Amberley Deer Managemet: Proposed Policy

The Health Education & Welfare Committee has been meeting since May to discuss the issue of deer management in Amberley Village. Historically, this is an issue that comes before Council on an annual basis, with Council being the governmental body tasked with determining how many deer are too many and how to balance the concerns of our residents who like to see deer with our residents who are frustrated by the damage the deer cause to their property. Additionally, Council has had to determine the limit of deer our parks can handle without causing irreversible damage to undergrowth and other wildlife.

The Health Education & Welfare committee began its investigation into the issue by meeting first with experts from the Cincinnati Park Board and the Ohio Division of Natural Resources. From these two entities, we learned that the number of deer in Ohio has exploded in the last thirty years from an estimated 17,000 in 1970 to over 750,000 white tail deer today.  With no natural enemies in Ohio, the ODNR relies on hunters to keep the number of deer in check with approximately 250,000 deer harvested by hunters annually. Another 25,000-30,000 are involved in deer vehicle accidents.

The Committee also met with the city manager and chief of police of Wyoming, Ohio, as well as sought input from our own Amberley Police. Several residents attended most meetings and also provided valuable input.

The goal of the committee was to develop a policy that will maintain a deer population at a level that 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.

  

Two documents were presented at the October Council meeting. First is a historical summary of the rising deer population in Ohio, as well as information collected from the informational meetings related to deer management. This document will be prominently published on our Village website and includes citations to the Minutes of each meeting which will be linked to the main document. Additionally, it was the desire of the committee to educate our residents about different varieties and species of plants that are often known to be unpalatable to deer – although, as we learned deer will eat anything, with the exception of honeysuckle – one of our most invasive plants – when they are hungry enough – so a plant chart is included in the document.  Finally, going forward, Amberley Village will continue to keep records of deer vehicle accidents and property damage with the aid of an online form that our residents can access for self-reporting.

The second document  is a Resolution to Establish a Deer Management Program. In years past, Amberley had no codified deer management program in place. Each year the HEW committee met and determined, by Resolution, how many deer would be culled in that year. This method is fraught with the potential for mismanagement, as Council members can feel pressure from residents to cull more or fewer deer by virtue of the issue being left to elected officials. The deer management policy put forward in this Resolution takes the politics out of the job of deer management. Deer management is a health and safety issue, and as such, it should be relegated to our Amberley Police department.

Going forward, the police will be permitted to cull up to 50 deer per year without additional approval by Council. If evidence suggests that more than 50 deer should be culled, then approval by Council will be required.

Furthermore, a more accurate method of counting the deer will be used than has in the past. Thermal imaging technology will be used to count the deer every third year, beginning in 2013. Because this is more expensive than a helicopter count, the Village Manager will try to pursue an agreement with the City of Cincinnati which owns French Park.  Deer culling will continue to be done by trained sharpshooters. We are aware that other communities are implementing bow-hunting programs, but our police feel strongly that the potential for accidental injury is too high of a risk.

Finally, our residents should know that the committee takes the issue of deer culling very seriously. We realize that it is a sensitive issue and that there are residents who feed the deer and enjoy having them in their yard. We will continue to monitor the program and provisions are included in the policy to allow for resident input and future evaluation of the deer management policy.

This Resolution will be brought before Council for a vote at the next regularly scheduled council meeting on November 12, at 6:30 PM. Residents are invited to attend the meeting and express their opinions on deer management in Amberley Village at that time. 

Deer Today; Gone Tomorrow

I don't know about you, but I'm enjoying the view out my windows of the snow that fell early this morning. I think all the birds in Amberley have come to my feeders to enjoy the (expensive) selection of bird seed I put out for them. Which has me thinking about the abundance of wildlife we enjoy here in Amberley Village and whether it's recommended to be feeding them at all.
According to the Ohio Department of Natural Resources: "With the exception of feeding songbirds, putting out food for wildlife can hurt more than help."  So, go ahead and feed the songbirds, and by all means, take pictures of all those cardinals, bluejays, titmouses (or is it titmice?), and woodpeckers. But when it comes to feeding the deer, the ODNR has different advice:

Kimo and Amberley deer engage in a backyard standoff

Wildlife, such as deer and geese, are accustomed to our winters here in Ohio. They are migrating species and the deer who live here in the spring and summer, may not be the same deer that are here in the winter. Deer have particular wintering spots and by feeding them you discourage them from going to those spots, that may be miles away from your backyard. The available food resources here may not be what they want or need in the winter. Furthermore, bringing wild animals so close to your house and other species makes them more vulnerable to spreading disease, and attacks from large dogs, or in our own community, collisions with automobiles. Additionally, for all of you gardeners who bemoan the deer  who eat your gardens, "Come spring time, don't expect the deer you fed all winter to find greener pastures. By then, they will have become accustomed to the free meal and think it's perfectly acceptable munching on your garden of delicate spring flowers and tender vegetables."


Why am I bringing this up? I've written about Amberley's deer culling program in previous posts. Council decided to continue with the deer culling recommendations from last year, but resolved to revisit the issue before next winter in order to have ample time to establish a comprehensive, cost-effective plan for the Village. This may involve bow-hunting, or may not, but until then, we are proceeding with sharpshooters in French Park and Amberley Green. All deer meet is processed and donated to the Free Store here in Cincinnati. If you live near French Park and Amberley Green, you will probably want to think twice about feeding the deer and establishing any kind of domestic relationship with them, because you are essentially luring them to your backyard, where they will become a target of our culling program.

So cute, but vicious!

Oh, Deer!

I knew this was coming.  It's January, and on January 1st, I got an email from Village Manager, Scot Lahrmer, advising that it's time for the Health, Education, and Welfare committee to start thinking about this year's deer cull.  As chair of the committee, I've now got to set a meeting, and of course there are some things for the committee to consider, but I've also been doing some thinking as well.

Like many of you, I've given up my garden because of the abundance of wildlife in Amberley Village.  Truly, as saddened as I was to succumb to the reality that the deer were getting more produce out of the garden than I was, I love nothing more than to have breakfast while looking out my full wall of kitchen windows at the deer and birds who make their home in my backyard.  Last June, we even had a fawn born in the backyard and that was very cool and exciting!

And yes, I am concerned about herds of deer nonchalantly crossing the street without a care for the driver of oncoming vehicles. In my own neighborhood, I worry about drivers who aren't as familiar with these beautiful animals who are also residents of Amberley Village.  Without our experience, they don't know that at any moment a deer, or most likely several deer, will cross the road in front of them while they are driving at a high rate of speed for the neighborhood.  My sons witnessed a car/deercollision on Ridge Road while driving to Walnut Hills early one morning, and it affected my son Adam deeply.

But, I don't know whether a deer cull actually has any real impact on the herd.  I do know that it's fairly expensive, coming in at over $3,500 for last year's cull. A cheaper method would certainly be welcome.  Currently, we pay $61 per deer for processing and the meat is donated to the Freestore.  Maybe a resident would like to pay for the processing, as it would be a tax-deductible donation.  Or, maybe we could allow hunters for a day.  I don't know the answer, but I am continuing to research the issue.  If you have a suggestion,  please leave it in the comments.  I'm definitely interested in your thoughts.

For more Village news, check out the e-news at Amberley Village.org.