HISTORY
In the early 1900s there were very few whitetail deer within
the State of Ohio. Beginning in 1930 deer migrated back into our area and began
to repopulate. In 1970, the herd was estimated at 17,000 and the Ohio Division
of Wildlife was actively managing the herd numbers through hunting regulations.
In the past thirty years the deer population has exploded and is now estimated
at 750,000 animals statewide. Approximately 250,000 animals are harvested each
year during the state hunting season and another 25,000 to 30,000 are involved
in reported deer vehicle accidents. Each area of the State has its own unique
challenges in dealing with these numbers and Amberley Village is no different.
Amberley Village is located in central Hamilton County, and
is comprised of 3.5 square miles or approximately 2240 acres. Amberley is has 403 acres of green space
which include French Park, a City of Cincinnati public park of 257 acres and
Amberley Green, which is an undeveloped Village-owned property of 133 acres.
Amberley Village first implemented a Deer Management Program
in 2007. This program was deemed necessary due to an increasing white-tailed
deer herd, resulting in an increase in deer vehicle accidents (DVA). In
addition, the Village was receiving numerous complaints relating to property
damage from deer activity. An aerial survey by helicopter conducted in 2008
indicated 115 deer within the Village borders.
At that time, Amberley Village Council implemented the initial Deer
Management Program consisting of culling by sharpshooters in designated areas
of Amberley Green and French Park. During the winter of 2007, 46 deer were
removed by sharpshooters. In 2008, eight deer were removed. In 2009, 67 deer
were removed, in 2010, 34 deer were removed and in 2011 30 deer were removed. In
2012, 24 deer were culled. [Exh. A] The
purpose of this plan is to put forth a program that will maintain the deer
population at a level which is acceptable from a safety and nuisance
perspective as well as to ensure a healthy deer herd and continued sustainability
of other wildlife and plants in Amberley Village.
In the spring and summer of 2012, the Health, Education,
& Welfare Committee of Amberley Village Council conducted four
informational meetings to assess and address the impact of the White Tail deer
presence in Amberley Village. Information was collected from the Cincinnati
Park Board, the Ohio Department of Natural Resources and Wildlife, The City of
Wyoming, and the Amberley Village Police. Interested residents attended all
meetings and also provided input. [Exhs. B,C,D,E]. The Cincinnati Park Board
instructed committee members on the impact of deer on the ecosystem. Amberley
takes pride in its green spaces and parks and excess deer feeding will
negatively impact the balance of the ecosystem by eliminating food sources for
animals that forage in the undergrowth of the forest. [Exh. B]. The ODNR
stressed the responsibility of government to balance both the cultural and
environmental impact of having an ever growing deer herd. Amberley Village is
an upscale, wooded suburb where many residents’ homes are situated on large
lots. Homeowners take pride in their
homes and landscapes and are discouraged by the impact of deer both eating the
landscape plantings as well as causing other damage to the homes themselves.
[B,C]. Both the Cincinnati Parks and the ODNR suggest a recommended number of
deer per square mile as being between 10-15 deer. Accordingly, Amberley
Village, being 3.5 square miles, can support a deer population of approximately
37- 52 deer before meadowlands, plantings, undergrowth, and other wildlife
begin to show signs of stress.
Although the growing trend in municipalities is to allow
restricted bow-hunting within jurisdictional boarders, it was the opinion of
Amberley’s Police Chief that this method would not be appropriate for Amberley
due to issues of safety and personnel. [Exh. E]
PUBLIC INFORMATION AND
EDUCATION
The management of a deer herd
is a highly sensitive issue. The Village must emphasize the positive benefits
of a stable, managed herd, while openly communicating the action plan and
goals. Local newspapers and the Village website will be effective tools in this
effort.
MONITORING ACTIONS AND
RECOMMENDATIONS
Any management plan requires
monitoring. Monitoring provides essential information about the baseline (where
we are presently and whether we have made positive progress towards our goals).
The results of this process will help us identify where problems still exist
and allow us to focus our efforts in those areas. Monitoring will be
accomplished by:
1. Deer Vehicle Accidents –
Amberley Village Police will continue to monitor the number of reported and
unreported DVAs occurring within Amberley Village, and will monitor reports of
injured deer and deer carcasses collected in the Village.
2. Citizen Complaints –
Residential complaints received by the Village will be entered into a database
to be utilized in monitoring progress of selected control methods and providing
guidance in recommending modifications. Complaints of deer damage or traffic
related issues can be made directly to the Administration office or by
utilizing the Deer Damage Report on the Village’s website. This information will be
provided to Ohio Department of Natural Resources Division of Wildlife personnel.
3. Periodic Deer Count – In the
past, Amberley Village has engaged in a deer count by utilizing a helicopter
fly-over and a visual deer count. Information gathered by representatives of
both the Cincinnati Parks as well as the Ohio Department of Wildlife has
suggested that this method is the least accurate of deer-count methodology and
provides an inaccurate picture of the number of deer in the Village at any
given time. A more accurate method utilizes a flyover by airplane equipped with
thermal imaging technology to provide a snapshot of the number of deer within
the Village. This method results in a count with over 90% accuracy. [Eh. B] The
Amberley Village Police Dept. and the Village Manager, at the requiest of
Council, will establish a relationship with the Cincinnati Park Board in order
to participate in their annual deer count of the Cincinnati Parks, in order to
include French Park in the thermal image count. The deer coubt will occur at
least every third year, beginning in 2013.
4. Harvested Animal Inventory –
If required by the Ohio Division of Natural Resources, pertinent data such as
sex of deer, age (estimated), and weight should be logged on each animal
harvested or removed by other means. Date, time and location will also be included.
5. Public Opinion Surveys – It
will be beneficial to annually conduct public surveys regarding landscape,
garden, and crop damage in addition to other citizen concerns. Village Administration will establish a form
for residents to access online in order to self-report property damage, injured
deer sightings, and unreported DVAs.
Additionally, the Health, Education, and Welfare committee will survey
residents by any available online survey in order to gauge resident feedback
regarding deer management.
6. All collected data will be periodically
reviewed by the Health, Education, & Welfare committee, but not less than
once per calendar year, commencing in September 2013. Any changes or amendments
to the Amberley Deer Ordinance can be made and brought before Council’s
regularly scheduled October meeting if necessary.
MANAGEMENT ALTERNATIVES
Deer management is often undertaken to satisfy diverse needs
and interests while solving conflicts. No single technique or strategy is
universally acceptable or appropriate. The complexity of suburban deer issues
and limitations of available techniques requires an integrated program. Many
options are available for control and reduction, with specific advantages and
disadvantages. Some are acceptable for more rural areas while some are
unsuitable, from a safety standpoint, for a more urban setting. Amberley
Village has explored and discussed the pros and cons of all of these methods:
NON-LETHAL ALTERNATIVES
1.
Habitat Modification – Deer adapt well to nearly all human-modified
environments, except for downtown urban locations. Amberley’s deer do not discriminate between
suburban landscapes and natural park growth.
2.
Ban on Deer Feeding – Supplemental feed can enhance reproductive rates,
transmission of disease and encourage deer to concentrate in specific areas and
make deer more tolerant of people. Feeding may also contribute to an
artificially high deer population, especially during harsh winters. Regulations may reduce the number of people
who feed deer, but these types of regulations are difficult to enforce unless a
concerted effort is made. Amberley has
an ordinance prohibiting feeding of deer on public lands but there are no plans
to prohibit feeding of wild animals on private property.
3.
Unpalatable Landscape Plantings – Deer are selective feeders; they forage on
plants or plant parts with considerable discrimination. Costly browsing damage may be reduced or
eliminated by planting less-preferred species or by establishing susceptible
plants only in areas protected from deer. Under most circumstances, landscaping
based on knowledge of deer feeding preferences can provide an alternative to
the use of expensive chemical repellents and physical barriers. Whether or not
a particular plant species will be eaten by deer depends on the deer’s previous
experience, nutritional needs, plant palatability, seasonal factors, weather
conditions, and the availability of alternative foods.
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The homeowner is cautioned
that the deer-browsing resistance of any plant species may change due to
fluctuation in deer populations, alternative food availability, and
environmental factors. No plant species will be avoided by deer under all
conditions.
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Lethal Alternatives
The Ohio Division of Wildlife
will process deer damage control permits to applicants experiencing a high rate
of deer vehicle accidents resulting in significant safety issues. Permits may
also be granted in reducing numbers based on property damage to landscapes,
ornamental shrubbery and gardens. In past years, these permits have been used
successfully in Amberley Village’s culling effort to minimize problems in those
areas.
Sharp
Shooting – The use of trained personnel to remove deer through sharp shooting
has been successful. Using a variety of techniques maximizes safety,
humaneness, discretion and efficiency. It can be a costly solution. These
activities would take place on Amberley Green and French Park. Notification
will be posted at the parks and the Amberley Village Police Department will be
utilized to secure the site when being used. This method had been employed
successfully from 2007-2012. Exhibit A provides a summary of those efforts. All
animals which have been removed by this method have been processed and the meat
donated to local food banks according to Ohio law. This practice will be
continued. The Amberley Village police will cull up to 50 deer per calendar
year without additional permission by Village Council. If the Chief determines that there is a
dramatic increase in the number of deer in the Village, by tri-annual deer
count, or by increased DVAs, then the Chief may request that the HEW committee
review the Ordinance and temporarily increase the number by vote of Council.
