Margaret Bucheit points to a stone wall less than 200 feet away that marks the boundary of the Trustom Pond National Wildlife Refuge . Its proximity is worrisome to Bucheit and her neighbors because the refuge will be allowing bowhunting in the adjacent woodlands for the first time beginning next fall , and the prospect makes them feel unsafe .
While she doesn ’ t object to hunting — her husband , William Ohley , frequently hunts with a long-bow — she has witnessed poachers in clandestine hunting stands and drunk hunters in areas that have been closed to hunting since the refuge was established in 1973 .
“ Safety is our main concern ,” says Bucheit . “ If they ’ re going to do it , do it safely , though we ’ d prefer that they don ’ t do it at all . There are so many houses around and so many people looking at wildlife , it ’ s crazy to think it can be done safely under the current plan .”
The U . S . Fish and Wildlife Service , which owns and manages the refuge , has established safety zones prohibiting hunting within 200 feet of houses and 100 feet of refuge trails , but Bucheit and Ohley say it isn ’ t adequate , especially since signs won ’ t be posted identifying the location of the zones . “ That size safety zone would have been fine forty years ago ,” says Ohley , “ but modern crossbow arrows can travel 450 feet a second . To do it safely , they need a much bigger safety zone .” Equally worrisome , they say , is that there are no safety zones around the neighborhood ’ s deeded common open space where residents walk regularly .
Bucheit and Ohley have hired a lawyer to represent their neighborhood ’ s interests in an effort to delay the hunting plan until their concerns are addressed . Neighbors adjacent to the John Chafee National Wildlife Refuge in Narragansett , which was opened to hunting last fall for the first time , have taken similar steps . Hunting has also been expanded at two other national wildlife refuges in the state , and the first “ mentored hunt ” for youth , disabled veterans and other special populations at Sachuest Point National Wildlife Refuge in Middletown will take place in 2022 or 2023 .
The conflict between hunters and walkers has been contentious , with each group wanting access to prime public lands at certain times of the year without having to worry about the other . Yet it ’ s far from the only conflict among user groups at wildlife refuges , state and municipal parks , wildlife management areas and other properties open to multiple uses .
“ But our issue is lethal ,” says Buckheit . “ It can kill people .”
While that may be true , other user conflicts can generate just as much angst . A conflict last year between a New York City birdwatcher and a woman who let her dog roam unleashed in Central Park led to a racially charged incident that received international news coverage . And Rhode Island ’ s birders are quick to note this is a common problem in the Ocean State , too .
Birders say their biggest concern about unleashed dogs is for the health and safety of ground-nesting birds that off-leash dogs may trample , frighten and stress .
“ The worst-case scenario is direct predation , but the continued stress of reacting to a predator can be
PHOTOGRAPHY COURTESY OF ERNIE GERMANI / TRAILSANDWALKSRI . WORDPRESS . COM .
52 RHODE ISLAND MONTHLY l FEBRUARY 2021