The hysteria over deer populations in certain areas is a product of
negative thinking. Folks, can we calm down and turn things around a
bit? Deer can be an asset! People are spending billions nationally
on watchable wildlife programs! You can't imagine how many people
actually love deer and other wildlife - alive.
The Lloyd Harbor deer have the potential to bring millions to the
community! The hotel and B&B business would boom in the area, so
would the local stores and restaurants. Tree stands could actually
be set up for viewing, blinds could be set up for photography, the
same clothing that hunters now buy could be marketed to the watchable
wildlife clientele.
The truth is that wildlife management and hunting cause deer populations
to increase. To deny the connection between wildlife management and
the weapons industry is like denying that the earth is round.
In 1936 the Pittman-Robertson (P-R) Act put an excise tax on firearms
and ammunition that could only be used for wildlife management. States
have to compete with each other for the money by selling the most hunting
licenses. The formula is that the states that sell the highest percentage
of licenses in relation to their total population get the greatest
share of the P-R tax. Is it any wonder that certain species have been
converted into living targets?
If there are 63,000 Car-Deer collisions (CDC) then we and insurance
companies should start suing the NYS Department of Environmental Conservation
(DEC) for intentionally overpopulating deer for hunters.
Insurance company reports show a spike in CDC on the days that hunting
starts. Clearly, the rut is not the primary cause of CDC.
We can only reduce the deer population by changing our management
policies that increase game species for hunting at the expense of the
public, environment, and non-game species. Instead we should create
alternate forms of revenue for the game agencies through watchable
wildlife programs. To that end, we would love to talk to other individuals
and groups who would like to make that happen.
Meanwhile, Lloyd Harbor officials should be cited for destroying a
valuable community asset. They actually stole from the community, while
placing residents at risk of serious injury or death. The potential
effect of bullets flying around at night in a populated park makes
the potential effect of deer look like the sniffles.
It should be noted that the black-legged tick is not infectious in
its adult stage on the large host animal. Lloyd Harbor should consider
enlightening the elected officials the next time they vote - if they
don't do so prior to that in the courts.
Anne Muller
Wildlife Watch, Inc.
