ROCK CREEK PARK
Rock Creek Park was founded in 1890 to be an oasis of peace from the wear and tear of urban life. It's enabling legislation requires it to be managed to preserve "from injury of spoliation of all timber, animals, or curiosities" within the park. Until recently the Park management had preserved the native animals within the Park, but the current management of the Park has changed that.
In the early days of the park, deer were nearly extinct in the eastern US. By 1960 there began to be sightings and by the mid 1990's, deer were commonly seen in the park. The deer population has been stable since 2000.
In 2009, NPS put out a plan to control the deer population in Rock Creek Park. The plan rejected a number of non-lethal options in favor of hiring USDA's Wildlife Services to shoot the deer over bait stations. Despite over whelming public support for nonlethal rather than lethal approaches and an offer by the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) to share the cost of a contraceptive approach, the Park Service selected this lethal plan. A lawsuit delayed the killing, but it began in the spring of 2013 and has continued in 2014.
The NPS claims that it needs to kill the deer to protect forest regeneration and the native plants in the park. In fact, exotic plants, not the deer, are the cause of the damage to the Park's flora. The deer population is stable and below the levels historically used to trigger killing. If there is any need to reduce it, there are effective humane methods for doing so.
In the early days of the park, deer were nearly extinct in the eastern US. By 1960 there began to be sightings and by the mid 1990's, deer were commonly seen in the park. The deer population has been stable since 2000.
In 2009, NPS put out a plan to control the deer population in Rock Creek Park. The plan rejected a number of non-lethal options in favor of hiring USDA's Wildlife Services to shoot the deer over bait stations. Despite over whelming public support for nonlethal rather than lethal approaches and an offer by the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) to share the cost of a contraceptive approach, the Park Service selected this lethal plan. A lawsuit delayed the killing, but it began in the spring of 2013 and has continued in 2014.
The NPS claims that it needs to kill the deer to protect forest regeneration and the native plants in the park. In fact, exotic plants, not the deer, are the cause of the damage to the Park's flora. The deer population is stable and below the levels historically used to trigger killing. If there is any need to reduce it, there are effective humane methods for doing so.
Under Construction but viewable
* the park and its history
* deer in the park
* NPS plans and our campaign
Next: The park and its history
* the park and its history
* deer in the park
* NPS plans and our campaign
Next: The park and its history
