Grand Haven officials will hold a conference call with representatives from the Michigan Department of Natural Resources today to discuss details of proposed deer culls this fall and winter.
City officials have made a verbal request with the DNR to resume hunts using certified sharpshooters to thin the urban deer population.
Sara Schaefer, a wildlife supervisor for the DNR, said she told city officials to file an official request in writing. That request would include specific details, such as how many deer would be targeted and where the hunts would be held.
Schaefer said the conference call will give the city direction in applying for the permit. She said the city's application will be approved because the DNR believes Ottawa County's deer population has grown beyond acceptable levels.
She said investigations into several habitats in Grand Haven have proven deer are destroying natural vegetation -- such as the flowering trillium -- while causing erosion to critical dunes.
The areas of the city with the most deer are near Lake Forest Cemetery and Harbor Island -- both on the city's west side. Deer also have been spotted on the city's east side.
Schaefer said city officials have indicated they would like to resume culls as early as this month.
Supporters of city-authorized sharpshooters thinning the herd say deer populations have escalated to unhealthy levels. They say deer are destroying private property, especially gardens and expensive landscaping. They add that deer have moved closer to the city center, causing public safety threats to drivers and residents.
Others fear the deer will bring disease-carrying ticks into the city, making it a public health issue as well.
"As far as the DNR is concerned, this is not about flowers in people's yards. This is about protecting natural resources -- especially the critical dunes, forest areas and green space," Schaefer said.
Last fall, sharpshooters killed 19 deer on Harbor Island and in Lake Forest Cemetery during separate hunts. The city's public safety department closed both public areas during the hunts.
Still, opponents say the hunts aren't safe because of nearby residential neighborhoods. In an attempt to save the deer during last year's hunt at the cemetery, several residents showed up banging pots and pans and honking car horns.
Source: MLive
Wednesday, September 02, 2009
VIRGINIA NEWS: Municipal Bow Hunt Debated
Tired of the damage and disease associated with an exploding white-tailed deer population, a Leesburg neighborhood will begin allowing bow hunting of deer when hunting season begins this month.
Homeowners in Beacon Hill, a sprawling neighborhood of more than 200 houses, have long complained of deer trampling manicured lawns, eating flowers and ruining community landscaping. They also have expressed concern about the spread of deer ticks that carry Lyme disease.
The board of directors of the Beacon Hill homeowners association voted Monday to permit bow hunting of deer in four wooded common areas during the legal hunting season, from Sept. 5 to Nov. 13.
But a neighboring equestrian center, which shares a trail and common space with Beacon Hill, has expressed concerns about safety. The owners and clients of Clairvaux at Beacon Hill said they fear that horses could be mistaken for deer.
"I envision little girls on little ponies getting shot at," said Terri Young, the owner of Clairvaux. "Or what happens if a hunter misses and there is a deer running around with [an arrow] stuck in it to horrify the kids?"
Beacon Hill is one of a number of Washington area communities that permit bow hunting to control the growing deer population. Montgomery County, for instance, last year relaxed its rules on bow and shotgun hunting.
Beacon Hill is negotiating with Suburban Whitetail Management of Northern Virginia, professional bow hunters who have worked for other communities and private landowners, said Pia Trigiani, the association's attorney. The company's hunters would shoot deer from elevated tree stands, she said.
The tree stands would be at least 150 feet away from any private property not participating in the program and 30 yards from the shared equestrian trail. Hunting would be limited to the four areas, where deer tend to gather, Trigiani said.
In looking at the four areas, the board has considered safety, the proximity to other lots and "where the thinning would be most productive," she said.
Trigiani noted that the association held a community-wide meeting in March at which professional bow hunters briefed residents. Since then, she said, the board has listened to supporters and opponents of bow hunting and has carefully considered the issue.
"This is a last resort for the association," Trigiani said. "It's a measured response. It's not a knee-jerk reaction."
The vast majority of Beacon Hill homeowners support bow hunting of deer. But residents who oppose it said the community could be sued if a hunter accidentally hits a person or a horse.
"We're just concerned about the liability . . . and the safety of the kids, the horses and anybody else," said Lisa Thompson, a Beacon Hill homeowner and mother of two teenage girls who ride horses that are boarded at the equestrian center.
Young, the owner of the equestrian center, said she is concerned about the effect bow hunting will have on her business. "I don't know what our options are at that point," she said. "I have already spoken to our attorney about it."
Trigiani said the board weighed the risks associated with bow hunting on residential land and spoke with three Fairfax County homeowners associations that permit bow hunting.
"They have to balance all of the sides of the issue and come up with the best decisions," Trigiani said. "I think this board has done that, and I think it will stand judicial scrutiny."
Beacon Hill homeowner Stephen Cloud, who supports bow hunting of deer, said that he has tried spraying his flowers and plants with deer-repellant chemicals but that the effectiveness doesn't last.
"I don't plant many flowers anymore because [the deer] eat them all," he said.
Source: Washington Post
Homeowners in Beacon Hill, a sprawling neighborhood of more than 200 houses, have long complained of deer trampling manicured lawns, eating flowers and ruining community landscaping. They also have expressed concern about the spread of deer ticks that carry Lyme disease.
The board of directors of the Beacon Hill homeowners association voted Monday to permit bow hunting of deer in four wooded common areas during the legal hunting season, from Sept. 5 to Nov. 13.
But a neighboring equestrian center, which shares a trail and common space with Beacon Hill, has expressed concerns about safety. The owners and clients of Clairvaux at Beacon Hill said they fear that horses could be mistaken for deer.
"I envision little girls on little ponies getting shot at," said Terri Young, the owner of Clairvaux. "Or what happens if a hunter misses and there is a deer running around with [an arrow] stuck in it to horrify the kids?"
Beacon Hill is one of a number of Washington area communities that permit bow hunting to control the growing deer population. Montgomery County, for instance, last year relaxed its rules on bow and shotgun hunting.
Beacon Hill is negotiating with Suburban Whitetail Management of Northern Virginia, professional bow hunters who have worked for other communities and private landowners, said Pia Trigiani, the association's attorney. The company's hunters would shoot deer from elevated tree stands, she said.
The tree stands would be at least 150 feet away from any private property not participating in the program and 30 yards from the shared equestrian trail. Hunting would be limited to the four areas, where deer tend to gather, Trigiani said.
In looking at the four areas, the board has considered safety, the proximity to other lots and "where the thinning would be most productive," she said.
Trigiani noted that the association held a community-wide meeting in March at which professional bow hunters briefed residents. Since then, she said, the board has listened to supporters and opponents of bow hunting and has carefully considered the issue.
"This is a last resort for the association," Trigiani said. "It's a measured response. It's not a knee-jerk reaction."
The vast majority of Beacon Hill homeowners support bow hunting of deer. But residents who oppose it said the community could be sued if a hunter accidentally hits a person or a horse.
"We're just concerned about the liability . . . and the safety of the kids, the horses and anybody else," said Lisa Thompson, a Beacon Hill homeowner and mother of two teenage girls who ride horses that are boarded at the equestrian center.
Young, the owner of the equestrian center, said she is concerned about the effect bow hunting will have on her business. "I don't know what our options are at that point," she said. "I have already spoken to our attorney about it."
Trigiani said the board weighed the risks associated with bow hunting on residential land and spoke with three Fairfax County homeowners associations that permit bow hunting.
"They have to balance all of the sides of the issue and come up with the best decisions," Trigiani said. "I think this board has done that, and I think it will stand judicial scrutiny."
Beacon Hill homeowner Stephen Cloud, who supports bow hunting of deer, said that he has tried spraying his flowers and plants with deer-repellant chemicals but that the effectiveness doesn't last.
"I don't plant many flowers anymore because [the deer] eat them all," he said.
Source: Washington Post
Tuesday, September 01, 2009
RESEARCH NEWS: Four-Posters Reduce Numbers of Lyme-Carrying Ticks 71%
A device called the "4-poster" Deer Treatment Bait Station, developed and patented by scientists with the Agricultural Research Service (ARS), was highly effective at reducing the number of ticks infected with the Lyme disease bacterium in a six-year U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) study in five Northeastern states—Maryland, New Jersey, New York, Connecticut and Rhode Island—where the disease is endemic.
In the $2.1 million USDA Northeast Areawide Tick Control Project, investigators noted a 71 percent overall reduction in the number of ticks infected with the Lyme disease bacterium during summer months when most people get the disease. If the 4-poster is used in areas where the disease is endemic, this should translate to a corresponding 71 percent decrease in Lyme disease cases, according to Durland Fish, a professor of epidemiology at Yale School of Public Health and principal investigator for the project. The effectiveness of the 4-poster ranged from 60 to 82 percent among the seven individual 2-square-mile study sites.
The device is a bin that contains corn, with insecticide-laden paint rollers mounted at the bin's corners. When a deer-the primary carrier of the blacklegged tick, Ixodes scapularis, which carries the Lyme disease bacterium—inserts its muzzle into the bin to feed, it must rub its head, neck and ears against the insecticide-treated rollers. When the deer subsequently grooms itself, the insecticide is spread enough to protect the animal's entire body.
Developed by ARS scientists at the agency's Knipling-Bushland U.S. Livestock Insects Research Laboratory in Kerrville, Texas, the 4-poster's efficacy could be boosted to more than 90 percent by using newer, more effective insecticides that were not available at the start of the USDA study, according to J. Mathews Pound, an entomologist at the Kerrville laboratory and a co-investigator on the study.
The results of the study have been published in a series of 11 papers in the August 2009 issue of the medical journal Vector-borne and Zoonotic Diseases. The articles are available free online.
Source: USDA-ARS
In the $2.1 million USDA Northeast Areawide Tick Control Project, investigators noted a 71 percent overall reduction in the number of ticks infected with the Lyme disease bacterium during summer months when most people get the disease. If the 4-poster is used in areas where the disease is endemic, this should translate to a corresponding 71 percent decrease in Lyme disease cases, according to Durland Fish, a professor of epidemiology at Yale School of Public Health and principal investigator for the project. The effectiveness of the 4-poster ranged from 60 to 82 percent among the seven individual 2-square-mile study sites.
The device is a bin that contains corn, with insecticide-laden paint rollers mounted at the bin's corners. When a deer-the primary carrier of the blacklegged tick, Ixodes scapularis, which carries the Lyme disease bacterium—inserts its muzzle into the bin to feed, it must rub its head, neck and ears against the insecticide-treated rollers. When the deer subsequently grooms itself, the insecticide is spread enough to protect the animal's entire body.
Developed by ARS scientists at the agency's Knipling-Bushland U.S. Livestock Insects Research Laboratory in Kerrville, Texas, the 4-poster's efficacy could be boosted to more than 90 percent by using newer, more effective insecticides that were not available at the start of the USDA study, according to J. Mathews Pound, an entomologist at the Kerrville laboratory and a co-investigator on the study.
The results of the study have been published in a series of 11 papers in the August 2009 issue of the medical journal Vector-borne and Zoonotic Diseases. The articles are available free online.
Source: USDA-ARS
MICHIGAN NEWS: Deer Populations Grow, Native Plants Disappear Garlic Mustard Invades Dune Ecosystem
A burgeoning deer population is threatening the delicate ecosystem of a protected, 115-acre dunes area in southwestern Michigan.
The city of Ferrysburg has formed an ad-hoc committee to look into the problem. Councilman Tim Scarpino, a committee member, said he wants all options -- including culling the herd -- left on the table.
"The less that is done now, the more that will have to be done later," he said.
There appear to be more deer than ever roaming the Kitchel-Lindquist Dunes Preserve, which is in the neighboring city of Grand Haven but owned by Ferrysburg. The animals are feasting on several rare, native plants and their paths are eroding the landscape of the dunes, Scarpino said.
Deer have been slowly stripping the plants that grow in the dunes' understory, the area of ground beneath its forest canopy, said William Martinus, an environmental consultant who has compiled natural-features inventories for the preserve.
Many plants found there in great numbers during the 1970s were not seen during a recent search, Martinus said. There is little to no regeneration of tree seedlings or saplings, while remaining plants often show few blooms.
"There's almost nothing native in the understory," he told the Grand Haven Tribune for a story published Monday. "We don't even know if the seeds of the plants are there anymore."
The deer eat tree saplings and seedlings that are native to Michigan, including maple, oak, beech, cherry, basswood, cedar and butternut, he said.
The native plants are being replaced by nonnative and often invasive species that the deer won't eat. Species that are moving in include garlic mustard, a plant that stifles tree growth, Martinus said.
Reducing the herd is one way to help native plants return to the preserve, he said.
There are several ways to do shrink deer herds but the most effective can be some combination of methods that include fencing, scent repellents, scare tactics and a controlled hunt, said Nik Kalejs, a wildlife habitat biologist with the Michigan Department of Natural Resources.
Source: Chicago Tribune
The city of Ferrysburg has formed an ad-hoc committee to look into the problem. Councilman Tim Scarpino, a committee member, said he wants all options -- including culling the herd -- left on the table.
"The less that is done now, the more that will have to be done later," he said.
There appear to be more deer than ever roaming the Kitchel-Lindquist Dunes Preserve, which is in the neighboring city of Grand Haven but owned by Ferrysburg. The animals are feasting on several rare, native plants and their paths are eroding the landscape of the dunes, Scarpino said.
Deer have been slowly stripping the plants that grow in the dunes' understory, the area of ground beneath its forest canopy, said William Martinus, an environmental consultant who has compiled natural-features inventories for the preserve.
Many plants found there in great numbers during the 1970s were not seen during a recent search, Martinus said. There is little to no regeneration of tree seedlings or saplings, while remaining plants often show few blooms.
"There's almost nothing native in the understory," he told the Grand Haven Tribune for a story published Monday. "We don't even know if the seeds of the plants are there anymore."
The deer eat tree saplings and seedlings that are native to Michigan, including maple, oak, beech, cherry, basswood, cedar and butternut, he said.
The native plants are being replaced by nonnative and often invasive species that the deer won't eat. Species that are moving in include garlic mustard, a plant that stifles tree growth, Martinus said.
Reducing the herd is one way to help native plants return to the preserve, he said.
There are several ways to do shrink deer herds but the most effective can be some combination of methods that include fencing, scent repellents, scare tactics and a controlled hunt, said Nik Kalejs, a wildlife habitat biologist with the Michigan Department of Natural Resources.
Source: Chicago Tribune
NEW JERSEY NEWS: Newark Considers Urban Deer Cull
Newark soon might follow in Granville and Heath's footsteps and establish a program to eliminate deer within the city.
Monday, Newark City Council's Service Committee listened to a presentation by Granville Clerk of Council Mollie Prasher to stimulate ideas.
"It has become an issue not just of inconvenience but of appropriate stewardship. My personal opinion is we are being good stewards of the earth by addressing this issue," Prasher said referring to the overpopulation of deer because of a lack of a natural predator and the resulting possibility of disease.
The council has heard complaints from Newark residents for several years about the number of deer and the resulting damage to property and car crashes. Many council members have wanted to approve bowhunting within the city but have been met with resistance from residents who don't want hunting near their home. The discussion never has moved into a solid proposal, however.
No specifics were discussed Monday, but Newark residents have been encouraged to add their name to a list if they are willing to allow hunting on their property.
Granville will enter its third season permitting bowhunting within the city this year. Last year, 95 deer were recorded as killed as a result of the program, 20 of which were shot on a single property.
One of the keys, Prasher said, is the hunters and property owners always have contact with one another before the hunter enters a property. Many owners ask for specific hunters.
"You have to know who is coming on to your property with a weapon," Prasher said.
Before hunters are approved, they must pass a background check and pass a proficiency test.
Prasher said she has developed zones, made up of groups of property owners, and each hunter is assigned to a zone for 13 days at a time. Hunters are provided with a parking permit, an aerial map of the area, a plat map and a card to identify themselves.
"I have had no residents call in to complain," Prasher said. "I don't think everyone (in Granville) is happy we are hunting, but they are tolerating it."
Granville also pays for the meat to be processed and donates any the hunter does not wish to keep.
Several Newark residents also supported action because of the property damage they had experienced or because of the effects on the deer of overpopulation.
One resident said he has seen as many as 23 deer in his yard at one time.
Source: Newark Advocate
Monday, Newark City Council's Service Committee listened to a presentation by Granville Clerk of Council Mollie Prasher to stimulate ideas.
"It has become an issue not just of inconvenience but of appropriate stewardship. My personal opinion is we are being good stewards of the earth by addressing this issue," Prasher said referring to the overpopulation of deer because of a lack of a natural predator and the resulting possibility of disease.
The council has heard complaints from Newark residents for several years about the number of deer and the resulting damage to property and car crashes. Many council members have wanted to approve bowhunting within the city but have been met with resistance from residents who don't want hunting near their home. The discussion never has moved into a solid proposal, however.
No specifics were discussed Monday, but Newark residents have been encouraged to add their name to a list if they are willing to allow hunting on their property.
Granville will enter its third season permitting bowhunting within the city this year. Last year, 95 deer were recorded as killed as a result of the program, 20 of which were shot on a single property.
One of the keys, Prasher said, is the hunters and property owners always have contact with one another before the hunter enters a property. Many owners ask for specific hunters.
"You have to know who is coming on to your property with a weapon," Prasher said.
Before hunters are approved, they must pass a background check and pass a proficiency test.
Prasher said she has developed zones, made up of groups of property owners, and each hunter is assigned to a zone for 13 days at a time. Hunters are provided with a parking permit, an aerial map of the area, a plat map and a card to identify themselves.
"I have had no residents call in to complain," Prasher said. "I don't think everyone (in Granville) is happy we are hunting, but they are tolerating it."
Granville also pays for the meat to be processed and donates any the hunter does not wish to keep.
Several Newark residents also supported action because of the property damage they had experienced or because of the effects on the deer of overpopulation.
One resident said he has seen as many as 23 deer in his yard at one time.
Source: Newark Advocate
VIRGINIA NEWS: Seasonal Deer Feeding Ban Begins
Starting today, it is illegal to feed deer in Virginia, according to the Department of Game and Inland Fisheries.
The annual prohibition, part of a 2006 regulation, is part of an effort to keep Virginia's deer population in check. The no-feeding rule will remain in place through the first Saturday in January, according to the department.
The regulation does not restrict the planting of crops, wildlife food plots or backyard and schoolyard habitats. Rather, it is aimed at the artificial feeding of deer, which can unnaturally increase the deer population.
Deer will take advantage of birdfeeders and will eat spilled seed. Individuals who inadvertently feed deer through their birdfeeders may be asked to temporarily take their feeders down, according to a department release.
An overabundance of deer can lead to damage to natural habitats and inappropriate "taming" of wildlife. It also can lead to increased human-deer conflicts, including vehicle collisions and disease transmission, such as tuberculosis and other deer ailments.
Many people feed deer because they believe it will keep them from starving, but deer die-offs due to starvation are practically nonexistent in Virginia, said Matt Knox and Nelson Lafon, VDGIF Deer Project coordinators, in a statement.
"We do not need more deer in Virginia," Lafon said. "In fact, we need fewer deer in many parts of the state."
Harrisonburg has used police snipers to thin the city's deer herd. Recently, city officials said they are considering allowing archery on a limited basis to control the deer population.
Based on a 2007 survey, most Virginians would like to see deer populations decrease through much of the state, the release said.
Source: Rocktown Weekly
The annual prohibition, part of a 2006 regulation, is part of an effort to keep Virginia's deer population in check. The no-feeding rule will remain in place through the first Saturday in January, according to the department.
The regulation does not restrict the planting of crops, wildlife food plots or backyard and schoolyard habitats. Rather, it is aimed at the artificial feeding of deer, which can unnaturally increase the deer population.
Deer will take advantage of birdfeeders and will eat spilled seed. Individuals who inadvertently feed deer through their birdfeeders may be asked to temporarily take their feeders down, according to a department release.
An overabundance of deer can lead to damage to natural habitats and inappropriate "taming" of wildlife. It also can lead to increased human-deer conflicts, including vehicle collisions and disease transmission, such as tuberculosis and other deer ailments.
Many people feed deer because they believe it will keep them from starving, but deer die-offs due to starvation are practically nonexistent in Virginia, said Matt Knox and Nelson Lafon, VDGIF Deer Project coordinators, in a statement.
"We do not need more deer in Virginia," Lafon said. "In fact, we need fewer deer in many parts of the state."
Harrisonburg has used police snipers to thin the city's deer herd. Recently, city officials said they are considering allowing archery on a limited basis to control the deer population.
Based on a 2007 survey, most Virginians would like to see deer populations decrease through much of the state, the release said.
Source: Rocktown Weekly
Monday, August 31, 2009
MICHIGAN NEWS: Bill Introduced to Expand Damage Shooting Permits
One of Michigan’s top industries is taking a hit from a growing problem, and state Rep. John Proos is working to address the issue.
Proos has introduced House Bill 5309 to allow farmers to address the increasing deer population and take more nuisance deer that disrupt and destroy crops.
“Michigan farmers are facing unprecedented struggles in this rough economy, and this simple preventative measure will go a long way in protecting crops,” said Proos, R-St. Joseph. “This is both a local issue and a statewide economic issue, and here is a simple fix for a growing problem.”
Proos said that current law still leaves crops largely unprotected. Under current law, farmers are able to obtain a deer damage shooting permit as a result of nursery or crop loss, which allows them to take nuisance deer responsible for damaging crops.
Proos’ legislation increases the number of authorized shooters that may be included under a deer damage shooting permit from three to 15.
Source: WLKM
Proos has introduced House Bill 5309 to allow farmers to address the increasing deer population and take more nuisance deer that disrupt and destroy crops.
“Michigan farmers are facing unprecedented struggles in this rough economy, and this simple preventative measure will go a long way in protecting crops,” said Proos, R-St. Joseph. “This is both a local issue and a statewide economic issue, and here is a simple fix for a growing problem.”
Proos said that current law still leaves crops largely unprotected. Under current law, farmers are able to obtain a deer damage shooting permit as a result of nursery or crop loss, which allows them to take nuisance deer responsible for damaging crops.
Proos’ legislation increases the number of authorized shooters that may be included under a deer damage shooting permit from three to 15.
Source: WLKM
WASHINGTON DC NEWS: Hunt in Rock Creek National Park Considered
The National Park Service is eyeing the use of sharpshooters and other lethal action as the most effective means to quickly cull the growing white-tail deer population in Rock Creek Park.
Hundreds of deer -- roughly 82 per square mile -- roam the 2,900-acre park, the park service reports in a 400-page environmental impact statement, which sets out the lethal and nonlethal options for controlling deer numbers. The herd often wanders off the reservation, onto neighboring roads, into residents' yards and occasionally through plate glass windows.
The park service is lobbying for immediate action as white-tail deer are fast becoming the dominant force in the park's ecosystem. The deer are destroying native vegetation, competing with other wildlife for limited food resources, and increasingly are posing a hazard to drivers.
The EIS, the subject of a scheduled public meeting Wednesday, offers four alternatives for reducing the deer population:
» A do-nothing option
» Surgical and chemical sterilization and "large fenced areas"
» Sharpshooters and euthanization
» A combination of the latter two choices
Killing deer via sharpshooting and euthanasia would allow the forest to regenerate, "improving habitat and reducing impacts of overbrowsing," according to the park service document. The hunts, performed primarily at night during late fall and winter months, would entail "trained sharpshooters" using rifles or bow and arrow.
The meat, the NPS said, would be donated to local charitable organizations for consumption "to the maximum extent possible."
Opinions vary on controlled hunts as a viable practice inside the District.
Though killing deer is a "heart wrenching decision," an overpopulation of any single species "wreaks havoc in so many ways," said Jane Solomon, a conservation biologist who lives just west of Rock Creek Park.
"It's unpopular," said Solomon, a Forest Hills advisory neighborhood commissioner. "They're beautiful animals. We all love them, but the population's too large. I wouldn't be opposed to either some form of euthanization or lethal means."
Deer are a "nuisance and vexatious," said D.C. Councilman Phil Mendelson. But sterilization, he said, is the best practice.
"It's not hard to find them to do the sterilization," Mendelson said. "It's certainly a more humane approach and far less controversial than sharpshooting."
The park service "is looking to hunt" rather than investigating options like reflectors, flashing lights, controlled vegetation and devices that scare deer away from roads and residences, said Scott Giacoppo, chief programs officer with the Washington Humane Society. Deer kills, he said, are "proven not to work."
"I personally wouldn't get involved in something like that," said Charles Rogers, president of the Woodbridge-based National Sportsman Association. "It's sort of like shooting fish in a barrel."
Source: Washington Examiner
Hundreds of deer -- roughly 82 per square mile -- roam the 2,900-acre park, the park service reports in a 400-page environmental impact statement, which sets out the lethal and nonlethal options for controlling deer numbers. The herd often wanders off the reservation, onto neighboring roads, into residents' yards and occasionally through plate glass windows.
The park service is lobbying for immediate action as white-tail deer are fast becoming the dominant force in the park's ecosystem. The deer are destroying native vegetation, competing with other wildlife for limited food resources, and increasingly are posing a hazard to drivers.
The EIS, the subject of a scheduled public meeting Wednesday, offers four alternatives for reducing the deer population:
» A do-nothing option
» Surgical and chemical sterilization and "large fenced areas"
» Sharpshooters and euthanization
» A combination of the latter two choices
Killing deer via sharpshooting and euthanasia would allow the forest to regenerate, "improving habitat and reducing impacts of overbrowsing," according to the park service document. The hunts, performed primarily at night during late fall and winter months, would entail "trained sharpshooters" using rifles or bow and arrow.
The meat, the NPS said, would be donated to local charitable organizations for consumption "to the maximum extent possible."
Opinions vary on controlled hunts as a viable practice inside the District.
Though killing deer is a "heart wrenching decision," an overpopulation of any single species "wreaks havoc in so many ways," said Jane Solomon, a conservation biologist who lives just west of Rock Creek Park.
"It's unpopular," said Solomon, a Forest Hills advisory neighborhood commissioner. "They're beautiful animals. We all love them, but the population's too large. I wouldn't be opposed to either some form of euthanization or lethal means."
Deer are a "nuisance and vexatious," said D.C. Councilman Phil Mendelson. But sterilization, he said, is the best practice.
"It's not hard to find them to do the sterilization," Mendelson said. "It's certainly a more humane approach and far less controversial than sharpshooting."
The park service "is looking to hunt" rather than investigating options like reflectors, flashing lights, controlled vegetation and devices that scare deer away from roads and residences, said Scott Giacoppo, chief programs officer with the Washington Humane Society. Deer kills, he said, are "proven not to work."
"I personally wouldn't get involved in something like that," said Charles Rogers, president of the Woodbridge-based National Sportsman Association. "It's sort of like shooting fish in a barrel."
Source: Washington Examiner
Wednesday, August 26, 2009
NEW YORK NEWS: High Price Tag for Urban Deer Management
The draft deer plan adopted by the village of Cayuga Heights Board of Trustees could cost $470,000 in the first three years and almost $1 million over 10 years.
"It's a very sobering number, but it appears as though this would be what it costs," Mayor Jim Gilmore said.
Late Monday night, the board adopted a draft deer plan that would sterilize 30-60 does and cull or kill the rest, estimated to be 100 to 200 other deer.
Trustee David Donner was the only vote against. Donner said he supported culling but not sterilization.
"Horses and deer are creatures that panic. To trap and hold them for hours or days in cages or nets is inhumane. To subject them to an unnatural and unnecessary surgery is also inhumane," he said. "I ask for a swift and honorable death for the deer, just as I do for horses."
Gilmore and the other five trustees voted in favor of the draft plan, arguing it would be the fastest and most effective way to reduce the village's deer population. Sterilization is intended to reduce in-migration by other deer when village deer are killed, according to the village's plan.
The proposal was submitted by the village's deer-remediation advisory committee in June. Since that time, the village has held two regular evening meetings, during which the majority of speakers -- who were from Cayuga Heights, Tompkins County and central New York -- have spoken against killing the deer.
Deer were the major issue in both of the last village elections. The village had not seen a contested election for 22 years prior to the two in the last two years.
In the March elections for three trustee positions, the Community Party candidates -- who said they would be willing to consider culling -- won with 414, 405 and 380 votes. The Open Government candidates -- who said they opposed culling at this time -- gained 170, 166 and 153 votes. Voter turnout was 28 percent, according to the Board of Elections.
Trustee Robert Andolina created the financial forecast based on the deer committee's recommendations. He noted that unlike other municipalities that control the deer population through hunting, the village will not get any hunting permit revenue to offset costs.
"I think we have to think seriously about the price tag here," Andolina said.
Village Treasurer Jeffrey Silber said the entire village budget for 2010 totals $2.07 million, meaning the average $100,000 per year on deer control would be equivalent to a 5 percent tax levy increase.
Trustee Bea Szekely said the board could pare down its plan before adopting a final version or actually allocating any money, but that the board should push hard to reduce the number of deer.
"I think we had a strong mandate from the recent election to remediate the deer herd," she said.
The board is undertaking a state-mandated environmental review of the proposed plan. State law does not require a public hearing in conjunction with such environmental reviews, but it's common for municipalities to have them. The village board chose to wait until its next meeting to decide whether to hold a public hearing on the proposal.
The board's next meetings are scheduled for noon Sept. 14 and 7 p.m. Sept. 21 in Marcham Hall, 836 Hanshaw Road.
Source: The Ithaca Journal
"It's a very sobering number, but it appears as though this would be what it costs," Mayor Jim Gilmore said.
Late Monday night, the board adopted a draft deer plan that would sterilize 30-60 does and cull or kill the rest, estimated to be 100 to 200 other deer.
Trustee David Donner was the only vote against. Donner said he supported culling but not sterilization.
"Horses and deer are creatures that panic. To trap and hold them for hours or days in cages or nets is inhumane. To subject them to an unnatural and unnecessary surgery is also inhumane," he said. "I ask for a swift and honorable death for the deer, just as I do for horses."
Gilmore and the other five trustees voted in favor of the draft plan, arguing it would be the fastest and most effective way to reduce the village's deer population. Sterilization is intended to reduce in-migration by other deer when village deer are killed, according to the village's plan.
The proposal was submitted by the village's deer-remediation advisory committee in June. Since that time, the village has held two regular evening meetings, during which the majority of speakers -- who were from Cayuga Heights, Tompkins County and central New York -- have spoken against killing the deer.
Deer were the major issue in both of the last village elections. The village had not seen a contested election for 22 years prior to the two in the last two years.
In the March elections for three trustee positions, the Community Party candidates -- who said they would be willing to consider culling -- won with 414, 405 and 380 votes. The Open Government candidates -- who said they opposed culling at this time -- gained 170, 166 and 153 votes. Voter turnout was 28 percent, according to the Board of Elections.
Trustee Robert Andolina created the financial forecast based on the deer committee's recommendations. He noted that unlike other municipalities that control the deer population through hunting, the village will not get any hunting permit revenue to offset costs.
"I think we have to think seriously about the price tag here," Andolina said.
Village Treasurer Jeffrey Silber said the entire village budget for 2010 totals $2.07 million, meaning the average $100,000 per year on deer control would be equivalent to a 5 percent tax levy increase.
Trustee Bea Szekely said the board could pare down its plan before adopting a final version or actually allocating any money, but that the board should push hard to reduce the number of deer.
"I think we had a strong mandate from the recent election to remediate the deer herd," she said.
The board is undertaking a state-mandated environmental review of the proposed plan. State law does not require a public hearing in conjunction with such environmental reviews, but it's common for municipalities to have them. The village board chose to wait until its next meeting to decide whether to hold a public hearing on the proposal.
The board's next meetings are scheduled for noon Sept. 14 and 7 p.m. Sept. 21 in Marcham Hall, 836 Hanshaw Road.
Source: The Ithaca Journal
Monday, August 24, 2009
PENNSYLVANIA NEWS: Deer Hunt Considered for Tyler State Park
Officials are proposing allowing bow-and-arrow hunting of deer in a suburban Philadelphia park this fall and early winter.
More than 100 people packed a Bucks County meeting room Saturday to weigh in on the proposal for Tyler State Park in Newtown Township.
If approved, the archery hunt would be in addition to an annual shotgun hunt scheduled for Dec. 9 this year. As many as 10 hunters would be allowed to hunt each day in a northern section of the 1,711-acre park for several weeks.
Officials say the one-day shotgun hunts aren't sufficiently reducing the number of deer.
Some of those attending expressed concerns about the humaneness of archery hunting. Others said they were concerned about the safety of allowing archery hunting over an extended period when the rest of the park is still open for general use.
Source: Lebanon Daily News
More than 100 people packed a Bucks County meeting room Saturday to weigh in on the proposal for Tyler State Park in Newtown Township.
If approved, the archery hunt would be in addition to an annual shotgun hunt scheduled for Dec. 9 this year. As many as 10 hunters would be allowed to hunt each day in a northern section of the 1,711-acre park for several weeks.
Officials say the one-day shotgun hunts aren't sufficiently reducing the number of deer.
Some of those attending expressed concerns about the humaneness of archery hunting. Others said they were concerned about the safety of allowing archery hunting over an extended period when the rest of the park is still open for general use.
Source: Lebanon Daily News
Thursday, August 20, 2009
IOWA NEWS: Town Enters 4th Year of Culling
As set by the Iowa Department of Natural Resources, the City of Ottumwa’s deer season for bow hunters will begin on September 12, 2009 and will run through January 31, 2010. The City’s deer hunting program was implemented in 2005 as a method to safely reduce the deer population within the city limits of Ottumwa. Last year, seventy-eight (78) deer were harvested as a result of the program. Since 2005, the program has successfully reduced the deer population by four hundred twenty-seven (427) deer.
Hunters interested in participating in the City’s deer season must possess a State of Iowa hunting license, a DNR Ottumwa deer tag from the Wapello County Recorder’s Office, and register with the City of Ottumwa through the Ottumwa Police Department. Hunters are required to pass an annual shooting proficiency test at Whitetail Archery in Agency, Iowa with the bow they will be hunting with and must follow all rules and regulations prescribed by the DNR and the Chief of Police.
Source: HeartlandConnection
Hunters interested in participating in the City’s deer season must possess a State of Iowa hunting license, a DNR Ottumwa deer tag from the Wapello County Recorder’s Office, and register with the City of Ottumwa through the Ottumwa Police Department. Hunters are required to pass an annual shooting proficiency test at Whitetail Archery in Agency, Iowa with the bow they will be hunting with and must follow all rules and regulations prescribed by the DNR and the Chief of Police.
Source: HeartlandConnection
NEW JERSEY NEWS: Deer Census A Likely Prelude to Deer Cull
The white-tailed deer population in the township could soon find themselves being watched. This week the Township Committee unanimously approved a resolution encouraging Union County to study the number of deer that live in the parks and wooded areas in Cranford.
The move comes after a discussion in July when members of the Cranford Environmental Commission, Hanson Park Conversancy, the Tree Advisory Board, and the Union County Board of Agriculture called for the committee to act on the issue. Making their case, residents said last month that white-tailed deer had crowded into wooded areas of Nomehegan Park and the grassy land of the Lenape Basin before moving into the surrounding residential areas, crossing major roads such as Springfield Avenue and Kenilworth Boulevard along the way.
The Township Committee members agreed with the idea of helping to thin the herd, passing the resolution that mentioned a visual inspection of the areas the deer frequent that showed a clear loss of the understory of vegetatrion in the parkland.
The move has drawn comments on both sides of the issue, with some residents supporting a deer hunt as a humane way to deal with a deer population that is out of control, while others have objected to any attempts to thin the herd as a cruel reaction to animals forced out by of their habitat by suburban sprawl.
According to the Cranford Police Department, there have been few accidents involving collisions between a deer and a vehicle, however, the accidents have been reported on Springfield Avenue, Kenilworth Boulevard and Orange Avenue.
While Union County allows a deer hunt in the area around the Watchung Reservation, usually once each year, such a measure has never been held in the area of the township.
Even with the resolution seeking action with regard to the white-tail deer population, the committee members said they would encourage efforts to thin the herd, such as trapping and relocation, or birth control measures.
"We'll make it clear that we want a shotgun hunt to be a method of last resort," Mayor David Robinson said this week of the efforts.
Source: NJ.com
The move comes after a discussion in July when members of the Cranford Environmental Commission, Hanson Park Conversancy, the Tree Advisory Board, and the Union County Board of Agriculture called for the committee to act on the issue. Making their case, residents said last month that white-tailed deer had crowded into wooded areas of Nomehegan Park and the grassy land of the Lenape Basin before moving into the surrounding residential areas, crossing major roads such as Springfield Avenue and Kenilworth Boulevard along the way.
The Township Committee members agreed with the idea of helping to thin the herd, passing the resolution that mentioned a visual inspection of the areas the deer frequent that showed a clear loss of the understory of vegetatrion in the parkland.
The move has drawn comments on both sides of the issue, with some residents supporting a deer hunt as a humane way to deal with a deer population that is out of control, while others have objected to any attempts to thin the herd as a cruel reaction to animals forced out by of their habitat by suburban sprawl.
According to the Cranford Police Department, there have been few accidents involving collisions between a deer and a vehicle, however, the accidents have been reported on Springfield Avenue, Kenilworth Boulevard and Orange Avenue.
While Union County allows a deer hunt in the area around the Watchung Reservation, usually once each year, such a measure has never been held in the area of the township.
Even with the resolution seeking action with regard to the white-tail deer population, the committee members said they would encourage efforts to thin the herd, such as trapping and relocation, or birth control measures.
"We'll make it clear that we want a shotgun hunt to be a method of last resort," Mayor David Robinson said this week of the efforts.
Source: NJ.com
NEW JERSEY NEWS: Denville Approves Deer Hunt
The Denville Township Council voted in favor of a deer hunt and will meet next month to discuss how to institute it in a safe manner.
"Initially I was opposed to the deer hunt," said township councilwoman Deborah A. Smith. "But after hearing testimony on the state of deer in Denville and how unhealthy they are, I am in support of the culling of the heard."
Denville's 11 square miles can not sustain the 2,000 deer that populate the area (182 deer per square mile!), according to Smith, who said that having a hunt will preserve both the deer and local vegetation which deer are eating due to lack of adequate food supply. The vote was taken Tuesday night.
The manner in which the hunt will take place and when will be discussed at the next meeting, which will be held on Sept. 1 in the municipal building at 1 St. Mary's Place.
In response to concerns about safety, the town will publish the locations and dates of the hunts, which will likely be done by bow hunters. The town will also require hunters go through a training program to learn how to hunt in as humane a manner as possible, Smith said.
Some Denville residents oppose the hunt, which would be the township's first in recent memory.
Wendy Bozzolasco, a concerned Denville resident and Morristown attorney, said she has researched the implications of deer hunts extensively and opposes them because they will exacerbate some of the problems they are intended to solve: automotive collisions and ticks among humans.
Citing a study from the Erie Auto Insurance Group, Bozzolasco said that insurance claims often increase during deer hunting seasons because deer, fleeing hunters often enter the roadway. Moreover, killing deer, Bozzolasco said, can increase Lyme disease among humans because deer do not spread the disease. Rather they act as hosts for ticks, she said.
"Deer are not a vector species for Lyme disease. A white tail mouse is the vector species," Bozzolasco said. "Ticks need a large bodied warm host," and when there are less deer, ticks seek out people, she said.
Bozzolasco said there are legal implications to moving forward with the proposed deer hunt and the town's plan to donate excess venison to a charity in Paterson.
"There are repercussions in terms of liability if people are injured or property damaged and specifics of that have not been discussed," Bozzolasco said. "What liability would there be if toxic meat would be donated."
Smith said the council has considered the legal implications of allowing a hunt.
"We're always concerned about those things. The group we're talking to carries their own liability. It's been done in Mountain Lakes and in Randolph," said Smith. "This is not a new thing."
Denville resident Genie Cisti, 48, suggested other alternatives include installing roadside reflectors that would discourage deer from entering roadways and encouraging residents to plant deer resistant plants.
Source: DailyRecord
"Initially I was opposed to the deer hunt," said township councilwoman Deborah A. Smith. "But after hearing testimony on the state of deer in Denville and how unhealthy they are, I am in support of the culling of the heard."
Denville's 11 square miles can not sustain the 2,000 deer that populate the area (182 deer per square mile!), according to Smith, who said that having a hunt will preserve both the deer and local vegetation which deer are eating due to lack of adequate food supply. The vote was taken Tuesday night.
The manner in which the hunt will take place and when will be discussed at the next meeting, which will be held on Sept. 1 in the municipal building at 1 St. Mary's Place.
In response to concerns about safety, the town will publish the locations and dates of the hunts, which will likely be done by bow hunters. The town will also require hunters go through a training program to learn how to hunt in as humane a manner as possible, Smith said.
Some Denville residents oppose the hunt, which would be the township's first in recent memory.
Wendy Bozzolasco, a concerned Denville resident and Morristown attorney, said she has researched the implications of deer hunts extensively and opposes them because they will exacerbate some of the problems they are intended to solve: automotive collisions and ticks among humans.
Citing a study from the Erie Auto Insurance Group, Bozzolasco said that insurance claims often increase during deer hunting seasons because deer, fleeing hunters often enter the roadway. Moreover, killing deer, Bozzolasco said, can increase Lyme disease among humans because deer do not spread the disease. Rather they act as hosts for ticks, she said.
"Deer are not a vector species for Lyme disease. A white tail mouse is the vector species," Bozzolasco said. "Ticks need a large bodied warm host," and when there are less deer, ticks seek out people, she said.
Bozzolasco said there are legal implications to moving forward with the proposed deer hunt and the town's plan to donate excess venison to a charity in Paterson.
"There are repercussions in terms of liability if people are injured or property damaged and specifics of that have not been discussed," Bozzolasco said. "What liability would there be if toxic meat would be donated."
Smith said the council has considered the legal implications of allowing a hunt.
"We're always concerned about those things. The group we're talking to carries their own liability. It's been done in Mountain Lakes and in Randolph," said Smith. "This is not a new thing."
Denville resident Genie Cisti, 48, suggested other alternatives include installing roadside reflectors that would discourage deer from entering roadways and encouraging residents to plant deer resistant plants.
Source: DailyRecord
MARYLAND NEWS: Community Fights Lyme with Four-Posters
'Faced with the highest number of reported Lyme disease cases in the state, Howard County officials have expanded a program to combat the disease.
The county has installed four new "Four-Poster" devices, which coat deer with pesticide that kills the ticks that cause Lyme disease, in Schooley Mill Park in Highland, said Philip Norman, deer project manager for the county Department of Recreation and Parks.
"That area of the county had an extremely high incidence of Lyme disease," Norman said. "The primary concern we have here is Lyme disease carried by the black-legged tick, also called the deer tick."
The devices, installed at the beginning of July, joined six others in Blandair Park, in Columbia, which were installed in 2005, Norman said. They consist of a dish of corn surrounded by four rollers, which roll pesticide onto the deer's head and ears as it noses toward the food.
Norman noted that ticks tend to concentrate around the head and ears, plus the deer then uses its head to groom the rest of its body, spreading the pesticide.
The United States Department of Agriculture developed the device in the 1990s and they are manufactured in Ellicott City, Norman said. "It's amazing in its simplicity," he said.
Howard County had the highest number of reported cases of Lyme disease in the state in 2008, according the Maryland Department of Health and Mental Hygiene.
There were 369 confirmed and probable cases reported in the county in 2008, the department reported last month, up from 358 in 2007. Statewide, the total decreased from 2,576 cases in 2007 to 2,216 in 2008.
Officials have attributed the increase here to increased development.
Lyme disease is caused by a bacteria transmitted by an infected tick. If not detected and treated, it may cause chronic symptoms that can include joint pain, heart palpitations and neurological problems, according to Howard County health officials.
Norman said treating the deer is key to combating the disease. "After several years of treatment in any given area you can greatly reduce the prevalence," Norman said. The white-tailed deer is the primary host of the adult tick in the county, Norman said.
The Four-Poster devices are manufactured by C.R. Daniels Co., an Ellicott City-based firm.
Andy Szulinski, a vice president at C.R. Daniels, said the company manufactures about 400 Four-Posters a year, serving 20 states, Canada and Scotland. Each unit sells for about $800 and services between 50 and 100 acres, he said.
Szulinski said the company collaborated with the U.S. Department of Agriculture on designing the devices and is the only company in the country that sells them.
Deer host more ticks than any other animal, Szulinski said, making the device the most effective way of combating Lyme disease.
"You're going after the source of the adult ticks," he said.
All of the Four-Posters are made in the company's Ellicott City manufacturing plant, he added.
C.R. Daniels was established in 1918 and makes a variety of products, from carts used by the U.S. Postal Service to lawn and garden equipment, he said. The company has a 180,000-square foot plant in Ellicott City and a 100,000-square foot plant in Tennessee, he said.
Source: ExploreHoward.com
The county has installed four new "Four-Poster" devices, which coat deer with pesticide that kills the ticks that cause Lyme disease, in Schooley Mill Park in Highland, said Philip Norman, deer project manager for the county Department of Recreation and Parks.
"That area of the county had an extremely high incidence of Lyme disease," Norman said. "The primary concern we have here is Lyme disease carried by the black-legged tick, also called the deer tick."
The devices, installed at the beginning of July, joined six others in Blandair Park, in Columbia, which were installed in 2005, Norman said. They consist of a dish of corn surrounded by four rollers, which roll pesticide onto the deer's head and ears as it noses toward the food.
Norman noted that ticks tend to concentrate around the head and ears, plus the deer then uses its head to groom the rest of its body, spreading the pesticide.
The United States Department of Agriculture developed the device in the 1990s and they are manufactured in Ellicott City, Norman said. "It's amazing in its simplicity," he said.
Howard County had the highest number of reported cases of Lyme disease in the state in 2008, according the Maryland Department of Health and Mental Hygiene.
There were 369 confirmed and probable cases reported in the county in 2008, the department reported last month, up from 358 in 2007. Statewide, the total decreased from 2,576 cases in 2007 to 2,216 in 2008.
Officials have attributed the increase here to increased development.
Lyme disease is caused by a bacteria transmitted by an infected tick. If not detected and treated, it may cause chronic symptoms that can include joint pain, heart palpitations and neurological problems, according to Howard County health officials.
Norman said treating the deer is key to combating the disease. "After several years of treatment in any given area you can greatly reduce the prevalence," Norman said. The white-tailed deer is the primary host of the adult tick in the county, Norman said.
The Four-Poster devices are manufactured by C.R. Daniels Co., an Ellicott City-based firm.
Andy Szulinski, a vice president at C.R. Daniels, said the company manufactures about 400 Four-Posters a year, serving 20 states, Canada and Scotland. Each unit sells for about $800 and services between 50 and 100 acres, he said.
Szulinski said the company collaborated with the U.S. Department of Agriculture on designing the devices and is the only company in the country that sells them.
Deer host more ticks than any other animal, Szulinski said, making the device the most effective way of combating Lyme disease.
"You're going after the source of the adult ticks," he said.
All of the Four-Posters are made in the company's Ellicott City manufacturing plant, he added.
C.R. Daniels was established in 1918 and makes a variety of products, from carts used by the U.S. Postal Service to lawn and garden equipment, he said. The company has a 180,000-square foot plant in Ellicott City and a 100,000-square foot plant in Tennessee, he said.
Source: ExploreHoward.com
Wednesday, August 19, 2009
KANSAS NEWS: Police Officers to do the Shooting at Shawnee Mission Park
The Lenexa City Council on Tuesday cleared the way for police officers to significantly reduce the deer population in Shawnee Mission Park this fall.
The council unanimously approved a special event permit to allow a deer harvest in the southern half of the park, which is within Lenexa’s city limits. The park’s northern half is in Shawnee.
The permit, which costs $75, runs from Oct. 1 to Jan. 31 and was sought by the Johnson County Park and Recreation District.
Lenexa Mayor Mike Boehm said approving the permit wasn’t a matter of passing judgment on the deer program. He said that issue had been settled by the county Board of Park and Recreation Commissioners.
“It’s on parkland owned by the county. It’s their jurisdiction,” Boehm said. “They can lock down the park and do it in a safe manner. We believe it should be allowed.”
Vicki Charlesworth, Shawnee’s assistant city manager, said her city has an ordinance allowing law enforcement officers to shoot within the city limits, and that park officials did not need a special permit.
The park district is recruiting volunteer police officers to reduce the herd from about 200 deer per square mile to 50 — a 75 percent reduction. The culling could begin as early as October.
If shooting the deer doesn’t kill enough, the park district plans to bring in bow hunters to finish the job.
The park covers 3.5 square miles.
Park officials have said factors influencing their recommendation were statistics on deer-vehicle accidents, complaints from homeowners and commercial businesses about increased plant and landscaping damage, and concerns about diseases associated with ticks carried by deer. They added that the deer population also was affecting the ecology of the park.
Animal-rights activists have argued that overdevelopment in the area has destroyed deer habitat and have urged implementation of nonlethal methods of deer control.
Source: Kansas City Star
The council unanimously approved a special event permit to allow a deer harvest in the southern half of the park, which is within Lenexa’s city limits. The park’s northern half is in Shawnee.
The permit, which costs $75, runs from Oct. 1 to Jan. 31 and was sought by the Johnson County Park and Recreation District.
Lenexa Mayor Mike Boehm said approving the permit wasn’t a matter of passing judgment on the deer program. He said that issue had been settled by the county Board of Park and Recreation Commissioners.
“It’s on parkland owned by the county. It’s their jurisdiction,” Boehm said. “They can lock down the park and do it in a safe manner. We believe it should be allowed.”
Vicki Charlesworth, Shawnee’s assistant city manager, said her city has an ordinance allowing law enforcement officers to shoot within the city limits, and that park officials did not need a special permit.
The park district is recruiting volunteer police officers to reduce the herd from about 200 deer per square mile to 50 — a 75 percent reduction. The culling could begin as early as October.
If shooting the deer doesn’t kill enough, the park district plans to bring in bow hunters to finish the job.
The park covers 3.5 square miles.
Park officials have said factors influencing their recommendation were statistics on deer-vehicle accidents, complaints from homeowners and commercial businesses about increased plant and landscaping damage, and concerns about diseases associated with ticks carried by deer. They added that the deer population also was affecting the ecology of the park.
Animal-rights activists have argued that overdevelopment in the area has destroyed deer habitat and have urged implementation of nonlethal methods of deer control.
Source: Kansas City Star
Tuesday, August 18, 2009
MONTANA NEWS: Helena Deer Cull Expanded Again
The Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks Commission has given tentative approval to allow an additional 150 mule deer to be killed in Helena between November and March.
As part of its proposal, Helena officials promised to further monitor the urban deer population and to look at the effects of a previous effort that removed 200 deer from the city limits. They also will tally how many deer live in the city and determine what the human tolerance is for them.
Some of Helena’s 30,000 residents like the animals’ presence but others complain about property damage, traffic obstruction and risk to people and pets.
Source: Great Falls Tribune
As part of its proposal, Helena officials promised to further monitor the urban deer population and to look at the effects of a previous effort that removed 200 deer from the city limits. They also will tally how many deer live in the city and determine what the human tolerance is for them.
Some of Helena’s 30,000 residents like the animals’ presence but others complain about property damage, traffic obstruction and risk to people and pets.
Source: Great Falls Tribune
MARYLAND NEWS: National Park Considers Cull to Combat CWD
The spread of a disease fatal to white-tailed deer has prompted the National Park Service to endorse a lethal response at two Civil War battlefields in western Maryland.
The agency is seeking public comment through Sept. 18 on its preferred option of potentially slaughtering hundreds of deer at the Antietam (an-TEE'-tem) and Monocacy (mah-NAH'-kah-see) national battlefields if Chronic Wasting Disease is found within 20 miles.
Both parks are within 60 miles of confirmed cases of the brain disease in West Virginia.
The park service says killing large numbers of deer could prevent the disease from becoming established among the overpopulated herds within the parks.
The contagious illness is fatal to deer but poses no apparent risk to humans.
Source: WJZ
The agency is seeking public comment through Sept. 18 on its preferred option of potentially slaughtering hundreds of deer at the Antietam (an-TEE'-tem) and Monocacy (mah-NAH'-kah-see) national battlefields if Chronic Wasting Disease is found within 20 miles.
Both parks are within 60 miles of confirmed cases of the brain disease in West Virginia.
The park service says killing large numbers of deer could prevent the disease from becoming established among the overpopulated herds within the parks.
The contagious illness is fatal to deer but poses no apparent risk to humans.
Source: WJZ
WEST VIRGINIA NEWS: Urban Bowhunting Approved in Charleston
Bow hunters will be able to stalk deer in Charleston two weeks early, but will want to take special care not to violate the rules of the hunt.
The Charleston City Council voted Monday to start the hunting season September 19 and to increase the bag limit from two to seven.
It also voted to institute penalties of up to 30 days in jail and a fine of $500 for violating the ordinance.
Councilman Jack Harrison says the new penalties will address the concerns of residents who say deer hunters stray from designated hunting areas and onto property where hunting isn't permitted.
Harrison hopes the new rules will attract more hunters, since the Charleston season will start earlier than other cities with urban hunts.
Source: WHSV
The Charleston City Council voted Monday to start the hunting season September 19 and to increase the bag limit from two to seven.
It also voted to institute penalties of up to 30 days in jail and a fine of $500 for violating the ordinance.
Councilman Jack Harrison says the new penalties will address the concerns of residents who say deer hunters stray from designated hunting areas and onto property where hunting isn't permitted.
Harrison hopes the new rules will attract more hunters, since the Charleston season will start earlier than other cities with urban hunts.
Source: WHSV
Friday, August 07, 2009
DELAWARE NEWS: Some Residents Not Receptive to Deer Hunt in Wilmington
The feedback from the public was both pro and con Thursday at a forum to consider permitting bow hunting of deer within the city limits of Wilmington. But more residents spoke against the idea than in favor.
Wilmington Parks and Recreation Committee Chairman Mike Wallace, at the close of the forum, said he thinks city officials need to keep the issue on the table. He proposed holding a Parks and Recreation Committee meeting to discuss the matter further, but added he doesn’t know when the committee would have some sort of deer control program to present to the full council for consideration.
Larry Reinsmith, who lives in the Timber Glen subdivision in the southern part of town, said the key to success for residents who are unhappy about deer feeding on flowers and other plants in their yards is “to understand deer are here to stay and property owners have a responsibility to take steps that will ease conflicts with them.”
Last year, there were eight deer crashes in the city, said Reinsmith, down from 16 the year before.
He also said there has been material distributed regarding Lyme disease and deer “trying to instill fear into the public.” But he said Lyme disease is easily treatable and moreover, there has been no reported case in Clinton County since 2004, when there was one reported incident, citing data from the Clinton County Health Department.
Barb Wells said her family is not opposed to hunting but is opposed to hunting within the city limits.
She feels hunting should stay outside the city limits “where it has traditionally been for years.”
“After living in the south end of town for more than 40 years, I haven’t noticed an increase in deer problems,” Wells said.
Hunting “domesticated” deer that have become accustomed to humans “doesn’t seem like much of a sport to me,” Wells said.
Bob Thobaben, who is not a resident of Wilmington, said, “If you allow nature to take its course, there is no control.”
Nick Babb, who is safety director for Wilmington, said “you can’t legislate where arrows go.”
Greg Keeton said staff at the Ohio Department of Natural Resources are the wildlife population management professionals. Other residential communities have utilized bow hunting of deer within town “with great success.”
Bob Schaeffing said he has planted flowers that deer aren’t supposed to eat, but they did.
Deer will multiply, said Schaeffing, adding he is “really concerned” about the issue. Permitting bow hunting would help, at least in part, because “deer will move away from pressure.”
Cathie Spilker said she takes her dog out to the woods on walks and she doesn’t want it to be struck by an arrow. Deer move, she said, but an arrow continues on its same trajectory.
Wilmington City Council needs to be concerned that it could be opening itself up to liability and a lawsuit if there were an accident, Spilker said.
Scott Kirchner said he is “not even sure” the deer population in town is a problem. He said he has lived on South Mulberry Street near the bike path and Sugar Grove Cemetery and he hasn’t seen a “grand increase in deer.”
But Kirchner said he’s aware people need to be cognizant of managing the deer herd.
There are no safe answers in addressing the deer population growth, said Kim Hilderbrand of Wilmington.
At the conclusion of the forum, Wilmington Mayor David Raizk said the administration’s number one concern will be the health and safety of the citizens, and that this concern will come before property concerns.
Source: Wilmington News Journal
Wilmington Parks and Recreation Committee Chairman Mike Wallace, at the close of the forum, said he thinks city officials need to keep the issue on the table. He proposed holding a Parks and Recreation Committee meeting to discuss the matter further, but added he doesn’t know when the committee would have some sort of deer control program to present to the full council for consideration.
Larry Reinsmith, who lives in the Timber Glen subdivision in the southern part of town, said the key to success for residents who are unhappy about deer feeding on flowers and other plants in their yards is “to understand deer are here to stay and property owners have a responsibility to take steps that will ease conflicts with them.”
Last year, there were eight deer crashes in the city, said Reinsmith, down from 16 the year before.
He also said there has been material distributed regarding Lyme disease and deer “trying to instill fear into the public.” But he said Lyme disease is easily treatable and moreover, there has been no reported case in Clinton County since 2004, when there was one reported incident, citing data from the Clinton County Health Department.
Barb Wells said her family is not opposed to hunting but is opposed to hunting within the city limits.
She feels hunting should stay outside the city limits “where it has traditionally been for years.”
“After living in the south end of town for more than 40 years, I haven’t noticed an increase in deer problems,” Wells said.
Hunting “domesticated” deer that have become accustomed to humans “doesn’t seem like much of a sport to me,” Wells said.
Bob Thobaben, who is not a resident of Wilmington, said, “If you allow nature to take its course, there is no control.”
Nick Babb, who is safety director for Wilmington, said “you can’t legislate where arrows go.”
Greg Keeton said staff at the Ohio Department of Natural Resources are the wildlife population management professionals. Other residential communities have utilized bow hunting of deer within town “with great success.”
Bob Schaeffing said he has planted flowers that deer aren’t supposed to eat, but they did.
Deer will multiply, said Schaeffing, adding he is “really concerned” about the issue. Permitting bow hunting would help, at least in part, because “deer will move away from pressure.”
Cathie Spilker said she takes her dog out to the woods on walks and she doesn’t want it to be struck by an arrow. Deer move, she said, but an arrow continues on its same trajectory.
Wilmington City Council needs to be concerned that it could be opening itself up to liability and a lawsuit if there were an accident, Spilker said.
Scott Kirchner said he is “not even sure” the deer population in town is a problem. He said he has lived on South Mulberry Street near the bike path and Sugar Grove Cemetery and he hasn’t seen a “grand increase in deer.”
But Kirchner said he’s aware people need to be cognizant of managing the deer herd.
There are no safe answers in addressing the deer population growth, said Kim Hilderbrand of Wilmington.
At the conclusion of the forum, Wilmington Mayor David Raizk said the administration’s number one concern will be the health and safety of the citizens, and that this concern will come before property concerns.
Source: Wilmington News Journal
Wednesday, August 05, 2009
KANSAS NEWS: Animal Rights Group to Defend 200 Deer Per Square Mile
A new animal-rights group is pledging to defend the deer in Shawnee Mission Park.
Jason Miller, founder of Bite Club of KC, recently asked to meet with the staff of the Johnson County Park and Recreation District to discuss their concerns. Miller said that request was turned down.
So, he and his group plan to show up at the next park board meeting Aug. 19 and present those concerns during the public comment portion of the meeting. A demonstration is also planned.
In a unanimous vote last month, the board approved a plan to employ sharpshooters and bow hunters to solve the problem of too many deer in Shawnee Mission Park.
The board wants to reduce the herd from about 200 deer per square mile to 50—- a 75 percent reduction.
“If the deer herd in Shawnee Mission Park is not culled or reduced as humanely as possible, Mother Nature will do so,” said Michael Meadors, park district director. “And I believe it will be less humane—through starvation or worse, disease that could wipe out the entire herd.”
The Bite Club, on the other hand, said the park district’s plan amounts to animal cruelty.
“We have several serious concerns about the legality, not to mention the ethics, of the board’s decision to slaughter deer in Shawnee Mission Park,” Miller said in a recent e-mail.
The group’s motto: “Activism with a bite.”
Miller is also a press officer for a national organization, North American Animal Liberation.
Source: Kansas City Star
Jason Miller, founder of Bite Club of KC, recently asked to meet with the staff of the Johnson County Park and Recreation District to discuss their concerns. Miller said that request was turned down.
So, he and his group plan to show up at the next park board meeting Aug. 19 and present those concerns during the public comment portion of the meeting. A demonstration is also planned.
In a unanimous vote last month, the board approved a plan to employ sharpshooters and bow hunters to solve the problem of too many deer in Shawnee Mission Park.
The board wants to reduce the herd from about 200 deer per square mile to 50—- a 75 percent reduction.
“If the deer herd in Shawnee Mission Park is not culled or reduced as humanely as possible, Mother Nature will do so,” said Michael Meadors, park district director. “And I believe it will be less humane—through starvation or worse, disease that could wipe out the entire herd.”
The Bite Club, on the other hand, said the park district’s plan amounts to animal cruelty.
“We have several serious concerns about the legality, not to mention the ethics, of the board’s decision to slaughter deer in Shawnee Mission Park,” Miller said in a recent e-mail.
The group’s motto: “Activism with a bite.”
Miller is also a press officer for a national organization, North American Animal Liberation.
Source: Kansas City Star
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