SILVER SPRING, MD—Today, the Montgomery County Department of Parks announces its fall 2007, winter 2008 deer management operations season, which will result in several park closures. The first park of the season, Hoyles Mill Conservation Park in Boyds, closes October 26 for deer management.
On various dates from October 2007 through January 2008, 9 parks throughout the county will be closed from Sunrise to Sunset for managed deer hunts. From January 1 through March 31, 2008, 6 county parks will be closed from Sunset to Sunrise—at night when the parks are closed to the public—for Maryland-National Capital Park Police based sharpshooting of deer. “Park Closed” signs will be posted throughout the affected parks. See the complete list of park closures below.
“Over the years, we have heard from countless residents about the value of these operations,” said Department of Parks Natural Resources Specialist and Wildlife Ecologist Bill Hamilton. “We appreciate this support and park patrons’ patience with the park closures during our annual deer management season.”
For more than a decade, the Department of Parks has worked to control deer populations in select county parks through its managed hunts and Park Police based sharpshooting operations. These operations are conducted carefully and with the utmost regard for protecting public safety. Private hunters conducting managed shotgun hunts for deer in county parks must meet the highest level of state and county safety standards in order to participate and the sharpshooting operations in the parks are conducted by expertly trained Park Police officers only.
“Since the inception of the county’s deer management program, we are continuing to see a slow and steady decline in the number of deer-vehicle collisions in the county due in part to these efforts,” added Hamilton.
The Montgomery County Deer Management Work Group—an interagency group formed in 1995 to reduce the number of deer-human conflicts in the county and which includes representatives from the Department of Parks, Maryland Department of Natural Resources, Montgomery County Police Department, National Park Service and others—released its annual status report on the county’s deer management program earlier this summer. The report indicates that around parks, where deer population management strategies are in place, such as the department’s managed hunts and sharpshooting operations, accidents with deer and vehicles have declined.
One of the recommendations in this year’s Work Group report also includes adding an additional park location to the department’s existing list of active deer management operations. “This year, we are recommending adding a Park Police based sharpshooting program to remove deer from Rock Creek Stream Valley Unit #7, in Aspen Hill between Route 28 and Viers Mill Road,” said Montgomery County Department of Parks Natural Resources Manager and Chair of the Montgomery County Deer Management Work Group Rob Gibbs.
At this point, the Rock Creek Stream Valley park location is only proposed for deer management. The Department of Parks is seeking public input from park neighbors and other interested parties before determining whether this park site will officially join the ranks of active deer management operations. Public comments on the addition of Rock Creek Stream Valley Unit #7 in the department’s deer management program are welcomed until November 1, 2007 at MCP-deermanagement@mncppc-mc.org or Department of Parks, Wildlife Ecology Unit, 2000 Shorefield Road, Wheaton, Maryland 20902. Only comments which include a name and address will be considered.
For more on the Department of Parks deer management program, including a copy of this year’s Montgomery County Deer Management Work Group’s annual report and information on the Rock Creek Stream Valley Unit #7 proposal, visit www.mc-mncppc.org/environment/deer.
# # #
MORE INFORMATION
The following parks will be closed on the following dates from Sunrise to Sunset (approximately, 5:00 am until dark) for managed deer hunts:
– Hoyles Mill Conservation Park, Boyds, Closed: October 26, November 3, 10 and 16, December 1, 7, 15 and 21 and January 5, 18 and 26
– Woodstock Equestrian Park, Beallsville, Closed: October 27, November 2, 9, 17 and 30, December 8 and 22 and January 4, 19 and 25
– Rachel Carson Conservation Park, Brookeville, Closed: November 5 and December 17
– Blockhouse Point Conservation Park, Darnestown, Closed: November 6 and December18
– Great Seneca Stream Valley Park, Goshen, Closed: November 7, 14 and 21, December 12 and January 2
– North Germantown Greenway Park, Goshen, Closed: November 7, 14 and 21, December 12 and January 2
– Bucklodge Forest Conservation Park, Barnesville, Closed: November 9 and 30 and January 4
– Little Seneca Stream Valley Park, Boyds, Closed: November 10, December 1 and January 5
– Little Bennett Regional Park, Clarksburg, Closed: December 3 through December 7
The following parks will be closed from January 1, 2008 through March 31, 2008 from Sunset to Sunrise—at night when the parks are closed to the public—for Maryland-National Capital Park Police based sharpshooting to control deer:
– Agricultural History Farm Park, Derwood
– Black Hill Regional Park, Boyds
– North Branch Stream Valley Park, Derwood
– Northwest Branch Park, Aspen Hill
– Rock Creek Regional Park, Rockville
– Wheaton Regional Park, Wheaton
Contact:
Kelli Holsendolph
Media Relations Manager
Montgomery County Department of Parks
(301) 650-2866