I found this in another area.
I had no idea about this a week ago, i have fished there a bunch in the last couple weeks, and i do remember one day and guy in his front yard was telling me i shouldnt park where i was becasue the boyscouts just went around posting everthing. Kinda shrugged my shoulders and continued on like i do EVERY year. And then i notice the state took browning pond off their stocking list which is usually underlined to show it gets stocked TWICE. and then i find this in the lowell sun. i hope it dosnt stick!!!! grew up on this pond. I WAS a boyscout. I dont get it
"The Boy Scouts of America is a wonderful organization. I can not think of a better group in this country to help kids learn about nature, conservation, survival and friendship.
Also they teach the kids how to fish, canoe, cook, build a campfire and bond with nature like no other group I am aware of. But I am very confused by their practice of posting their land to keep out fishermen.
Several years ago they had land in West Townsend which sat on the edge of Vinton Pond. This was posted no fishing, no trespassing for years until it was sold to a private investor who then sold it to the state. The pond is small -- about 18 acres -- fed by natural springs and it holds a few small bass and maybe a pickerel or two. If you went near this pond from the Boy Scouts' end you were thrown off even during the off-season.
Today there is still no boating access on this pond and only a small area you can fish because the rest of the pond is all homes and they don't want anyone fishing there.
Now it's happened again. Browning Pond in Spencer was just posted no trespassing for any reason, boating and fishing included. The posting was done by the Mohegan Council of the Boy Scouts of America.
The BSA is claiming ownership to the entire shoreline and boat launch found there, which they did not build.
According to the state's Bill Davis, this beautiful pond is stocked every year with brown and rainbow trout. But stocking will be stopped if the posting is found to be legal and the BSA does not allow fishermen access to the pond to pursue fish stocked by the state.
Davis said interested parties should contact the chapter directly and ask for Joe Marengo and ask him to politely explain their reasons. The number is 508-886-2213.
Read more: http://www.lowellsun.com/rss/ci_19999759?source=rss#ixzz1om0IlYuy
I had no idea about this a week ago, i have fished there a bunch in the last couple weeks, and i do remember one day and guy in his front yard was telling me i shouldnt park where i was becasue the boyscouts just went around posting everthing. Kinda shrugged my shoulders and continued on like i do EVERY year. And then i notice the state took browning pond off their stocking list which is usually underlined to show it gets stocked TWICE. and then i find this in the lowell sun. i hope it dosnt stick!!!! grew up on this pond. I WAS a boyscout. I dont get it
"The Boy Scouts of America is a wonderful organization. I can not think of a better group in this country to help kids learn about nature, conservation, survival and friendship.
Also they teach the kids how to fish, canoe, cook, build a campfire and bond with nature like no other group I am aware of. But I am very confused by their practice of posting their land to keep out fishermen.
Several years ago they had land in West Townsend which sat on the edge of Vinton Pond. This was posted no fishing, no trespassing for years until it was sold to a private investor who then sold it to the state. The pond is small -- about 18 acres -- fed by natural springs and it holds a few small bass and maybe a pickerel or two. If you went near this pond from the Boy Scouts' end you were thrown off even during the off-season.
Today there is still no boating access on this pond and only a small area you can fish because the rest of the pond is all homes and they don't want anyone fishing there.
Now it's happened again. Browning Pond in Spencer was just posted no trespassing for any reason, boating and fishing included. The posting was done by the Mohegan Council of the Boy Scouts of America.
The BSA is claiming ownership to the entire shoreline and boat launch found there, which they did not build.
According to the state's Bill Davis, this beautiful pond is stocked every year with brown and rainbow trout. But stocking will be stopped if the posting is found to be legal and the BSA does not allow fishermen access to the pond to pursue fish stocked by the state.
Davis said interested parties should contact the chapter directly and ask for Joe Marengo and ask him to politely explain their reasons. The number is 508-886-2213.
Read more: http://www.lowellsun.com/rss/ci_19999759?source=rss#ixzz1om0IlYuy
Apparently there are two sides to this story...
This is a comment that was posted immediately below the story that you linked to:
a neighbor writes,
"Did this guy actually do any "reporting" beyond a conversation with a state employee and an anecdote?
Had he done some basic research he would have known that these signs have always been posted around Browning Pond, though maybe not so conspicuously at the boat ramp until recently.
Had he contacted any of the property owners around this pond, especially Treasure Valley, he might have been told that fishermen who frequent that end of the pond are known for leaving all manner of trash, food containers, broken beer bottles, diapers and (with an appalling frequency) human waste on trails used by hikers, boyscouts and cub scouts.
Plain and simple the kind of "sportsmen" that have used Browning Pond in the past ignored the basic Boy Scout tenet of "leave no trace." I say the pond is better off without them.
Bill, instead of encouraging your readers to call and harass an organization whose principals and goals you commend, pick up the phone yourself and do some real reporting."
So the moral of the story is if you want to maintain access to your fishing hole you need to keep it clean.
This is a comment that was posted immediately below the story that you linked to:
a neighbor writes,
"Did this guy actually do any "reporting" beyond a conversation with a state employee and an anecdote?
Had he done some basic research he would have known that these signs have always been posted around Browning Pond, though maybe not so conspicuously at the boat ramp until recently.
Had he contacted any of the property owners around this pond, especially Treasure Valley, he might have been told that fishermen who frequent that end of the pond are known for leaving all manner of trash, food containers, broken beer bottles, diapers and (with an appalling frequency) human waste on trails used by hikers, boyscouts and cub scouts.
Plain and simple the kind of "sportsmen" that have used Browning Pond in the past ignored the basic Boy Scout tenet of "leave no trace." I say the pond is better off without them.
Bill, instead of encouraging your readers to call and harass an organization whose principals and goals you commend, pick up the phone yourself and do some real reporting."
So the moral of the story is if you want to maintain access to your fishing hole you need to keep it clean.
Well considering it is a Great Pond, they'd have a hard time not allowing public right of access. Not to mention there is a little known law somewhere that states I can cross any private land to launch my canoe on public water if no other access is given.
The pond may be better off without idiots..but that isn't the decision able to be made by a group that does not own the rights to the water. While I understand their frustration, they cannot legally deny right of access, it is that simple. Not to mention posted signs only punish law abiding sportsman..which aren't the ones littering anyway. The folks throwing garbage around are not going to stop because of a sign...
The pond may be better off without idiots..but that isn't the decision able to be made by a group that does not own the rights to the water. While I understand their frustration, they cannot legally deny right of access, it is that simple. Not to mention posted signs only punish law abiding sportsman..which aren't the ones littering anyway. The folks throwing garbage around are not going to stop because of a sign...
Blackstone,
seems like you have a valid point about access as kman's links support your argument.
However, it definitely seems like the state authorities are abdicating their authority to special interests groups again...Lead & Loons part two.
Unless, the sportsmen who want to maintain access to this waterway organize a petition to threaten a cease and desist action against the BSA & the property owners restricting access to this pond, I don't see a favorable outcome for sportsmen wanting to fish this pond.
seems like you have a valid point about access as kman's links support your argument.
However, it definitely seems like the state authorities are abdicating their authority to special interests groups again...Lead & Loons part two.
Unless, the sportsmen who want to maintain access to this waterway organize a petition to threaten a cease and desist action against the BSA & the property owners restricting access to this pond, I don't see a favorable outcome for sportsmen wanting to fish this pond.
I am not visiting the lead laws again. They are a different horse altogether.
I don't think anyone is giving away their authority to special interest groups. The fact is that there is no way to legally stop me from fishing this pond and if I showed up with my canoe and fished the lake there is no legal foundation to stop me. The group does not own the pond and has no rights above and beyond mine, especially if it is stocked via state funds. People can post signs but as I stated they are only hurting those of us who actually follow the laws.
Pollution and destruction of our waterways is a rampant problem and one that will not go away sadly. I hate to say it but the ignorance of our society is rising at a faster rate then can be dealt with. That is not to say it shouldn't be fought but...it is a hard battle, and sadly one that will prolly not be won.
However, trying to illegally block public land is not the answer. Much of the funding for wildlife and wilderness programs comes from hunters and fishermen. I once saw a sign that read;
"Birdwatchers, have you paid your wilderness tax? The Hunters have."
You want to stop littering and disrespect? Start confronting those that do it. Many people see people litter, fish without a license, fish more rods then legally allowed, keep more fish then they should, still use lead...etc etc, yet most do not say anything figuring "why bother" or "it isn't my problem" and so on. Get people to understand their impact on the world, get people to teach their kids proper manners and respect and work on changing the root of the problem instead of putting up a sign that does nothing. Take time out of fishing to volunteer to local kids groups or parks and help clean up and change the world.
I have watched Scout leaders instruct their scouts in how to unhook a fish..it was sunfish at River Bend Farm in Uxbridge. The scout leader took the child's fish, stepped on it on the dock, ripped the hook out of its mouth and kicked it into the water. This is the kind of ignorance that spreads quickly, as this person just showed about 20 kids how to kill a fish and call it catch and release. Old Fly fishing magazines used to tell people to toss used flies into the rivers once they were done with them...I still meet people who think carp should be tossed into the woods instead of returned to the water...Did you know that mono line can take several hundred years to break down? Yet fishermen still think it fine to simply toss yards and yards of it on the ground...the ignorance around us is staggering.
I understand why people get frustrated and try things like this...but it isn't the way to fix the problem, heck it isn't even really a band-aid on it.
I don't think anyone is giving away their authority to special interest groups. The fact is that there is no way to legally stop me from fishing this pond and if I showed up with my canoe and fished the lake there is no legal foundation to stop me. The group does not own the pond and has no rights above and beyond mine, especially if it is stocked via state funds. People can post signs but as I stated they are only hurting those of us who actually follow the laws.
Pollution and destruction of our waterways is a rampant problem and one that will not go away sadly. I hate to say it but the ignorance of our society is rising at a faster rate then can be dealt with. That is not to say it shouldn't be fought but...it is a hard battle, and sadly one that will prolly not be won.
However, trying to illegally block public land is not the answer. Much of the funding for wildlife and wilderness programs comes from hunters and fishermen. I once saw a sign that read;
"Birdwatchers, have you paid your wilderness tax? The Hunters have."
You want to stop littering and disrespect? Start confronting those that do it. Many people see people litter, fish without a license, fish more rods then legally allowed, keep more fish then they should, still use lead...etc etc, yet most do not say anything figuring "why bother" or "it isn't my problem" and so on. Get people to understand their impact on the world, get people to teach their kids proper manners and respect and work on changing the root of the problem instead of putting up a sign that does nothing. Take time out of fishing to volunteer to local kids groups or parks and help clean up and change the world.
I have watched Scout leaders instruct their scouts in how to unhook a fish..it was sunfish at River Bend Farm in Uxbridge. The scout leader took the child's fish, stepped on it on the dock, ripped the hook out of its mouth and kicked it into the water. This is the kind of ignorance that spreads quickly, as this person just showed about 20 kids how to kill a fish and call it catch and release. Old Fly fishing magazines used to tell people to toss used flies into the rivers once they were done with them...I still meet people who think carp should be tossed into the woods instead of returned to the water...Did you know that mono line can take several hundred years to break down? Yet fishermen still think it fine to simply toss yards and yards of it on the ground...the ignorance around us is staggering.
I understand why people get frustrated and try things like this...but it isn't the way to fix the problem, heck it isn't even really a band-aid on it.
Regarding access to ponds or lakes.It is my understanding that no one person or group can own a body of water Lake/pond.The only way they can own the body of water is if it was man made on privately owned property.It is also my understanding that you do have access to a body of water provided you are not going through someone's private property.If the only access to the water is from privately owned land,then you need that land owners permission.If you use a state owned boat ramp,or that particular town/city allows access then you have no problem.In the case at browning pond,or any other body of water,do some research with the town/city,or mass wildlife to determine if they allow public access.On browning pond the dirt area off the road is considered the boat launch/ramp.See if the town or mass wildlife knows who owns that little piece of property.If it is privately owned,then you would need to find out who the owner is and ask permission to put your boat in there.The city or town owns a certain amount of land off the main roadway also,not sure how much land,but if the area at browning pond is within the amount and the town allows access to the body of water then you should have no problem.I know the new laws requiring posting of privately owned land state that: The land owner must post no trespassing signs within a certain amount of space between signs across all of their property.These signs must have the name,phone number,and address of the land owner and must be updated yearly.That is why you don't see a lot of privately owned land posted.You might think you are not on privately owned land without any signs,but someone approaches you and says you are trespassing.I found this out one day by a game warden when i was hunting.Someone complained we were hunting on their land.They did not have it posted.The game warden informed the land owner they must post the land if they don't want any one to have access.Otherwise there is nothing the game warden can do.The land owner can politely ask you not to hunt their land,but without it being posted, during your hunt,you could end up on their property again because you don't know their land boundary's.So if you are ever fishing a body of water,and someone tells you you can't fish there,ask if they own the land that you accessed to get on the water.If they do not,then you don't have to leave.I had this same problem with a lake in my home town.,so that is how i found out about access to bodies of water.