HomeMy Public PortalAbout2021.06.09 D Staup Fwd_ City Deer ConcernsFrom:Anette Spickard
To:BessieJo Wagner
Subject:Fwd: City Deer Concerns
Date:Wednesday, June 9, 2021 4:45:49 PM
From: Debra Staup <ikaria@icloud.com>
Sent: Wednesday, June 9, 2021, 3:16 PM
To: Anette Spickard
Subject: City Deer Concerns
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To The City Council And City Manager,
I have some serious concerns regarding our town deer. I feel we
need to do a thorough job of exploring and researching safe,
humane, and respectful options before any decision is made
which could result in the unnecessary tragic deaths of our town
deer. I am worried we are taking a knee jerk reaction instead of
making sure all our ducks are in a row. Many of us love the deer
and would prefer not to cause them any potential harm.
Let us remember McCall is a mountain town and wildlife do live
here. In fact, the wildlife was here long before any human. It was
their habitat first! I came to McCall a lot as a youth, worked here
in the summers as a young adult at the old YMCA Camp which is
now Tamarack Bay Condos, and moved here full time over 46
years ago. The deer were living in the woods of what was then
the outskirts of town. I know well that some deer thrived year
round in the areas where Spring Mountain, The Woodlands, and
Middle School are now. That land was home to an array of
wildlife including deer, elk, bear, fox, raccoons, skunks etc. and
also prized huckleberry bushes and morels. I spent winters cross
country skiing through that area before it was developed and was
blessed to see some of the deer wintering there. As our human
population grew, we took over the land and built on the wildlife
habitats without considering the long term consequences to their
survival in their home range.
Many of the old locals have lived here for years without issues
with the wildlife. We realized we had to adjust in order to live in
harmony in 'their' mountain habitat. Yet as our area grew, the
surrounding land was bought and developed. This forced the
deer and other wildlife to acclimate to the human intrusion in
their historic range. A lot of residents and tourists do enjoy
having the deer around, though others are complaining about
their presence. Hopefully a reasonable, safe, humane, educated,
and respectful compromise can be attained.
I have done some research to see how other places dealt with
their wildlife habitats being overrun by humans. Here is some of
what I have found.
Ordinances have been put in place prohibiting the feeding of
wildlife such as deer, elk, moose, fox etc. These ordinances have
been successful in other cities and states.
Extensive and continued education for people must happen
through all medias and appropriate businesses. The information
should pinpoint the importance of not feeding the animals; proper
securing of trash and when to put it out to be picked up, to keep
pet food inside, place bird feeders high up in trees, plus slower
speed limits are recommended. We have reasonable speed limits;
we just need to get drivers to slow down and drive them. (I know
our police do the best they can with limited resources, and the
lack of enough officers is more than likely due to to a lack of
housing options.) Education is key to the success of any venture.
It is important to inform people of what are the best wildlife
resistant plants to grow and/or sprays or other deterrents to use on
plants if they are interested in keeping the wildlife out of their
yards. The local nurseries would be valuable in helping those
people make the best resistant plant and deterrent choices.
Fencing off yards or putting fencing around trees and gardens
have been most effective in preventing deer from browsing in
yards. Also there are various types of fences to use depending on
what one is looking for. A lot of old gardeners here know to use
fences to keep all wildlife from eating their plants.
Some places have established and managed a supervised feeding
area of land outside of their respective towns. The feed used is
approved by knowledgable wildlife experts to make sure it is
what is best for the deer. The deer have a safe place to go; they
are not being punished for a mistake they didn't create. We
actually have a feeding program for our local elk at a ranch or
two out in the Donnelly area to help sustain them through the
winter. It would be great if we did the same for our deer. And if
there are any truly sick or injured deer, F&G can respectfully and
humanely take care of a deer if it can't be healed. By creating a
feeding area, it would help decrease the problems some have with
the deer being in town, especially during the winter. A feeding
area could be set up on State Land or maybe enlist the
cooperation/partnership of a private land owner. People could
pay to see the deer being fed such as they do for the elk outside of
Donnelly. Another thing some places have done is to plant more
of the type of trees, bushes, and foliage the deer naturally eat in
wooded areas away from town . The deer will go forage where
there is a plentiful food source. So much of their natural
food/foliage sources have been wiped out due to the development
of their habitat and clearing of lands. It needs to be replaced in
appropriate areas.
Sterilization
There are states who have tried sterilizing some of the female
deer with some success. Though it comes with costs and stress to
the deer.
Trap and Relocate
Studies show that about half of all deer trapped and relocated die
from capture- related stress, injuries, or from wandering
extensive distances after release resulting in increased highway
mortality. Some wildlife sources speculate that the stressed deer
are desperately trying to get back to their own range. Plus with
so many people moving to and living in the woods and mountains
these days, there are not many suitable places to release and
relocate trapped deer. Just look at how much Valley County has
grown and changed. Idaho has been discovered; so many small
rural areas are growing faster than with which they can keep
pace. The costs to trapping and relocating can range anywhere
from $400 to over $3000 per deer. I wonder where all this
money is going to come from? Taxpayer financed? Not to
mention neighboring communities may not appreciate F&G
releasing our deer in their territory.
Trapping and Euthanasia involves the live capture of deer using
box traps, clover traps, or different nets. Then they are usually
shot, or a penetrative captive bolt is used, or they are injected
with a pharmacological agent. The trapping and euthanasia is
labor intensive and stressful for the deer and can cost more than
$300 a deer. Again taxpayer financed?
These last few methods are not at the top of my list for the
obvious harm it causes, and I would strongly prefer my tax
money going to education and humane preservation of the deer.
I read several comments in the newspaper article in which I feel
the need to respond. This thought that we will have a lot of dead
deer around town during the winter if people quit feeding them is
a bit over reactive, in my opinion. Yes, some deer will die
regardless of where they feed in or out of town; natural attrition
happens to all wildlife whether by injury, illness, starvation,
predator, or old age. It is the cycle of life. Yet, keep in mind we
have time to establish an appropriate winter feeding area to help
out the deer. The deer, with possible help, will find their way to
the established feeding areas just as the elk have done. It would
great if we could give them a real chance to possibly reintroduce
themselves to safer areas in their range for all concerned. Do
note, many of the deer are not hanging in town as much in the
summer because they are spread out enjoying their natural
foliage. If we planted more foliage for them to eat in the woods
and open areas during the spring, summer, and fall plus provide
winter feeding areas for them, more than likely the situation will
resolve itself naturally. It would be a win win for deer and people
alike. Trapping and relocating them out of their own natural
range will likely bring about more deaths of the deer due to stress
and injury etc. That is wrong, and I don't want to see this happen.
Most all the in town vehicle accidents with deer are usually
caused by drivers going too fast and not paying attention to the
road for many reasons including being on their phones, being
drunk, and/or just in a big hurry to be somewhere. By following
the speed limits and staying focused on driving most of the
deer/vehicle accidents will be eliminated. Trust me, it is not the
deer I see speeding down our roads every day in our town. Sadly,
we don't have enough police officers to enforce the large amount
of speeders racing up and down our streets. I do appreciate our
police and know they are doing the best they can. I sincerely
doubt the 'removal' of the deer will slow down the drivers. The
lives of pedestrians and bicyclists are also at great risk by the
recklessness of the speeding vehicles. Do we rid ourselves of the
people walking or the bicyclists to prevent them from being hit? ..
Seriously, drivers need to slow down and pay attention.
As for the mountain lions, they have been wandering this range
for longer than I have been here. I have seen mountain lions
coyotes, bear, elk, moose, fox, even a wolf or two, etc. in my
yard, neighborhood and/or in surrounding areas, though I have
never heard or read of anyone being harmed by these animals in
our community. Not to say it hasn't happened in McCall, but to
my knowledge in all the years I have lived here, I don't recall any
such incident. Again, we do live in the wooded mountain range
of all kinds of wildlife. They wander in and out of Ponderosa
Park, Little Lake area, and up around the north end of Payette
Lake. Some hike through the Little Ski Hill area and Red Ridge.
They can be found near Gold Fork, Paddy Flat, Brundage,
Tamarack, and running through fields of the ranches where a lot
of livestock are grazing. In other words, these animals are
everywhere trying to exist alongside humans. I would like to
think we aren't going to start a trend to eradicate wildlife every
time they come through our community or when some person
complains. It would be better to educate people on how to live
with and respond safely in their interactions with wildlife. I was
at Cascade Reservoir this last weekend enjoying some beach time
as were many families. Posted on trees and day use areas were
signs warning of a mountain lion being spotted in the area.. The
signs clearly explained what to do if anyone encountered a
mountain lion. I saw people reading the signs and calmly
advising their children, yet no one chose to leave the beach or day
use areas because of the mountain lion. Hopefully there will
always be wildlife in our area; if we remove the deer, do we
remove all animals from livestock, family pets, to other wildlife
that could attract predators, or do we educate ourselves on how to
reduce risks and to live in harmony with them in their territory?
Any animal, domestic or wild, can become aggressive when they
feel their space is being invaded, especially if they are protecting
babies. The solution is simple. We have a leash law in town and
in Ponderosa Park. Keep your dogs on leash when out and about.
Otherwise, contain them in a fenced yard or in your house. Don't
allow them to run loose. Even at many parks, on some trails, or
wilderness areas in Idaho and other states, it is a requirement to
keep dogs on leash at all times so as to not disturb the wildlife.
When out walking your leashed dog and you encounter a deer or
any other wildlife, just give them a wide berth. Do the same even
if you don't have a dog. Give the animals space. I did just that
when a bear and I met in Ponderosa Park. We made eye contact
and gave each other space. I went one way and the bear went the
other, both of us checking that neither one followed the other.
Situation averted. We have a dog and an abundance of wildlife
around our house and in our neighborhood. Never once has our
dog been threatened or harmed by the wildlife. Common sense
can prevent a myriad of problems.
Animals do get lice at times; though I am not convinced it is
necessary to kill all of them. I would like to see substantiated
scientific proof regarding this issue. If there is actual 'absolute'
proof that a deer or any other animal has 'deadly' lice or any other
truly 'deadly' disease or injury, then humanely deal with that
particular animal. I would like to hope it doesn't become the
'excuse' to get rid of the deer and other wildlife. Though I fear it
will be.
Our town deer are special to so many of us, including my
husband and myself, and we deeply feel the deer don't deserve to
be 'punished' by humans for living in their own habitat. We are
the ones upsetting the ecosystem. We created the problem, so we
should try and rectify it in a humane way and to turn it into a win
win situation for the deer and for the people who both love the
deer and those who have their differences with them or wildlife in
general.
I support an ordinance to stop feeding them. I am all for putting
together a great education program to teach adults and children
about the dos and don'ts in feeding the wildlife, deer resistant
plants and deterrents, fencing, common sense tips on how to live
harmoniously with wildlife, and other pertinent information. I
feel very strongly about establishing a winter feeding area for our
deer similar to the elk feeding one near Donnelly and planting
lots more foliage for them to eat in appropriate areas during the
spring, summer and fall. As a long time resident and voter, my
tax money spent on humane preservation of our deer is money
well spent.
I believe more time and research are needed to make sure we put
together a humane deer preservation management plan that will
be a win for all. May I suggest a community task force group be
formed to help iron out and put into place the best possible
methods and strategies for navigating and managing this
somewhat contentious situation. Have people from the
community, wildlife experts from all over, and other people be on
the task force. Invite knowledgeable people from other states to
share their plans and experiences. It would help a lot to prevent
any ill will felt by people regardless of where they stand. More
importantly it may prevent a Pandora's Box of very unfortunate
yet preventable consequences from being unleashed. If we don't
slow down and do this right, I believe it will lead to the
unnecessary and tragic death and/or killing of our deer and other
wildlife down the line. Anger, hard feelings, and distrust will
erupt which will take a very long time to heal and to
repair. McCall is a beloved mountain community blessed with
wildlife and beautiful nature; it is why most people move or visit
here. We are not interested in living in an 'asphalt' forest. Let us
be proactive not reactive. We need to repair and amend the harm
we caused to our wildlife 'neighbors' and establish a respectful
plan to safely preserve their existence here in 'their home range'.
To do otherwise would be a travesty. I want to have confidence
and trust that our City Council and other officials will have the
wisdom to pause, to take the time to do more research, and to
consider better options before moving ahead... We share this land
with the indigenous wildlife, let us become the example of how
to live in harmony and peace with them.
Thank you,
Debra Staup
Retired Educator