An open letter to the Iowa City Deer Population Management Committee

Iowa City culled its urban deer population with sharpshooters from 1999 to 2010 and is considering doing so again. According to a January 2018 survey conducted by White Buffalo, Inc., there are likely three times as many deer as there were 10 years ago at a “density similar to what was present when we initiated the sharpshooting program in 2000.”

Iowa City’s Deer Population Management Committee held a public input meeting tonight to discuss sharpshooting. I was unable to go, but I sent this email to the committee’s contact and want to share it.

Sergeant Frank,

I am unable to attend tonight's meeting to discuss deer population management, so I am emailing my comments to you.

First of all, thank you for participating and for listening to or reading input from the public. The deer population is much more noticeable than in years past, as I'm sure you're well aware of. As a follower of the Iowa City Police Log on Twitter, it amazes me how many injured deer and deer-vehicle collisions are reported.

I do not like the idea of culling the deer population by hunting, especially since it was done for a 10-year period and is obviously not a long-term solution. It is no doubt profitable for White Buffalo, Inc., but I feel there are better uses for $100,000 of the city's money. However, while I'm unsure what kind of long-term nonlethal control measures are available, or what other cities have done to control their deer population, there are a couple things I want to point out.

In the deer management history memo, it is stated that the city's long-term and annual plans call for "educating the public and taking steps to minimize deer/vehicle accidents."

How has the city educated the public? I live on XXXX and have deer cross our yard and eat our plants on what seems like a daily basis, but I don't think we have ever received any educational material from the city or been contacted by animal services about things we can do to deter deer from grazing on or crossing the property. I think it would be a good idea for the city to partner with the Department of Natural Resources or Iowa State Extension to educate the public about nonlethal ways residents can help control the deer population.

In terms of minimizing deer-vehicle accidents, the city does a very poor job of warning motorists of possible deer crossings. I drove around the areas where deer are common in the northeast corner of Iowa City along Rochester, Scott, Dodge, Interstate 80, and First Avenue and saw only three deer-crossing signs:

• Southbound on Dodge (Highway 1) before the intersection with Scott Boulevard
• Eastbound on Rochester just west of Post Road
• Westbound on Rochester just west of Scott Boulevard.

There are no signs along Rochester west of First Avenue, where deer often cross by Regina. There are also no signs along First Avenue between Princeton and Washington, where deer often cross as well (XXXX). There are no warning signs along Glendale or Ridgeway, where deer often congregate. There are no signs along the Scott Boulevard "extension" between Dodge and Rochester, nor are there signs along First Avenue between Scott and Rochester. There are also no warning signs along Interstate 80 between Dodge and Dubuque streets, where most of the deer-vehicle collisions have taken place according to the council's information packet.

Speaking of Interstate 80, I want to point out that most of the deer-vehicle accidents reported in the information packet are along Interstate 80 or U.S. Highway 218—highways maintained by the county or state. As far as I can tell, the city has not worked with Johnson County or the Iowa Department of Transportation to warn drivers with signs or channel deer away from the roads with fencing. That is something the deer population management project should consider.

As you probably are well aware of, placing warning signs is one thing but getting drivers to take heed is another. Inattentive driving and excessive speed are probably (human) factors at the root of many deer-vehicle collisions. I collided with a deer in April along Rochester, and it was my fault. A couple deer ran across the road in front of me. Though I slowed to checked for more, I continued driving and was unable to stop when another appeared. The deer seemed okay, but I paid $1,000 to fix the damage to my car.

Regardless, three signs in an area where White Buffalo, Inc. estimates there are 57.5 deer per square mile is not enough. The city needs to place more signs to make motorists aware that deer may be present.

I think culling the urban area's deer population by hunting should be a last resort. Sure, the deer may be grazing on flowerbeds and gardens, but they are gentle, peaceful creatures who are not hurting anybody. It seems selfish and counterintuitive to kill hundreds of deer to protect us from our own inattention and recklessness—and for only a short period since the deer population will rebound. I think educating residents and placing more deer-crossing signs are worthwhile, nonlethal measures to start with.

Thank you for your time.

[The Quiet Man]