A message from Earth Trust.
Earth Trust has an amazing site right on your doorstep – 500 hectares of grassland, arable and woodland, including the Wittenham Clumps, Neptune Wood and the River of Life.
One of the reasons the site is so special is because it’s managed so that its good for people, for wildlife and for farming, but this doesn’t come without its issues.
Whilst dogs which are managed responsibly have little adverse impact on the site, badly managed dogs can severely impact upon wildlife, other people and the success of farming operations.
We’d like to introduce an Earth Trust Good Dog Walker scheme. It would focus largely on responsible dog walkers being identifiable (by wearing a badge or similar) and leading by example for other dog walkers. But the detail of what constitutes ‘responsible dog walking’, and how the scheme could work best needs further discussion.
We know that changing behaviour is not easy but research has shown that the behaviour of many dog walkers is influenced mostly by what they believe other dog walkers will think of them if they behave a certain way. So, calling all responsible dog walkers, you can make a difference.
We need a small group of people to help us work out the detail of the scheme and to consider how we can roll out a pilot Good Dog Walker scheme.
If you would like to be involved in a pilot scheme please contact Clare at clare.sulston@earthtrust.org.uk.
We will be holding an initial meeting to discuss this approach at 7.30pm on Thursday 17th August at the Earth Trust Centre. Refreshments will be provided. Please contact Clare if you can attend.
We can’t do this without you.
Thank you.
