Re: the Heritage Forest in Qualicum Beach.
This is a most beautiful and tranquil forest/park that many of you will have walked.
It is fifty acres of forested area maintained by the Town of Qualicum Beach, protected by a conservation covenant signed by the Brown Property Preservation Society (BPPS), the town and the Land Conservancy of B.C.
The BPPS and its volunteers play a large role in maintaining the park, including the walking trails. In exchange for all of this, we as the public are asked very little, except to follow a few rules, three of which are critical to the health of the forest:
• All dogs should be on leash at all times.
• Dog owners need to pick up dog feces (for which there are plastic bags provided at four of the six entrances to the park, as well as disposal bins at these same four entrances).
• Stay on the trails when walking in the park.
In the past month, I have come across a minimum of six dogs off leash, two of which were running through the forest, their walkers out of site of the dogs.
When I reminded some of these owners about the rule, their comments were few, but none of them claimed not to have seen the signage.
I think it is important for everyone to recognize what a privilege it is for us to be able to walk through such a beautiful area when being asked to do so little in return.
I hope some of those people read this and acknowledge how they should be conducting themselves and overseeing their dogs.
Tricia BrowneQualicum Beach