WE NEED YOUR HELP
OVERPOPULATION OF WHITETAIL DEER
Will County, Illinois' Forest Preserve officials have recommended a massive culling of native deer herds because of deer overpopulation. In an area that could sustain 20 deer per square mile the deer are at levels over 150 per square mile.
They are trying to figure out if we the people of Will county would like to pay for sharp shooters or allow Hunters to accomplish the task at no cost to the County.
SOME FACTS ABOUT OVERPOPULATION OF WHITETAIL DEER.
Many expanding suburban communities, and even some cities, face a dangerously expanding deer population. In backyards, they graze on shrubbery and feud over territory
While they still have some predators in the Northeast, mostly coyotes or bobcats, their main animal predators, wolves, are gone.
Man is now a deer's most-feared predator, but the number of hunters is declining, especially among teen-agers who today have more options to fill their time.
Today's high deer population may shape how the country's forests look decades from now. The animals are reducing the number of trees and seedlings and affecting which species will survive, forestry experts say.
In areas of overpopulation, deer cause an over browsing affect called a "browse line". In areas with a browse line, most plant species below the browse line are stripped bare damaging the habitat for many species. These brows lines can be from four to six feet high.
Deer establish a territory and will not leave it.
Deer are known to starve rather than leave their domain.
Just 2 deer without predation can produce a herd of up to 35 deer in just 7 years.
Deer can live up to 11 years in the wild.
Under optimal conditions without regulating factors like predators or hunting, deer populations can double in size annually.
Two of the considerations used when establishing a deer management plan are Biological Carrying Capacity (BCC) and Cultural Carrying Capacity (CCC).
DEER DAMAGE
A recent survey of U.S. farm leaders revealed that as many as 56% believed they had suffered crop damage by wildlife and the Whitetail deer was named as the primary culprit.
Pennsylvania farmers suffer crop damage of an estimated $30 million annually, Wisconsin estimates it's farmers are hit for $37 million annually.
Back in 1995, conservative estimates place deer-car collisions in the us at over 500,000 annually. Vehicle damage is in the hundreds of millions of dollars.
The annual damage in New Jersey alone is estimated to exceed $10 million dollars. These accidents resulted in thousands of injuries and over 100 deaths.
Suburban home owners spend thousands of dollars on replacing landscaping plants defoliated or damaged by deer.
In 1995, Lyme disease was considered to be the fastest growing infectious disease next to AIDS. Some scientists see a strong link between high deer densities and Lyme disease.
In Pennsylvania, a state that tracks deer-vehicle collisions, there are over 40,000 deer-vehicle collisions annually.
Based on Pennsylvania's experience, VDGIF conservatively estimates the annual vehicle damage caused deer-vehicle collisions to exceed 25 million dollars.
Even more important is the cost in human life. During the 1985-1994 period, 12 fatalities were reported as a result of deer-vehicle collisions in Virginia.
Please sign this petition so that our voices can be heard on April 1st.
We need alot more signatures!
http://www.thepetitionsite.com/1/hunt-the-deer-of-will-county-forest-preserve
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