One Activist’s Perspective on Effectively Trending Away from Lethal Deer “Controls”
THEY are not the invasive species - we are
Activists often feel powerless to stop hunting in their neighborhoods. But Northeast Ohioans are seeing victories in places like Broadview Heights and North Royalton, where, respectively, bow hunting ordinances have been repealed and prevented. Community leaders are catching on to the word we’ve been spreading: all lethal methods paradoxically ensure stable populations; they don’t reduce numbers.
North Royalton leaders tabled all lethal discussions and will introduce driver safety and community awareness programs in May, fashioned after Rochester Hills, Michigan’s, where, despite a 30 percent increase in deer numbers, DVCs (deer-vehicle crashes) decreased by 25%. See Broadview Heights repealed its bow hunting ordinance, modeled after Ottawa Hills, Ohio’s, victory in 2010.
Where I live, council members just began discussions to pass bow hunting and/or nuisance permit ordinances, despite overwhelming evidence these do nothing to control populations, and adjacent communities are finding nonlethal solutions. Ironically, the Ohio DOW urban deer representative, Geoffrey Westerfield, invited to a special February 19th meeting to discuss the “deer issue,” admitted that the DOW has no data to support that lethal methods like bow hunting and nuisance permits reduce numbers.
Westerfield cited Solon’s failure to decrease numbers through lethal methods, after spending $800,000 to kill 1,600 deer over a five year period. More recently, the number has exceeded $1,000,000. Westerfield then went on to sell bow hunting to Seven Hills. Some wonder whether that’s because Seven Hills Councilwoman Lecznar’s husband, Lt. Fire Chief Lecznar, answers directly to Chief McConville, who has mounted buck heads hanging all over his garage. See the last two thumbnails: images in his garage, house listed for sale: http://www.124mapleview.info/.
According to Katherine McGill, wildlife researcher and writer, “The goal is to allow the sport of killing to take place while at the same time, conserve enough deer for hunters to enjoy the following season . . . [state wildlife] managers are compelled to satisfy their hunting constituency . . . If there aren't enough deer, the wildlife managers may end up without jobs.”.
Adjacent Parma is facing its own ghastly dilemma: John Mack, chief of natural resources at Cleveland Metroparks, publicly stated that if the City of Parma engages in hunting, he will institute captive bolting – the highly inaccurate piercing that repeatedly misses and hits wild, thrashing deer in the eyes and other parts until finally impaling the intended brain area – in that city’s brand new West Creek Reservation. Residents there need to get organized; if you know anyone in Parma, please send them this info now.
Click the following for “Fact-Based Responses Re: Nonlethal Solutions” in the “News” section of my online petition, which I’m also asking you to sign: http://www.change.org/petitions/seven-hills-ohio-mayor-council-law-etc-drop-bow-hunting-discussion.
Let’s get organized! For too long, NE Ohio has lacked the necessary core support NETWORK against lethal deer “management” in urban areas. This simply cannot be sustained by a few bedraggled activists. Serious inquires may contact me at birdsfirst1@yahoo.com.