7.2. PRSR 02-11-2015 - Laserfiche WebLink

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ECit of lk Request for Action River To Item Number Parks and Recreation Commission 7.2 Agenda Section Meeting Date Prepared by Discussion Item February 11,2015 Michael Hecker,Parks and Recreation Director Item Description Reviewed by Reducing Deer Density in Parks Dave Anderson,Parks and Recreation Commission Chair Reviewed by Action Requested Informational. This discussion item will be led by Parks and Recreation Commission Chair Dave Anderson. Background/Discussion Whitetail deer population density varies widely throughout the State. Deer have been in the news a lot lately as deer hunters would like deer numbers to be higher in many areas of the state. Years of liberal hunting limits,two consecutive harsh winters and predation have all been a factor in reducing deer density in areas where the population is considered to be too low. This past deer hunting season,very conservative limits were set in most parts of the state in response to these low numbers. In contrast,deer are thriving in certain areas,primarily urban areas,where hunting opportunities are limited due to human population density and local ordinance. In Elk River,like many other cities,there are high deer populations in certain areas. Deer feeding can also be a factor in creating high deer densities in localized area. While they may be fun to watch,when deer densities are too high,deer can also become a nuisance. The most common problems include;car/deer collisions, damage to crops and gardens,damage to home landscaping and damage to forests due to over browsing. Many of our parks are suffering from over browsing. Over browsing limits natural forest regeneration and hurts reforestation efforts. Deer exclosures are needed for the protection of most desirable tree species until they mature beyond the point where deer can eat the top of the tree. One of the ways to help control deer population is to increase safe hunting opportunities within restricted areas. While current Elk River City Ordinance allows this, there are still many areas within the city where hunting is restricted but could be safely done with bow and arrow or crossbow. Primary among these areas are many of our parks and small parcels of land adjacent to parks. In previous meetings,the commission has agreed that it is worth exploring the possibility of archery hunting for deer in some parks. Many cities and entities have well developed archery deer hunting opportunities that work well for helping to control deer density. We have started the process to investigate the details surrounding � r E I E 1 1 1 Template Updated 4/14 NATURE