Brian Underwood

Urban Deer Management: Challenges & Opportunities

H. Brian Underwo od , USGS-Pa tuxe nt W ild life Researc h Ce nter, 4 26 I llic k Hall, State Un ive rsit y of Ne w Yo rk , Colleg e o f E nv iron me ntal Scie nce & For estry , S yracuse, N Y 1321 0

Top ics • The • The • The • The • The

Phenomenon Issues Options Challenges Opportunities

Dee r In O ur Mid st • Where did “suburban” deer come from? • Biological Mechanism? • What theory doesn’t tell us

THEN…

AND NOW.

Th is is My Sto ry (and I ’m st ic king to it ) 1) Extensive land uses (including suburbanization) have replaced intensive land uses over the last 100 years 3) Forest cover (%) increases as land use becomes more extensive 5) Predation risk decreases with increasing forest cover 7) Harvest rate (%) decreases with increasing forest cover

1900

2000

1950

2050

Morristown NHP, New Jersey

Systems Model +

Birth Fraction

Deer Population

Predation Risk

−

Death Fraction Forest Cover

Land Use Intensity

Percent Forest 100

Mortality Release Irruption Number of Deer 1200

80

1000

PF DP

60

800 600

40

400

20

200

0

0 0

20

40

60

80

Year of Simulation

100

Role o f R efug es & Pa rks • Parks and Refuges played a major role in re-establishing deer across the Great Lakes Region • Many refuges established in the years following the Great Depression • These refuge populations became the “sources” of deer for adjacent lands as habitat suitability increased

Unsuitable

URBA N

Suitable

RURA L

FO OD

R VE CO

WATER

What Theory Doesn’t Tell Us • These are “no crash” irruptions because food and water are not limiting…only cover is limiting. • Suburban/urban landscapes subsidize deer populations through access to high quality food resources (e.g., ag lands, fertilized lawns, golf courses, PROW, mast producing trees). • Leads to overabundance in the “ecological” sense.

IS SUES • Deer Vehicle Collisions (DVCs) • “Damage” to vegetation • Lyme Disease

Legend DVA Locations DVC locations Open Water Developed, Open Space Grassland/Herbaceous Woody Wetlands Emergent Herbaceous Wetlands

3 1.5 0

3

6

9

12 Kilometers

Each year, deervehicle crashes cause more than 200 deaths and tens of thousands of injuries, while racking up $1.1 billion in property damages.

Howlett Hill, Marcellus, NY

Buckley Road

Land Cover agriculture: 33.7% forested: 25.7% development: 18.6% wetlands/open water: 13.8% Legend scrub: 6.9% field: 0.7%

Open Water Developed, Open Space Developed, Low Intensity Developed, Medium Intensity Developed, High Intensity Barren Land Deciduous Forest Evergreen Forest Mixed Forest Shrub/Scrub Grassland/Herbaceous Pasture/Hay Cultivated Crops Woody Wetlands Emergent Herbaceous Wetlands

4,600 2,300 0

4,600

9,200

13,800 18,400 Meters

Urban – Suburban Green Space

±

0 0.5 1

2

3

Kilometers 4

Lyme Disease Lyme Disease is the number one reported vectorborne disease in the US.

The Opt ions • Manage the “impact” only – Exclusion or shunting

• Manage the population – Direct reduction – Fertility Control

Man ag in g Imp act • Excluding deer from protected areas has been the long-standing first response to increasing numbers • Shunting deer impact to other, less valuable areas has been essentially ignored as a viable management tool

If you build it…..

Man ag in g Pop ul at ions I Cleveland Metro Parks 16,581

32,285

36,359 15,972 5,000

20,250

Processing Site/Equip Prep Training Equip/Supplies Shooting Team Security

Total cost ~ $126,447 for 288 deer ($439 per deer)

Managing White-Tailed Deer in Suburban Environments A Technical Guide Anthony J. DeNicola, Kurt C. VerCauteren, Paul D. Curtis, and Scott E. Hygnstrom

Man ag in g Pop ulat ions II Fertility Control • State of the Art is still a multipleexposure, single shot, remotely delivered vaccine • Scope is about 200 females • 90% contraception rate for 10 yr will reduce a population by one-half • Access is a key limiting factor

Th e C hallen ge s

• Nuisance abatement in a pluralistic society is divisive business • Some stakeholder groups feel disenfranchised because they don’t hold core values • Must be absolutely transparent process for buy-in

Th e O pportun it ie s • Chance to be pro-active • Engage Regional/Local Planning Agencies • Work with landowner/homeowner groups • Generate boilerplate for local municipalities’ planning and zoning boards

Concl usio ns • Suburban/Urban deer are a product of natural processes of contemporary landscapes • Deer “expanded” their range into suitable habitats that had people in them too • Nuisance issues predominate discussion of management • Traditional options are limited • We need to expand our sphere of influence to “prevent” future problems