Here is DeNicola's and Maddock's proposal

Someone sent me a copy of the June 30 proposal made by Anthony DeNicola and Jody Maddock.

The deer estimates are all over the place. I knew Wildlife Services was back in the picture. They were looking at my blog. USDA Wildlife Services were the killers from 2006-2008. I have an accident report about those clowns on my website, lebocitizens.com. They weren't drug tested, couldn't cite the safety rules, and were known to shoot themselves in the foot or through the floorboard of their trucks.

May I remind you, Ms. Linfante UPDATED 2x

Just had a heated exchange with my commissioner, Kristen Linfante at the microphone tonight. In fact, I left my recorder behind still recording and asked for it to be picked up after the meeting was over.

The topic? Deer culling. I reminded the commission of the firearm safety report and said that I would post it on lebocitizens.com.  I have blogged about it here. In my November 18, 2011 post I have been quiet about deer culling until now. , I shared some painful memories.

At tonight's discussion meeting which was continued after the regular commission meeting, I shared the story about the boy riding his bicycle through the park wearing a black hoodie during the deer culling. Ms. Linfante said that was my opinion.  I prevented an accident AND "THAT WAS MY OPINION."

Ms. Linfante compared Wildlife Services to our police force, who have used their guns in Mt. Lebanon. What an insult to our police force! Wildlife Services used biologists who, according to their own safety report, have shot themselves in the feet, shot out floor boards, and doors.  Read about it here on page 28 of the pdf.  http://www.aphis.usda.gov/wildlife_damage/nwrc/Safety_Review/content/Firearms_Report.pdf

This isn't the first time I have mentioned this report.  I sent a letter to the commissioners on May 30, 2012 and wrote about it here. An open letter to the commissioners As Dave Brumfield mentioned tonight as well as on May 29, 2012, you have not explored all options. What about the area which Dave referenced in Michigan? Will it work here? Who knows? We won't know unless we try it. But you are hell bent on a cull. No matter what. I will scan your presentation, Kristen and share it with my readers. Nice touch showing our tax dollars at work with the impaled deer on Mt. Lebanon Blvd.  How about sharing some photos of our tax dollars at work of the Lindendale deer found dead in someone's front yard after wandering 100 yards before it was discovered the next morning lying in a pool of blood?  I will scan your presentation and upload it here tomorrow.

Goodnight, Kristen.

Update October 10, 2012 4:59 AM As promised, Kristen Linfante's 2013 Deer Management Proposal Warning: Page 7 Impaled buck

Update October 10, 2012 6:08 PM All meeting podcasts have been uploaded on to lebocitizens.com. Heated exchange number one begins at the start of the Commission Meeting, during Citizens Comments. Heated exchange number two begins around 01:21:00 of Commission Discussion Session Part 3.

What is a sharpshooter?

At Tuesday’s Commission meeting during Citizens Comments, I said that Matt Santoni’s article Deer culling program weighed in Mt. Lebanon stated that the USDA was using sharpshooters, where in fact, the USDA hires biologists who are not sharpshooters. I got an email from an outraged reader who said that they are sharpshooters by definition since they were using high powered rifles and are hired to kill deer with as few shots as possible from a distance. I disagree.  If I gave a monkey a high powered rifle with a couple of bullets, that does not make him a sharp shooter. The reader went on to say that there are good sharpshooters and bad sharpshooters, which combines contradictory of terms. I decided to look up the definition of sharpshooter.  According to Merriam -Webster, a sharpshooter is defined as a proficient marksman. The second definition is a consistently accurate shooter (as in basketball).  Thefreedictionary.com defines sharpshooter as 1. One who is highly proficient at shooting and 2. The second military grade of proficiency in the use of rifles and other small arms. 

According to page 28 of the safety report http://www.aphis.usda.gov/wildlife_damage/nwrc/Safety_Review/content/Firearms_Report.pdf, one of the problems defined was that Wildlife Services was faced with the possibility of hiring biologists and field employees with little or no firearm experience due to the shortage of sharpshooters.  This should be a great concern to our commissioner who is a proponent of deer culling. She felt that we could have a deer culling in parks and not on private property.  That is a problem since I reside next to a park.  Kristen Linfante suggested using our parks which are not close to homes. I would be curious to know which parks fit that criteria. 

I hope the reader doesn't get upset when I make this statement.  The article says that the USDA uses night vision goggles.  Hate to say it, but I saw this with my own eyes. They use flashlights.  Sorry.

Don’t get me wrong.  We have a deer problem. Actually, last night, my dog was pushed down the steps and cornered at the bottom of the driveway by a doe who was protecting her newborn fawn. We made an emergency visit to the vet where my dog was treated for cuts and scratches, nothing serious - thank goodness. Two hundred dollars later, I still understand that the deer was doing what mothers do naturally. 

This brings us to the Deer Management Town Hall Meeting that will be held on Monday, July 9 at 7 p.m. in the Commission Chambers. All I hear is that something has to be done, but what?  Bring your ideas to the special town hall meeting. Please don’t suggest introducing mountain lions to the community.  Commissioner Brumfield cracks up every time he hears that option.  I agree, not a good option.

An open letter to the commissioners

Commissioners,

As promised, I am sending the USDA APHIS Wildlife Services Firearm Safety Review.   http://www.aphis.usda.gov/wildlife_damage/nwrc/Safety_Review/content/Firearms_Report.pdf I don't think I saw this in your deer management status report. It was discussed at length during several meetings. I had sent this to the prior commission.

Seven accidents were reported, from shooters shooting themselves in the foot to shooting through floor boards of their vehicles, all classified as Negligience, Ignorance or Carelessness.  On page 9, only 2% were randomly drug tested. Page 13, "firearm safety incidents were perceived as "no big deal." Check out page 14, 100% of the employees could not list all four WS fundamental gun safety rules. Notice on page 28, "Wildlife Services is being faced with the possibility of hiring Biologists or Field Employees with little or no firearm experience." THEY ARE NOT SHARPSHOOTERS!   As Tom Kelley reported last night, Wildlife Services shot from the back of pick up trucks. Page 30 indicates that WS Directives should clearly address whether shooting out of vehicles is allowed.  The recommendation is terra firma.

Now let's bring this back to Mt. Lebanon. Wildlife Services provided no insurance.  They take no responsibility. It would have been Mt. Lebanon's responsibility. As Dan Miller said, he would never use Wildlife Services again. They mishandled the Lindendale incident.  They lied to our police. They lost all credibility with our former commission. Craig Swope, from Wildlife Services was asked every year by Dale Colby, were there ever any accidents and Craig Swope would answer, "No sir."  I found SEVEN.

Kristen, you are doing a great disservice to the community by "reinventing the wheel." We have spent thousands of dollars doing surveys and studies on deer culling. As Dave Brumfield suggested last night, you have not explored all options. We know that there are deer here.  You will NEVER get rid of every single one. The ones that are permitted to stay could be the ones that jump in front of cars. They could be eating your neighbors' hosta (which by the way are their favorite food, so why plant hosta?) You mention that there was a herd of deer in Rockwood Park, which as you know is next to my house.  Come over some time and look at my untouched hosta. If there are so many and hosta are their favorite food, why are mine untouched? You are afraid of guns, Kristen? Try having men literally outside your bedroom window shooting deer. 

Elaine Gillen

Update May 30, 2012 12:10 pm
From: Kristen Linfante <klinfante@mtlebanon.org>
To: egillen476 <egillen476@aol.com>
Sent: Wed, May 30, 2012 11:22 am
Subject: Re:

Thanks for the link, Elaine.
Kristen

Update May 30, 2012 4:44 pm
From: Kelly Fraasch <kfraasch@mtlebanon.org>
Date: Wed, May 30, 2012 at 4:12 PM
Subject: Re:
To: commission@mtlebanon.org, "Weis, Philip" <philip.weis@bipc.com>, Stephen Feller <sfeller@mtlebanon.org>, Tom Kelley <tkelley@mtlebanon.org>

Ms. Gillen,

Thank you for the information.

I do think we made a positive step forward last night by having all present Commissioners share support in having Phil draft an ordinance against the feeding of deer.

I firmly believe we need to stop feeding the deer immediately.  It's truly not helping the deer and actually hurting them in the long-term.  Not to mention, putting humans and deer at risk.

Secondly, I do have safety concerns about culling. 

I've had lengthy conversations with the previous Ward 5 Commissioner and find that services rendered for culling were alarming at best.

As a community, we can do better to co-exist with our wildlife and I would like to invest in those methods and educate our community before jumping into a management program.

Kelly

I have been quiet about the deer culling until now.

I was at the Budget Hearing on Monday night and listened to the speakers who were pro deer culling and those who were against a deer culling. Then I read the article in the PG.  Mt. Lebanon again at odds over deer population. It brought back painful memories. 

Since deer were killed right next to my house two years in a row, I remember the sleepless nights I had from November until April waiting for the gunshots.  They were loud.  I remember being afraid to let my dog out at night for fear I would see something I would regret seeing for the rest of my life. I remember seeing the pick up truck speeding towards the park with a man standing in the back aiming his high powered rifle at deer in a park that was used for residents who had no driveways and worked night shift.  I remember screaming at a high school student returning to his home at 10 PM, who was riding his bike through the park and wearing a black hoodie during the deer culling.  I remember begging for a heads up when Wildlife Services would be in the area and was told that I couldn't get that information.  All I wanted to do was leave my home, not stage a protest.  I remember lying in bed in my vinyl siding addition hoping that any deer shot, didn't take off towards my house knowing the shooters would continue to shoot.  I remember the non English speaking woman who had just moved from her homeland, not knowing how to contact the police and was in tears because it reminded her of her country that was at war.  I remember the endless emails I sent to my commissioner and then finally to all the commissioners begging for them to stop the shooting next to my house.  I remember crying on the phone to Tom Kelley, only to hear that he was acting on commissioners' orders.  I remember hearing the stories of deer gasping for air after being shot.  I remember seeing Wildlife Services baiting with rotten apples in the same place where children went sled riding that night.  I remember speaking at meeting after meeting saying how the deer culling was unsafe.  I remember Susan Morgans asking me, "How many times are you going to say the same thing?" My last time at the microphone was when I presented the accident report of at least seven accidents that Wildlife Services failed to report to President Colby when he asked if there were any accidents.  I remember witnessing Dan Miller interrogating Wildlife Services about counting bullets after the Lindendale deer traveled 100 yards and bled to death in the front yard of one of his constituents.  I remember how angry I was at the people who could afford landscapers, and yet wanted to use public money to shoot deer next to my house. 

That was a time I do not want to relive.