Report recommends village continue process to reduce damage
By Hayleigh Gowans
Staff Writer
While reactions from the public on the sharpshooter bait-and-cull white-tailed deer management program in Fayetteville have been mixed, the United States Department of Agriculture recently deemed the program a success and recommended the village repeat it to help fight deer-related damage and the spread of Lyme disease in the area.
The USDA’s reactions to the program were outlined in a report presented to the Fayetteville Village Board at its May 9 meeting.
The report stated that the sharpshooter program eliminated a total of 89 deer in the village over the course of six hunts. Most of the deer killed were female, a total of 72. The report states more than 2,600 pounds of venison were processed and donated to the Food Bank of CNY.
“That amounts to about 7,896 meals,” said David Cassel, a member of the Fayetteville Deer Committee, at the May 9 meeting. “To me, that’s a win-win because it’s a great service for the needy.”
The USDA did report that while the overall program was successful, interference by some members of public hindered the hunt. “The main challenge was interference with baiting activities at several locations by the public in an effort to discourage deer from using the bait stations. On one occasion, removal activities were disrupted by a resident of a nearby property making noise to disrupt deer activity at the bait station,” stated the report.
The USDA recommended the village continue the bait-and-cull process at an earlier time next year, Jan. 1, and that the village begin tracking damage that is being inflicted by deer, such as number of vehicular incidents caused by deer, the number of deer carcasses removed from roadways and the number of complaints the village office receives concerning deer. The report also recommended the area of coverage for the hunts be expanded.
Mayor Mark Olson said officials at Green Lakes State Park have been interested in becoming involved in the white-tailed deer management program to prevent the population from overspreading into the park, where many white-tailed deer habitats are.
In the recently approved 2016-17 budget for Fayetteville, $15,000 was put aside for deer management efforts and Olson said he hopes Onondaga County will award a grant to Fayetteville for deer management.
“Just because this bait-and-cull program went so wonderfully, it doesn’t mean the deer committee isn’t looking into alternative measures to culling to control the deer population,” said Cassel.
The Fayetteville Deer Committee is working with Cornell Cooperative Extension of Onondaga County and the New York Department of Environmental Conservation to offer public education events to help residents learn how they can help to reduce deer damage in the area. Two Tick and Lyme Disease Prevention Information Meetings have been scheduled, 10 a.m. on Saturday May 21 and 6:30 p.m. on Thursday, May 26, at the Fayetteville Village Office, 425 E. Genesee St. in Fayetteville.
The full USDA report will soon be posted on fayettevilleny.gov for the public to view.
