Are Deer's Days Doomed in Chevy Chase?
Montgomery Parks proposes adding a park area in Chevy Chase to the county's deer management program.
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It's not your imagination—the local deer population really is booming.
The number of deer inhabiting a section of Rock Creek Park in Chevy Chase is more than three times what is recommended for the area, according to a news statement from the Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission.
A study by the park and planning commission "indicated that 40 to 50 deer inhabit the 275 acres of parkland located within the boundary of Interstate 495 and East-West Highway," in what is referred to by the commission as Rock Creek Stream Valley Park, Unit 2, Chevy Chase.
To control the deer population, Montgomery Parks proposes adding Rock Creek Stream Valley Park, Unit 2, to the county's deer management program, and is accepting public comment on the proposal through Oct. 26.
"This site has been selected because deer populations have reached levels in which deer-related impacts, such as automobile accidents, damage to agricultural crops and private landscapes, damage to natural communities and potential of communicable diseases, are in need of mitigation," according to Montgomery Parks' website.
"Montgomery County has proven to be a very conducive environment for deer population growth," Montgomery Parks Wildlife Ecologist Bill Hamilton said.
"An expansive patchwork of public and private green space provides excellent edge habitat rich [in] food and cover. These habitat features, and limited hunting, provide deer the necessary sanctuary to grow unmitigated in the absence of checks and balances," Hamilton said.
If the Chevy Chase section is added to the deer management program, police sharpshooters will cull the deer herd in the section during the months when the park is closed (Jan. 1 through March 31), from 5:30 p.m. to sunrise, according to a news statement from the Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission.
"The managed hunts are conducted in the most humane way possible by specially trained Park Police sharpshooters," the statement added.
Before any hunting begins, yellow and black "Park Closed" signs would be posted in the park and at park entrances, as well as in the surrounding community.
All deer harvested during the Park Police-based sharpshooting operations will be donated to food pantries throughout the Washington, DC, area, including Montgomery County, the statement added.
To comment on the proposed sharpshooting in Rock Creek Stream Valley Park, Unit 2, email MCP-deermanagement@montgomeryparks.org or send written comments to M-NCPPC, Deer Management Initiatives, 12535 Milestone Manor Ln., Germantown, MD 20876. Comments must be received by 3 p.m. on Oct. 26, 2012, and must include a valid name and address. Comments will be posted online at www.parksdeermanagment.org for public review.
Patricia J. Kelly
2:29 pm on Thursday, October 11, 2012
275 acres and 40-50 deer??? No there seem to be alot more. I hope no bow hunting is allowed...that's way to cruel. It's unfortunate we couldn't relocate them or somehow give the does birth control.
Pete Malloy
2:11 pm on Friday, October 19, 2012
Hey Ms.Kelly, have you ever heard of Lyme Disease and how it will grow exponentially in five short years? Not to mention all the plants they devour and ecosystem the deer have destroyed. That is cruel!! Kill all the deer including little bambi as he is running back to his mama!! Blam!! Venison is the best red meat around!!
Alexander Davis
4:18 pm on Sunday, October 21, 2012
The deer epidemic caused the Lyme epidemic. In 1930 there were 300,000 deer in the US. Today there are 30 million. The deer tick infects us not only with Lyme disease, which can lead to crippling arthritis and brain damage, but also with babesiosis and anaplasmosis, both of which can be fatal. These diseases are increasing in incidence and spreading. These epidemics are unnecessary. The wise residents of Monhegan Island ME and Mumford Cove Ct ended their Lyme epidemics by getting rid of the deer. This works because deer are key to the reproductive success of the deer tick. 95% of the adult egg-laying deer ticks feed on deer. Estimates are that ticks from just one deer can produce up to a million tick eggs per season.
Mike Sahlers
4:29 pm on Thursday, February 7, 2013
I agree. A safe, humane and controlled hunt of the deer to reduce the number of deer in Rock Creek Part is the right thing to do. I believe that the 40-50 estimate is very low. We can often see 20+ deer on a short ride on Beach Drive.