LEBO PARKS FOR PEOPLE, NOT HUNTING

The following information has been submitted by Mt. Lebanon resident, Kimberly Schevchuk.

KIDS SOCCER & BOW-HUNTING DO NOT MIX. 

KEEP OUR CHILDREN, FAMILIES & PETS SAFE 

STOP THE BOW-HUNTING PROGRAM IN OUR URBAN PARKS & YARDS

ONLY YOU CAN STOP THE BOW-HUNT 

FAST ACTION ESSENTIAL – CALL, WRITE, & SPEAK AT COMMISSION MEETING

THE COMMISSION PLANS TO GIVE FINAL APPROVAL ON Tuesday, Sept 8^TH

^{Commission contact information – to be most effective, send your e-mail to all the Commissioners}

^{John Bendel (412) 559-2571 jbendel@mtlebanon.org Ward 1} 

^{Steve Silverman (412) 491-3794 ssilverman@mtlebanon.org Ward 2}

^{Coleen Vuono (412) 862-5422  cvuono@mtlebanon.org Ward 3}

^{Dave Brumfield (412) 596-4095 dbrumfield@mtlebanon.org Ward 4}

^{Kelly Fraasch (412) 580-7665 kfraasch@mtlebanon.org Ward 5}

^{The next Commission meeting this Tuesday night (August 11th) is critical} 

• ^{Deer management is scheduled to be discussed at 7:15 p.m.at the Commission Discussion Meeting which starts at 6:25 p.m. in Committee Rm. C in the Municipal Building. There will be contractors answering questions at this meeting. The public can listen, but not participate in Discussion Meetings.}
• ^{The Regular Commission Meeting in the Municipal Chambers in the Municipal Building starts at 8:00 p.m. Residents may make comments and ask questions only at the beginning of this meeting.  There is a sign-up sheet to speak as you enter.}

^{The Commission is already considering approving an $89,513 rifle-hunt contract to immediately follow the archery hunt, before even evaluating the outcome of the bow-hunt.  Municipal deer management is being driven by politics, not safety or scientific evidence of community need. Commission actions in fact reflect a disregard for prior experience and public safety.  The rifle shooting contract under discussion is with USDA APHIS Wildlife Services – which the municipality used before and resulted in a deer bleeding out in a family yard and the contractor lying to the police to cover up their mistake.  The excuse the “expert sharpshooters” used for their mistake was “they did not know that they had shot the deer.”  [Their excuse from a safety perspective is even more terrifying than admitting to be a poor shot.]  The Commission had such a bad experience, that Commissioners at the time swore they would never use the contractor again and they acknowledged the need to re-evaluate the assumed “safety” of using sharpshooters to manage deer.  Despite this knowledge, the current Commission specifically requested a proposal from USDA APHIS Wildlife Services and is seriously considering hiring them.  It is time for residents to tell the Commission that we are serious about not wanting lethal weapons in our parks & yards. Only resident voices can stop what is clearly a failure of the current Commission to recognize the danger of shooting arrows and rifles in one of the most dense communities in Allegheny County.  Members of this Commission have even stated that they do not think that residential density matters.  It is time for the Commission to apply common sense, stop use of lethal weapons in our community, and pursue proven effective non-lethal deer management alternatives.} 

• ^{Get more information on lebocitizens.com} 
• ^{Sign petition to stop bow-hunt on lebocitizens.com - signatures needed, but direct communication with Commission is essential}
• ^{Place a sign in your yard – look for sign-up on lebocitizens.com}
• ^{Tell your neighbors & friends living in Mt. Lebo & ask them to act quickly. –Residents do not know and have a right to voice their opinion about the use of lethal weapons in our community parks & yards.  GET THE WORD OUT!} 

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NOT IN MY YARD

No Bows & Arrows – No Hunting - No Way

APPROVED BOW-HUNTING IN MT LEBANON – GET THE FACTS

Contract specifics

• On July 14^th the Mt. Lebo Commission signed a contract with White Buffalo Inc. to promote & organize a hunting program with volunteer archers in Mt. Lebanon to start this September.
• Total program costs will be much higher than the $15,460 contract.  Additional costs include: municipal staff time for program administration and implementation as well as costs for Police response to resident concerns and injured deer not successfully killed by the first arrow.
• Bow Hunting will be permitted both in Mt. Lebanon Parks and in resident yards.
• Hunting will occur simultaneous with recreational park use, e.g. kids soccer practice & games, families in parks, runners, dog-walking, and playground use.
• Bow-hunting in Mt. Lebanon Parks can occur anytime during daylight hours throughout the entire deer hunting season. 
• State regulations permit bow-hunting  
• From one hour after sunrise to one hour before sunset
• During 5 months  (September, October, November, End of December, and January)
• Commission not making public in what yards hunting will occur.  Don’t we have a right to protect our families and pets and know what areas to avoid?
• Lethal weapons approved without due-diligence.  Bow-hunting program was approved & contract signed without specifics on location, times and safety issues.
• Allows Mt. Lebanon to become a magnet for bow-hunters statewide.  Once Mt. Lebanon opens the parks & yards to program hunters there is no coherent plan to keep non-approved hunters out.  Is the municipality going to patrol all our parks and all approved private properties for five months during all daylight hours to keep non-program hunters out?
• Modern deer management or open hunting season?  After one antlerless deer, male or female, the hunters are permitted to shoot whatever deer they want, e.g. antlered males.  Modern scientific deer management practices focus on females and include non-lethal deer management methods such as sterilization or contraception.  These alternatives have been proven effective.
• Arrows can kill and maim deer, people, and pets and can ricochet after nicking a tree, rock, or other solid structure.
• Arrows can travel the distance of 4 Mt. Lebanon houses, i.e. between 297 and 342 yards.
• Urban bow-hunting is not humane or safe.  Often bow hunters do not successfully kill on the first shot.  The program and state law requires hunters to follow & try to kill injured deer.  Now exactly how does that play out safely in our dense urban community?

The Commission will finalize the bow-hunting program on Tuesday, September 8th.

Call, write the Commission immediately & come on Tuesday and tell the Commission to 

STOP THE BOW HUNT.  URBAN PARKS ARE FOR PEOPLE, NOT HUNTING.