Deer rally in the news

Mt. Lebanon citizens group planning demonstration today against upcoming deer cull

Mt. Lebanon residents protest shooting of deer

Someone was wearing a black shirt with NOT IN MY YARD printed on it. Does anyone have a photo of this person? Or the name of the person?

One of the people attending the rally saw a bullet casing on the sidewalk at the corner of Cochran and Washington! It was going to be turned over to the Mt. Lebanon police.

Also, a group of high school students came up from the walkway knew NOTHING about any sharpshooting.

Why aren't the principals stepping forward?

Why is it always the protesters' fault?

Yesterday's Trib published a letter submitted by Mt. Lebanon resident, Harvey Bower called, Mt. Lebanon residency embarrassing. Mr. Bower, a Republican turned Democrat, questioned the competency of his party by writing:

Our commissioners, after years of ignoring the problem, can't even get the deer culling right. Who hires a company that needs 11 shots to kill three deer at close range? Most hunters would only need three shots (even at 50 yards). 

Did anybody think to do their due diligence? 

But then, Mr. Bower resorted to blaming protesters for the flubbed attempt to cull the deer population.*

And after this company started the process, our commissioners allowed protesters, one of whom compared the culling to the Holocaust, to break the law by disrupting the process.

Mr. Bower, just as it is your right to submit a letter of opinion to the newspaper, it is also our right to protest. It is not that the commissioners were "allow[ing] protesters," The United States Constitution explicitly provides for "the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances" in the First Amendment. How is having three peaceful protests in front of the Municipal Building and one on Connor Road disrupting the process? If one protester compared the culling to the Holocaust, that is not breaking the law OR disrupting the process.

You said it yourself that Wildlife Specialists needed 11 shots to kill three deer at close range. This company blamed the ammunition, the number of shooters authorized by the PA Game Commission, the weather, the protesters, vandalism, and a police car scaring away deer. The only ones they didn't blame were themselves.

I participated in three of the protests. We never went beyond the No Trespassing signs. We helped clean up the mess that the contractor left behind. We followed the rules and for that we have people like Mrs. Logan, Dr. Narey, Mr. Bower, Ms. Linfante, Ms. Vipperman and others calling us liars and vandals, criticizing the way we are dressed, and blaming us for Benner's failures. We were the ones stopped by police for walking near parks or through church parking lots on sunny Sunday afternoons. We have been treated like criminals. We were silenced. We were treated rudely by the commissioners and staff. Will we ever get apologies? No. Will the commissioners admit that they screwed up? Never. Our commissioners have divided our town. The commissioner leading the charge, resigned as promised to her colleagues, once she got her cull. Mr. Bower, the commissioners should be the ones who are embarrassed. They are the ones governing Mt. Lebanon. They allowed this to happen. They are the ones to blame.

 *'Deer-proofing' expert to offer lessons in Mt. Lebanon

Protest announcement

There will be another protest before Monday's Commission meeting. The protest starts at 5:30 PM in front of the Municipal Building.

Also, I wanted to share my favorite commercial.

Post by Fake Lebo.

Photos from tonight's meeting - UPDATED No Deer Culling in Scott Township!

Anti-Culling Protesters Demonstrate At Mt. Lebanon Meeting

Changes Being Made To Mt. Lebanon Deer Culling Plan

Group protest Mt. Lebanon deer cull proposal

"To a certain degree, almost like cruel fascism," said Jason Margolis a Mt. Lebanon resident. 

Margolis said he's fired up over a plan to kill up to 150 deer in his township to help reduce their population.

He calls the deer cull inhumane and unnecessary. 

"Mostly, a group of elite elitist people who want to protect their precious gardens and are not thinking of the larger community and the larger environment and what's really ethical and moral," said Margolis.

At the 44:26 timestamp of the municipal video, Commissioner Brumfield mentions the chemicals used, and Commissioner Fraasch clarified that no such chemicals are used for sterilization.

Mt. Lebanon tweaks deer-culling plans

Before the discussion session and meeting, she and several dozen others, all bundled in hats and scarfs, gathered along Washington Road with signs of protest as passing motorists honked in support. 

The crowd grew to close to 100 for the 8 p.m. meeting, when more than a dozen spoke against the culling and at least one woman, overwhelmed by emotion, spoke through tears.

Mt. Lebanon residents opposed to deer cull

In the meantime, the municipality is considering expanding its cull to certain private properties. Feller explained that on Feb. 23 he had learned of a federal law that required a 1,000-foot buffer zone around schools. He said a buffer of that size substantially reduced the area that could be used for the corral traps and could jeopardize the cull’s success. 

Properties currently under consideration include Concordia of the South Hills on Bower Hill Road, the Golden LivingCenter on Gilkeson, a wooded area near the municipal swimming pool and a section of Williamsburg Park.

Brian Benner, a wildlife control specialist with Wildlife Services, explained these properties had been identified as areas heavily trafficked by deer. The most recent aerial deer survey found 50 deer in the valley behind Concordia, he said. 

Isn't the valley behind Concordia in Scott Township? Map of Scott Township Isn't there a kindergarden and nursery school at Temple Emmanuel?

Gun-free school zones cut number of Mt. Lebanon baiting sites for deer culling in half

Under the law, parts of McNeilly Park are off-limits because of its proximity to Seton-La Salle. Part of the municipal golf course is too close to Keystone Oaks' Myrtle Elementary, and parts of Bird Park are too close to Markham Elementary, McDonough said. The program also includes municipal conservation land off Connor Road, Robb Hollow Park and Twin Hills Park.

THERE WILL BE NO DEER CULLING IN SCOTT TOWNSHIP 

The following video was sent to me by a Lebo Citizens reader, who tried to rotate but was unsuccessful. The reader hopes that someone with better video editing software would be able to do it. The entire video is available on the municipal website here. This particular exchange starts at the 53:28 time stamp.




Statement from Golden Living - Mt. Lebanon

We appreciate your concern and have issued the following statement to our local media and several other concerned citizens:

Golden LivingCenter – Mt. Lebanon does not authorize deer trapping on our property. Our patients and residents enjoy seeing the wildlife, the deer have a history of being tame, and their presence is seen as a positive part of our patient care environment. To remove the deer in the manner proposed of killing them in sight of our patients would be very emotionally disruptive for our patients and adversely impact their care.


Thank you for your concern and for reaching out.

Best Regards,

Benjamin E Neil, MBA, NHA
Executive Director
Golden Living Center Mt. Lebanon
350 Old Gilkeson Road
Pittsburgh PA 15228
Ph: 412 257 4444
Fax: 412 257 8226

Scott Township votes against deer culling in park bordering Mt. Lebanon

Scott commissioner and attorney Tom Castello said Mt. Lebanon has no legal right to cull deer in the park and that a maintenance and police/fire protection agreement drawn up for the hilly property was never executed.

Scott, senior living center criticize Mt. Lebanon deer cull

Corn Cop/Corral Crew on Connor 

Cull not euthanasia

Robb Hollow Corral

Robb Hollow Trail Camera

Robb Hollow Corral closeup

Mt. Lebanon residents need to calm down about deer

Mt. Lebanon needs to calm down, or soon people there will want to kill all the birds because “they poop on our heads.”

Blame it on pedestrians, Mt. Lebanon. Walking gets increasingly deadly for pedestrians in Pa.

The numbers didn't surprise local police officers. Mt. Lebanon Deputy Chief Aaron Lauth said his community recorded 11 pedestrian-vehicle accidents in 2014. The last fatality was in 2010.

“To be honest, it's 50/50 as far as fault goes between drivers and pedestrians. If the pedestrian is at fault, it's because they're not crossing properly. If the vehicle is at fault, it's usually turning at intersections,” Lauth said. “We tend to have a lot in our business district (on Washington Road). A lot of people think it's speed, but it's not really. It's failure to obey crosswalks and turning vehicles not paying attention.” 

The last pedestrian who died in Mt. Lebanon was Lisa Clay Styles, who was struck as she pushed her children in a stroller while jogging.