3/18/11
Shorewood's deer management efforts were discussed at the 3/14 council meeting. See: http://lmcc-tv.org/citystream_Shorewood.html and look for the 3/14 council meeting in the list.
The City Planner was given direction to plan another controlled hunt in 2011 as populations were up and support for the program overwhelms the opposition.
The Planner said the Planning Commission is evaluating an ordinance that would ban feeding of deer. Other cities have ordinances and the DNR as well as other environmental authorities are in agreement that feeding of deer is harmful to the deer population besides promoting increasing herd sizes and associated property damage.
Apparently Mayor Lizee opposes a feeding ban. Her excuse for this position was that it would be difficult to enforce. The Planner stated that like other ordinances, enforcement would be due to complaints received and that the ordinance would differentiate between residents who feed deer on purpose by putting out huge piles of feed vs. those who have a bird feeder that deer visit.
Maybe those of you who have deer problems and know your neighbors are feeding deer should send a note of support for a feeding ban to Lizee. Her email address is: clizee@ci.shorewood.mn.us
Happy Reading!
The Insider
Feeding the deer provides entertainment for the humans at the expense of the deer. It creates a false environment that tampers with nature's process of "survival of the fittest." Deer feeding in an urban (or suburban) setting should be illegal. In Shorewood's situation, it lures the deer in so they can be hunted down. Does that make sense?
ReplyDeleteEnforcement should not be limited to a complaint only basis, city workers seeing deer feeders should notify the planner, as they should be doing with other obvious code violations--and are not.