Reining in the deer herd on Block Island might be a bit more difficult for the Deer Task Force as it learned this week that the Land Trust will not open its lands to hunting.
At the task force meeting Tuesday evening, Chair Mary Sue Record said she had not yet received any written refusal, but she understood the conservation groups had met to set criteria for allowing a hunt on their properties, and the Land Trust determined none of its lands met that criteria. There were also concerns about liability.
With 43 percent of the island held by conservation groups, task force member Chris Blane said, “You’re at a standstill no matter what you do,” if conservation lands are not opened.
He suggested the task force “get a seat at the table” through joining conservation boards.
As to the liability factor, Blane suggested it could be the result of a current case in Newport, in which a fall from the cliff walk is going to trial despite the state’s law limiting liability of private owners who allow recreational use of their lands. The case is a test of this law, he said.
Record will request a formal response from the Land Trust.
Source: Block Island Times
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