Bravo, Councillor Rydholm. I was driving down Rosslyn Road the other day and I noticed it was smooth and wrinkle-free. There are many other similar rides on city streets this summer.
I have heard Ms. Rydholm speak out on a number of occasions about the need to maintain our infrastructure before spending large sums on other more glamorous projects. On behalf of my vehicle’s suspension, not to mention my own, I am grateful.
There is a bold, yellow warning sign on the side of the newly paved and painted Rosslyn Road announcing another challenging and pressing issue brought forward by the tenacious Neebing councillor. Painted on this sign is the stark, black image of a whitetail deer.
Here in Thunder Bay, from coast to coast in Canada, all over North America and in many other parts of the world millions of these creatures are on a collision course, literally, with the species that used to hunt and eat them at will.
Encounters with the deer within city limits are no longer quaint or curious events. They can be expensive, time-consuming and very often, dangerous. Deer sometimes die and occasionally people do, too.
Vehicle collisions with deer are common in Northwestern Ontario and are happening more frequently inside city limits. In 1988 in Canada, 14,000 deer collisions resulted in 50 or so deaths and thousands of injuries. Nobody keeps track of the deer.
But the damage caused by the nuisance deer includes more than just fender benders. Any gardener in Thunder Bay has horror stories to tell. The situation is out of control.
Deer are pigs. There aren’t many plants or trees in local flower and vegetable gardens that they won’t eat and destroy. The plants that aren’t totally eaten may be trampled on and broken. Even if some tough specimens do survive the attack and grow back a little, the deer come by later to finish them off.
I have listened to many local gardeners describe, some with tears in their eyes, the damage done to rare plants, memorial gardens and vegetable crops by the marauding herds of nuisance deer that terrorize city neighborhoods daily.
It’s demoralizing, heartbreaking and expensive for property owners.
Speaking personally, we spend hundreds, if not thousands of dollars every year to protect our property from the deer and to remedy the damage they cause.
Our neighbourhood now displays a ragtag collection of fences, nets, chicken wire and stuff hanging from plants desperate gardeners use to deter the deer hogs. And the deer are getting bolder all the time.
In Kenora, this past June, a mother successfully rescued her 13-month-old daughter from a deer that was attempting to stomp the infant. The family pet was not so lucky. He sustained serious injuries before he could chase the deer away.
There are many compelling reasons to deal with this problem quickly and effectively. However, for Coun. Rydholm this might even be tougher than getting Rosslyn Road paved. It’s all because of something I call the Bambi effect.
For every fearful motorist who faces the serious threat of collision and every frustrated gardener watching his property being destroyed daily there are an equal number of oblivious citizens who think the deer are cute and set up feeding stations for them.
City council is waiting for a report this fall but a little elementary Googling will describe the one inescapable conclusion arrived at by cities all over North America that are facing similar challenges.
The only cost effective way to manage nuisance deer in cities is to cull the herd to a reasonable level and then increase the annual hunt as necessary to keep numbers in check. But please, do it quietly. Killing Bambi could be controversial, especially for those who feed this nuisance.
Helena, Mont. has been capturing and euthanizing deer since 2008 and maintains rigorous control through public hunting. The meat is cleaned, butchered and donated to food banks and hungry families.
The nuisance deer population in Helena is still high but is going down and the number of complaints has greatly reduced. Several B.C. communities are considering a cull based on this model
In Merry Olde England, venison was the food of royalty. Part of managing the nuisance deer in our city could include this delicious old custom.
When it comes to getting along with the deer it might come down to that. If you can’t beat ‘em, eat ‘em.
I have heard Ms. Rydholm speak out on a number of occasions about the need to maintain our infrastructure before spending large sums on other more glamorous projects. On behalf of my vehicle’s suspension, not to mention my own, I am grateful.
There is a bold, yellow warning sign on the side of the newly paved and painted Rosslyn Road announcing another challenging and pressing issue brought forward by the tenacious Neebing councillor. Painted on this sign is the stark, black image of a whitetail deer.
Here in Thunder Bay, from coast to coast in Canada, all over North America and in many other parts of the world millions of these creatures are on a collision course, literally, with the species that used to hunt and eat them at will.
Encounters with the deer within city limits are no longer quaint or curious events. They can be expensive, time-consuming and very often, dangerous. Deer sometimes die and occasionally people do, too.
Vehicle collisions with deer are common in Northwestern Ontario and are happening more frequently inside city limits. In 1988 in Canada, 14,000 deer collisions resulted in 50 or so deaths and thousands of injuries. Nobody keeps track of the deer.
But the damage caused by the nuisance deer includes more than just fender benders. Any gardener in Thunder Bay has horror stories to tell. The situation is out of control.
Deer are pigs. There aren’t many plants or trees in local flower and vegetable gardens that they won’t eat and destroy. The plants that aren’t totally eaten may be trampled on and broken. Even if some tough specimens do survive the attack and grow back a little, the deer come by later to finish them off.
I have listened to many local gardeners describe, some with tears in their eyes, the damage done to rare plants, memorial gardens and vegetable crops by the marauding herds of nuisance deer that terrorize city neighborhoods daily.
It’s demoralizing, heartbreaking and expensive for property owners.
Speaking personally, we spend hundreds, if not thousands of dollars every year to protect our property from the deer and to remedy the damage they cause.
Our neighbourhood now displays a ragtag collection of fences, nets, chicken wire and stuff hanging from plants desperate gardeners use to deter the deer hogs. And the deer are getting bolder all the time.
In Kenora, this past June, a mother successfully rescued her 13-month-old daughter from a deer that was attempting to stomp the infant. The family pet was not so lucky. He sustained serious injuries before he could chase the deer away.
There are many compelling reasons to deal with this problem quickly and effectively. However, for Coun. Rydholm this might even be tougher than getting Rosslyn Road paved. It’s all because of something I call the Bambi effect.
For every fearful motorist who faces the serious threat of collision and every frustrated gardener watching his property being destroyed daily there are an equal number of oblivious citizens who think the deer are cute and set up feeding stations for them.
City council is waiting for a report this fall but a little elementary Googling will describe the one inescapable conclusion arrived at by cities all over North America that are facing similar challenges.
The only cost effective way to manage nuisance deer in cities is to cull the herd to a reasonable level and then increase the annual hunt as necessary to keep numbers in check. But please, do it quietly. Killing Bambi could be controversial, especially for those who feed this nuisance.
Helena, Mont. has been capturing and euthanizing deer since 2008 and maintains rigorous control through public hunting. The meat is cleaned, butchered and donated to food banks and hungry families.
The nuisance deer population in Helena is still high but is going down and the number of complaints has greatly reduced. Several B.C. communities are considering a cull based on this model
In Merry Olde England, venison was the food of royalty. Part of managing the nuisance deer in our city could include this delicious old custom.
When it comes to getting along with the deer it might come down to that. If you can’t beat ‘em, eat ‘em.
