Frequently asked, rarely answered...UPDATED

A Mt. Lebanon resident had some questions about the sharpshooting program as it is presented in the FAQ on the municipal website. She had asked twice.

1. Can you clarify the shooting dates?
The FAQ says Feb 1 - March 31, but the Deer Mgmt. Update of Dec. 11 says Feb. 1 - March 1. 

2. Which days of the week will shooting will take place? What are the exact hours? Why is sharpshooting occurring at all in the daylight hours when, in the past, it has been done only at night? 

3. When will the locations for shooting be finalized? How many will there be, and will they be throughout the municipality concentrated in particular areas? 

4. Who is or will be involved in establishing the "safety" of these locations, and what considerations go into determining what constitutes a "safe" location to shoot in this community? 

5. Will the municipality require that neighbors of private properties where shooting will take place be notified of the activity occurring near their homes? 

6. What types of guns will be used? Are they automatic or semi-automatic rifles? What are the distances can projectiles from these guns travel? 

7. The RFP specifically asks for responses from contractors who have had experience sharpshooting deer in "densely populated suburban areas with limited open space". Can you please ask Dr. DeNicola whether he has ever done any safe, successful sharpshooting programs in an area as geographically small and as densely populated as Mt. Lebanon? If so, how many? I am looking for a detailed response that mentions specific locations and dates, and population densities. 

8. As of now, the only public information out there on the sharpshooting program is via the website. Not everyone has access to that. How will the public at large be made aware of the dates, times, and locations of sharpshooting so that they can make informed decisions for themselves and their children -- to avoid any areas they feel uncomfortable about given sharpshooting nearby? I am thinking specifically about the use of the parks and the golf course for sledding by kids after snowfall. 

9. Since it is a federal law, I assume the Municipality will guarantee that the Federal Gun Free Safety Zone Act provisions are met ,which probits discharge of firearms within 1000 feet of a school. Can you please explain to me as a parent of a school-aged walking child how this information will be communicated and enforced with sharpshooters (will there be special maps or documents created delineating these sites, etc.?)
10. Similarly, how will the municipality handle after-school and after-hours school-based activities, walking, etc to ensure student safety? Many older use the parks to walk through, and as a resident pointed out, many teens use the parks at night even though they shouldn't. Will there be a curfew?

The resident highlighted her comments in yellow  and also the questions she didn't see answered, most of which are directed to the Municipality, though a few are for Dr. DeNicola (on the gun type and projectile range). Tony DeNicola's responses are highlighted in green.

On Tue, Dec 29, 2015 at 8:09 AM, Keith Mcgill <kmcgill@mtlebanon.org> wrote: 

Good morning _____, 

I apologize for the delay in responding to your questions. I did forward them to Tony DeNicola and he did provide a response. Please see below. He also responded to the question of how audible the activity would be: 

Please let me know if you have any additional questions. Best wishes for a happy and healthy New Year. 

Respectfully,
Keith McGill 

From: Tony DeNicola

Keith,

It will depend on how proximate a person is to the shooting area. In most locations we will use subsonic rimfire ammunition and the noise is about equal to a paintball gun.

Tony

Keith,

See below replies inserted:

I have several questions about the sharpshooting program as it is presented in the FAQ.  Could you please pass my questions on to incoming Commissioner McLean as well?  

I just want to state again that I'm strongly opposed to weapons like this in our densely populated community and I am very concerned about the safety of residents and children as a result of this program.  Concerns over safety often arise when deer sharpshooting programs are considered.  However, there has never been a public safety incident when using trained wildlife professionals working in concert with local law enforcement.  These programs are designed to be implemented while residents go about their daily lives.  We will work closely with the police department to make sure this program is no different.

Thank you for your time.

******************************************

1. Can you clarify the shooting dates? 

The FAQ says Feb 1 - March 31, but the Deer Mgmt. Update of Dec. 11 says Feb. 1 - March 1.  We plan to have the option to work from 1 February through 31 March 2016

2. Which days of the week will shooting will take place on public lands?  What are the exact hours?  Why is sharpshooting occurring at all in the daylight hours when, in the past, it has been done only at night?  We will work 7 days a week on private property.  Specifics on public land have yet to be determined.  It is in the program's best interest to work around the public's activities for safety, efficiency, and discretionary reasons.  We will work a few hours before dark in some areas and the remaining efforts will take place after dark.  No morning or mid-day shooting is planned.

I think the municipality has the responsibility to nail down the exact days and hours for public property and share those with the public as soon as possible. I also would like to be made aware of public property locations to be able to avoid those. I am disappointed that the Municipality won't share that information with residents.

3. When will the locations for shooting be finalized? How many will there be, and will they be throughout the municipality concentrated in particular areas?  We will try to have even access throughout the community for the best possible outcome in regard to evenly reducing deer densities.  Final points of access are still being processed.

 Again, the municipality should let people know as soon as possible where, specifically, shooting will take place in public areas. 

4. Who is or will be involved in establishing the "safety" of these locations, and what considerations go into determining what constitutes a "safe" location to shoot in this community?  We will have officials from the police department inspect every shooting location and we will provide the exact details on the operations at each for their consideration and feedback.

5. Will the municipality require that neighbors of private properties where shooting will take place be notified of the activity occurring near their homes?  All neighbors that can see the shooting areas will be noticed and we will get their support.

6. What types of guns will be used? Are they automatic or semi-automatic rifles?  What are the distances projectiles from these guns can travel? We will primarily use .22 caliber rimfire rifles, in bolt action, with subsonic ammunition.  This is the safest, quietest approach.  On properties with larger undeveloped areas proximate we may use bolt action .223 caliber rifles.  We will only shoot from very elevated positions so all projectiles will enter the ground within the designated safe shooting zone if a deer moves when engaged.  Otherwise, all projectiles remain in the deer's tissue and do not exit.

 I understand and would expect that Dr. DeNicola and his staff take care and precautions to ensure safety. However, I would still like to know these details about the guns that are being used in my community.

  

7. The RFP specifically asks for responses from contractors who have had experience sharpshooting deer in "densely populated suburban areas with limited open space".  Can you please ask Dr. DeNicola whether he has ever done any safe, successful sharpshooting programs in an area as geographically small and as densely populated as Mt. Lebanon?  If so, how many? I am looking for a detailed response that mentions specific locations and dates, and population densities.  Please refer to our website (www.whitebuffaloinc.org) for our Business Portfolio.  We have never had a safety incident in more than 20 years working around the country and the world.

I apologize if I missed this, but I could not find information about a community as densely populated as ours having had sharpshooting with White Buffalo. Can you please direct me to that information?  

8. As of now, the only public information out there on the sharpshooting program is via the website.  Not everyone has access to that.  How will the public at large be made aware of the dates, times, and locations of sharpshooting so that they can make informed decisions for themselves and their children --  to avoid any areas they feel uncomfortable about given sharpshooting nearby?  I am thinking specifically about the use of the parks and the golf course for sledding by kids after snowfall.  We will not know the exact days or times for any location until the morning of the removal efforts.  The weather and relative deer activity at each location dictates our planning.  We do not often get accurate enough weather information until the morning of operations.  We will not work near highly active locations and we will have determined those areas of concern in advance.

I understand what you're saying about the weather, daily activities, etc..; what I meant is when and how will  the Municipality share with the community those specific locations where sharpshooting MAY on any given day occur.

9. Since it is a federal law, I assume the Municipality will guarantee that the Federal Gun Free Safety Zone Act provisions are met ,which prohibits discharge of firearms within 1000 feet of a school.  Can you please explain to me as a parent of a school-aged walking child how this information will be communicated and enforced with sharpshooters (will there be special maps or documents created delineating these sites, etc.?) We will comply with this restriction.  

10. Similarly, how will the municipality handle after-school and after-hours school-based activities, walking, etc to ensure student safety?  Many older use the parks to walk through, and as a resident pointed out, many teens use the parks at night even though they shouldn't.   Will there be a curfew?  We always work around public activities and assume people will be in all areas that we are active.  We have very well defined zones of operation where we can see all that is proximate and could be affected by our actions.

Again, I am sure that Dr. DeNicola and his staff keep safety foremost in mind. However, even if a walking area can be considered "safe" because experienced shooters are there, that does not mean that students and/or parents are comfortable being in those areas when shooting is occurring. How does the Municipality plan to address that issue?  Will there be hours after school that are off limits to shooting, given student dismissal times?  Will there be a letter going out to schools and/or parents that gives them the specific parks, etc. where shooting will take place, so that they know?  People need to have this information.

Thank you again for your time and attention to my questions.

Update December 29, 2015 6:48 PM Our illustrious superintendent, Dr. Steinhauer had been copied on this correspondence. Here is his response. Clueless, as usual.

From: Dr. Timothy Steinhauer <TSteinhauer@mtlsd.net>
Date: Tue, Dec 29, 2015 at 5:45 PM
Subject: Re: Sharpshooting Q&A questions
To:
Cc: Keith Mcgill <kmcgill@mtlebanon.org>, Kelly Fraasch <kfraasch@mtlebanon.org>, Aaron Lauth <alauth@mtlebanon.org>

Dear Ms. _______,

Since this is a municipal matter, I'm a little confused why you have included me in this response. I am aware that the municipality is conducting deer culling and they have kept me fully aware of any impact on our students. This should have no impact on education and I know that our students' safety is at the forefront of their thinking. Please send questions regarding the deer cull directly to the municipality.

If you have other questions regarding our students I would be happy to answer.

Tim Steinhauer

It's really bait and switch UPDATED

It looks like our Public Information Office was hard at work yesterday, putting together FAQs about Mt. Lebanon's "Capture and Euthanize Project." Yes, Susan, that sounds sooooo much better than bait and kill. You are so good at that. [Think Field Enhancement Project, Lebo Citizens readers.] WHERE is this taking place? What we are told is, "Corral traps will be built and baited in safe public areas." Steve Feller assured me during Citizen Comments that the locations will be posted on the Mt. Lebanon website. Kelly Fraasch asked if affected neighbors will be notified and the answer was no.

FAQ's about the Capture and Euthanize Project

Q: What are the goals of the project?
A: The overall goal of Mt. Lebanon’s deer management program is to reduce deer/vehicle collisions within the municipality by 50 percent within five years. The capture and euthanize phase for 2015 will take place in February and March. Does that make this a five year project?
Q: Who determined the goals and the course of actions?
A: The Mt. Lebanon Municipal Commission, representing the residents, voted to trap and euthanize as part of the comprehensive deer management plan. They received much input from residents at public meetings and other means and also solicited input from a variety of professionals and interest groups. Oh puleeze.
Q: Explain the methods to be used. Why is trap and euthanize effective?
A: Corral traps will be built and baited in safe public areas WHERE? over a period of several days. The bait will attract deer to the corrals. Trail cameras will monitor the corrals, sending real-time images to the trappers. Will Mt. Lebanon have access to the videos? Will the cameras be rolling when the deer are killed? When large groups of deer are inside a corral, a text message will activate the closure of the gate. Immediately, a crew will dispatch to shoot the deer using suppressed, small-caliber rifles. Most of the shooting will take place at night. This method should be more effective at capturing large numbers of deer than either the clover traps, which capture single deer at a time, or possibly even sharpshooting, where larger groups of deer can’t be taken without the possibility of some escaping. These traps were designed for wild boar, not deer.
Q: What will happen to the deer meat?
A: Euthanized deer will be taken to a local processor, which will process and package the meat and deliver it to local food banks and shelters through the Hunters Sharing the Harvest program. Is Mt. Lebanon paying the processing fee as once offered at a Commission Discussion Session?
Q: Who is conducting this project, and what are their qualifications?
A: Wildlife Specialists, LLC, has been selected to provide the capture and euthanization services. The company has a strong team of wildlife professionals who have broad experience within Pennsylvania and beyond. Why did I just think of Buzz Lightyear? All individuals assisting with this project in the field are permitted through the Pennsylvania Game Commission to conduct these activities. For more information on Wildlife Specialists, visit their site atwww.wildlife-specialists.com. Yeah, visit their site. Also check out their experience listed on page 14 of their proposal; Mt. Lebanon and The Forestland Group. 
Q: Why is this being done instead of hunting?
A: As first step in its deer management program, Mt. Lebanon had planned to conduct an archery hunt but was unable to get the program in place this season in time to obtain the required permit from the Pennsylvania Game Commission. Note additional factors listed on page 23 of my 1/29/15 RTK. The high density of homes in Mt. Lebanon and the Safety Zone requirements for hunting in Pennsylvania make hunting, when not combined with other methods, a ineffective option for achieving a meaningful reductions of the deer population here. Mt. Lebanon does intend to use limited archery hunting to supplement the deer control program in future deer hunting seasons.
Q: Why can’t the deer be captured and transferred to another location?
A: The Pennsylvania Game Commission and similar wildlife agencies across the United States have decided to discourage the transfer of white-tailed deer for many reasons. The primary reason is to minimize the spread of diseases like Chronic Wasting Disease. Other reasons include not transferring problems of deer overabundance from one area to another. Often people cite low deer populations in another area as being a reason to move deer into those habitats, but most often those low populations are a result of poor habitat caused by historically unbalanced deer herds, where the high populations degraded the habitat, and the habitat is taking time to recover. Read what the hunters are saying about that in Mt. Lebanon, Making own hunting rules?.
Q: Is this method more humane than other options?
A: The stress on the deer will be minimized by not handling them (which is inherent to other capture methods or even tranquilization) and because the shooting will take place under the cover of darkness. Huh? Death will be immediate and painless. The very close range will prevent misses or wounding. Dave Brumfield promised that he would never vote to bring guns into Mt. Lebanon.
For additional information on white-tailed deer or municipal deer control, visit the Pennsylvania Game Commission’s website at www.pgc.state.pa.us.

1/29/15

Update January 31, 2015 8:45 AM In this week's letter to the commission and staff, Steve Feller writes:

Mt. Lebanon needs to submit another permit application for this process. It really is bait and switch!