The numbers aren't adding up though. The number of reported collisions involving deer has increased more than 80%, from 49 to 89 this year. Yet, the number of reported accidents has decreased from eighteen to nine this year. Dead deer pick ups has decreased 31%, from 96 deer to 66 deer this year. Commissioners are confused as to why the numbers don't match.
DeNicola went on to say that he is "getting phone calls from homeowners who are just inundated with deer." One Morrison Drive resident claims to have 5-10 deer visit daily, even though Twin Hills Park is within a quarter mile.
Dave Brumfield wanted to know how to measure the success of the program, if not accident rates. “You may have to kill 300 or 400 deer in order to get a reduction in accidents this year," DeNicola said.
Of course Michalina, known for her killer cake (Read about her at lebomag.com), wants more killing for three more years. One year of data isn't enough, in her mind.
Tony DeNicola said the municipality may have to reconsider its strategy. Commissioners will be considering his proposal at the November 28 meeting.
13 comments:
Mt. Lebanon's hunting and shooting programs, which threatened the safety of all of Mt. Lebanon's families, children, and pets didn't decrease car-deer accidents by its 50% goal, but instead increased car-deer accidents by over 80%. You don't have to be a brain surgeon to see that killing deer doesn't decrease car-deer accidents. And the con-man who was given around $100,000.00 of taxpayers dollars last year wants the Commissioners to pay him another $79,000.00 - $100,000.00+ this year. Of course, the Mt. Lebanon Commissioners will likely hand him another blank check, which they've basically done in the past. They don't even get competitive bids. .
BTW, this has nothing to do with car-deer accidents, but every thing to do with deer eating the tulips of a handful of elitist and politically influential residents who refuse to plant deer resistant flowers.
The Commissioners have been repeatedly advised by objective wildlife biologists and deer proofing experts to launch a campaign asking all residents to plant deer resistant flowers and plants. Residents are currently planting a smorgasbord of irresistible flowers that attract deer in to Mt. Lebanon. These residents are feeding the deer. If they continue to feed the deer the deer will continue to come to Mt. Lebanon unless they build a wall around the municipality. The Commissioners ignored this advice. Remember this is all about a handful of elitist residents who refuse to plant deer resistant flowers. The Commissioners are afraid to ask them not to plant their tulips. Better to turn Lebo into a private hunting preserve and shooting gallery.
Until Mt. Lebanon residents get fed up with hunters and shooters running around their neighborhoods and parks with lethal weapons, bow-hunters and men shooting high powered rifles right next to their homes threatening their families, their hard earned tax dollars being thrown away, and step up to demand this insanity stop and vote these current Commissioners out of office nothing is going to change
Since Mt. Lebanon's deer hunting and shooting programs started car-deer accidents have increased by 80%. The Mt. Lebanon Commissioners had been repeatedly presented studies that show that hunting actually increases car-deer collisions, but the Commissioners ignored the studies, and now act dumbfounded by their killing program results
According to the National Highway Traffic and Safety Administration, most car-deer collisions happen during hunting season. The Erie Insurance Group, Pennsylvania’s second largest auto insurer, studied the effect that hunting has on car-deer collisions. They discovered that not only did accidents increase during hunting season, but that they increased nearly five-fold on the first day of buck and doe hunting seasons respectively and remained high throughout hunting season. The reason for this is that hunters push the deer out of the woods and into the roads, and frightened and wounded deer run into the roads without caution.
In a recent PG article Keith McGill says that Mt. Lebanon was able to remove more than 100 deer w/o incident in last years archery cull. McGill seems to be ignoring the fact that their hunting and shooting programs were the direct cause of an 80% increase in car-deer accidents. So his claim of w/o incident is ridiculous. Mt. Lebanon's hunting and shooting programs were the direct cause of the 80% increase of the car-deer accidents, and Mt. Lebanon should be liable for these accidents, and any damages, injuries, and deaths that resulted.
Hummm....
1. Mt. Lebanon prohibits its residents from feeding deer (Ordinance #3212)*.
2. Certain flowers and plants are known to be "yummy" to deer.
3. Flowers and plants planted in the open and without barriers are accessible to deer.
4. Therefore, residents who plant certain flowers and plants in the open and known to be attractive to deer are in violation of Ordinance #3212, as they are knowingly feeding deer.
*Ban on Deer Feeding: Ordinance #3212, enacted in June of 2012, prohibits the feeding of deer. Enforcement is limited because of fourth amendment rights and principally relies on residents to notify the municipality of violations. From "Deer Management Program Information" - Mt. Lebanon, PA.
The Mt. Lebanon Municipality always seems to have problems understanding cause and effect.
Elaine--More than a couple of the photos we've been asked to click on to prove we are not a robot on your blog bear a striking resemblance to the place where Osama Bin Laden was hiding out.
Buddy
We have been told--repeatedly--that the aerial survey we have been asking for since this deer-killing fiasco was resumed would not produce valid results, REASON: deer travel too much and might be away visiting their deer friends and family in other communities when the count is underway. We have now been told that the archery "program" has been unsuccessful--resulting in a 50% DECREASE in deer killed when compared to this time last year, REASON: the deer are entrenched in certain inaccessible sections of the community AND ARE NOT MOVING! ONLY OUR COMMISSIONERS COULD SIT THERE, STONE-FACED, WHEN TOLD THAT THIS PRESENTS A LOGICAL INCONSISTENCY, APPARENTLY HAVING NO DIFFICULTIES WHATSOEVER WITH THE FACT THAT THESE ARE MUTUALLY-EXCLUSIVE (AND UN-PROVEN, WE MIGHT ADD) HYPOTHESES! The plain and obvious explanation for their unyielding refusal to obtain an actual, documented count of deer is that they cannot risk the possible outcome that it just might show that Mt. Lebanon has NO significant deer population! Low numbers would doom this scheme designed to placate their garden-loving "special" friends under the guise of stemming the tide of deer/vehicle collisions. ...then what would they do???
And last night we also learned that Tony DiNicola is being contacted DIRECTLY by Mt. Lebanon residents who are complaining of daily presence of deer in their beautiful--dare we say "perfect"--lawns! Just one more example of the efforts of our municipal leadership to endorse AND PAY FOR a program while distancing themselves from any direct knowledge of its workings. They are determined to throw rocks without leaving any fingerprints! They shouldn't be able to have it both ways, a position we hope that Commonwealth Court will see with clear eyes.
When you delegate your responsibility to another, you do not absolve yourself of liability for the outcomes. I am sure those with legal backgrounds understand this. What I don't understand is that it doesn't seem to matter to them.
Time for NEW COMMISSIONERS!
4:39---I agree that we need new commissioners. Two seats will be up for grabs in 2017. Brumfield is NOT running again in Ward 4. Silverman is seeking another term in Ward 2. Who is willing to run for Brumfield''s seat and who is willing to try to unseat Silverman. This is the topic that needs to be front and center. The work needs to begin now.
Of course, DeNicola isn't satisfied with just the bow-hunting program. The 9K for the bow-hunting program is chump-change to him, but was a necessary investment for him to gain control of the Commissioners and to secure the annual 100K bait-and-shoot program.
6:24 PM, just an FYI - Ward 3 has had three commissioners since March 2015. Finding new commissioners is not always the answer. All three were/are tax-and-spend, bloodthirsty commissioners.
Elaine
7:03 I agree. How do we know these "off duty police officers" are committing significant time to their bow hunting? Is there a schedule for them to follow or can they just roll-in to the parks whenever? Thus, requiring the muni to spend MORE money on sharpshooting to kill MORE deer, while also meeting the so called Game Commission requirement that a hunting program is being maintained. Sigh.
Hi Elaine--
I totally agree that finding new commissioners is not the answer. We need to find rational, civic-minded, bright people to take over those two seats. Not just more sloths.
6:24
"Dave Brumfield wanted to know how to measure the success of the program, if not accident rates."
Doesn't an intelligent person figure out how they will measure success before starting anything.
In lacrosse, you measure success by winning.
In archery, you measure success by hitting the bullseye.
In business, you measure success by making a profit.
In learning to ride a bike, you measure success by not falling over.
For Brumfield, he's spent $100,000 and has no idea of what success is for that investment!
Pathetic.
Brumfield should be asking, we didn't reduce accidents and that's what we set out and spent over $100,000 to do... why and where did we fail?.
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