BOZEMAN — At the Cherry River Fishing Access you'll find a sign that says to keep your dogs leashed, but not everyone follows that rule.
Bozeman resident, Peggy Treat says she has confronted people about not having their dogs on leashes, but their responses are usually hostile.
Treat says, “I told him I said you need to put your dog on a leash here. And he was standing here right by the sign. And you know, he says, Well what are you gonna do about it?”
Treat is a long-time Montana resident. With all the growth around the Bozeman area, she wants to make sure wildlife and wetland areas such as Cherry Creek River Access are protected.
“I think that it's a privilege to be able to use this spot it's specially because of all the cattail marshes, wetlands,” says Treat. "I personally have seen Sandhill Crane colts here and they can't fly when they're young they stay in the same place.”
Treat has expressed her concerns about people not following the Fish, Wildlife, and Parks signage at the entrance of the river access.
“Dogs off leash run through these fragile areas, and they poop all over,” says Treat.
Communication and Education Program Manager of FWP, Morgan Jacobsen says these leashing rules are implemented at all FWP parks.
“Dogs are required to be on leash at the Cherry River Fishing Access site as well as all of Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks other sites in Montana. So leashed and under control is the rule,” says Jacobsen.
Jacobsen says they do receive occasional complaints about people not leashing their pets, but assures their Game Wardens work hard to patrol parks to make sure people follow the rules and give citations if necessary.
"We want people to be safe," says Jacobsen. "We want people to be able to enjoy these sites. And so you know, part of that is just making sure the rules are being followed,” says Jacobsen.
Treat says she will continue to use Cherry River Fishing Access and hopes people will start to follow FWP's rules.
“I don't understand why people don't respect a beautiful area such as this,” says Treat.
