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Residents, deer need protection from board

DEAR EDITOR:

At a recent Mill Creek MetroParks trustee meeting, I was surprised to see that the general public must now go through a metal detector before entering the meeting area. Just out of curiosity, I questioned one of the park policemen as to the necessity of this huge metal framed piece of technology; I was told that this addition was a routine security upgrade.

The need for a security system without provocation or justified threat really didn’t make sense to me. As a member of the Save the Deer group, I have been advocating at park meetings, for a different kind of safety — for the safety of residents who live along the boundaries of the park where hunting is now in progress. Those homeowners have expressed a genuine fearfulness regarding use of weapons in their backyards, whether the hunters use bow and arrows or rifles. The mere thought of camouflaged individuals on your property, shooting deer and then dragging the dead animal of which can be seen through the window, is very disturbing. The sound of gunshots is chilling. How do children react to the sights and sounds? What ever happened to the right of a homeowner to determine what takes place on one’s property?

But let’s not stop with homeowners. The MetroParks has also allowed hunting to continue while the park is open. Can you imagine a leisurely walk with your dog abruptly ending when you round the corner and literally run into a crossbow-toting hunter? It happened to me. Near the golf course last year, there were reports of a galloping deer with arrows sticking out of its neck and an injured deer that took shelter under a tree, just waiting to die. Numerous lame deer sightings were reported to the Ohio Department of Natural Resources. And, a grotesque and disfigured deer was found with its guts carved out at Saw Mill Preserve. I prefer to stay clear of those experiences of horror, so the park becomes off limits to me for the next four months. Or, can the park post SAFE hours when hunting is prohibited?

So the realistic safety concerns of the residents outside of the administration building are not equal to those imagined concerns inside of the MetroParks administration building. This continued use of double standards has backfired on the park many times as evidenced by the frequent citizen lawsuits fueled by administration overconfidence, power mongering and disrespect. So much for the valued general public, who are also taxpayers. The park board and director, harboring their imagined threats, will continue to use their prize metal detector against senior citizens like me, who just want to stop the gunfire!

CHRISTINE FLAK

Youngstown

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