[Nj_federation_alert] Essex County - 70% of Surveyed Support Culling

[ap.maurosr at verizon.net]

FYI
Ant

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Residents support culling 
Thursday, April 03, 2008 


The vast majority of residents who filled out the township?s most recent survey on deer support the ongoing program of culling.

Seventy-four percent of the 1,852 respondents who answered a question on whether the deer population in the municipality should be reduced said ?yes,? while 20 percent said ?no.? Six percent of the respondents had no opinion.

The large number of residents in favor of culling was the most important finding of the survey, according to Committeeman James Suell.

?It was even surprising to us,? he said Monday. ?This survey shows citizens want programs to continue both in the township and in the South Mountain Reservation, owned by Essex County.?

Suell emphasized the results of the deer survey are preliminary. David Drake, a wildlife specialist and researcher at the University of Wisconsin, is to finish tabulating the results and issue a formal report to the committee later this month.

About 23 surveys came in after the initial batch had been sent to Drake.

The township received back about 1,900 of the surveys, which were mailed in November to the approximately 8,000 households in the municipality.

Timothy Gordon, the township?s business administrator, said this week the survey was conducted because the community is obligated to include citizen input in its deer management reports to the state?s Division of Fish and Wildlife. An extensive survey had not been taken since the deer management program began about eight years ago.

Gordon said the preliminary results show the extent of public support that exists for deer management, despite vocal opposition that has been raised by a few citizens.

The actual number of those who said they favored deer reduction was 1,365 residents, while those opposed was 376. One hundred eleven residents voiced no opinion.

Other preliminary results of the survey:

n Eighty-eight percent of respondents were aware the township?s deer management program.

n Sixty-seven percent of respondents became aware of the deer management program through the newspaper. Fifteen percent said they learned of the program through the municipality?s newsletter.

n Sixty-eight percent of respondents said they believe there are too many deer in their neighborhood. Seventeen percent said there are about the right number of deer, and 9 percent said there are not enough.

n Fifty-three percent of respondents said they had noticed an increase in the deer population in their neighborhood, while 42 percent said they had not.

n Thirteen percent of respondents said they or a member of their immediate family had been involved in a car accident with a deer in the township within the last five years. Eighty-two percent of respondents said the accident had not been reported to the police.

n Fifty-nine percent of respondents to a question on the amount of deer damage to the landscape vegetation in their yards said they found it intolerable. The estimated average value of landscape damage provided by respondents was $3,432.

n Seventy percent of the respondents said they believe the deer population should be controlled on public lands through culling.

n Seventy-one percent of respondents said they were in favor of Essex County performing culling in the South Mountain Reservation.

n Sixty-five percent of respondents agreed with trapping and euthanizing deer to reduce the township?s deer population, whereas 31 percent did not. This method is also known as net and bolt.

n Sixty-nine percent of respondents agreed with darting deer with tranquilizers and euthanizing them to reduce the township?s deer population. Suell pointed out that local officials have been unsuccessful in efforts to allow that method of culling, also known as dart and euthanize.





Anthony P. Mauro, Sr.
Chairman, New Jersey Outdoor Alliance: 
"The  voice of the conservationist." 
www.njoutdooralliance.org