Showing posts with label White Buffalo. Show all posts
Showing posts with label White Buffalo. Show all posts

Friday, July 20, 2018

DeNicola loses out

The commission's agendas for Monday, July 23, 2018 have been posted.

Discussion session
Adjourned meeting

Consideration of a proposal for professional deer management services. The Municipality received proposals from two organizations for the provision of services to manage the hunters participating in the deer management program for the 2018-2019 archery season. The proposals are as follows:

 Bid Items
Suburban Wildlife Management Solutions $8,000
White Buffalo $9,000

Municipal staff has reviewed the proposals and deemed the low bid to be accurate. Recommended Action: Move to authorize the proper officials to execute the contract with Suburban Wildlife Management Solutions, LLC for deer management services utilizing archery for the 2018-2019 season.

The archery season for 2018-2019 is  Sept. 15- Nov. 24 and Dec. 26 - Jan. 26, 2019.

A little background on Suburban Wildlife Management Solutions. They can take the Wild Out of Your Life. Animal control is offered for skunks, ground hogs, raccoon, mink, muskrat, opossum, woodchuck, beaver, fox, coyote, rabbit, squirrel, mice, rats, chipmunk, and others! I wonder how the PA Game Commission feels about them. Deer was not listed.

White Buffalo archery results for 2017-2018 25 deer killed at a cost of $360 per deer. Tony DeNicola's White Buffalo charged Mt. Lebanon taxpayers $1352.81 PER DEER for their "sharpshooting" program. Original cost was estimated to be between $200-$300 per deer.

Tuesday, November 28, 2017

"Sharpshooting" 2018

I watched enough of last night's commission meeting to know that I had to file a Right To know for the proposal and contract between White Buffalo and Mt. Lebanon.

Kelly Fraasch made a point to voice her opinion about the cost of this program. Not only is she against the "sharpshooting" program in general, she thought the cost of $771.10 per deer for up to 100 deer was outrageous. When the commissioners first came up with the idea that we had too many deer in Mt. Lebanon, the cost was estimated to be around $250 per deer.

The vote was 3 to 1 in favor of continuing the deer killing program. Dave Brumfield checked with Steve McLean and Craig Grella before he voted yes. Steve "Fiscally Responsible" McLean supported it. We're still waiting for Craig's decision to be published.

Friday, January 27, 2017

Bullets never cross sidewalks. UPDATED

Pearls of wisdom from Keith.
Parents and teachers may want to tell children to avoid the designated parks after dark and suggest they use sidewalks/established safe walking routes instead of shortcuts through private properties.
Since no accidents occurred last year, the message is that they will continue until one does occur. Talk about dodging a bullet.


Parents received their annual C.Y.A. from Timmy and Keith this morning.  

From: Dr. Timothy Steinhauer <noreply@mtlsd.net>
Sent: Friday, January 27, 2017 10:01 AM
To: Mt. Lebanon Parent
Subject: Updated Deer Management Information

Dear Mt. Lebanon School District Families,
In our ongoing effort to keep you apprised of local issues, I am sending you information that I received from the Mt. Lebanon Municipality concerning the upcoming cull beginning on February 1 through March 31 of 2017.  I have attached a letter from Municipal Manger Keith McGill with details about the program and a link to more extensive information on the Municipal website at http://www.mtlebanon.org/2114/Deer-Management-Information. This same information is also being shared with all of our principals, teachers, and support staff. Please do not hesitate to contact the Mt. Lebanon Municipality or Mt. Lebanon Police Department should you have any questions.

Sincerely,

Timothy J. Steinhauer, Ed.D.
Superintendent of Schools
Municipal Deer Management Letter 012317.pdf

The January 23, 2017 Municipal Deer Management Letter may be viewed HERE without downloading it.

Don't you just love what Keith says in his last paragraph?
Thank you for your help in promoting public safety. More information is available at www.mtlebanon.org by following the link on the homepage under Trending Now: Deer Management Information.
Just don't ask where those areas are. It costs thousands of dollars to try to find out. "Help in promoting public safety" translates to "It is none of your business where the killing is taking place."
Also, we'll find out how many deer were killed in the last archery program - 25% into the "sharpshooting" program - at the February 14, 2017 commission meeting, Valentines Day.

Update January 28, 2017 3:36 AM Last year's C.Y.A. letter was posted here on Lebo Citizens. Less details this year. No hours listed, no correct or incorrect FAQ attached, and the turnaround time to notify parents was four days.

The 2017 executed (or is it execution?) contract for "sharpshooting" has been posted on the municipal site and here on Lebo Citizens. Note: The municipal link is the direct link to the contract. It is hidden by scrolling through "Trending Now, " > Deer Management Information posted on July 20, 2016 > Additional Info...Mt. Lebanon wouldn't want any of the killing information on the Home page. 

Thursday, January 26, 2017

The best commission president ever UPDATED

I have always been a Dan Miller supporter. I Heart Dan Miller  He is a huge advocate of government transparency. Dan has had two informational sessions on government transparency and the PA Sunshine Law. I appreciated how he kept up his blog during his tenure as Mt. Lebanon Commissioner. (He deserves a capital C.) Joint steering committee meetings ended with the school board because they were not open to the public. Dan took control of the municipal budget with his series of commission financial reforms. He was totally engaged during all commission meetings. I voted for Dan on May 21, 2013 in the special election to replace Matt Smith as State Representative. I have voted for Dan Miller in every election since then. With that being said, I have not always agreed with Dan on every issue. His opinion piece in The Almanac is one of those times.


Yes, I reprinted Dan's opinion piece on Monday, January 23, 2017 here, but it wasn't until I saw the actual newspaper, that I had second thoughts. Three quarters of the page in The Almanac was allocated to Dan's opinion piece. I agree that sounds trivial, but I have never seen Dan publicly disagree with our present commission, when he had many opportunities to do so.

Dan was commission president when he tore into USDA Wildlife Service's Craig Swope over shooting deer in Mt. Lebanon. He argued that once a bullet leaves its chamber, there is no control over that bullet. Dan was very passionate about counting bullets. Yet, when constituents, including myself, went to Dan about the deer killing, he said that he couldn't do anything about it. Now, we have commissioners who don't want to know anything about the deer "management" program. They have hired killers to take care of everything and refuse to even learn what kind of bait is being used. Have a problem with the deer? Don't come to us, they say. Contact White Buffalo. Brumfield had the nerve to say in today's The Almanac, “We are not trying to keep internal municipal discussions private,” ironically printed on the back of Dan Miller's guest column.

Our commission has taken a 180ยบ turn since Dan Miller left office. There is no transparency. There is no financial reform. Commissioners do not blog regularly, keeping constituents informed. Commissioners give carte blanche to anyone holding a weapon. It has all gone to hell. 

Transparency, financial reform, safety, and education for children with disabilities are all important issues, but the only one that Dan felt compelled to write about was Trump's choice for Secretary of Education. Nothing is ever said about his commissioners. That is disappointing.

Tuesday, July 12, 2016

Triple J is history UPDATED

Jody Jodi Joe D. Maddock will not be heading the archery program this year. It appears that Mt. Lebanon is going to get the head honcho of White Buffalo, the patent holder of corn and apples - Dr. Tony DeNicola. Tony will be charging us $9,000 to vet the volunteer archers. I'm not sure what went wrong. The purpose of having Triple J last year was to lay the ground work for future archery programs by introducing the archers to the residents who wanted deer killed on their properties.

Car/deer collisions were at an all time high this year. Here are the numbers:

From Jan. 1 - June 30, 2016 47 car/deer collisions
From Jan. 1 - June 30, 2015 18 car/deer collisions
From Jan. 1 - June 30, 2014 17 car/deer collisions
From Jan. 1 - June 30, 2013 19 car/deer collisions

It couldn't be because deer were being hunted from September through March and tend to run frantically into streets during those times, could it? No, of course not. We must kill more deer is the Mt. Lebanon Municipal mantra.

I believe the commissioners will be voting on the $9,000 archery program on August 9.

Update July 13, 2016 11:10 AM A court ordered conciliatory meeting between Scott Township and Mt. Lebanon over killing rights in Twin Hills will take place on Tuesday, July 26, 2016 at 11:00 AM in the City-County Building on Grant Street. That should be interesting. MTL is NOT backing down. They are planning to kill deer in Twin Hills this fall.

Wednesday, February 17, 2016

Gotta love the PIO

 Gotta love the Public Information Office.
From: LeboALERT <noreply@mtlebanon.org> To: EGillen476 <EGillen476@aol.com>Sent: Tue, Feb 16, 2016 4:05 pmSubject: LeboALERT: Deer culling utilizi...
This is an important notice from LeboALERT.

Deer culling utilizing sharpshooting will be conducted in February and March. Please visit http://www.mtlebanon.org/index.aspx?nid=2114 for more info.
No hours, no locations. No dates.

I emailed the commissioners, asking if there is a character limit with LeboALERTs like there is with Twitter. No response. I sincerely would like to know.

I am still trying to find out what kind of bait White Buffalo is using. Is WB using apples like the USDA used or are they using corn like Merlin the Magnificent used? Has anyone seen any bait stations?

I always think of this when I see "WB." sigh.


For those keeping track, here is the updated "Ongoing Deer Incident Report." Note the increase of deer hit by cars during Archery Season. We told the commissioners that this would happen. sigh. again.

Friday, December 18, 2015

"The Force is Strong"

I am not the only filing Right To Knows demanding transparency from our municipality. Another Jedi Master filed Right To Knows requesting information concerning the White Buffalo Sharpshooting Program.

The contract in NOT available on the municipal website. So much for open and transparent government.

Game Commission Sharpshooting Application

Special Permit Resubmission Deer Management Plan

Special Permit Application Resubmission 11/9/15

White Buffalo Fully Executed Contract

Sunday, October 25, 2015

Tony's Picks for Killing

I have been looking at the White Buffalo proposal to kill up to 150 deer. The public locations under consideration are:







Taking into account the Federal Gun-Free School Zone Act, I have taken some screen shots of Tony's picks for killing.

Golf Course:
Myrtle Ave through the center of golf course
Myrtle to the wooded area of golf course







Mt. Lebanon Montessori and Academy along wooded area

Sorry Howe School. You're one ft. too far away.

McNeilly Park:







Robb Hollow Park:




 Public Works:

Twin Hills:

Which brings us to the costs...


The first part includes planning, communication, education, and permitting for a total of $13,080. This was approved by our illustrious commissioners at the October 13 meeting.

The second part is based on killing up to 150 deer. The total cost before processing is $52,670. If 150 deer are killed, the cost per deer is $351. If only six deer are killed, the cost is $8,778 per deer. And when the public properties are eliminated because of the Federal Gun-Free School Zones, the cost to kill six deer on PRIVATE property will be $8,778 per deer.

It gets better. Tony is estimating $100 per deer for processing. What he fails to tell us is that if the meat is donated to Hunters Sharing The Harvest, all processing costs are waived.

Monday, October 12, 2015

Shooting from someone's backyard deck



Two people videotaped Tony DeNicola stationed on a backyard deck in Solon, Ohio. You hear gun shots and the videographers identify the deer that has been shot. This is what Mt Lebanon is getting into with sharpshooting.

Tuesday, September 29, 2015

Tony's got it covered

Dr. Tony DeNicola is one-stop shopping. He does it all. Archery, sharp shooting, and sterilization. You name it - Tony's your man.

Tony's company, White Buffalo, was the only company to submit a proposal for sharp shooting by 10:00 AM yesterday morning.

White Buffalo, the firm who is coordinating the archers in Mt. Lebanon, won't release the number of kills until the end of January.
“If I start announcing numbers, it causes problems. I wait until the end of the season,” Maddock said on Monday. [Problems for whom?]

Jody Maddock, a.k.a. Jodi, a.k.a. Joe D., a.k.a. The Lion King confirmed 
"killing an African lion as displayed on the web site of a New York taxidermist.
Maddock said he killed the lion in a legal archery hunt in South Africa. 'There's no there there,' he said."
Read more: Mt. Lebanon considers sharpshooters to help thin deer herd  

White Buffalo submitted the following sterilization proposal to Clifton, a neighborhood of Cincinnati, OH. It was approved. http://cliftondeer.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/Sterilization-Proposal-3-March-2015.pdf

Read more: 
 Mt. Lebanon still mulling sharpshooting program to reduce deer population

Mt. Lebanon could add sharpshooting to deer management


Sunday, September 27, 2015

Jody, Jodi, Joe D. UPDATED

For the record: Cary Grant never said, "Judy, Judy, Judy."



What is the density in these areas? Zero? Just like Mt. Lebanon - 5,500 people per square mile.

Update September 28, 2015 10:02 PM The deadline for the RFP for sharpshooting was 10:00 AM this morning. Mt. Lebanon only heard from one firm. Guess who? White Buffalo. sigh. Coleen Vuono wanted to vote tonight on sharpshooting. Of course.


Monday, September 21, 2015

A disturbing admission UPDATED

I have been trying to catch up on all my emails and found this very disturbing admission.

On Wed, Sep 16, 2015 at 6:49 PM, Mt. Lebanon Deer Program <mtlebodeer@whitebuffaloinc.org> wrote: 

[Name redacted]
Thanks for reaching out. I am happy to let you know that Chris Double is not one of our program hunters. We are starting with a very small group this year and there are more hunters who already hunt the township than we have in our program. We have no control over the hunting that is already legally taking place within the township.

Please let me know if I can help in any way.

Best,


Vickie DeNicola

 

Mt. Lebanon Deer Program   |    White Buffalo Inc. 


Find Us:  whitebuffaloinc.org  |  Facebook  |  LinkedIn 

Update September 21, 2015 10:09 AM What could possibly go wrong? A Lebo Citizens reader discovered a camper on private property near the golf course, while on a search for tree stands last night. The young man was unaware of any archery activities that were going to begin this morning. The Lebo Citizen reader reported this discovery to the police last night. As of this morning, the camper was still there.


Sunday, August 23, 2015

White Buffalo and John Hayes are encouraging INDEPENDENT archers to continue

It is getting to the point where I dread Sundays. What crap will the PG's John Hayes report next? Hayes didn't let me down. More crap is in today's Deer reduction redux: Mt. Lebanon tries managed archery to remove deer

Hayes starts out his propaganda with a woman who had called him on the phone. "Great," I thought. "He's going to write about the poor woman I met at the informational meeting who called Hayes with concerns about killing deer." Nope. No such luck. However, I delivered a "Not in My Yard" sign to her the next day.

More crap like this:
Infrared aerial photo counts of deer, which Mt. Lebanon has used, are notoriously unreliable but most commissioners say overwhelming anecdotal evidence has convinced them the community has a deer problem.
And this:
discrete archers have been quietly and legally dragging out deer for decades.
Kristen Linfante's replacement, Coleen Vuono told John Hayes that she received an email from a resident saying that there were eight deer walking down a residential street. My response would have been, "How long ago?" and "Seeing eight deer in Mt. Lebanon does not justify five months of killing deer."

Hayes posted a series of Q and A's from "independent hunters."

Will hunters who are not with White Buffalo be banned from Mt. Lebanon?

Can’t happen. Legal deer hunting already occurs on private property in Mt. Lebanon, and Maddock said he doesn’t want those hunters to stop. At the landowners meeting, he said he would not put stands on properties that are already being legally hunted, and he’s attempting to coordinate with independent hunters and urge them to shoot more does.

Do independent archers have to follow White Buffalo rules?

No. Neither White Buffalo nor Mt. Lebanon can set hunting laws, which are determined by the state legislature, or regulations set by the Game Commission. Participants in the managed hunt voluntarilywill exceed those restrictions.

Are the golf course and parks the sole domain of White Buffalo?

Like any other landowner, the municipality can let anyone it wants onto its property and keep the rest out. Most of the White Buffalo hunt will occur on private land with the owners’ consent, but some stands may be placed in municipal parks.

What if a deer takes an arrow and falls in somebody’s yard?

Same rule applies to everyone. Neither hunters nor police can enter private property without the owner’s permission, even to retrieve a lawfully killed animal. Only a Game Commission wildlife conservation officer can enter a property without permission to retrieve hunter-shot game.

Will there be a major outcry when a blood trail is spotted on Washington Road?

You bet. It’s Mt. Lebanon — expect a major outcry no matter what happens.

****

A second shipment of yard signs are due tomorrow. I have a waiting list of requests. Word has gotten out and I'm starting to hear from residents in Scott and Baldwin Twp., who live just outside the Mt. Lebanon borders. Scott Township commissioners have been notified of possible "legal hunts" in Twin Hills Park, located in Scott Township.

John Hayes is doing his best to promote Mt. Lebanon as THE place to hunt. What is up with this guy?

Sunday, August 9, 2015

Coming to Lebo UPDATED














The commission is considering "sharpshooting"* next. Coleen Vuono wanted it approved at the last commission meeting which is against protocol. Steve Silverman supported Coleen, while John Bendel will consider it. Thanks to Coleen (Kristen's appointed replacement), Wildlife Services is on Tuesday's Commission Discussion Session Agenda.




"Sharpshooting"* is what the prokill people are now demanding. See And the Darwin Award goes to MTL Resident Becky McDermott UPDATED Kristen Linfante pushed for "sharpshooting."* Mt. Lebanon veterans Bill Hoon, Dan Miller, and Jim Cannon all spoke publicly on this issue and agree with the statement above, "No expert could ever say shooting in a residential area is safe. There is little control. And once that bullet leaves the rifle, there's no way to get it back."

It is not going to stop anytime soon. All Wards 1 and 3 Commission Candidates are for "sharpshooting"* in Mt. Lebanon. This is what is coming next, Folks. 


*To call this "sharpshooting" is a misnomer. 

Stop Mt. Lebanon's Violent Plan To Kill Deer




Update August 9, 2015 1:36 PM The June 26, 2015 proposal made by Wildlife Services has never been made public. I posted it here on Lebo Citizens on July 12, 2015, in the post Here is DeNicola's and Maddock's Proposal.  A direct link to Wildlife Service's June 26, 2015 proposal is here. Using bait, Wildlife Services estimates that the cost of killing up to 150 deer for 20 nights will cost Mt. Lebanon taxpayers $89,513.50.

Friday, October 4, 2013

The 100 Year [Lebo] Storm

Tuesday's Commission meetings should go down as the most controversial meetings of our 100 year history. Here is the agenda for Tuesday's Discussion Session:


Discussion Session – Tuesday, October 8, 2013
Open Discussion Session (Room C)
6:20 P.M.
1. Deer: 
Wildlife biologist with White Buffalo
6:45 P.M.
2. Brafferton Field bids.
6:55 P.M.
3. Financial planning review: 
Financial trends 
Overview of municipal debt 
Proposed CIP for 2014-2018 
Proposed user fee schedule for 2014 
Proposed equipment replacement schedule
7:15 P.M.
4. Update on Academy Avenue parking and traffic.
7:25 P.M.
5. Pay as you throw.
7:35 P.M.
6. Dog park.
7:40 P.M.
7. Invasive species in parks.
7:45 P.M.
8. Commission liaison activities.
7:50 P.M.
9. Review of Regular Agenda.

Citizen Comments will begin at 8 PM during the regular Commission meeting. The Commission Meeting agenda is here. It's is going to be a late night.

Our commissioners want to do business with these people?

On Tuesday, White Buffalo is scheduled to speak at the Commission Discussion Session. You might recall that the commissioners were going to have a conference call with "Tony" DiNicola at the last commission discussion session, but that phone call never took place. There was no cellular service thirty miles off the coast of Virginia. In my opinion, that was a blessing.

What I am about to share with you is the kind of work White Buffalo does. If the deer does not die from one shot, they suffocate it by placing a plastic bag over the deer's head. Starting in 2004, White Buffalo was hired to cull deer in the Akron, Ohio area. I have not watched (and never will) the video that is linked to this web page. http://www.sharkonline.org/index.php/akroncruelty-com

The following article appeared in The Blade, a Toledo newspaper, five plus years later http://www.toledoblade.com/local/2009/11/15/Favored-firm-for-deer-cull-accused-of-cruel-methods.html

In another lawsuit, a woman from Solon, Ohio sued White Buffalo, the city of Solon, and Anthony DiNicola and won. http://www.stltoday.com/suburban-journals/metro/news/stevepokin/pokin-around-if-deer-kill-protestors-cause-delay-the-city/article_23694fc8-836f-5f0d-81ff-4a76f938fa38.html
At the time, Geiger was what you would call an activist. Solon's public works director described her in a different way in a memo he wrote that found its way into the court file. He called her and others "nut cases."
I guess that is what I would be called. Nut case.

Has White Buffalo ever worked in a confined space like Mt. Lebanon? Do three of our adjoining lots total five acres or more?

Traci Cardenas, a leader of the Town and Country protest, says her concern is safety. The city has used White Buffalo in the past and required that sharpshooters work on land that is at least 10 contiguous acres. That has now been lowered to five acres, meaning three adjoining property owners with a total of five acres can OK a sharpshooter.

This is an accident waiting to happen. Why subject our residents and our deer to such inhumane activities? Why can't we just do sterilization?  It is safer. It is less controversial. There is grant money available. It is a no-brainer.

Tuesday, September 24, 2013

A topic that takes everything out of me UPDATED 3X

Last night, the first topic on the agenda for the Discussion Session was deer.  A conference call with White Buffalo's wildlife biologist, Anthony DeNicola was scheduled. Unfortunately, that call did not take place since "Tony" was on an island thirty miles off of Virginia and could not get a signal from the cell phone that was flown to him. He did send a report to the commission which Tom Kelley shared at the meeting.

Since this is my blog, I will point out what I believe are his most significant findings. Mt. Lebanon can biologically support many more deer. Socially, it is up to the community what it will support. I liked how Tom Kelley made the point of saying "dead deer" reports vs. Kristen's "deer incident" report, which included sightings of deer in yards.

To reduce the deer population, it would be in two phases:

  • Phase 1 Reduce the population through culling and sterilization
  • Phase 2 Reduce the population through culling and sterilization


Their cost for sterilization would be $1000 per deer. Cost for culling would be between $200 to $400 plus a $75 processing fee per deer. Sterilization would be more cost effective in the long run since unsterilized deer could produce 2-3 fawns per year.

Kristen reported that Tony felt that there were many more deer than what the aerial survey showed. I am not sure how that is.

Matt Kluck said that the report shows in black and white that Mt. Lebanon could support many more deer.

Kelly Fraasch asked when the commission could have a conference call with Maryland. http://www.deerfriendly.com/deer-population-control Maryland has had a successful nonlethal program using surgical sterilization.

Dave Brumfield prefers sterilization because it is safer. I would think Kristen would too, since she felt that dogs on leashes in Williamsburg was unsafe.

I have uploaded the podcast from last night's discussion session. It is available here. The podcast begins with deer.

Update September 24, 2013 11:42 PM Please click on the link I have provided in the blog post. Scroll down a bit and you will see Kelly's four page document on "Deer in Mt. Lebanon." It is linked to my Google Docs.

Mt. Lebanon hiring firm to count deer February 7, 2013 Pennsylvania, Pittsburgh Post Gazette
... [Commisioner] Mrs. Fraasch has composed and posted online a four-page document, "Deer in Mt. Lebanon [PDF]," ... she expresses her opposition to hunting by rifle or bow, instead favoring sterilization by removal of does' ovaries as a viable option. She cites a significant cost savings over the long term and mitigation of some hazards associated with culling...

Update September 24, 2013 1:33 PM Here is a copy of the White Tailed Deer Population Control Options presented by Tom Kelley at last night's meeting.

Update September 26, 2013 9:15 AM Speaking of Bibles (see 10:43 PM), there is this.