerald vs. the Baxter State Park Authority (BSPA), involved how the BSPA conducted a massive tree clearing operation in BSP, that a concerned citizen like Marc took exception to, as a violation of Gov. Baxter’s intent for how the BSP should be managed. The MBW case is very similar, and to date the City Attorneys have made no legal arguments refuting the case!
As a group we believed at one point in 2021, after meeting with Councilor Zarro (now running for Mayor) that there was a chance the current leash rules could be amended by City Council. But there has been no indication in the 2 years since that he or any current members of the City Council are interested in taking up these leash rules for amendment, unless requested to do so by City Staff - which is very unlikely.
If you are interested in sharing your thoughts with any members of City Council or Leadership, below are names and addresses where you can forward e-mails.
For talking points and other ideas or info about the leash law - please go to the "new leash law" and "unintended consequences” sections of the website.
District 1 - Anna Trevorrow *** elected ‘21
atrevorrow@portlandmaine.gov
District 2 - Victoria Pelletier *** elected ‘21
vpelletier@portlandmaine.gov -
District 3 - Regina Phillips *** elected ‘22
rphillips@portlandmaine.gov
District 4 - Andrew Zarro *** elected ‘20
azarro@portlandmaine.gov (originally agreed to work with us on amending the rules, but has done nothing since being elected after the leash law was initially passed in October 2020)
District 5 - Mark Dion *** elected ‘20
mdion@portlandmaine.gov
(initially agreed that daily off leash hours every day of the year are reasonable, but has recently been a vocal opponent of Marc and our contentions )
At Large - April Fournier *** elected ‘20
afournier@portlandmaine.gov
At Large - Pious Ali * elected ‘23
pali@portlandmaine.gov
At Large - Roberto Rodriguez *** elected ‘22
rrodriguez@portlandmaine.gov
Mayor - Kate Snyder * elected ‘19
ksnyder@portlandmaine.gov - term ends ‘23 (Mayor Snyder met with us before the vote, ignored all of our arguments and betrayed our trust)
City Manager (Acting) - Danielle West *
citymanager@portlandmaine.gov (as Corp. Counsel in 2020 - supported the leash law changes and allowed these inappropriate rules to take effect)
*voted for/supported the restrictive leash law in 2020
***joined Council after leash law passed
Please ‘cc any correspondence you send to City Council/Leaders to our e-mail address at: baxterwoodsfriends@gmail.com
PREVIOUS VOTE: ON 10/5/2020 CITY COUNCIL VOTED 8-1 IN FAVOR OF THE LEASH LAW RESTRICTIONS:
(1) only on-leash dog walking permitted after 9 a.m. and before 3 p.m. (August 1st to March 31st)
(2) off-leash dog walking permitted only before 9 a.m. and after 3 p.m. (August 1st to March 31st)
(3) four months (April 1st - July 31st) with NO off-leash dog walking permitted
(4) a new division with a year-round prohibition of off-leash dogs from Forest to Stevens Avenue north of the main trail
We did not gain support for our requests, e.g., off-leash before 10 a.m. and after 2 p.m., year round, with no division within Baxter Woods and are waiting to hear the outcome of Marc's legal case requesting that the City honor Governor Baxter's love of walking the woods with his dogs off-leash.
(1) only on-leash dog walking permitted after 9 a.m. and before 3 p.m. (August 1st to March 31st)
(2) off-leash dog walking permitted only before 9 a.m. and after 3 p.m. (August 1st to March 31st)
(3) four months (April 1st - July 31st) with NO off-leash dog walking permitted
(4) a new division with a year-round prohibition of off-leash dogs from Forest to Stevens Avenue north of the main trail
We did not gain support for our requests, e.g., off-leash before 10 a.m. and after 2 p.m., year round, with no division within Baxter Woods and are waiting to hear the outcome of Marc's legal case requesting that the City honor Governor Baxter's love of walking the woods with his dogs off-leash.
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Our Mission & Values
The Friends of Mayor Baxter Woods (FoMBW) group was created to advocate for the preservation and protection of Mayor Baxter Wood’s natural beauty and its historic and cultural significance in the Portland's Deering Center neighborhood. We formed specifically to organize as a group to defend ourselves against a small but powerful band of political activists bent on seeing a restrictive leash law enforced in Mayor Baxter Woods.
Please join us in protecting this invaluable community resource. To become a member of our Friends group, just send a message to baxterwoodsfriends@gmail.com. We will add your name to our list.
FoMBW advocates for volunteer stewardship of our precious woods and community resource. Regular visitors to these woods rely on this rare inner-city forest for exercise, connection with nature, and both canine and human socialization.
In early 2019, the Parks Department initially proposed that dogs should be on leash 24/7/365, igniting a large negative response from our then unorganized group of avid off-leash dog walkers. In April the Parks Commission asked the Parks Department to revise its full time leash law - which resulted in the current complex ordinance of set hours, locations and seasonal leash law rules (see details in July 18th Parks Commission Meeting notes, Section II. b, ii here).
We believe that the wisdom and legacy of Governor Baxter's wishes should be honored and advocate that City Officials should adhere to the stipulations in the 1946 Deed gifting MBW to the people of Portland (see original deed here).* Beyond the Deed, as a matter of the law - Mayor Baxter Woods should be managed by the City as Gov. Baxter intended, in the way former City Leaders understood for decades, as a place where off-leash dogs were allowed. Gov. Baxter even wrote a book about his dogs and how he loved being with them off-leash.
We also believe that requiring dogs to be leashed will create a host of unanticipated, negative consequences for both dogs and humans (see both "New Leash Law?" and "Unintended Consequences" for elaboration).
In both public meetings as well as public and private correspondence, Parks Department Staff has unfoundedly complained of dogs harming bird populations (see here), noted examples of dog waste on the grounds, and cited incidents of dog aggression as reasons to enact the leash law. We offered counter-arguments to each contention posed by the City - and at every step in the process were ignored by City Staff, Parks Commissioners, and City Councilors. Denied the opportunity to present our facts in an equal block of time - we were only allowed 3 minutes of public comment time to refute the City’s list of misinformation and outright disinformation about what was happening in MBW.
The Parks Department has further stated that "education" has not led to compliance with the rules.
But City Staff was never interested in educating the public or even enforcing existing rules. Although they have posted signs regarding rules governing off-leash dogs, they have never attempted to enforce posted fines. In their arguments for the leash law, the Parks Director even suggested that current usage (off-leash allowances) are a violation of the deed, which is a ridiculous proposition and we dispute.
FoMBW was formed in order to provide both on-going education and resources to address the Park Department's concerns related to off-leash dogs. Given that the population of dogs and their owners evolves over time, and that MBW is experiencing increased use as a result of the City's social media PR along with Portland's population growth, we ask for an opportunity to provide education targeted to current and future dog owners. The dog-walking community does realize that the park has various user groups, yet we are its volunteer stewards who both walk in and care for these woods on a day-to-day basis, rain, shine, or blizzard. We are asking for an opportunity to organize and improve the day-to-day experiences of all MBW users.
Please join us in protecting this invaluable community resource. To become a member of our Friends group, just send a message to baxterwoodsfriends@gmail.com. We will add your name to our list.
FoMBW advocates for volunteer stewardship of our precious woods and community resource. Regular visitors to these woods rely on this rare inner-city forest for exercise, connection with nature, and both canine and human socialization.
In early 2019, the Parks Department initially proposed that dogs should be on leash 24/7/365, igniting a large negative response from our then unorganized group of avid off-leash dog walkers. In April the Parks Commission asked the Parks Department to revise its full time leash law - which resulted in the current complex ordinance of set hours, locations and seasonal leash law rules (see details in July 18th Parks Commission Meeting notes, Section II. b, ii here).
We believe that the wisdom and legacy of Governor Baxter's wishes should be honored and advocate that City Officials should adhere to the stipulations in the 1946 Deed gifting MBW to the people of Portland (see original deed here).* Beyond the Deed, as a matter of the law - Mayor Baxter Woods should be managed by the City as Gov. Baxter intended, in the way former City Leaders understood for decades, as a place where off-leash dogs were allowed. Gov. Baxter even wrote a book about his dogs and how he loved being with them off-leash.
We also believe that requiring dogs to be leashed will create a host of unanticipated, negative consequences for both dogs and humans (see both "New Leash Law?" and "Unintended Consequences" for elaboration).
In both public meetings as well as public and private correspondence, Parks Department Staff has unfoundedly complained of dogs harming bird populations (see here), noted examples of dog waste on the grounds, and cited incidents of dog aggression as reasons to enact the leash law. We offered counter-arguments to each contention posed by the City - and at every step in the process were ignored by City Staff, Parks Commissioners, and City Councilors. Denied the opportunity to present our facts in an equal block of time - we were only allowed 3 minutes of public comment time to refute the City’s list of misinformation and outright disinformation about what was happening in MBW.
The Parks Department has further stated that "education" has not led to compliance with the rules.
But City Staff was never interested in educating the public or even enforcing existing rules. Although they have posted signs regarding rules governing off-leash dogs, they have never attempted to enforce posted fines. In their arguments for the leash law, the Parks Director even suggested that current usage (off-leash allowances) are a violation of the deed, which is a ridiculous proposition and we dispute.
FoMBW was formed in order to provide both on-going education and resources to address the Park Department's concerns related to off-leash dogs. Given that the population of dogs and their owners evolves over time, and that MBW is experiencing increased use as a result of the City's social media PR along with Portland's population growth, we ask for an opportunity to provide education targeted to current and future dog owners. The dog-walking community does realize that the park has various user groups, yet we are its volunteer stewards who both walk in and care for these woods on a day-to-day basis, rain, shine, or blizzard. We are asking for an opportunity to organize and improve the day-to-day experiences of all MBW users.