Update: Pets are now banned from Shell Key

County personnel tell us that existing signs have been ineffective in keeping dogs out of restricted areas - and preservation advocates point out that the previous 2 month ban did not cover the 6 month nesting season.

Opponents of this plan say that it is not rational to go from a practically unenforced 2-month ban- directly to a zero-tolerance policy because we have not tried any intermediate steps.

There is a solution...
6 month ban + Effective Signage = Viable Compromise

Since the primary complaint about the current 2-month pet ban policy is that it does not cover the full 6 month summer nesting season, we have suggested that the ban be expanded to 6 months as an alternative to a year-round zero-tolerance policy.

The image above illustrates our design for signs that will clarify the rules for dog owners. The signs in combination with our 6-month compromise - and the planed increase of the restricted wildlife area - should have a significant impact on preservation while still allowing some access to the family dog.

It has been pointed out that allowing dogs during the winter months will still pose a threat to wintering shorebirds. However, we still think this is a reasonable compromise since there are far fewer visitors during the winter months - and the consequences of disturbing wintering shorebirds would be less than during the critical summer nesting season - and the proposed new signs would still serve to minimize intrusions by dogs in the protected areas.

We showed a "mockup" of our proposed signage solution at the Sept. 11th 2007 County Commission meeting. Our proposal ultimately failed - perhaps becaus we we unable to get enough support from County staff. If you agree with our compromise position, contact the county to let them know..