Oh Deer! Deer Population Management Public Meeting Scheduled for Feb. 5
ANN ARBOR OFFICIALS want to hear from residents concerning proposals and plans to manage the city’s burgeoning deer population. The public is invited to attend a second deer management public meeting being held by the City of Ann Arbor on Thursday, Feb. 5, at 7 p.m. in the auditorium at Slauson Middle School located at 1019 West Washington in Ann Arbor.
The public meeting will include a review of survey highlights, a Q&A with a staff member from the City of Rochester Hills regarding that city’s experience implementing a nonlethal deer management plan. Members of the Washtenaw Citizens for Ecological Balance will present a deer management plan that includes lethal methods.
Persons with disabilities are encouraged to participate in public meetings. Accommodations, including sign language interpreters, may be arranged by contacting the City Clerk’s office at 734.794.6140; via email to: cityclerk@a2gov.org; or by written request addressed and mailed or delivered to: City Clerk’s Office, 301 E. Huron St., Ann Arbor, MI 48104.
Requests need to be received at least two business days in advance of the meeting. This meeting will be taped for later broadcast on Community Television Network and also will be available online via video on demand.
During the spring of 2014, City Council directed Ann Arbor’s City Administrator to report on the status of a partnership with the Washtenaw County Parks and Recreation Department, the University of Michigan, the Humane Society of Huron Valley and other interested parties to develop deer management information with the assistance of the Michigan Department of Natural Resources Wildlife Division. The directive from Council arose as a result of resident reports of deer damaging landscaping and concerns regarding vehicle/deer collisions and deer-borne diseases.
On August 14, the City Administrator provided to City Council the requested report. The Deer Management Options Report outlined the need to develop a community-endorsed deer management plan built upon community input and management options approved by the Michigan Department of Natural Resources Wildlife Division.
The first public meeting held in November collected information about residents’ perception of the deer population in Ann Arbor and the effects deer have on the community. A Q&A was conducted with a representative from the Michigan Department of Natural Resources Wildlife Division to learn more about deer management resources and management techniques. Public comment concluded the meeting.
