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:

Scott Township Motion and Court Order

Which brings us to the costs...

White Buffalo has the costs broken down into two parts.

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.

Sharpshooting approved...or was it?

The Trib reported Mt. Lebanon approves sharpshooters for deer. The PG reported something similar in Mt. Lebanon will allow sharpshooting to cull deer, but seemed to be more in line with what I read in emails from those who attended the meeting.

Mt. Lebanon residents show distress Tuesday at a Mt. Lebanon Commissioners meeting over the idea of introducing sharpshooting services to cull the deer population in the area.

From what I have been able to put together, the actual process of sharpshooting has been taken off the table until after January 23rd when the archery numbers come in. There were so many amendments and suggested amendments, it was hard to keep track of what was what.

Kelly Fraasch and Dave Brumfield designed an amendment that made it a two-stage process requiring a vote ... So, they authorized the organization of the program. However, their amendment said that before implementation occurs, another vote must occur in late January. This is so that there is information on the success of the archery; more on the design of the sharpshooting program; and a response to a submitted RFP to HSUS.

Coleen Vuono was livid because she won't get to participate in that vote. That amendment passed 3-2. Bendel voted yes. However, there are many ways that sharpshooting may not occur, including new commissioners or new information.

Bendel also said YES in the next 3-2 vote where Kelly proposed that a comprehensive wildlife management program be developed by the municipal staff, including new, innovative methods. This is to be presented at the next meeting. It must include non-lethal, and education.

Executing the execution

Mt. Lebanon has published the commission meeting agendas for Tuesday, October 13, 2015. Commissioner Coleen Vuono will be reading this agenda item:

CV 10. Consideration of a contract for a white-tailed deer management program utilizing sharpshooting. 

The Municipality has been developing a multi-faceted deer management program. Mt. Lebanon recently began an archery program that utilizes trained and licensed sportsmen to cull deer on private and public property. The archery program will continue through January 23, 2016. The Municipality desires to follow-up on the archery program with sharpshooting under a PA Game Commission political subdivision permit. This activity would occur from February 1, 2016 to March 31, 2015.  

The Municipality issued a request for proposals for sharpshooting services on September 11, 2015. One proposal was received from White Buffalo, Inc., dated September 25, 2015. There are two components to the program as listed below: 

 Recommended Action: Move to authorize the proper municipal officials to execute the contract.

I can't emphasize enough how dangerous this is for Mt. Lebanon. I lived next to shooting under my bedroom window for two years and laid in bed listening to the gunshots going on outside of my vinyl siding addition. We are not talking Navy SEALS. We are talking about a contractor who has guess-timated that we have between 400-600 deer, without an aerial survey and is being awarded yet another killing contract, without sharing the results of the current killing going on.

Contrary to what is being circulated, Lebo Citizens isn't an animal rights blog. This is a people's rights blog. This is a public safety issue. This is a costly and dangerous pet project being pushed through by an appointed commissioner with a personal agenda; a vendetta toward deer.

The following paper is being handed out at Second Saturday tomorrow morning. Feel free to make copies and distribute among friends and neighbors. PLEASE.

DeNicola's Sharpshooting Response UPDATED

Just when I thought it couldn't get any worse.

Deer Management Update October 8, 2015

Below see the sharp shooting RFP issued by the municipality as well as the response recieved [sic] from White Buffalo Inc. This issue will be discussed at the Commission Discussion Session on October 13, 2015.

Request for Proposals For a White-tailed Deer Management Program
Utilizing Sharpshooting within the Municipality of Mt. Lebanon

Responses from White Buffalo Inc.

*****

Here it is in a nutshell:
Sharpshooting day or evening, from January 31, 2016 through March 31, 2016 or sooner if 150 deer are killed, mostly on PRIVATE PROPERTY. $1500 per day for temporary injunctions or animal rights protests. (page 28)

Update October 9, 2015 9:50 AM
From: jbendel
To: egillen476 
Subject: Re: Sharpshooting vote 
Date: Fri, Oct 9, 2015 9:10 am 

Elaine, The draft agendas for October 13 were sent to the commission yesterday. The sharp shooting vote is an agenda item. 

On Sep 30, 2015, at 5:06 PM, 'egillen476@aol.com' via Commission wrote: 

Commissioners, 
Will you be voting on sharpshooting on October 13, 2015? 
Elaine Gillen

My response to John Bendel this morning at 10:24 AM:

Thanks for getting back to me, John. 

Are you still on the fence about sharpshooting? Or are you going to permit killing via guns in our densely populated community? Will you be charging the private property owners a portion of the cost to kill deer, like you do for every other service, or our tax dollars paying for the whole thing? You charged the sports groups for 25% of the artificial turf. You liened properties for sidewalks on N. Meadowcroft. Even the playground on Sunridge was built with private funds from the neighborhood. We ended up wasting $25,000 for the VA Manor folks, which you ultimately turned down. Private properties are not being donated. Those properties are the recipients, not the donors. Mt. Lebanon is paying for this. WE are the donors.

Elaine