ͳ City of Galena ‐ 2015 Deer Committee Final Report to the City Council December 6, 2016 Galena lies nestled within the natural beauty of Jo Daviess County, and because of the rugged terrain, there are places within the city that ‐ while often platted for roads and subdivisions as if flat ‐ have remained undeveloped natural areas within the corporate limits. These natural areas are appreciated by both residents and wildlife, but citizen concerns about the deer within the city have resulted in the desire for a deer management plan. This report contains reference information compiled over a ͳͶ‐month period and a recommended management plan based on that information for Galena City Council consideration. On September ͳͲ, 2Ͳͳ5, the Galena City Council completed the process of appointing the members of the 2Ͳͳ5 Deer Committee. The committee members appointed were: John Cox, Beth Baranski, Carmen Ferguson, Kirk Foecking, and Mary (artman. Mary (artman served for several months but was unable to continue due to business and family commitments. The Council assigned John Cox as chair and the Committee immediately began its work, holding our first meeting on October 2ͳ, 2Ͳͳ5. The final meeting was held on December , 2Ͳͳ. The Committee was given a list of assigned tasks that serve as the table of contents for this report. Page 71 of 122
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December6,2016 Galena lies nestledwithin thenatural beauty of JoDaviess County, andbecause of the rugged terrain,there are places within the city that ‐ while often platted for roads and subdivisions as if flat ‐ haveremainedundevelopednaturalareaswithinthecorporatelimits.Thesenaturalareasareappreciatedbybothresidentsandwildlife,butcitizenconcernsaboutthedeerwithinthecityhaveresultedinthedesirefor a deer management plan. This report contains reference information compiled over a ‐monthperiod and a recommended management plan based on that information for Galena City Councilconsideration.OnSeptember ,2 5,theGalenaCityCouncilcompletedtheprocessofappointingthemembersofthe2 5 Deer Committee. The committee members appointed were: John Cox, Beth Baranski, CarmenFerguson,KirkFoecking,andMary(artman.Mary(artmanservedforseveralmonthsbutwasunabletocontinueduetobusinessandfamilycommitments.TheCouncilassignedJohnCoxaschairandtheCommitteeimmediatelybeganitswork,holdingourfirstmeetingonOctober2 ,2 5.ThefinalmeetingwasheldonDecember ,2 .TheCommitteewasgivenalistofassignedtasksthatserveasthetableofcontentsforthisreport.
1.EngagethepublicinanopenprocessofstudyanddiscussionMembers of the Deer Committeemade commitments to begin and remain open‐minded on issues, toattend committeemeetings to be sure allmembers are on the same page, to followRobert’s Rules ofOrder,tovoteifnecessarybutmaintainagoalofconsensus,andtosigntheFinalReporttosendtotheCity Council. We committed to a totally open process and agreed thatwewould post all informationsome from presenters and some from citizens and others on the city website unless it was nottechnologicallyachievable.WehavedonesoandyouareurgedtotakealookattheCitywebpageonthe2 5DeerCommittee,whereourmaterialsareposted.We havemet once permonth except for October, 2 on the thirdWednesdaywith ourmeetingspublishedasrequiredundertheOpenMeetingsAct.Wehaveplacedourapprovedmeetingnotesonthewebpage aswell. We have reached out towhatwe believedwere relevant presenters to assist us inaccumulatinginformationtofulfillthetasksyouhaveassigned.Completemeetingnotesareavailableonthecitywebsiteathttp://www.cityofgalena.org/en/your_government/agendas_and_minutes/2 5_deer_committee/Meetingtopics/presentationshavebeenasfollows:October2 ,2 5 Committeediscussiontoestablishaplanofactionandproposedmeeting agendasNovember ,2 5 PresentationontheGalenaTerritoryAssociationdeermanagementprogram byJoeMattingley,RichMattas,andEmilyLubckeDecember ,2 5 PresentationonAppleCanyonLakedeermanagementprogrambyJim PetelleandJohnSchereson,membersoftheirDeerManagementCommitteeJanuary2 ,2 5 PresentationonLymediseaseandotherdeerrelatedissuesbyLauraSimon, WildlifeEcologistforthe(umaneSocietyoftheUnitedStatesFebruary ,2 PresentationonDeerChronicWastingDiseaseandothermattersbyDoug Dufford,)llinoisDepartmentofNaturalResourcesMarch ,2 PresentationonissuestheGalenaPoliceDepartmentdealswithrelatedto deerbyLori(untington,GalenaChiefofPoliceApril2 ,2 Committeediscussiononhowtodeterminedeerpopulationandbenefitof aninterimreporttotheCityCouncilMay ,2 PresentationonhowtofeedthebirdswithoutfeedingthedeerbyJulie Bruser,WildBirdsUnlimitedJune 5,2 CommitteediscussiononpossiblecitizensurveyJuly2 ,2 PresentationongeneralissuesofwildlifemanagementbyPeggyDoty, Universityof)llinoisExtensionEducatorfromOgleCounty
2.Committeetotakewhatevertimeneededtodothejob)ndiscussionswiththeMayoratthetimethecommitteewasformedbytheCityCouncil,thecommitteewas advised to takewhatever time the committee needed to fulfill the various commitmentsmade inagreeingtoproceedwiththeCouncil’sdirection.TheMayorurgedthecommitteetomeetatCity(allasoften as the committee deemednecessary to do the research and hold public hearings to receive andprocess information regarding the various issues confronted inworking to complete the committee’sassignedtasks.The committeemembers determined that the hearings held to date and the information accumulatedthrough the research done and study completed are sufficient to allow the committee to provide thisFinalReporttotheMayorandCityCouncil. Althoughthecommitteeisnotopposedtofurthereffortsifrequested by the city leaders, the committee feels that this report should provide those leaderswithsufficientinformationtomakedecisionsonhowtoproceedwiththerecommendationsprovidedinthisreport.Thecommitteewishestoexpressitsappreciationtoallpresenterswhocametoourpublichearings,tocitystaff for theirpatientassistance indistributing informationtothegeneralpublicand inouruseofcityfacilitiestocompleteourwork,tothestaffofGalenaGazetteforattendingourhearingsandsharingtheirviewsoftheworkwehavedone,and,especially,tothecitizenswhotookthetimetocometoourmeetingsandcontributetheirinputasweproceeded. WeparticularlywishtothankBillGrosshansforhishelpandassistancewithourworkandforhisassistancetoBethBaranskiintheweeklydeercountsdonetogetussomebasicdataonthedeerpopulationinGalena.
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3.CarefullyreviewinformationpreviouslyaccumulatedbytheCity.Ourcommitteecarefullyreviewedtheinformationandfound:The first committeebeganmeetingon July2 ,2 andmet times. At the firstmeeting theGalenaTerritoryAssociation GTA presentedinformationabouttheirdeercullingprogramandthecommitteedecided to inviteMarty Jones from the )llinoisDepartment ofNatural Resources )DNR tomeetwiththem. TheydesiredtomoveforwardintimeforthecitytoscheduleahelicopterdeercensuswiththeGTAinDecemberorJanuary.MartyJones,fromthe)DNRcametothesecondmeetingandsuggestedthatasurveybedonetoassessthe extent of the problem. Jones explained that if there is an overpopulation problem and a cullingprogramisestablished, itwouldneedtobea long‐termprogram. MarkMoransuggestedthat thecitystaffpreparea report for the committee summarizingwhathasbeen learned through research,publicinputandfromthe)DNR.At the thirdmeeting they reviewed the committee progress report and recommendation prepared bystaff. Committee member, Bill Salzman presented four maps showing locations of injured deer anddeer/vehicle accidents. They presented the progress report to the city council at their Septembermeeting.ThelastmeetingwasheldonJanuary ,2 .Theresultsofthecommunitysurveyregardingthedeerpopulationwasdiscussed.Theyweredisappointedthattherewereonly 2responses.Theydecidedtomoveforwardwithapermitapplicationtothe)DNRforcullingupto25deerinthewinterof2 5.Ourcommitteereviewedtheresultsof thedeersurveyandthemapofdeer locationspresentedtothecitybythecommittee.MarkMoranpreparedanapplicationforaDeerPopulationControlPermitwhichwasgrantedtoGalena.Photographs of deer damage to property and maps of deer/vehicle accidents were included. OnFebruary ,2 5thecullingprogramwassuspendedafteronedeerwaskilledbytheCity'ssharpshooterandonewaswoundedandneverfound. Thecostoftheoverallprogramwas$ ,2 . seeAppendixA .Apetition,RethinkDeerCullinginGalena,waspresentedtothecouncil.Much information about Deer Population Control permits were included in the committee reportincluding sharpshooter qualification/testing procedures as well as an article by Doug Dufford, )DNRdistrictwildlifebiologist–NaturalAreaProtection–ACaseforDeerManagement.The 2 Deer Committee studied what other communities were doing about deer over‐population.)ncludedweretheGalenaTerritory, thecityofDubuque, thecityofRock)sland,andthecityofPeoria.The committee presented a list of plants that deer don’t prefer, a deer repellant recipe, and copies ofpetitionsregardingdeer,bothproandconforculling.Anexcellentsummaryoftheissuesthatledthe2 DeerCommitteetoseekadeerpopulationcontrolpermit from the )llinoisDepartment ofNatural Resources can be found on the City of Galenawebsiteunderthetitleof"Committee)nformationPacketVol. "
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4.Showfindingsareaccuratewiththe“FactsontheGround.”Deer)ncidentReportsThenumber of deer incidents documentedby theGalenaPoliceDepartment has tripled from2 to2 see Figs. ‐ A table containing detailed information supporting these graphs is available inAppendixB.
Figure .ReferendumResultsTheNumberofDeer)t seems tobegenerallyaccepted that theactualnumberofdeer in theCity is an important referencepointforthedevelopmentofadeermanagementplan.Anaerialcountisneeded.Doug Dufford, Wildlife Disease Program Manager for the )llinois Department of Natural Resources,suggests that 2 ‐ deer per square mile is generally considered a reasonable biological carryingcapacityinaruralsettingwithgoodhabitat.(ehasprovidedamapshowingdeerhabitatareasinGalenabased on criteria established by researchers at Southern )llinois University‐Carbondale that includeswoodland acreage plus potential forage habitat. Thismap indicates that there are approximately . squaremilesofdeerhabitatwithinthecitylimits fig. onpage .TheCityofGalenaisabout squaremiles,andtherefore,usingthelowerendoftherecommendedrange 2 deerpersquaremile becauseGalena is a developed area, a reasonable initial reference point for considering biological carryingcapacitywouldbe ‐ deer.Theculturalcarryingcapacitybasedonhumantoleranceforthedeeratanygivenpopulationlevelisadifferentmatter,mayfluctuateovertime,andhasyettobeestablishedfortheCityofGalena.)norder toprovideareferencepoint for trying toanswer thequestion ‐ (owmanydeerare there inGalena? theCommitteerecommendedandtheCityCouncilagreedtoobtainawinterhelicopteraerialcountworkinginconjunctionwiththeGalenaTerritory'sannualaerialcount.)nsufficientsnowfall "isdesired in the winter of 2 5/2 precluded this count from taking place. A drone count wasconsidered,butthedronedoesn'tmakeenoughnoisetostartlethedeerintomotion.
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)nattempttoprovideanalternativereference,aprogramfordrivingaroundtownandcountingthedeersimilar to the approach used at Apple Canyon Lake was created. Amethodologywas established toeliminateasmanyvariablesaspossible seeAppendixC ,andthisregularcountwasconductedwiththethoughtthatitmighthelpframethegeneralnumberofdeerintown,couldhelpusunderstandseasonalchanges,andalsomighthelpidentifyspecificlocationsthattendtohavemoredeerthanothers.)twillbeinterestingtoseehowthedrivingcountsdoneaswinterapproachescomparewithawinteraerialcountifoneisconducted .LeonardLeeRue)))'sbook,TheDeerofNorthAmerica,recommendedbyRichMattasduringtheGalenaTerritory Association's presentation to our committee, contains an Appendix with information about"DeerActivityCycles"describingtheseasonalchangesthatplayaroleinthenumberofdeerthatmaybeseenatanygiventime.Someofthatinformationisparaphrasedhereforreference: January‐mostbuckshavelosttheirantlersandareindistinguishablefromdoes February‐hardestmonthondeerandtheycanbeseenfeedingmoreinthedaytime.Theymayholeupinareasshelteredfromthewindwheresnowisnotasdeep. March‐deermaystayinfieldsandopenareasmiddaybecauseofreducedhumanpressure.Becausefoodisstillscarcetheycanbeseenanytimeofday. April‐thedeerareveryhungryandfeedintomidmorningandstartagainatabout p.m. Mid‐MaythroughtheendofJune‐doescanbeseenalmostanytimeofday June‐poortimetoseedeerasdoesthathavegivenbirtharesecretiveandbucksarestillinseclusion July‐deerobservationpicksupwithfawnsfollowingdoesaroundandyearlingfemalesrejoiningtheirmothers,andbucksbecomemoreactive August‐deertendtofeedwhenitiscooler September‐deerareactiveindaylighthoursuntilbowhuntingseasonopens LastweekofSeptemberandthefirsttwoweeksofOctober,allofthedeerseemtovirtuallydisappear.Theyabandontheirregularhauntsandtrails,stopfeedingoncorn,soybeans,alfalfaandorchardsbecauseacornsareavailable.Gunhuntingseasonmakesthemmoresecretive. November‐thelastweekandahalfofOctober,allofNovemberandfirsttwoorthreeweeksofDecembermakeuptheruttingseasonwhenthebucksaremostactive.Theyexpandtheirrange,throwcautiontothewind,andcanbeseenatanytimeoftheday.(untingkeepsthedoesandtheiryoungoutofsightduringmostofthedaylighthours. December‐usuallyapoormonthtoseedeerasalmostalldeeractivitytakesplaceundercoverofdarknessThetablebelow Fig.5 showsthenumberofdeerseeninthedrivingcountsconductedfromApril ththroughNovember2 th,2 ‐atotalof2 counts,rangingfromindividualcounttotalsof to with
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the highs and lows in each precinct highlighted , and documents notable conditions and recordedidentificationoffawnsandbucks.
5.RelevanceofLymediseaseissue.LymeDisease isan issue in JoDaviessCounty,andwhiledeerplayarole in the lifecycleof theBlack‐leggedtickthatcarriesthedisease‐causingbacteriumBorreliaburgdorferi,reducingdeerpopulationsisnottheapproachrecommendedbytheCentersforDiseaseControlandPrevention,the(umaneSocietyof the United States, scientists at the )llinois Natural (istory Survey, or the Jo Daviess County (ealthDepartment. A vigorous educational program to inform citizens on how to protect themselves isconsidered the best way to reduce the incidence of Lyme disease. Therefore, while Lyme disease iscertainlyaconcern,forthepurposesofthisreport,itisnotseenasaconsiderationinthedevelopmentofadeermanagementplanfortheCityofGalena.TheJoDaviessCounty(ealthDepartmentrecordsthenumberofJoDaviessCountyresidentsthathavebeen diagnosedwith Lyme disease. Recorded incidence over the past years is as follows: 2 ‐ ,2 ‐ , 2 ‐ , 2 ‐ , 2 ‐ , 2 ‐ , 2 2‐ , 2 ‐ , 2 ‐ , 2 5‐ . )t is likely that there areadditional resident cases that go undiagnosed and also that visitors to the countymay contract Lymedisease cases are recorded in the infected person's county of residence . (owever, the (ealthDepartmentrecordsprovideareferencepoint.Therecordsarekeptbycountyonly,soabreakdownfortheCityofGalenaisnotavailable.TheBlack‐leggedtickhasaninterestinglifecycle,transformingfromalarvaetoanymphandthentoanadultovera two‐yearperiod.The tick feedson thebloodof a host animalat each stage, startingwithsmall creatures e.g. mice and other rodents, birds, and even lizards , moving to mid‐size hosts e.g.raccoons,possum,skunks ,andfinallytolargehosts e.g.deerandhumans .Deerarethepreferredlargehostforthetick,howeverthetickshavebeenfoundtobeveryadaptableintheirquestforasuitablehost,andwith the exceptionof the eliminationofdeeronan island, studiesdonot support the theory thatreducingthedeerpopulationreducesthenumberofblack‐leggedticks.Thefollowingservedasreferencesforthisreport,andmaybehelpfulshouldtheCityCouncilchoosetoproceedwiththedevelopmentofaneducationalprogramtopreventLymedisease: TheCentersforDiseaseControlandPrevention http://www.cdc.gov/lyme/toolkit/index.html LauraSimon whopresentedtoourcommittee nolongerworkswithThe(umaneSocietyoftheUnitedStates,butMarcAyers,)llinoisStateDirector‐(SUShasofferedtobeofassistance. [email protected] NohraE.Mateus‐Pinilla,VeterinaryEpidemiologistandDirectoroftheVeterinaryEpidemiologyLaboratoryattheUniversityof)llinois,PrairieResearch)nstitute,)llinoisNatural(istorySurvey.2 / ‐ 5 ,[email protected] LoriStangl,RN,BSN,DirectorofClinicalServices,JoDaviessCounty(ealthDepartment 5/ ‐2 ,[email protected]
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6.RelevanceofDeerChronicWastingDisease.Doug Dufford, of the )llinois Department of Natural Resources, provided the committee with hiscommentaryonChronicWastingDisease CWD includinghowitisspreadandhowclosethediseaseistoGalenaanditssurroundings.The)llinoisDepartmentofNaturalResourcesisworkinghardtoslowthespreadofthisdiseasethatcandevastatedeerherdsuntilacurecanbefound.Therearepotentialdiseaseconcernsaboutthebait andfeedingdeeringeneral ,sincethismaycauseunnatural congregation of deer feeding at the same source. This results in increased risk of diseasetransmission throughdirect animal to animal contact, and through salivaorwastesdeposited at thebaitsite.DougadvisedthatChronicWastingDiseaseisaneurologicaldisease.)tiscausedbyaninfectiousproteincalledprionand isalways fatal. (e toldus that there isno current treatment for thediseasebut thatthereisresearchprogressingandonedeerhassurvivedtodate.Onceinfected,adeerwilldiewithin monthsto2½years. Thediseasecanonlybeconfirmedthroughtesting.)nfecteddeerappearhealthyuntilthefinalstagesofthedisease.Overtime,theprionsbecomeintegratedwiththeneuraltissueandnormalneuronfunctionbreaksdown,resulting inweight loss,salivation,and lossofcoordination.Theprionsbuildupandcanbe shed in fluids: saliva, feces, andurine.Thedisease is transferredprimarilythroughsaliva.Deeraresocialanimals.Theynuzzleandlickeachother.Thediseasecanquicklyspread,infectingentirefamilygroups.Sofar,therehasbeennoknownaffectonhumans.Managementinvolvestryingtolowerthedeerdensitythroughlocalizedpopulationreduction.Thegoalsarelowereddensities,ayoungeragestructureinthepopulation,ahigherpopulationturnoverrate,andalowemigrationrate.Thediseaseentered)llinoisnortheastofRockfordandhasbeenspreadingwestintoJoDaviessCounty.Adeerhasbeenidentifiedwiththediseaseaboutthree milessouthofElizabeth.AtsometimeCWDmayverywell reachGalena. )f it arrives, thehealthof theentireGalenaherd is at risk.Once thedisease isconfirmedinGalena,the)DNRwilltakeactionasitseesfit.Weneedtobevigilanttoprotectthehealthoftheherd,andtocooperatefullywiththe)DNR'seffortstoslowthespreadofthedisease.
8.Investigatehowothercommunitieshavehandledtheissue.The2 5DeerCommitteeresearchedeffortsinthefollowingcommunitiestodealwithdeerpopulationissues: .GalenaTerritoryAssociation GTA DeerManagementProgrampresentedbyJoeMattingly,GTACEO,DaveOldenburg,andEmilyLubke. TheGTAbegananinvestigationin whenthedeerpopulationexploded after hunting was prohibited. There was extensive damage to landscapes, golf course, andwoodland.Therewasapeakof vehicular/deeraccidentsin 2.TheGTAexploredoptionsfordeercontrol including regulated hunting, bow and gun. Live capture and euthanasia as well as trap andrelocate were looked at. Sharpshooting was examined and considered to be the best solution. The)llinoisDepartmentofNaturalResources )DNR recommendedadensityof 2‐2 deerpersquaremilebasedonknowledgeofdeerhealthandfitness,andtheirimpactonplants,wildlife,andhealthyecologicalsystems.Therewasanestimated , deerinthe .2 5squaremilesoftheTerritory.)n a sharp shooter program was begun. Safety was the top priority when considering cullingmethods. The use of a riflewas selected because of its accuracy and range. The )DNR identified theshooting zones.They lookedat the coverdensity and selectedareaswith adjacentopenareas safe forshooting. Theyavoidrentalareas. Therewere deerculled the firstyear. Thecostperdeerwasestimatedtobe$ 5 .Themeatisdonatedtolocalfoodpantries.)nareviewoftheprogramin2 2itwasdeterminedthatthesharpshooterbemorevisiblebywearingan orange vest and having a flashing strobe light on the vehicle. Property owners are asked forpermission to shoot on their property and to access their property to pick up dead deer. They havemaintainedthesameprogramsince ,cullingeveryyearforconsistency. Thereare5 to deerculledannually.Everyyearanaerialcountisdonewhenthereisatleast ofsnowontheground.Theprogramobjectivesaretomaintainthenumberofdeer/vehicleaccidentsat less than2 peryear,maintain deer browsing of native plants at less than 2 %, andmaintain deer damage to ornamentalplantings such that 5% of residents are satisfied, and promote an understanding of the need formanagement.Everythreeyearsabrowsestudyofthewoodlandareasisdone.Ongoingeffortscontinuetoeducatethecommunityabouttheprogram,emphasizingnotfeedingthedeerorputtingoutsaltlicks.Overall,theGTAbelievesthattheirmanagementprogramhasbeenasuccess.More info about their program can be found on our deer committeewebsite dated 2/ /2 5whichincludes:GTAdeercullingcosts,browsingdata,andcullingmaps.2.AppleCanyonLake ACL ‐ JimPetelleandJohnSchereson,membersof theAppleCanyonPropertyOwnersAssociation,gaveourcommitteeareportontheirdeermanagementprogramaswellascopiesof the ACL Property Owners’ Association Rules and Regulations regarding deer archery hunting inspecifiedresortcommonareas.)n response to complaints about property damage and vehicular accidents, a deer managementcommitteewas formed. Theymet2 to yearsbefore theirdeermanagementprogramwasstarted in2 . Theyworkedwith Doug Dufford, wildlife biologist, with the )DNR. They discovered that theyshould have 2 ‐ deer per squaremile. Their territory is comprised of . squaremilewhose deercarryingcapacitywas ‐ deer.Theyhadfourtimesthatmanydeer.They chose archery over rifle because they felt the proximity to houseswas an issue. Their archeryprogram culls 5 ‐ deer per year in designated areas from elevated stands during regular hunting
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season.Participatingarchersadheretostrictrequirementsaboveandbeyondwhatthestateof)llinoisrequires. )n addition to their archery program they offer a youth archery program every summer inconjunctionwiththeboyscouts.)n their second year, theydid an aerial count, and since then theydo an annual roadway countwhenthere is snowon theground. Peopledrivearound quadrants in theeveningduringaoneandahalfhourperiodtocountdeer.Theystillhavetwicethenumberofdeertheyshouldhaveaccordingto)DNRrecommendations.Theyofferapublicpresentationabouttheirdeermanagementprogrameveryyeartoeducatethepublicandtogettheirbuy–infortheirprogram.Theybelievethatacullingprogrammustbemaintainedeveryyeartobeeffective.Therearefewervehicularaccidentsandlesspropertydamage.Basedoncommentsreceivedat theirmeetingsand in theirpaper,TheAppleCore, theprogramseemstobegenerallywellreceived.Theycollected$2,5 ‐$ , inhunterfees,andtheprogramcostwas$ ,2 .Moredetailedinformationcanbefoundonourdeercommitteewebsite:minutesfromour 2/ /2 5meeting,ACLRulesandRegulationsfor(untingwerelistedasACLManagementProgram.Alsolistedonourdeercommitteewebsiteisinformationfromothercommunitiesthatweinvestigated: .Austin,Texas)n2 AustinbecamethelargestcityintheU.S.tobecomeacertified,wildlifehabitatbytheNationalWildlifeFederation. )n2 theyenacteda no‐kill policydeclaring TheCityofAustinwill practicetolerance and co‐existence with deer andwill promote this policy through amulti‐tiered program ofeducation,awarenessandhumane,non‐lethalconflictmanagement. Educationonmethodsofexclusion,deterrentsandconflictmanagementwithwhite‐taildeerandotherwildlifeisprovided.Austin has , residents so it does not compare to Galena, but the Austin Animal AdvisoryCommissionmadeanumberofrecommendationsthatcouldbeveryusefulinhelpingGalenadealwithourdeerpopulation.Thatinformationisalsoonthedeercommitteewebsite. .Lincolnshire,)llinoisLincolnshireisanorthernsuburbofChicagowithapopulationof ,2 5.Theypreviouslyculleddeer,butdiscontinuedin2 sincetheirdatasuggestedtheydidn’tneedtocull. Before2 theycompiledanannualreportofresidentialcomplaints,plantdata browsingnumbers ,deer/vehicleaccidents,andtheypaidanaturalareasmaintenancecontractortocollectbrowsingdata.5.Clifton,OhioClifton is part of Cincinnati. They are engaged in a 5 year pilot study on a non‐lethal fertility controlprogramthatbeganin2 .)ntheirfirstyear doesweresterilizedandtagged anestimated %oftheirtotalherd and malefawnsweretagged.Theirhopeistocontroltheirdeerpopulationthroughsterilization. They set up bait stations, and performed field surgery. Many people including wildlifebiologists,veterinarians,andvolunteerswereinvolvedinthefirstevent. Thisyearfortwoweeksaftertheeventstrategicallylocatedcameraswilltakethousandsofphotoswhichwillbeexaminedbywildlifebiologiststoestimatewithhighreliabilitythenumberofdeer.Thecostswerenotclearlyshown,butthisyear they expected the costs to be $ 5, more than last year and they were seeking grants anddonationstocovertheexpense.
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Their 2 deer estimate was ‐ 5 deer, but they felt they had double that amount. Again, thiscommunityisnotveryrelativetoGalena,buttheirresearchisworthfollowingeventhoughtheyareinthebeginningstages. .Rochester(ills,MichiganRochester (ills created a program to reduce deer‐car collisions including highly‐visible deerwarningsigns at collision hot spots, removal of sightline barriers, and a "Don't Veer for Deer" educationalcampaign.Overseveralyears,theyachieveda25%reductionindeer‐vehiclecollisionsinspiteofa %increaseinthedeerpopulation.Theprogramcosts$2, peryear.
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9.Optionstoreducethenumberofdeerinherdifdeterminedappropriate.)ftheherdneedstobereducedthereareseveraloptions.Somearemorepracticalthanothers.Weheardfrommanysources.Thesearesomeofthethingsthathavebeentried: .Attempts tocaptureandrelocatedeerhavebeenshowntobedeadly to thedeer.Theystruggleandinjurethemselvesandneedtobeputdown.2.Capturingandsterilizingorneuteringdeerismuchtooexpensiveandis ineffectiveinreducingdeerpopulation. .SharpshootershavebeenusedintheGalenaTerritory.Theyhavebeensuccessfulinreducingtheherd.TheTerritoryherdisnowhealthyandsustainable.Onlyprovenmarksmencanbeused,inspecifiedfiringzones.Duetoalackofnaturalpredators,thecullingneedstobealong‐termprogramtocontroltheherd.Alsobecauseof)DNRrulessharpshootercullingisexpensive. .Bow(untersareusedinmanycommunities.Theyutilizenormalhuntingseasons.AppleCanyonLakeactuallymakesmoneythroughbowhunting.Eachhunterhastopasssafetyandaccuracytests,thenpayfordeerpermits.Theycankeepandprocessthedeertheyshoot.Forseparationeachhunterisassignedaspecificarea.FollowingtherulesimplementedbyAppleCanyonLakehasresultedinasafeandeffectivedeermanagementprogram.5.Re‐introducingnaturalpredatorstoGalenacanalsoreducethedeerpopulation.Thisdoesnotrequirebringingpredators toGalena.They are alreadybeing attracted to the area. )t only involves not takingstepstostopthem. . TheGalena herd is already being reduced involuntarily. Deer are killed in vehicle accidents and bybeingimpaledonfences. . Plants that deer like to eat are getting scarcer in Galena. Some people are actively planting deerresistantplants.Othersarenotreplacingplantsthathavebeenoverbrowsedbydeer.Eitherwaythereislessfordeertoeat.Reducingthefoodsupplycouldresultinsomedeerleavingthecity.Additionalbenefitwill be derived from plantings that do not attract deer and are not a useful food source for the deerpopulation. .Strictermunicipalordinanceprohibitingthefeedingofdeerwithinthecitylimits.
AppendixE:OrdinancetoDealWithFeedingDeerInsidetheCityLimitsThe2 5DeerCommittee committee hasdiscussedtheissueofthedifficultyofenforcinganordinanceonfeedingdeerwiththepolicedepartmentandtheCityAttorney.)tisclearthattherearedifficultiesinenforcement of the statute of the State of )llinois related to illegally feeding deer. )t seems that theproblemisproofofintenttofeedthedeer.ThecommitteeherebyrecommendsthattheCityCouncildiscusswiththeCityAttorneyunderitspolicepower authority usingChapter 5 of the City Code ofOrdinances entitledNuisances. Specifically, thecommittee recommends that Section 5. of the code be amended to add the following paragraphthereto: (K)Toknowingly,purposefullyor intentionallydisburse foodon theground,atanyfeedingstation, inafeedingdevice,or inacontainerofanykind,orprovideasaltorminerallick,orbyanyothermeansprovidefoodtodeeronanypublicorprivateproperty.Aperson shallbedeemed tohaveknowingly,purposelyor intentionally feddeer, causedeertobefedorprovidedfoodtodeer,ifthepersonplaces,orallowstobeplaced,wheat,pellets,livestockfeed,corninanyform,fruit,vegetables,hayoralfalfa,humanfoodscraps,anyformofwildlifeseed,birdseedorlivestockfeed,oranyotherediblematterthatdeerwillconsumeonthegroundorwithinthereachofdeer.“Withinthereachofdeer”shallbedefinedashavingbeen located lessthan five(5) feetabovethegroundunlesssuch itemsare screened orprotected in amanner thatpreventsdeer from feeding on them.. Thisprohibitionshallincludeallowingresiduethatdeerwillconsumetoremainunderneathabirdfeeder. This prohibition shall not include live vegetation such as ornamentallandscaping, flowers, trees, vines, vegetable gardens, ediblematter located either in anenclosed building or stored in a securely sealed package, or unmodified commerciallypurchasedbirdfeedersortheirequivalentwhenplacedoutofthereachofthedeer.
The committee further recommends that the Council amend Section 5. A to add the followinglanguagefollowingtheword misdemeanor therein:“except that Section (K) thereof shall be punished as provided in Section 10.99.” This sectionauthorizesafineofupto$ 5 .)tistheviewofthecommitteethatpublicationofthesuggestedamendmentstotheNuisanceordinancewillleadtostoppinganyfeedingofdeerwithinthecitylimits.
CitizenSurveyNumberofsurveysreceived:______Numberof"Yesand"No"responsestothefollowingquestion: Are current levels of deer damage tolerable? ____ Yes ____No