Four yeses. More deer to kill.

With Kelly Fraasch absent, four commissioners approved spending $9000 so that the charlatan can oversee the same archers kill deer in the same public and private properties as last year. After all, Tony DeNicola said that more deer need to be killed.

DeNicola's comment about killing the dumbest deer reveals his true character. In the comments section from yesterday's PG story:

this ignorant quote by DeNicola reveals the true character of the man. They didn't kill the dumbest deer, they killed the tame deer that trusted the humans who brought hunters and shooters on to their property to kill the doe and her fawns that apparently browsed on their tulips. This tame doe likely led her fawns right up to the bow hunters and shooters in complete trust to be slaughtered. What a cowardly and unethical act of killing defenseless and gentle animals. As far as I'm concerned, a man that gets his kicks from killing tame animals is a man with no honor or moral character, a coward. And they call this the "sport" of "hunting". I hold the same sentiments for the residents.

In that same story, the PG shows a poll with some interesting results:

In Janice Crompton's PG article*, Archers to cull deer again in Mt. Lebanon, Crompton points out the obvious.

Despite the cull, however, reported deer-vehicle collisions still are on the rise.
In the first half of this year, 47 crashes were reported — a significant increase over the 18 reported during the same time frame last year.
“I don’t understand how the accidents went up,” said resident Stacey Chick. “Calling this a safe program is fallacious.”

I understand a person, who wants deer dead, suggested that those who are anti-kill place bronze deer statues in our yards. No thank you. I placed my Not In My Yard sign in my yard again.

I have a few signs leftover from last year, but I am willing to place another order. Email me at EGillen476@aol.com if you want a Not In My Yard sign.

*Thank you PG for pulling Hayes!

Deer and the Courts Update

A court ordered appearance before Judge McCarthy was to take place on July 26, 2016 between Scott Township and the Municipality of Mt. Lebanon regarding killing deer in Twin Hills Park located in Scott Township. The docket is available here. Anyone know the results of that conference?

My attorneys have appealed Court of Common Pleas Judge Terrence O'Brien's decision concerning donation exemptions. It is now in Commonwealth Court. Don't worry, Taxpayers. This isn't costing Mt. Lebanon taxpayers (including Judge O'Brien) anything additionally, thanks to the sweet deal Mt. Lebanon has with Buchanan Ingersoll. MTL can take anyone to court (or be taken to court) and it doesn't cost taxpayers a dime extra. Scott Township residents aren't so lucky. Neither are those who are granted TWO Final Determinations by the PA Office of Open Records of whom Judge O'Brien disagreed.

My gofundme is still active. See side bar for the link or click here. I have made Not In My Yard key fobs this year to match the yard signs which are still available. A $10 donation will get you both a yard sign and a key fob. What a deal! You would have to buy 104 yard signs and 104 key fobs to equal what taxpayers are spending just to register Susan Morgans for the NYC trade show!

Archery starts up again next month.  It sure came up quickly, didn't it? In Mt. Lebanon, we kill (or try to kill) deer more often than not.

New signs are popping up

Some more Eat More Venison signs have popped up. I noticed another one on Avon Drive. Then there is this new one on Connecting Road:

Why bother having a sign made? You won. Why am I paying thousands of dollars in legal fees so that Mt. Lebanon can protect the identity of residents when they have no problem having signs like this in their front yards?

Personally, I like this new sign.

Me? I am putting my NIMY sign away for the Fall. 

Was your NIMY sign stolen? Read on

Dave Brumfield once said that the police don't care if a $3.00 yard sign is stolen. Not so fast, Dave.


-----Original Message-----
From: Aaron Lauth <alauth@mtlebanon.org>
To: egillen476 <egillen476@aol.com>
Cc: Commission <commission@mtlebanon.org>; stephen mclean ; Keith McGill <kmcgill@mtlebanon.org>
Sent: Mon, Dec 14, 2015 6:14 pm
Subject: Re: my yard sign was stolen :(

Ms. Gillen,

MLPD encourages anyone who is a victim of theft to call 9-1-1 to have an officer dispatched to investigate the circumstances.

Thanks,

Aaron V. Lauth

Chief of Police

Mt Lebanon Police Department

555 Washington Road

Pittsburgh, PA  15228

(412)343-4015

alauth@mtlebanon.org

www.mtlebanonpd.org

On Sun, Dec 13, 2015 at 5:17 PM, egillen476@aol.com <egillen476@aol.com> wrote:

I am getting pretty tired of receiving these types of emails. It has been constant. Deer are being slaughtered and it is still not good enough for the prokill folks. They have to steal our signs to rub it in. But we're the ones doing the "harassing." To the best of my knowledge, not one "Eat More Venison" sign was ever stolen. The same thing happened with our antiturf signs. They were stolen, but the proturf signs remained untouched. Why are there such double standards in this community? Why are our constitutional rights being challenged constantly in Mt. Lebanon?

I was told by one of the commissioners that the police don't want to hear about $3 yard signs being stolen, so don't bother reporting it to the police.

Elaine Gillen

-----Original Message-----
From:
To: egillen476 <egillen476@aol.com>
Sent: Sun, Dec 13, 2015 4:51 pm
Subject: my yard sign was stolen :(

Hi Elaine ~

I hope you are well.

Last night, someone stole the "Not in My Yard" sign from my lawn, as well as the sign in the yard of my next door neighbor and the one in the neighbor's yard across the street. I'm out of town a few days this coming week; but I'll call you to make arrangements to pick up new ones as soon as I can. I'm not sure why it happened now, after they've been in my yard and the neighbor's yard across the street, without any problems, since you gave them to me months ago. This week I gave my next door neighbor an extra one I had from the batch you had given me and she had just put it up a few days ago.

Talk to you soon,

Lebo violated the Federal Gun-Free School Zone Act UPDATED

Look how close Rockwood Park is to Foster School. Mt. Lebanon had deer killed with guns in 2006-2008. They violated the Gun-Free School Zone Act. Nothing within 1,000 feet of a school. No amount of paint in soothing colors recommended by John, in the paint department of Rolliers would have made it OK. I was living a nightmare for two f-ing years. I called Tom Kelley in Public Works. I called Steve Feller. I called my commissioner. I was in tears, hearing the gunshots outside my window. Those bastards were breaking the law. Susan Morgans came up to me before a commission meeting and said, "How many times are you going to say the same thing over and over about the deer?" Oh, how I wish I knew this back then:

2007 USDA Activities Report

2008 USDA Activities Report

Reporting was changed to quadrants, rather than specific locations

I announced on NextDoor that if Ward 3 voters wanted another option for commission, to write in my name. I also had a link to my YouTube interview of April 27. Julie Daubner flagged it as inappropriate. Greg Daubner flagged an additional comment, as well. That is what is inappropriate here?

There is a wildlife center in Virginia that takes in dozens of fawns every year and then releases them when they are mature enough to go back into the wild.
http://wildlifecenter.org/critter-corner/current-patients/fawns-2015

Then there is Mt. Lebanon. Four NIMY signs were reported stolen over the weekend. Why? The deer are being killed, as they wanted. Deer are going to be killed until the end of January, year after year. Depending on the vote in January, more killing could go on through March.

Trees are being numbered and cleared out of Twin Hills Park. Why?

 


There are huge broken tree limbs hanging directly over trails. The park is neglected. I have never seen a public park in such hazardous condition anywhere.

The Eagle Scout bridge has graffiti on it.

And only God knows what this is in Twin Hills:

I was driving from Heidelberg today via Swallow Hill >Segar>Lakemont>and past Public Works, praying all the way that I wouldn't see a wounded deer. We shouldn't be living like this.

I am so upset that I sent the following email to the current commissioners, commission candidates, solicitor, and interim manager:

Good riddance to Tom Kelley, Steve Feller, and my former commissioner. I pleaded with them to stop the killing in Rockwood Park. I went through HELL from 2006-2008 when Mt. Lebanon was killing deer next to my house in Rockwood Park. 

Kristen Linfante, as my commissioner, had the audacity to tell me to seek help and advised that I see John in Rolliers' paint department so that he can recommend paint in soothing colors for my basement. 

I had been telling the commission many times over the last ten years how it is unsafe to be killing in Rockwood Park. I also had to put up with Susan Morgans with her snarky question before a commission meeting, "How many more times are you going to say the same thing over and over about the deer?" That was ten years ago. 

Fast forward to 2015. Six candidates on the ballot for commission. Only two are anti-violence. I can't even find an email address for one of the candidates who is pro-kill. You can all sit there in your homes and make these "well thought out" decisions to kill deer, but how many of you have been in a situation where you are lying in bed at night, trying to sleep in a vinyl siding addition with gunshots outside your bedroom window? I had just lost my husband and had no safe place to grieve. Now I find out, what Mt. Lebanon was doing was ILLEGAL! Rockwood Park is almost 716 feet from an elementary school, violating the federal Gun-Free School Zone Act. No guns within 1,000 feet from a school. How dare you! 

I was driving from Heidelberg today via Swallow Hill, Segar, Lakemont, and past Public Works praying that I wouldn't come across a wounded deer. What have you done to Mt. Lebanon?

As I said during Citizen Comments, Killing Anything, Anywhere, by Any Means is a PUBLIC SAFETY ISSUE. Thanks to you, we are afraid to walk our dogs, drive in our cars, and play in parks. How dare you!

Elaine Gillen

Yard Sign Update

It looks as though I will have to place another yard sign order. I am not complaining! I know that we are in this till the end of January, so between the word getting out and the increase of vandalism reports, I better do it soon. Your donation includes free replacements of stolen signs. :)

I do have a favor to ask of the sign supporters. I encourage you to send an email to the Commission that states you have either just posted a sign or have a sign on your property and that the Commission doesn't know your opinion, so a survey should be done of the community. The Commission needs an assessment and it is so easy to do.

New shipment arrived!

Signs arrived!

Want a sign? Email your request to me at EGillen476@aol.com. 

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!} 

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

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.