November 29, 2011
By Dan Adams, Articles.Boston.com
Town officials scrambled last week to determine who owned land near
the Ridge Hill Reservation where a resident reported her daughter
encountered a hunter in a tree platform just a short walk from her
backyard.
Now, the town may consider a ban on bow hunting after discovering
that the incident occurred on conservation land where residents
frequently walk.
Clara Germani, whose Pine Street property abuts the reservation, said
her 14-year-old daughter was walking their dog down a path behind their
home last month when she was startled by a man wearing camouflage and a
black ski mask sitting in a tree. While she wasn’t sure the man was
armed, Germani’s daughter said he claimed he was hunting deer for a Lyme
disease study being conducted by the state. Town and state officials
were unaware of any such program.
Needham Police removed the platform, described by Germani as a chair
attached to a branch with fabric straps that had metal footholds leading
up to it. Police Chief Philip Droney said officers were unable to locate
the man, but are now investigating the incident with the help of state
Environmental Police.
Officials quickly realized it was unclear who owned the land and what
hunting rules applied there. They hurried to organize a series of calls
and meetings with town engineers, with police — who thought the land was
owned by the Army of Corps of Engineers — and with members of the
Conservation Commission, one of whom was adamant that the area was
conservation land owned by the town.
Town Manager Kate Fitzpatrick initially said the area where the
platform was discovered was federally owned Army Corps land, where
hunting would be allowed. However, after reviewing town maps and further
meetings with officials, Fitzpatrick said last week that the land in
question was almost certainly town conservation land, where hunting is
prohibited.
The uncertainty surrounding the area, where town, federal and private
property intersect, was unsettling to residents like Germani.
’’I didn’t know people could hunt in a suburban area like this,’’
Germani said.
Germani said she is not trying to end hunting, but wants residents to
be safe.
’’I just hope that people are not as ignorant as I was about this,
and that they protect themselves and their children from accidental
crossfire.’’
Shirley Converse, who has lived on Pine Street for 50 years, says
hunting in the area is nothing new, but it still makes her
uncomfortable.
’’If those bullets go astray they could do a tremendous amount of
damage,’’ Converse said. ’’I think it’s dangerous for kids and animals
in the neighborhood. ... It’s just not right. They should do it way off
in the woods somewhere.’’
