At a public hearing last week, the plan (warning, PDF) created in hopes of addressing East Hampton's deer problem drew criticism from animal lovers and and Bambi haters alike. Hoping to reduce the population dramatically, the five-year plan calls for a massive initial culling followed by other methods to help keep the beasties at bay. A member of the East Hampton Group for Wildlife called it "flawed and unethical" and argued that there's no evidence that the animals are uncontrolled. Some residents think it doesn't go far enough. Others voiced concerns about the pricetag?according to Newsday "expenses could run into the hundreds of thousands of dollars"?while some said inaction could prove more costly.
The only issue that wasn't addressed at the hearing also happens to be the biggest roadblock to the plan's implementation. According to Councilman Dominick J. Stanzione, there are so many different organizations (think town, county and state governments as well as public and private preservation groups) controlling so many different parcels of land out here that "it will be almost impossible to coordinate the adoption of a single deer-control policy."
Even with the across-the-board criticism, the town is moving ahead with the proposal. They're currently waiting on feedback from other agencies and hope to be able to adopt it early next year.
· E. Hampton deer-control plan draws criticism [Newsday]
· A Proposal for Management of the White-tailed Deer Population in East Hampton Town [Town of East Hampton. Warning, PDF]
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