Conservation officer in Massachusetts forced to remove numerous “personal” wildlife cameras from protected area
David Attenborough has a lot to answer for.
We want to make people around the world fall in love with our Earth’s flora and fauna, bring nature into our homes and classrooms, and inspire people of all ages to explore and respect nature.
Sometimes, however, we get a little carried away.
We recently reported on a man in Swansea who was fined for getting too close to the nest of an endangered honey buzzard, and just recently a film company and its drone pilot were fined for illegally filming orcas in Canada.
Numerous private wildlife cameras were discovered along the Mashpee River and in Pickerel Cove in the town of Mashpee, Massachusetts.
Mashpee acquired the land around Pickerel Cove in 2008 to preserve the natural area for species and habitat conservation and for public recreation.
The land is part of the Mashpee National Wildlife Refuge and offers hikers numerous beautiful trails.
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Conservation Officer Andrew NcManus and his deputy Daniel Kent were forced in early August to inform the Mashpee Conservation Commission about a number of private trail cameras found along public sidewalks (about two per month).
“I’m getting a lot of calls from residents who are more than just scared,” Kent told the Conservation Commission on August 8. “Because of the kids, the dogs and everything.”
Because they are designed to be camouflaged and unobtrusive so that they do not scare wild animals, the wildlife cameras may seem scary to laypeople.
Kent explained that the situation escalated when he removed a trail camera and returned it to its owner.
“He was upset and said this was a violation of his civil rights,” Kent said. “We had several conversations with him and the city manager, who was also involved in the matter.”
Although there are no specific laws prohibiting the placement of private trail cameras, Conservation Commission Chairman Paul Colombo argued that the matter falls under Regulation 1 of Chapter 173 of the Charter, relating to conservation areas.
He said:
“The regulation does not specifically say that game cameras cannot be used, but it does refer to activities that you want to carry out on nature reserves. You must go before the commission or at least submit a written request for the activity.”
In conversation with the local newspaper The companyKent added:
“The trigger was that (the owner of the camera) said it was a violation of his constitutional rights. We don’t believe that’s the case at all. He has built private structures on nature reserves.”
Conservation officials are working on changing the law to explicitly include wildlife cameras in the list of prohibited activities for which people must obtain special permission.
Despite the need for action, conservation officials said the motives for the cameras were not malicious.
He gave the example of a camera he took down and returned to a father, who explained that he had placed it there so that his children could see if their chickens were walking along the path.
“I don’t want to destroy cameras unless I have to,” Kent said. “I prefer the person to come and pick them up. Then I have the opportunity to talk to them and teach them something.”
If you’re looking to (responsibly) set up some trail cameras to keep a close eye on local wildlife, check out our guide to the best trail cameras, the best cellular trail cameras, and the best cameras for wildlife photography.
