Daylight Saving Time is Ending: Waterdog is Closed at Night

Daylight saving time is ending on November 7, 2021. With darkness falling earlier, it is tempting to get some exercise in the open space after dark or in the predawn hours. However, Waterdog is closed from sunrise to sunset, and recreational use at night is against the rules. Please help us spread the word!

Until recently, the signage at the Waterdog open space was ambiguous as to its hours, and people may have been under the mistaken impression that use of the park after dark was legal. However, the city of Belmont recently put in new reflective signage which makes it very clear that the hours are: "PARK CLOSED FROM SUNSET TO SUNRISE."

We implore everyone in our community to stay out of the open space at night. While it may seem like you're not hurting anyone by taking your dog for an after-dark walk down Lake Road Trail, or going on a predawn trail run, or heading out on a night bike ride through the canyon, it is problematic for two reasons.

First, it is illegal. Entering onto public property outside of the posted hours is trespassing. The penalties for being caught in the open space at night can be severe. The Belmont Parks & Recreation Commission has recognized after-hours use of the open space as a significant problem. At its May 2021 meeting, the commission stated they are going to work with the Belmont Police Department to step up enforcement.

Second, it threatens legal daytime access for everyone. If you read the other articles on this website or follow local Parks and Recreation issues in Belmont, you already know that there is a small group of anti-recreation activists, led by failed City Council candidates, who are pushing for radical changes to our open space policies. They are making aggressive efforts to drastically reduce recreational access to our open space, especially mountain biking.

These activists are demanding to have Waterdog designated as a "nature preserve" in the Parks, Recreation, and Open Space (PROS) Master Plan. The PROS master plan process is currently under way, and will guide open space policies for the next 15-20 years. Someone has even enlisted a 250,000-member international animal rights organization to meddle in the process. These activists are salivating at the opportunity to make police reports about night riding, so they can show up to City Council meetings and say, "We need to ban mountain biking from Waterdog, look at all the police reports of night riding!"

Some council and commission members live in homes abutting the open space, so night use is very visible to city leadership. We trust and support our current city leadership, and we are confident they have the good sense to know that resources should not be closed due to the acts of a few scofflaws. Nobody would seriously propose shutting down a public road just because a few people don't obey the speed limit. The solution to people breaking laws is enforcement of those laws.