SILVER SPRING, MD—The Montgomery County Deer Management Work Group released a new report today, which calls for increased community involvement in reducing deer-human conflicts in the county and outlines some new recommendations for county agencies, such as the Montgomery County Department of Parks in managing deer populations.
“Implementation of long-term strategies, including public education and deer population management is proving effective as we continue to see reductions in some of the negative impacts of deer in the county,” said Montgomery County Department of Parks Natural Resources Manager and Chair of the Montgomery County Deer Management Work Group Rob Gibbs. “Deer-vehicle collisions are one important barometer in monitoring the deer management program’s effectiveness.”
According to Montgomery County Police Department (MCPD) data outlined in the report, Montgomery County has seen a slight decrease in deer-vehicle collisions (DVCs) for the sixth year in a row despite the steady increase in numbers of county residents, automobiles, miles of roads and vehicle miles traveled. The MCPD data shows the following:
Year DVCs reported by MCPD
2002 2,127
2003 2,047
2004 1,997
2005 1,969
2006 1,951
2007 1,867
MCPD keeps the most comprehensive and systematically collected data set on the number of deer-vehicle collisions in the county.
“Other indications that we’re seeing measurable success in managing deer in the county, include significantly lower deer numbers in county and state parks in which population management has been conducted in recent years and an increase in community participation in combating deer impacts to home landscaping and agricultural crops,” added Gibbs.
Since the county established the deer management program in 1995, more than 1,600 homeowners and landscape professionals have attended FREE workshops offered by the Maryland Cooperative Extension Service and Department of Parks to learn tips on landscaping, repellents, fencing and other methods for controlling deer damage around the home. This year’s report offers the following, similar, ideas to other communities interested in controlling deer in their backyards:
- Working together in the use of fencing, vegetation management and repellents;
- Adjusting community covenants to reduce fencing restrictions;
- Enacting “no deer feeding” policies; and
- Requesting one of these FREE workshops for homeowner groups or community associations about controlling deer damage around homes and in communities by calling 301-590-9650 or 301-949-2909.
The goal of the Montgomery County deer management program is to reduce deer-human conflicts in the county by: reducing the number of deer-vehicle collisions; reducing damage by deer to agricultural crops and home landscapes; reducing damage by deer on natural communities to preserve native plant and animal diversity; and providing county residents with information. The county’s Deer Management Work Group includes representatives from the Maryland Department of Natural Resources, Montgomery County Department of Parks, part of the Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission, Montgomery County Cooperative Extension, Montgomery County Police Department, US Geological Survey (USGS), National Park Service and Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission.
Annually, this work group produces a report on the status of the
county’s deer management program, in which it includes recommendations
for managing deer in the upcoming year. For a copy of this year’s
annual report and recommendations or for additional information on deer
in Montgomery County, see www.ParksDeerManagement.org, email MCP-DeerManagement@MontgomeryParks.org or call (301) 949-2909.
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Contact:
Kelli Holsendolph
Media Relations Manager
Montgomery County Department of Parks
301-650-2866