Allow regulated trapping at Boltons Prest...

<p>Hello neighbors!</p><p>We need your help to keep the Preston Pond area and town forest open for all people and uses, not just for hiking and dog walking. I know that many of you do not hunt or trap or even understand why its so important to so many of us to keep these town owned lands open to traditional use. My hope is that even tho you may not take part in these activities that you will understand why I and so many other neighbors do.</p><p>As you may know, trapping at Preston pond was voted by the select board to be allowed in the 2015/16 season. The trapper requested permission from the town and followed all the laws/rules set forth by the state and fish and game. It went to the select board for a vote.&nbsp; Trapping was voted to be allowed by the one trapper who asked. The request was to be allowed to trap beavers under the ice, and also fisher traps in wire cages six feet up off the ground in the trees. Both offer no risk to the public or anyone pets. No fisher traps where even set any beaver traps under the ice. Three beavers where harvested this past season. Preston pond area is made up of two ponds, upper and lower. Between the two ponds the beavers have four active houses. The shores of both ponds have been eaten clean of all young new growth by beavers. It is easy to see that there are plenty of beavers and that they have just about eaten themselves out of house and home. So taking a few in a responsible way will actually help the habitat the beavers depend on rebound and help them stay around. Beavers natural life cycle is to eat all the young trees in an area and move on to let the trees grow back, then they return or new beavers move in. So the point is, we are talking about a healthy beaver population and in no way does trapping put them in danger of being wiped out.</p><p>Another big point I would like to make is that the public is not in any danger of being hurt by law abiding trappers. We are not even&nbsp;talking about foothold trapping. At least the request the town got at this time that is being fought so hard didn't involve any foothold traps. Foothold trapping takes place on all state land in this and most towns with no incident. No trapper would set a trap in a way that would put anyone at risk of being hurt. Again this request wasn't about foothold trapping. Not to say it shouldn't be or can't be done in a safe way at p.p. area, because it can be done.</p><p>All the opposition to the request started when the previous owner of the land&nbsp;heard about it and didn't like the idea. He went on a propaganda rage and sent flyers out full of misinformation. Made it seem like people would be setting traps that people could get hurt on and that the public is in grave danger. Also that whole populations of animals would be wiped out. Even called it ''recreational murder''. Even after having the states furbearer biologist and state game wardens come to the conservation committee meetings to explain how trapping plays&nbsp;an important role in population management and is the most highly regulated outdoor pursuits in the state, he has continued his assault on this traditional pursuit. &nbsp;He claims this is not an attack on hunting or trapping elsewhere or gun rights, but it most certainly is. It opens the floodgates for shutting down traditional uses on publicly owned land everywhere. There is a petition going around to stop trapping on Preston Pond and has had 50 signatures from people who live in Bolton, plus many more from people who live outside the area and even from out of state. A anti hunting/trapping group very active in our area called p.o.w. (protect our wildlife) has spread the petition and lots of misinformation about the whole issue, even getting out of state animal rights groups involved.</p><p>The conservation committee has done an amazing job to come up with an application for future trapping requests. Ultimately the decision is up to the select board each time. But the petition to stop trapping is trying to make it so trapping won't be allowed unless the town can prove a clear management issue. And take the ability for a trapper to even request permission. Only the "town" would be able to decide when trapping should take place. We would like to keep the right to ask for permission to trap with the people not the town. They would still have to go through the application process and the select board to gain permission per Vermont state law. But taking away the right to even ask permission makes no sense. Trapping is legal and highly regulated. It takes place all over the state on public land with no issues as it has for generations. We only ask this to be allowed to continue.</p><p>Lets not let a bunch of people who don't even live here or have come to this beautiful place we have called home for generations, decide our future use on this land owned by all of us!</p><p>My hope is to show the town that just as many people want to allow traditional use on this and other land owned by the taxpayers and bought for everyone to use! So if you agree that the land stay open to trapping and that we should have the right to ask permission please take a minute to sign this petition.</p><p>Thanks...</p>