CAMDEN — Only leashed dogs will be allowed in Merryspring Park, according to a new policy set by the organization’s board of directors at its annual meeting June 12.

The park is a nature preserve with gardens, board members emphasized, adding that unleashed dogs being exercised in the park have damaged the gardens, frightened visitors and disturbed wildlife.

Signs will be posted at appropriate locations in the park to advise visitors of the new leash ruling, said Thomas Hopps, Merryspring president.

A non-profit organization which depends upon donations and memberships, Merryspring Park is at the end of Conway Road in Camden behind the IGA.

Open from sunrise to sunset, the 66-acre park has raised beds, herb and lily gardens, the Kitty Todd Arboretum, the Margaret Taylor Pattison Woodlands, fields of wildflowers, and miles of trails connecting the sites.

For more information, call 236-4885.