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For
many of us, when we hear the words white-tailed deer, two conflicting
images immediately come to mind. The beautiful sight of a deer's bright
white tail - their "flag" - as it gracefully bounds through
the woods. The other image is one of the damage to landscapes and forests
and the danger that results from an overpopulation of deer in many areas
of Pennsylvania, including our suburban and urban areas. Pennsylvanians
have enjoyed the state's abundance of white-tailed deer as a game animal
during hunting season, as a food source, and as fascinating species to
view, study and photograph year round. However, an overabundance of Pennsylvania's
official state mammal is causing a number of significant ecological and
economical problems.
Gary San Julian, Ph.D., Penn State University professor of wildlife resources,
an avid hunter and a member of the Board of Directors of Western Pennsylvania
Conservancy, has studied the white-tailed deer for many years. He actively
promotes responsible deer management that incorporates the health, safety,
economic and recreational concerns of everyone involved - hunters, tourists,
hunting related business owners, farmers, landowners, conservationists
and wildlife managers. San Julian believes that deer are a valuable natural
resource, which requires management to sustain healthy herds and habitat.
The dramatic increase in deer population is attributed to several factors
including their high reproductive rate, the absence of natural predators,
and, in urban areas, their ability to adapt to urban environments along
with increased nutrition from ornamental plants and fertilized lawns.
These factors have made deer management in the 21st century a complex
task. "The challenge is to balance deer population with their habitat,
land use and recreational interests. Ecological concerns as well as the
interests of landowners and hunters must be considered, " said San
Julian.
Our Forest Ecosystem Is in Danger
"One of our primary concerns is the significant loss of biodiversity
in our forest ecosystem. If we let the deer populations expand at these
current levels we've got these problems. There is real evidence that the
damage will be so great, the forest ecosystem will not recover in a normal
person's lifetime," said San Julian. "Exploding deer populations
in some areas of woodland habitat are resulting in the inability of many
species to regenerate. This is further compounded by the destruction of
wildflowers and songbird habitats." San Julian points out, "The
plant community is the foundation of the forest ecosystem. If you alter
that, you impact every species up and down the food chain."
Where there is a more balanced number of deer, there's still a good mix
of trees. However, once you get more than 25 deer per square forested
mile, they've basically changed the composition of the forest and the
habitat, which can no longer even support fewer numbers of deer. In areas
of high deer population, there is very in little in the way of vertical
structure. While there are still enough habitats for mid-level birds,
for others using lower stratum habitat, there's no nesting or feeding
structure left. "We have conditions in the northern deciduous forest
where the deer chronically nip off tree seedlings, and over decades have
eliminated the seed source. Some areas of the Allegheny Plateau have been
overbrowsed for so long they've reached an 'alternate stable state' in
which the natural succession of species has been permanently supplanted
by a lower, less diverse order," according to San Julian. "We
are seeing less oak and hickory tress in our forests and an increase in
striped maple and red maple tress, which are less valuable species."
In areas heavily populated by deer, a number of once-common shrubs, vines
and flowering plants - woodland asters, American yew, native honeysuckles
and rarer species such as trillium and orchids - are in serious decline.
Jewelweed, an important food for small birds and mammals, is virtually
gone in some areas. With the absence of natural habitat, small mammals,
reptiles and ground-nesting birds have also declined far below historic
levels.
Deer Hunting Provides Realistic Population Management
San Julian believes adequate deer management can only be achieved through
appropriate, realistic deer hunting guidelines. "Deer hunting provides
recreation to hunters, economic benefits to many small businesses and
local communities and effective management of deer populations. Regulated
recreational hunting controls deer numbers and is the most practical means
of controlling wild, free-ranging deer," said San Julian.
In 1999, with renewed efforts to expand and update their deer management
strategies, the Pennsylvania Game Commission began aggressive efforts
to improve deer management with the establishment of a Deer Management
Section, headed by Dr. Gary Alt. "Changes instituted by the Pennsylvania
Game Commission in the 2000 and 2001 hunting seasons will improve our
chances of balancing the deer herd with its habitat," according to
San Julian.
Western Pennsylvania Conservancy Supports New Deer Management Strategies
Western Pennsylvania Conservancy has long been troubled by the ecological
damage by deer overpopulation. "We are pleased with the progress
that the Pennsylvania Game Commission is making in reshaping its deer
management strategy. Studies on our Bear Run Reserve, for example, have
shown an apparent decline of species caused by deer browsing," said
Larry Schweiger, President of Western Pennsylvania Conservancy. Schweiger
suggests that since the number of Pennsylvania hunters had been on the
decline for the past several decades, more liberal seasons and bag limits
are needed. Schweiger warned that, "An overabundance of deer is one
of the leading causes of ecological decline in our forests we must address
this problem aggressively."
Other initiatives encouraged by Western Pennsylvania Conservancy would
expand the number of hunters in Pennsylvania. "To reach deer density
objectives, we must encourage and welcome deer hunting by out-of-state
hunters. Our tourist promotion should reach out to hunters from other
states to come and enjoy Pennsylvania deer hunting," said Schweiger.
"In addition, there is a need for wider educational outreach to women,
young people and single-parent families. We must rekindle the great tradition
of deer hunting by including non-traditional hunters. And, it is important
for older hunters to accept and embrace change."
The Pennsylvania Game Commission staff will be presenting new deer hunting
guidelines to the Game Commission's Board of Directors in January. Public
input on the new deer management proposals will occur throughout 2002
with final implementation in 2003. Everyone concerned is encouraged to
take the opportunity to review the new proposals and provide feedback
to the Game Commission so that all concerns are fairly represented in
the final regulations.
Information on Pennsylvania's deer management program is available by
contacting one of the Game Commission's regional offices, or through the
Game Commission's website at www.pgc.state.pa.us.
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