Shooting in our neighborhoods UPDATED 06.12.19

Our commissioners promised us that it would only be for five years or until the deer/car collisions were reduced by 50%. Gee, is anyone even tracking that now? I haven't seen a report of its kind in several years.
-Elaine

Subject: Shooting in our neighborhoods - Give Public Comment This month, June 11th 8PM
From: a Mt Lebanon Resident for Safe Neighborhoods

Good afternoon Everyone,

I hope this message finds you well.

As you are all aware, the Mt. Lebanon Commissioners have voted annually to spend tax payers’ money to receive a SHOOTING Setback SAFETY WAIVER from the Pennsylvania Game Commission so that they can discharge guns in unknown locations in our parks and in private yards through out our community.  If they don't hear from citizens against it, they will likely blindly continue the program.  Commissioner Fraasch has been the only one over recent years to vote against this program because of the obvious Safety Issue it presents and this is her last year on the Board.

The topic of Deer Management is currently scheduled for the commissioners discussion meeting on June 11th at 6pm.

There is no place within our densely populated community that qualifies under the Game Commission's 150 yards set back safety requirement to shoot guns at animals; Our commissioners request and receive a permit from the State to WAIVE THE HUNTING SAFETY SETBACK REQUIREMENTS so that they can hire outside contractors to shoot rifles without any Safety Setbacks in our public parks and in private yards with permission from only the yard owner!

Use of our tax money to discharge high powered rifles to kill deer around our homes is an accident waiting to happen - Human Error with a gun can happen! 

Further, isn't it ironic that the same company that says Mt Lebanon should shoot deer, gets PAID to shoot deer?  Where's the Oversight??

Other organizations who have suggested alternatives to shooting have been ignored.

Moreover, while they will have you believe that shooting deer is the answer to everyone's issues who complain about seeing deer, science has proven that the rebound effect is real; i.e. once you reduce a population unnaturally, the deer have more food and will have multiple births; i.e. more deer - further other deer just infill where the others were shot.

Let the COMMISSIONERS know you're against the continuation of this Dangerous, Expensive program - They assume everyone is happy with this program ... let them know you're not!  We also have one newer commissioner, Craig Garella, who replaced Dave Brumfield last year.  Let him know what you think of the program.... DON'T LET YOUR VOICES GO UNHEARD!

Please Speak during public comment  at 8:00 pm at the upcoming Commissioner meeting on June 11th.

Commission Chambers, Mt. Lebanon Municipal Building, 710 Washington Rd, Mt. Lebanon, PA 15228

Email your Commissioners:

commission@mtlebanon.org

jbendel@mtlebanon.org

smclean@mtlebanon.org

ssilverman@mtlebanon.org

cgrella@mtlebanon.org

kfraasch@mtlebanon.org

Call them too:

https://mtlebanon.org/28/Commissioners

Thank you for your attention to this grave matter.

Update: June 12, 2019 8:21 PM Review of deer management presented in Mt. Lebanon

Commission actions to reduce dvcs UPDATED

The following email was reprinted with the author's permission.

 
Date: Tue, Oct 27, 2015 at 10:29 AM
Subject: Commission actions to reduce dvcs
To: Commission <commission@mtlebanon.org>, Keith Mcgill <kmcgill@mtlebanon.org>


Commissioners,

I would like to ask what specific actions the municipality is currently taking -- other than discussing the need to kill deer  -- to reduce deer vehicle collisions by 50% over the next few years.

When I spoke at last night's meeting, I emphasized the direct and well established correlation between deer mating season, which is going on right now, and increased deer vehicle collisions (nearly half of PA dvcs occur in Oct or Nov alone).  Articles educating motorists of the increased likelihood of dvcs this time of year are being put out by newspapers, the Game Commission, insurance companies, and PennDOT.  Yet, I have seen or heard nothing from the municipality in the way of driver education on this matter despite your insistence that deer-vehicle collisions are such a pressing safety matter that it justifies bringing hunters and guns into our community for the sake of public safety.

The deer are one factor in deer-vehicle collisions. Surely there are others?  Drivers play an important -- and more influential -- role, and roadway conditions are important too. Those are factors we can have some influence on.  The Game Commission, PennDOT, and insurance companies all focus on public education to try to reduce dvcs.  In contrast, it seems to me that our municipality is focusing only on killing deer, even when sterilization could impact this problem directly as it would eliminate much of the mating-related behavior that is responsible for many dvcs.  

Maybe I am mistaken, and there are other actions being taken right now.  Could you please identify what those actions might be and how/where they are being implemented?

Thank you.

Sincerely,

Barbara Alsko

Update October 27, 2015 5:25 PM Thank you, Barb!

From: LeboALERT <noreply@mtlebanon.org>
Date: Tue, Oct 27, 2015 at 3:46 PM
Subject: LeboALERT: Deer are very active...
To: EGillen476@aol.com

This is an important notice from LeboALERT.

Deer are very active now.  Please drive carefully to avoid crashes.  Find tips  on deer behavior and safe driving at www.mtlebanon.org.

We don't have a deer problem; we have a commission problem

Mt. Lebanon resident and Ward 5 candidate, William Hoon wrote the following letter to the editor of the Post-Gazette. 

Letter to South Suburban editor: Deer numbers in Mt. Lebanon

Our commission wants a nice tidy box to cram the “deer problem” into, tie it up with a pretty bow and get on with killing action number four. Their premises are completely wrong, as is their goal of reducing dead deer on our roads by 50% over five years. What does that even mean? Our problem is not deer in Mt. Lebanon but rather an inept, poorly informed commission. They all need to be replaced.

At the last commission meeting, Mt. Lebanon resident and Lebo Citizens reader, David Fusco presented this information during Citizen Comments.

- Deer-related accidents in Mt. Lebanon are down 35% in 2015 (19 accidents through June 30 based on MTL deer report projected out to 38 for the year compared to 58 last year). 

- PA residents have 1:71 chance of being in a deer-related accident (State Farm Insurance Report). 

- Mt. Lebanon residents currently have a 1:655 chance of being in a deer-related accident (2010 population x .65 [residents over 18 and presumed driving] divided by 38 [2015 projected accidents]). 

- Upper St. Clair residents have a 1:190 chance of being in a deer-related accident (based on above formula applied to USC data and 73 accidents in 2014 based on the Commission's June 22 presentation). 

- There are 10.4 deer-related accidents per square mile in USC (9.6 sq. mi. divided by 73). 

- There are 6.3 deer-related accidents per square mile in MTL (6.06 sq. mi. divided by 38). 

- If the Commission achieves a 50% reduction over 2014 numbers (down to 29 per year), that would translate to a 1:859 chance of a MTL resident being in a deer related accident. Compared to the national data, that would rank us 47 (between DC and Florida) despite PA being one of the largest natural habitats for white-tailed deer in the country. It would also reduce the number of accidents to 4.8 accidents per sq. mi. 

- An arrow from a bow can travel over 300 yards per an article testing distance from Cabela's. (Admittedly this would have to be a misfire/accident, but any such chance is not warranted on the vehicle data). 

- And lastly, the Commission's presentation from June 22 explicitly dispels the myth that deer are involved in the transmission of Lyme disease as I quoted. The above data demonstrates that the Commission's proposed program is not supported by deer-related accident data. In reality, achieving the stated goal of a 50% reduction in accidents would likely require near eradication of the deer population. And that appears to be what supporters are seeking as anything less would not prevent the concerns raised by so many related to gardens and "potential" deer-related accidents. Unfortunately, it simply appears that many residents do not believe deer have any place in urban residential communities - even ones that have essentially been built in the middle of the forest.

Mr. Fusco also sent me a link to a website which discusses State Farm's data. DRIVERS BEWARE: THE ODDS AREN'T IN YOUR FAVOR  

And here are some deer facts that all drivers should know:

• Deer are on all roads
• Deer are unpredictable
• Deer often move in groups
• Deer movement is most prevalent in the fall
• Dusk and dawn are high risk times

I highlighted the first deer fact. DEER ARE ON ALL ROADS. The commissioners don't seem to understand that fact. Killing deer is not the answer to their "problem."

I asked the question, "Is it about deer/vehicular collisions or is it really about gardens?" Like so many other issues, the commissioners do not listen to facts, just wealthy constituents.

The real reason for deer/vehicular accidents

Hint: It isn't the deer. We have bad drivers here in Mt. Lebanon. Deer just happen to get in the way. Thanks to Allstate for donating an electronic speed trailer that tracks and stores data, 77% of the drivers in Mt. Lebanon were speeding when passing the speed tracking device.

According to the recent Trib article, 80 percent of drivers found exceeding speed limit in Mt. Lebanon, Bethel Park, police monitored Washington Road, Cedar Blvd., Gilkeson Road, and McNeilly Road.

Police selected high-traffic roads where drivers seemed to ignore the speed limit, Mt. Lebanon Lt. Duane Fisher said.

Deer killing corrals were placed in these areas, in hopes of reducing deer/vehicular accidents. Deer aren't the problem. It is speeding. On page 5 of her report, "Deer Doctor" Sandy Baker made recommendations concerning deer-vehicle collisions. She cited model community Rochester Hills, MI's  Deer - Vehicle Reduction Campaign.

Commissioners, focus on reducing speeding in Mt. Lebanon. You keep telling us that it isn't about gardens, and that it is all about reducing deer/car collisions by 50% in five years. We will have less accidents, making it safer for all two legged and four legged creatures. Get a grip on the real problem. Bad drivers.

PG, I'm done with you.

As a 40+ year subscriber, I have canceled my subscription to the Post-Gazette. My carrier, Malcolm Andrews has been providing excellent service for many years, and I thank him and his family for their dedication. This is not a reflection on you, Malcolm, but it is based solely on John Hayes' weekly lies. The final straw was in his article today, Other towns also face deer dilemmas.

If protesters think Mt. Lebanon is done with its deer debate, they’re wrong. About 200 pregnant does are expected to deliver 300 or more additional deer to Mt. Lebanon in the coming months.

Where the hell are you getting your numbers, Mr. Hayes? Is this based on your estimates that Mt. Lebanon has THOUSANDS of deer?  I'm tired of you, Mt. Lebanon commission, Mt. Lebanon staff, and other media sources blaming "protesters" for Benner's blunder.

You write:

Activists opposed to the municipality’s plan to kill enough deer to decrease deer-car collisions by 50 percent in five years are still celebrating their victory.

The deer-car collisions plan is BOGUS!

• In Mt. Lebanon, people got hurt in over 90% of reported car crashes that involved pedestrians and/or bicyclists. (This is compared to 35% for regular car crashes and 3.8% for deer/car crashes.)
• In the last 4 years, there have been 50 reported injury-causing crashes involving pedestrians and/or bicyclists. (This is compared to 6 reported injury-causing deer/car crashes. In other words, there are 8 times as many for ped/cyc as for deer.)

Tom Moertel's in-depth analysis will be posted on Kelly Fraasch's blog in the near future.

Try to cancel a subscription online. It can't be done. I ended up finding this, Subscription Questions. I am sooooo done with you, John Hayes.