Merlin Benner, paid deer consultant and hired deer killer, is a newbie when it comes to using corrals. That is what Matt Santoni uncovered in his investigative report,
Mt. Lebanon awaits Pennsylvania Game Commission approval to corral, kill deer
Benner said this would be the first time the company has used corrals, though he said they're used in southern states to capture wild boars.
According to Santoni, the baiting starts tonight. Please read Matt's excellent article as he exposes the lunacy in our local government.
"Mt. Lebanon has tracked 58 reports of deer-related vehicle crashes or deer confirmed to have been killed by vehicles, including three crashes in which people were injured, in 2014. Commissioners set a goal of reducing deer-related crashes by 50 percent in five years."
ReplyDelete58 crashes in how many years? What is the yearly accident rate? 10/yr? In 5 years, commissioners want to spend how much to reduce accidents to 5/yr?
Thank you, Mr. Santoni. Excellent expose´
UNBELIEVABLE!!! This keeps getting more BIZARRE by the day! Merlin Benner (Wildlife Specialists LLC) has NEVER used corrals before to trap and shoot deer, but he says they've been used down south to trap wild boars. Corrals have never been used in PA before!!!! So he has NO friggin experience trapping and shooting deer with high powered rifles in corrals, and corrals have never been used for this purpose in Pennsylvania. And they will be shooting high powered rifles with NO SAFETY ZONES in Mt. Lebanon's small parks (surrounded by homes in sight), the golf course (surrounded by homes), and other areas. Is it me, or does this sound totally INSANE!!! How could the Commissioners approve such a dangerous and reckless plan??? How could they award this contract to a vendor with NO EXPERIENCE!!!, and who proposed a solution that has never been used in Pa or maybe anywhere before? They're talking about using lethal high powered rifles in our densely populated community, and this is the sound judgment we're getting from our Commissioners. Have they all gone NUTS!!!
ReplyDeleteThe cameras on the corrals are more for identifying people than catching deer.
ReplyDeleteUnfortunately, Matt Santoni is kind of misrepresenting how car-deer crashes are reported in Mt. Lebanon and Allegheny County. "A reportable crash [in Allegheny County] is one in which someone is injured or one or more vehicles cannot be driven from the scene." As per Lt. Lauth, Mt. Lebanon reports car-deer related crashes in the same way as Allegheny County. So there would have been only 3 reportable car-deer crashed in Mt. Lebanon in 2014.
ReplyDeleteIn addition, it's disappointing that Mr. Santoni doesn't realize that the car-deer collision issue is a disingenuous bait and switch strategy by the elitist pro-kill group, whose real motivations going back to 2006 was to have the taxpayers pay to kill the deer in their back yards, that are eating their tulips and hostas, and so that some gardeners can feature their homes on the annual library garden tour.
Maybe we could use those corrals to catch the primary menace on Mt Lebanon's roads. This menace causes more car accidents and is severely under-reported.
ReplyDeleteThe menace I speak of is the people driving while talking on the phone.
Mr. Santoni is trying... we just need to enlighten him about what is a REAL crash versus FAKE in Mt Lebanon. I sympathize with him as I had NO IDEA Mt Lebanon was like this and it's really hard to believe the lack of INTEGRITY here.
ReplyDeleteWho knows the email address for the PA Game Commissioners in charge of the approval?
Of note, Merlin Brenner previously worked for the PA Department of Conservation and Natural Resources.
Also note, he doesn't kill all animals: bats get a free pass. He captures and releases bats from Indiana that have traveled to Ohio.
8:35 AM, Matt Santoni was quoting what the police and the PIO have been reporting.
ReplyDeleteMatt Santoni is not at fault here, 8:35 AM.
Elaine
Thank you Matt Santoni for an excellent article and example of investigative reporting ! You have uncovered and reported more comprehensive, factual information in one article than the entire morally and ethically corrupt Municipal apparatus has admitted and owned up to in months.
ReplyDeletehttp://legal-dictionary.thefreedictionary.com/collusion
ReplyDeleteCollusion
"n. where two persons (or business entities through their officers or other employees) enter into a deceitful agreement, usually secret, to defraud and/or gain an unfair advantage over a third party, competitors, consumers or those with whom they are negotiating. Collusion can include secret price or wage fixing, secret rebates, or pretending to be independent of each other when actually conspiring together for their joint ends. It can range from small-town shopkeepers or heirs to a grandma's estate, to gigantic electronics companies or big league baseball team owners. (See: fraud)
I added links to both meetings on my website, lebocitizens.com. Just click on Podcasts.
ReplyDeleteElaine
This is exactly what I was talking about in the Almanac editorial where I dubbed the prevailing mentality of the Mt. Lebanon power structure to be "lower-upper class":
ReplyDeleteEnough money to be dangerous; not enough sense to use the resources you do have wisely.
The Mt. Lebanon Commissioners think this is an upper-class solution, but it is really just another lower-class mistake.
- Jason M.
12:15 Many examples of collusion and fraud in Mt Lebanon - how does one pursue it legally? We have judges that tell paralyzed young men to go to Somerset Co if they want a fair trial.
ReplyDeleteElaine: the e-mail for the PGC is: pgccoments.pa.gov. They are meeting today and have posted their agenda on line. I encourage all people opposed to the deer killing to send messages to the Commission ASAP.
ReplyDeleteMerlin Brenner is a member & past-president of PA's chapter of the Wildlife Society.
ReplyDeleteThis is their ethical code:
http://joomla.wildlife.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=769
This is the email: pgcomments@pa.gov
ReplyDeleteI think the meetings were yesterday.
ReplyDeleteHere is what is said about corrals in recent literature:
Some large mammals (e.g., ungulates and kangaroos) can be herded along fences into corrals or captured with cannon nets or drop nets projected from helicopters using net guns. These methods require immediate attention to the animals by trained personnel to prevent injury and can cause substantial distress in some species. With a large-scale capture, it may be useful to have a veterinarian on hand to assist with any injured or stressed animal.
(I don't think a text to Merlin that "now is the time to come with the guns" qualifies for "immediate attention".
If Mr. Benner never used corrals and never used sharpshooting to euthanize deer in corrals he never used or has experience in, then how was he approved in the RFP? The RFP is pretty precise:
ReplyDelete"Only contractors who have provided this type of service within the past five years should submit proposals."
What experience did he put down in the RFP if he never provided this type of service in the first place?
And we're talking about using high powered rifles too in an environment he doesn't have experience in.
Nick M.
"According to the 2013 FBI Uniform Crime Report, three South Hills communities have come in the top 10 list of safest places to live. Peters Township came in ninth place, Upper St. Clair eighth and South Fayette seventh."
ReplyDeletehttp://www.thealmanac.net/article/20150123/NEWS/150129978
In Lebo, we're focused on protecting gardens.
"Benner's staff will shoot into the corral from an elevated stand or platform. Deer killed will be loaded onto a truck and processed, and the meat will be donated to food banks."
ReplyDeleteTwo things, I hope Mr. Santoni will follow up and do a report checking on whether the meat actually gets donated to food banks, and...
Commissioners, as a taxpayer footing the bill for this cull, can I get a receipt? I like to deduct my share of the cull payment from my taxes because it is a donation to a food bank?
11:28, I don't know how?
ReplyDeletePerhaps our state represenatives could tell us or one of our commissioners could get the solicitor involved.
How about the ACLU?
This is insane. All Commissioners voted on this?
ReplyDelete4:17 - Have you met our solicitor? He is not going to help residents battle the commissioners or anyone else that pays his bills.
ReplyDelete5:41 PM, as I had written in a previous post, Kelly Fraasch voted no, while Linfante, Silverman, and Brumfield voted yes. Bendel had a family emergency.
ReplyDeleteLinfante came to the meeting, even though she requested a non-leave of absence for three regular meetings. Kristen had to come so that the deer killing vote passed.
Kristen, now that you got your way, rest easy with a speedy recovery. You might consider resigning.
Elaine
Hi Elaine, I was thinking the same thing. If both Kristen and John were not present then there would be no quorum and no vote would be allowed, correct?
ReplyDeleteNick M.
12:28: The address and phone # for the Attorney General's Office is: US Attorney's Office, United States Post Office and Courthouse, 700 Grant Street, Suite 4000, Pittsburgh, PA 15219. 412-644-3500, if you are interested in contacting them.
ReplyDelete