MetroParks votes to reduce deer

CANFIELD -- The Mill Creek MetroParks Board on Monday voted 3-0 to approve the plan proposed a month ago to reduce the number of deer in most of the MetroParks properties, including Mill Creek Park.

The vote was taken during a confusing, early part of the meeting after Nick Derico, MetroParks natural resources manager, gave brief remarks about the proposal.

Board members voted amid shouted comments and confusion, which seemed to have been detected by only part of the audience of about 200 people, who apparently thought they would get to make public comments before the vote was taken.

About 20 minutes into the meeting, Lee Frey, MetroParks chairman became frustrated with the unruly comments from the crowd. "Quit talking out. You'll get your chance," he said. "All right, we'll just vote," he said moments later.

Board member Tom Frost then offered some comments to explain the yes vote he cast a short time later, saying people have made lots of comments about not seeing large numbers of deer in the MetroParks, which makes them believe there are not that many.

"You're not going to see them all at once because deer are nocturnal," he said. "Deer do scatter when they see people, as well."

He added, "We have done our due diligence on this. We have looked at the science. We're listening to the professionals. It's time for us to move on."

People yelled out remarks.

Frey then read a letter from board member Jeff Harvey, who was not present, in which he said he could not attend because of an important prior commitment. Board member Paul Olivier also did not attend.

"The number of deer in Mill Creek MetroParks has reached a critical level," Frey said. "The numbers were astounding and showed that there were 19 times more deer" than the park could sustain "without causing biological damage."

CITES OTHER DECISIONS

Frey then gave his remarks, citing the decisions of other park systems in the region, such as Cuyahoga Valley National Park. Frey quoted from that group's remarks: "The white-tailed deer is a prey animal. Like other prey animals it reproduces at a high rate. Most does, at 1 1/2 years of age have their first fawn. In successive years throughout their five-year lifespan, they typically have twins or triplets," Frey said.

After the vote was taken to approve the reduction of deer, Frey said citizens who had signed up were allowed to speak, but many asked what was the point. The board already had voted.

Dozens of citizens spoke nonetheless, each getting three minutes, some of whom apparently did not realize that the vote already had been taken.

Marguerite Craciun, who lives in the Old Furnace Road neighborhood, said: "And I go through Mill Creek Park on my way to work, on my way home. And I've never seen that many deer, not 300."

She received loud applause. Park officials have said they did an analysis with an aircraft using infrared imaging to determine that there are 387 white-tailed deer per square mile in the MetroParks and that the MetroParks have19 times higher deer population than the "carrying capacity of the land."

Craciun said the deer are out at night, "and during the day, they are everywhere." Like others who spoke, Craciun wanted to ask questions of the board, but Frey said questions would be answered at the end.

She said if sharpshooters kill deer at night with rifles or bow and arrow, "What are my chances I would get hit from all three sides?

"Are they going to come by and give me a kevlar vest or something? It is a safety concern," she said, noting that she has a dog.

Anita Romeo said board members have made remarks "that were not true. Deer are not nocturnal," she said loudly, adding that deer "bed down at night. They are not nocturnal."

The meeting was held at the MetroParks Farm on state Route 46 with about six officers standing by, most of them in the hallway outside of the meeting room.

T-SHIRTS

Monday's crowd appeared to be larger than the meeting a month ago with some attendees this time wearing matching T-shirts saying, "Save the Mill Creek Park deer."

A month ago, the MetroParks released details on the ways the deer would be reduced and other information in a Powerpoint presentation on its website and and discussed by Derico.

The reductions would occur through firearm hunting by federally employed professional marksmen and through bow and firearm hunting through a state Division of Wildlife lottery -- depending upon location in the park system.

The targeted method of reducing the deer population would be used in Mill Creek Park, the park system's best-known park and involves reductions of deer in urban and suburban areas.

Mill Creek Park is from Fellows Riverside Gardens in Youngstown to U.S. Route 224 in Boardman. Targeted removal also would be used in Yellow Creek Park on Lowellville Road, Struthers.

Targeted deer removal would involve "federally employed professional marksmen" using firearms with noise suppressors. United States Department of Agriculture employees do this work during the winter months as part of their jobs, Derico said.

The marksmen would use night vision and / or thermal imaging technology to hunt at night, the MetroParks proposal states. It would take place from October to March, depending on weather conditions and staff availability.

This method "may also be used to supplement controlled hunting efforts at various locations, as needed," according the Mill Creek MetroPark presentation.

SURVEY QUESTIONED

Debbie Fender and Janet Bernard, who wrote one of two op-ed pieces in the Vindicator on the MetroParks' proposal, stated that they did not believe the density numbers of deer the MetroParks gave.

"We question the validity of this survey, and we respectfully request the park system to re-evaluate the deer density," they stated.

About 70 people attended the March 13 meeting, with about 30 people offering their opinions on the proposal. Most opposed killing deer on the grounds that the animals are a benefit to the park and much beloved. "They're harmless. They're timid. They don't do anything. They come in the yard. We feed them," Pearl Sinistro said.

Michael Colyer, however, expressed a desire to see a different balance between the deer and the plant life that the park system says is being destroyed by having too many deer. "We need to preserve the whole fauna and protect the trees that protect the birds and everything else. The deer eat all of our gum trees," he said.