Next meeting

Next meeting: TBD

Agenda: Dr.Anthoney Snider - UNCW will discuss non-lethal deer management.

Overarching Goal: Explore multiple options, with an initial focus on non-lethal methods, to control the herd and the environment to make the deer herd less productive in order to manage the health of the herd and of the maritime forest in the most humane way possible.

Challenge
        1.    Gather objective information
                a.     Forestry
                b.     Wildlife
                c.     Individual organization
                d.     CHECK SOURCES!—Reliable objective
        2.    Disseminate objective information—let the truth be known
        3.    Public relations
               a.     Respect other points of view
               b.     Everybody needs to be heard—respectfully
        4.    If we find that non-lethal methods are not effective but there is a potential to be included in research to establish these methods, we will try to pursue them.

Bibliography of Sources on Deer Management Practice

Where links are not cited, hard copies are being kept at the Conservancy.
Email copies may be available through the Conservancy Offices.

When submitting an item for the bibliography, please cite the complete source (including website link, if applicable) and a very brief summary of the subject matter to assist others in their review.

1. Community-Based Deer Management, A Practitioners' Guide; Daniel J. Decker, Daniela B. Raik, William F. Siemer, Human Dimensions Research Unit Cornell University. Published by Northeast Wildlife Damage Management Research and Outreach Cooperative, 2004. (Submitted by Doug Oakley)

Comments: Not so much a study in methods of actual management but in the overall community process, decision making, organization, etc. Does give some details of 10 different communities' approaches. Excellent background information.

2. Wild Neighbors: Deer; Reprint from HSUS News, Summer 1997, Humane Society of the United States, www.hsus.org - (Submitted by Doug Oakley)

Comments: Good "primer" for those wanting more basic education on deer, their habits, etc. Discusses methods of reducing damage by deer.

3. Wildlife Fertility Control: Fact & Fancy; A publication of the ZooMontana Science and Conservation Biology Program, June 2000. - (Submitted by Doug Oakley)

Comments: Outlines Fertility control and immunocontraception. Good background info, appears to be a little dated.

4. Fertility Control in Animals, From Mortality Control to Fertility Control, Jay F. Kirkpatrick and Allen T. Rutberg - (Submitted by Doug Oakley)

Comments: What I have is a reprinted article from "The State of the Animals". Excellent information and summary. I think worth reading by everyone in this group. Addresses many issues we will ultimately have to face, e.g. "Culture, Regulations, and Politics"; "Regulatory and Practical Issues"; "Ethics of Immunocontraception"; etc.

5. Keeping Wisconsin Deer Healthy, Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (submitted by John May)

Comments: This article outlines efforts in Wisconsin to improve the health of its deer herd by controlling disease. A major step is to reduce the density of the herd. http://dnr.wi.gov/org/land/wildlife/whealth/issues/deerhealth.htm

6. Deer Eating Away at Forests Nationwide, Associated Press 1/18/2005 (submitted by John May)

Comments: A summary of the nation-wide program of the impact of deer on forests. This article focuses on the destruction to forests where hunting is forbidden. http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/6835501/

7. Mad Deer Disease--An Alarming Hazard for America's 12 Million Deer Hunters, by John Bonne, MSNBC, 9/21/2004 (submitted by John May)

Comments: This article outlines the outbreak of "Mad Deer Disease" (CWD) in western states. To help control the disease Wisconsin plans to reduce deer density from 75/sq. mile to 5/sq. mile. http://www.organicconsumers.org/madcow/deerhunt092704.cfm

8. Mad Deer Disease a Threat, by Babe Winkelman, 2007 (submitted by John May)

Comments: Another article on Mad Deer Disease. However this one contains comments by Dr. Larry Katz of Rutgers University's animal science department on his five years of study on immunocontraception. He concludes that "it would take 10 to 12 years to reduce the population and annual re-treatment would be necessary for at least 75 percent of the does."
http://www.basspro.com/servlet/catalog.CFPage?&mode=article&objectID=28851&catID=&subcatID=0

9. Managing White-tailed Deer in Forest Habitat From an Ecosystem Perspective, by Robert Earl Latham, et al, 1/2005 (submitted by John May)

Comments: A comprehensive study sponsored by the Audubon Society on the impact of deer on forests in Pennsylvania. This is a peer reviewed study. It's available from the home page at the URL listed below. The study itself is over 300 pages, however there is an executive summary of only 12 pages. The summary includes a list of the ten authors and ten reviewers. http://pa.audubon.org/ or http://pa.audubon.org/deer_report.html

10. Managing White Tailed Deer in Suburban Environments, by Anthony J. DeNicola et al, Cornell Cooperative Extension Service, appx yr 2000+ (submitted by Joey Hill)

http://wildlifecontrol.info/NEWDMC/PDFs/Deer_management_mechs.pdf - First part of the article is a general overview of deer in suburban environments, problems, etc, information with which the committee may already be familiar. However, later in the article the authors go into a listing of different nonlethal management techniques.

11. Tracking Deer Around the Clock Could Find Key to Spread of Chronic Wasting Disease - Scores of CNY Deer to be Tracked by Satellite, Release by the SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry 12/8/2005 (submitted by Ann Cary Hevener)

http://www.esf.edu/newspubs/news/2005/12.08.deer.htm - This article provides insight into the satellite tracking of deer, which could be useful for more accurate deer counts, deer movement patterns, location, etc.

12. Tracking With GPS or Argos, Informational posting on the Lotek Wireless Fish and Wildlife Monitoring Company Website, date N/A (submitted by Ann Cary Hevener)

http://www.lotek.com/satellite.htm - This article provides more insight into the GPS/satellite tracking of deer, which could be useful for more accurate deer counts, deer movement patterns, location, etc.

13. Firearm Discharge Distance Laws in Other States - click here for pdf. This was information investigated by the Village Public Safety Committee several years ago. Ann Cary Hevener was one of those researching the topic and presented the information to the committee.

14. BHI Deer Management Reports - Westervelt/Conservancy - Joey Hill has the following on file:

9/12/02 White-Tailed Deer Management Report and Recommendations from the BHI Conservancy Environmental Affairs Committee

2003 - Final Deer Report: Management Program (released by Village?) - summary of first annual hunt.

1/11/04 – (Winter Count 2003) Dr. Doerr’s Report - Dynamics of a Barrier Island White-Tailed Deer Population in the Southeastern United States

11/20/04 (Winter Count 2004) – Dr. Doerr’s Report - Continued Monitoring of the Dynamics of a Barrier Island White-Tailed Deer Population in the Southeastern US

10/2/04 (Summer Count 2004) – Dr. Doerr’s Report - Continued Monitoring of the Dynamics of a Barrier Island White-Tailed Deer Population in the Southeastern US

11/2005 – (2005 Count) Dr. Doerr’s Report – Monitoring of the Dynamics of a Barrier Island White-tailed Deer Population in the Southeastern US 1999-2005