— from Emery Rhodes —
Deer. They are here, there, and everywhere. Day and night these normally nocturnal animals are now out searching for anything tasty and tender. After dusk their numbers increase, they veritably turn the San Juan Islands into Deer Zombie Islands, wreaking havoc and occasionally attacking innocent vehicles. We see many more young deer on the roads mid-day
We have a deer problem. To paraphrase the late great naturalist/writer, Aldo Leopold: “Every mountain lives in fear of its deer herd and every deer herd lives in fear of its wolf pack.” He was talking about the balance of nature. The islands are the “mountain” and we humans are the “wolf pack.” Today the wolf pack doesn’t have much appetite or many teeth and we are witnessing the consequences of the imbalance of nature. Deer are denuding these beautiful islands. Everywhere there is a browse line of munched trees and shrubbery and little undergrowth. There are not young alder, cedar, fir, madrona, maple, or oak growing anywhere unless they are inside a six-foot fence. On other islands such as Waldron, Matia, and Sinclair where deer have been eliminated or kept in check one sees a diversity of plant life that is no longer found on most of the islands.
So what, one might ask. For starters, deer themselves are suffering as they diminish the natural fabric of the native environment. We see mature deer with white splotches in their coats and they are smaller than their mainland cousins; these are signs of a weakened gene pool. They are now eating food they would normally not eat at all or only when left with nothing else; this is due to dietary stress. They are starving. Diminished habitat leads to fewer animals, insects, and birds. Science bears this out.
Another consequence is the increase in land that is surrounded by wire fences. The fences are unsightly and visually disruptive to the sense of open space and natural beauty that the islands are noted for. I, myself, am guilty; I have spent a lot of money and man hours erecting fences to protect my property from this gentled-eyed menace.
What is the solution? A cull, an open season, a bounty, a venison jerky co-op? I believe it is the State’s responsibility to manage the deer and establish appropriate hunting laws and seasons to maintain a healthy balance. Clearly, this is not happening. It is time for us to all share our views with our county and state representatives to protect the islands from this unlikely contributor to environmental degradation. As the “wolf pack,” it is up to us to restore the natural balance.
**If you are reading theOrcasonian for free, thank your fellow islanders. If you would like to support theOrcasonian CLICK HERE to set your modestly-priced, voluntary subscription. Otherwise, no worries; we’re happy to share with you.**
Emery Rhodes with the brave post of the year. This should make for a good read in the next few days!
I remember reading perhaps 25 years ago in a science magazine about the destruction to the environment caused by deer. The article cautioned that “Americans really have to get over their Bambi complex.” They are so lovely, but unchecked population growth is as bad for them as it is for us.
I agree. One of our neighbors reported finding four dead deer. From what we saw this winter, they likely starved. I believe that someone from The SeaDoc Society prepared a presentation about how the deer have all but eliminated our native plants. Some form of deer management is just as important as other environmental issues.
Several years ago, UCLA was overrun by rabbits. Those cute, sweet, fuzzy things that ate EVERYTHING and nobody really wanted to just kill them. After much deliberation and consultation, they thoughtfully fed them grain that rendered them unable to reproduce. Humane, free of painful death, and it worked. Can’t we do something similar with our deer?
I’m sure our human growth is considerably higher than the increase in the number of deer. Maybe it’s time to “cull” out some of the people who would be happier living somewhere else. Maybe in a high rise condo in Seattle, San Francisco, LA, etc. where they wouldn’t be bothered by any nature. Just more people, concrete, lots of traffic, fast food joints, etc. As far as wire fencing you do realize it can be hidden by beautiful rhodies, forsythia, and many other beautiful bushes and shrubs that hides the fence and don’t interest the deer. We live on a 20 acre farm and other than a few apples from the apple tree in the fall they only eat grass, blackberry leaves, etc. After living here for 35 years it always surprises me and angers me to hear people complain about the deer. They were here first. It’s like people who build near airports and then complain about the noise.As far as hunting here goes, there are so many houses now and many that cannot be seen by hunters. Several years ago a hunter was given permission of a property owner to hunt on his property. What the property owner didn’t tell the hunter was about the house on the adjoining property. The owner of the adjoining property went out to his garage and a bullet whizzed by the side of his head barely missing him and went into the garage door. He was inches away from being seriously injured or killed because of a hunter who was hunting legally! I was taking my three children to the school bus one morning and came around a curve where two hunters stood with guns raised aiming across the road which is illegal! On my way back from the bus stop with my heart still pounding I starting honking my horn quite a distance from where the hunters were. Fortunately this time they were still on the same side of the road holding but not aiming their guns.There’s always a solution for every problem, I just don’t like your ideas. Also, my understanding is that the deer here have always been smaller than the ones on the mainland. And, you do realize that some of the deer that appear to be full grown that have white splotches on them could still be fawns. We had a doe and her two fawns out here today. At first I thought it was three does but realized the other two were fawns.As far as the deer out in the evenings, actually dusk and dawn, if everyone drove the speed limit there wouldn’t be much of a problem. I have never heard of one “attacking innocent vehicles”, though I did have one run down a hill into the right front part of my car one time. I don’t believe that was actually an “attack”, however. Drivers on the other side of the mountains have more of a deer/vehicle problem than we do here. And those are much larger deer.So hopefully there will be a solution, if, indeed there is a problem, and one that maybe, just maybe everyone will be able to agree on.
Cougars?
Here’s Peter Arcese’s lecture on deer and other indirect effects that humans have on our ecosystem:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZxA9FAIpgk0
Leif I don’t hate anybody. I’m just saying if people aren’t happy living here surrounded by nature and wildlife maybe they would be happier someplace else. Then they wouldn’t have to deal with wire fences that they apparently don’t know how to hide with beautiful vegetation or worry about having deer attack their vehicles. One creature that can cause many more problems for some residents are the raccoons. Not only will they eat fruit and vegetables out of your garden but will also kill your chickens and can carry Rabies. Bald Eagles have carried off cats. But I guess the deer need to be blamed for everything. And to be perfectly clear I only used the word “cull” because it was a term used by Emery Rhodes regarding the deer, and I did not refer to humans as a “herd” as you did.
Ginny, I respectfully disagree with you, only because of two sad deer encounters that really impacted me recently. Both were while I was hosting my sister, whose visit to Orcas was her very first. We drove off the ferry and were just passing Morley Road when we came across a fawn, no spots so a bit older, dead in the road with guts splayed out in sickening fashion. I could not bear to stop with my sister in the car with me, and thanks to the person behind me who most likely at least pulled the dead deer off the road.
Then on a walk with her in my Doe Bay neighborhood, we encountered a fawn with a terribly misshapen head and face, some sort of gross birth defect. I’m sure that fawn is now dead, either rejected by its mother and starved or dead simply from being born with defects that would not allow it to live.
Emery has very good points and I agree with him that culling the deer on Orcas would be beneficial and more humane to the deer population in the long run.
And please, if people could not feed the deer — they are wild animals and should not be treated as pets. We are doing themnot good at all by feeding them.
We own 11 acres and have blacktail deer living on our secluded property. They are quite a bit smaller that the whitetails you can see waking around in Bellingham. I’ve watched several generations of deer born on our land and a few have grown up healthy. Our garden has a good fence so we never have a problem with that. We don’t feed them.
Baby deer are “culled” by eagles, raccoons, dogs, large hawks and turkey vultures (yes). Then of course the most dangerous cull, trying to cross the road after the ferry unloads. Not many left after all that.
Hunters are a problem as we had to post signs everywhere to keep illegal off island shooters out of our property. Not to mention the beer and pop cans left behind. I also suspect some property owners are shooting deer without a proper license.
These peaceful creatures are vegetarians who just want to eat and and try to blend in with their surroundings. They don’t “attack” anything but do panic when stuck in a fence or trying to cross the road.
If you’ve been to Rosario, notice it’s almost a petting zoo. The kids love it and I don’t think anyone has been attacked yet.
My advice? Put a fence around your garden, don’t plant flowers as tempting food sources, no roundup on the yard and above all try to relax and enjoy whats left of this beautiful paradise.
According to Washington’s 2017 Hunting Seasons and Regulations Pamphlet the archery black tail deer season for Orcas runs from September 1st to 29th. Unlike most off-island game management units, on Orcas any deer (doe, buck, etc.) may be taken, reflecting the fact that the Orcas herd is over-populated and less healthy because of it.
Hunting is generally a great way to manage herd populations for off-island game management units. However, it doesn’t work well for Orcas because much of the land is privately owned. Getting an owner’s permission to hunt on their land can be a challenge – which is in many ways a good thing.
In the Orcas Historical Museum there’s a photo of one of the island’s original homesteaders with a few bucks that his hunting party killed. All of the bucks are very large. At one point in time the Orcas herd was indeed healthier.
Because of the need for fencing, risk of injury due to a collision, and expensive automobile repairs today’s overly-populated herd isn’t just a herd health issue. It’s also a financial and health issue for us humans (that have just as much a right to be here as the deer).
On a scientific note we’re all part of nature; animals (like us humans) killing other animals is an integral part of the natural ecosystem. Archery is a great way to stay in touch with nature by actually being a part of it. If you’ve never hunted, though, you may not grok that.
With all the threats going on in the world, we might want
to save the deers. They could be our food source should we
get cut off from the mainland for a while.
Well, I just watched the video from the SeaDoc meeting and it’s fascinating and disturbing. Deer are far more damaging to our islands than I thought. Not only do they denude the island of native plants; that process eliminates habitat for hundreds of species of birds and invertebrates. One example the lecturer gave was his expectation that our madrone trees will be gone in 50-100 years.
Deer are not native here. They do not belong in virtual petting zoos. (The ticks alone should discourage folks from that.) They are obviously inbred, small and showing deformities. I’ve been told that the ones with the large white areas are the result of such inbreeding. Many of them seem to be on the verge of starving in the winter. The Gulf Islands have recently seen cougars and bears migrate to them. That is one way to control deer, but pet owners might not find it so appealing.
In other words, this is not Bambi, the movie. People concerned about deer are no more interested in living in SFO or LA than the rest of us. Recovering our foliage might bring back hundreds of species that have disappeared from the island.
Obviously, guns are not the way to reduce the deer population. Never were on a small island. But alternatives exist and I think we should consider them. At the very least, watch the video and learn about the consequences of the deer population (which is something like 10x what you would expect in an area that has natural predators.). The goal is not to eliminate a native species; it’s to prevent an invasive species from eliminating flora and fauna that are native to the island.
Sea Doc is not the “Be all and end all” in the Environmental History and science of the Islands.
When I did my Cultural Resouces Survey and History of Madrona Point, I included Deer as a Native Species on the Island! The History And Science is there! (Native and Non-Native). Deer sometimes swam from Island to Island. (Just as Bears did!) It would be wiser to consider the Human factor here. The land has been torn up, blasted with dynamite, trees and under story bulldozed and scraped away to accommodate more lavish homes sometimes built for people who are here for a couple of weeks or a couple of months a year. (also, those who are here longer but expect an island environment to accommodate their mistaken idea that Humans are at the top and every thing in Nature is below them! Our beautiful Planet and all who live upon Her deserves to live a sustainable life not one that is ruled by the selfishness of self-absorbed humans! There are none so blind as those who will not see that the “fixes” suggested by the god science are mere accommodations to the status quo AT THE EXPENSE OF AUTHENTIC LIFE UPON THE Earth Mother.
Seattle Pacific University here on Blakely did a deer study and came up with a population of 100 deer per square mile. That’s 700 deer on a relatively small island. They also concluded that there is not enough vegetation to sustain that number of deer resulting in malnutrition and starvation which explains the large number of dead fawns and mature animals I see. The deer eat everything, including all the Douglas firs that are planted in the logged areas while leaving the darn Hemlocks. I would like to see the WDFW increase the limit to four, or more, deer per license. That seems more humane than having hundreds of deer die of disease and starvation. Hunters are restricted on all the islands to shotguns only, which only have an effective range of less than 100 yards, or archery only during an earlier season.
Come on people. Deep in your heart of hearts you must recognize that humanity is causing the 6th mass extinction of life on Earth. WE are responsible for disrupting ecosystems to the point of finding malformed deer and other species.
So what do we do? Hide the evidence! Yes, let’s just kill off all the deer so we can’t see the results of our ignorance.
The deer population is out of balance because the human being is out-of-balance.
Haven’t we all heard of the continuous failure of humanity to fix environmental problems by culling or introducing new predatory species? It is because we refuse to look at the Big Picture! WE are the cause of all this. We have created this! To truly fix the problem, we will have to learn how to live in with the rest of the natural world in a harmonious way. We have to respect All Life! Is this so hard to grasp??!! That is the only way humanity will move forward! YES??
When is the consciousness going to evolve?
“WE are the cause of this,” Domenic says.
Yes. I agree. But perhaps not in the way that he means.
My very strong belief is that there are far too many of us.
Not just on Orcas, or in San Juan County, but on the entire planet. Everywhere.
Until we stop reproducing at the rate we’re doing it, and thereby stop building homes and businesses where there should be forests and open grasslands, we will continue to create problems for all of the other creatures with which we share this small blue globe.
There are too many deer because there are too many of us.
There are too many deer because we have removed the predators which kept the population in balance.
There are too many deer because we have removed their food sources and bedding spaces.
We are the problem, indeed.
Domenic and Steve,
You both impress me in going to the source.
Humanity is the life form that wreaks havoc on all habitable systems planet-wide including its own. We have so interferred with natural cycles; we then pretend we can take nature’s place to make up for our excesses. The irony is that we’re every bit a
part of “nature” as are the deer and all ofther animal life. So, I guess nature (at least the human- kind) is also self destructive. Big surprise.
Some may point to the so-called “good” we do but most of our effort is focused on damage control and repairing what we’ve broken. Clearly, our harm is greatly outstripping our help as the planet’s worsening ecological condition makes abundantly clear –i.e., empirical evidence.
All irrational belief systems (including religion) continue to prop up the irrational notion that everything here is for our use and abuse (subjugation)…or that we are special or are chosen, or some other framework that influences even our secular thinking (teleological influences deeply embedded in our cultural databank).
When will we realize that there is nothing superior about the human animal. So far, we’ve been an unforgivable embarassment; we, not the deer, are the prime cause of this planet’s degradation and destruction.
Humans are the only animals on this planet who need to decrease their footprint (and quickly).
Where’s that sermon? Where’s the self-awareness and reality check?
Go back and read Janet Alderton’s comments, and then, as I have just done, spend the time to view the video lecture she recommends: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZxA9FAIpgk0
It becomes pretty obvious that we have to practice what the lecturer calls “stewardship”…that is, we have to allow our deer population to be thinned, preferably by hunting.
It’s that, or we will have to introduce cougars on Orcas. Or maybe bears. Oh my.
Hunting will be difficult to accomplish, though, since it can’t be done without the permission of landowners, many of whom think of our deer as “Bambi.”
Thanks, Janet, for your link to that eye-opening lecture!
Yes, by all means. Let’s treat symptoms; never mind causes.
The answer is put more guns into more peoples’ hands. We messed the balance up so we’ll set it right like we always do; we’ll replace the deer’s natural predators with humans. If there’s one thing we’ve mastered, it’s the art of killing. Why didnt I think of that?
No wonder we’re doomed. Who will we shoot when there’s no breathable air?
Too complicated. Back to the real threat: the deer.
Problem solved.
I listened/watched. Like most of these videos, they’re somewhat self-serving in order to preserve our own conveniences. How? If you adhere to the tenents in the video, we’re still ecologically doomed.
It weaves in just enough science to be convincing but leaves out the most damaging of all human behavior because to include it would be too uncomfortable and would challenge too many personal, cultural preferences, diets, beliefs and traditions– no matter their lack of any basis in reason
In the end, it’s understanding evolution without understanding the operative part of that word:
“to evolve”
It’s not complete; therefore it’s not as honest as it needs to be to make a real difference. Omission is commission. Knowingly ommiting “material” facts is a form of distorting. People do these things consciously or unconsciously due to bias and/or beliefs.
What’s conveniently left out are the many “direct” causes and practices humans have on our eco-systems; the more meaningful changes we need to make represent a sacrifice perceived as too great for many. So we avoid reality. Though, when actually faced with the future consequences, we’d muster the will to change wholly, completely and immediately–but by then it’s too late. That’s what we want to avoid, not today’s reality.
Let’s make two lists: direct and indirect human effects. There are behaviors on the “direct” list that if left unchecked won’t even let us get to the consequential harm on the second list.
Let’s face reality now while there’s time.
Humans are a part of nature, not separate from it. Yes, we modified the ecosystem of Orcas Island. That doesn’t make us evil or any different than other island organisms. Let’s drop the anti-humanism.
We does make us humans unique is that we have the ability to respond to and adapt to changes in this ecosystem. If we depended on deer as a food source, as many indigenous people did (see https://traditionalanimalfoods.org/mammals/hoofed/page.aspx?id=6133), maybe we’d do a better job of managing the population and health of the Orcas herd.
So, let’s eat more deer! Pick up a bow (or shotgun) and go hunting for a tender, juicy, succulent deer this year. Mother Nature will certainly thank you.
By the way, it is legal to salvage a deer that has been accidentally killed by automobile. You simply need to obtain a permit within 24 hours of taking the deer into your possession.
Matthew and Others,
I understand your points and they do make sense up to a point (though, it’s a point in the past based on less data and less understanding of that data). The bigger picture (real causes) is missed by your points (symptoms).
Of course your points assume we don’t continue to evolve in terms of re-assessing what we place into our bodies as food; in terms of better information to better guide our futures.
We need better answers as we cope with the emerging new realities of our planet’s growing human population and dwindling resources. That’s why I can’t subscribe to yesterday’s less informed thinking. We can do better; we know much more than we did.
If you truly love humanity you’d reach the inescapable conclusion that the planet’s ecological habitat is more important than the human species. The more educated you are and the less reliant you are on irrational thinking, the less counterintuitive the above statement will feel to you.
If you don’t reach this conclusion, it’s equivalent to saying that you love your wife as you continue to punch her in the face. I hope you can see that. We know what the latter example really means and there’s therapy designed for this type of cognitive impairment…most likely derived from the “social” environment in which the aggressor was raised.
Human population growth is the problem, not the deer population growth which is derivative of human impact (and not the impact of other animals at the core of the analysis).
There are so many examples and I can’t use this forum to write a book but here are two data points (among so many more that are happening and being digested right now). Please ponder the below Example points:
Example Point 1.
At the beginning of the industrial revolution the atmospheric concentration of CO2 was about 280 ppm; it’s about 400 ppm today. It would be a lot higher would our oceans not absorb 30-40% of all human made CO2 emissions. That 30-40% of CO2 absorbed by our oceans causes a chemical reaction in the ph balances of our fish population and greatly increases the acidity of our oceans. Aside from direct human contamination of our oceans and degradation through waste, overfishing (due to growing population), and physical deterioration to marine and coral life, we’re messing with the minds of marine life too. The chemical effects on marine life affects their abilities to maintain healthy PH balances (e.g., due to increased acidity, the poor fish can’t excrete enough chlorine in order to accumulate more bicarbonate–to minimize ph changes in their bodies); the effects are not limited to the physiology of marine life alone. The increased human made CO2 (and thus the increased acidity) affects fish behavior. All Marine lifes’ ability to survive is directly impacted as the chemical effect on the behavior sees them alter their behavior in suicidal ways like swimming directly towards their known predators. Sharks, too, being top predators are likewise affected. These types of “human” made impacts set off chains of events directly impacting the survivability of all species and our interdependent food chain– deer, too, on Orcas Island. Believe it or not, humans do impact and cause our present deer population issue. Killing and eating deer are not the solutions. You’re not dealing with what will kill you, your children and your grandchildren in how you want to solve the deer problem. Your comments miss what’s important and limit themselves to symptomatic irrelevant reactions that, in the end, are based on irrational thinking. It’s an irrational response to a real threat. Again, these matters are all connected. Only your lack of knowledge stands between you and a real solution.
For starters, if you care, you’ll draft, vote and implement public policy that deliberately discourages increasing the permanent population of Orcas Island. You’ll set aside political issues and deal directly with preserving the island’s habitat first and foremost.
As for human equality and human rights, be rational and stop believing in things that have no demonstrable basis in reality or which cannot be evidenced empirically. In other words, get educated. That will eradicate bigotry more than a misguided obsession of increasing the population of Orcas island as a form of mandating equality in all things.
If you realized that violence is rooted in ignorance and irrational behavior, you’d do more to battle irrational thinking that leads to irrational forms of discrimination and inhuman behavior by better educating yourself and your children, and stop manufacturing and sustaining irrational beliefs and traditions, respectively, that serve to create artificial divides and lead to conflict.
Example Point 2.
Presently, 55% of the world’s population live in Cities. By 2030, that number will reach at least 5 billion…who live in Cities. If you care about humanity, you’d stop the human behavior of increasing Orcas’ human population and focus your energies on how cities might be able to actually improve the planet’s habitat through amazing designs and technology now underway and already in existence. Not only can cities today and tomorrow become amazingly resourceful when it comes to energy, food, water and minerals, they can provide their inhabitants with dignified quality lives and an overall improved human experience with real education based on a hybrid of technology and one-to-one tuition (tutorials). Schools being funded by Gates, Zuckerberg and others (so many others are doing this too) on both coasts (and some focusing on our Latino and African American populations) are showing amazing success. Again, with rational thinking, we’re able to better regulate voluntarily human population growth and also can make life for those already here qualitatively better while raising citizens with better minds to continue to propel us forward with better acquired knowledge.
So, yes, we are part of nature. But we are different than other nature in many ways, not least of which is the much greater degree with which we have and do destroy this planet, have and do commit unspeakable genocides, atrocities and murder in the name of human irrational belief systems (over 330 million Gods in the world today…again, get educated. If this shocks you, case in point). So, yes, we’ve done all that and still do.
We’re much more than just one more species in the panoply of beautiful species on this blue orb. So much more. The question is, can we do better? There’s certainly nothing but room to do so much better than we have.
This is happening now. Jump on board. Put down the guns. No more killing. We left the caves a long time ago. The phrase “hunting and gathering” has taken on a new meaning. We live in a different, ever changing world. We are forever ignorant but can be forever less ignorant than we were yesterday if we embrace “real” education. Change is good! Change is inevitable. Embrace it and have a say.
So don’t be proud of what we’ve done which would require an amazing degree of denial and drugs; instead, be educated, embrace the present moment and make a meaningful difference.
The above are just two examples presently afoot. Start thinking anew.
Thanks for taking the time to address my comments directly, Chris. You write very well. We do hear your point.
To demonstrate, here’s a summary of your main arguments: If you don’t agree with me then you don’t care, you’re under educated, you’re irrational, you’re on drugs, you grew up in an unhealthy social environment causing you to be cognitively impaired, you’re resisting change, you’re ignorant, you tell your wife you love her while beating her (this was my favorite), and, finally, the real problem is human population growth.
In response to the critical thinking you’ve demonstrated with those arguments I’d like to invite fellow islanders that’d like to hunt Orcas deer this season to join me in an archery hunt on my property. Chris, you’re invited too. After the hunt we can discuss how much we all loathe humans over hot bowls of savory venison stew.
I’ll also write to the WDFW and ask them to take another look at the population/health of the Orcas herd and increase the bag limit. A freezer full of venison would really make our family, neighbors and friends happy.
On a related note, the little bunnies that also over-populate the island are quite tasty too…
Points taken.
Perhaps I was a bit too direct but I try to limit my comments to the message not the messenger. Sorry If I offended.
Still, you don’t address the substance. I’d like to hear what others (like yourself) on Orcas Island really think about the issues and not leave it to me to read between the lines. I’m relatively new to the area. I’m not shy is espousing my views; I wish others would share their views honestly. If there’s a basis for your thinking, what’s the concern? The Island seems to be very progressive like the State. Yet, there are mixed signals. I’m trying to reconcile apparent contradictions.
Since you didnt really address the substance of my comments, perhaps direct questions will help me understand where the thinking is on the Island–at least as to you and your friends. I certainly dont mind the stromg liberterian spirit i’ve already detected. But it needs to be followed up with an unabashed laying it all on the line if it’s real and genuine.
The below questions actually relate to preserving our local and global eco-systems in terms of what I’ve found to be some of the challenges we face.
Here goes:
1. Do you believe in God?
2. Do you believe human beings are the principal cause of harm to the planet’s eco-system?
3. Do you believe we have a special place in the universe? If so, is it religiously inspired? If not, is it inspired by a type darwinism (survival of the fittest)?
4. Do you believe all life is equal? (human or otherwise)
5. Do you consider believing in something without objective evidence as problematic?
Sorry if these questions seem personal but I’m not sure why someone would be concerned about them or their answers since we’re only looking for best possible solutions.
Well, that’s pretty far off the path of the deer issue. Not sure there’s the seed of any solution to the deer problem in the inches and inches above.
The SeaDoc study does not purport to be a study of all man’s impacts upon all animals. Scientists very infrequently take on such a broad scope. They work with tiny pieces of the puzzle at a time. If you watched the video, you know that the lecturer was describing the deer as a human-caused problem.
None of that changes the fact that the deer are far too populous to be sustainable, and that they are unhealthy as well as damaging to many other important species here on the island. Hundreds of species native here are denied the habitat they need not because of humans living around and about, but rather because the deer literally scour the earth of our native plants. Our iconic madrone are at risk, because the old ones are aging out and collapsing while the young ones are eaten by the deer.
No one I know is preaching guns as a solution. Bow and arrow, or other more creative solutions are available.
“For starters, if you care, you’ll draft, vote and implement public policy that deliberately discourages increasing the permanent population of Orcas Island. You’ll set aside political issues and deal directly with preserving the island’s habitat first and foremost.”
Perhaps all those who consider Orcas overpopulated would consider leaving for the health of the island? I know that we cannot do so because our assets are tied up in our home. There are also many empty land parcels that are owned by people who bought them and pay annual taxes on them with the expectation that they will be able to USE them, usually for housing. The only way to address that issue would be for the County to exercise eminent domain and buy out the owners. Choosing whose land is to be taken involuntarily would be a very interesting constitutional problem. It also would mean that existing landowners would have to absorb the tax burden currently borne by the owners who would be shown the door. And, with respect to deer, they would still hyberabundant and decimating our ground cover.
So, unhealthy and dying deer? Elimination of hundreds of native flora and fauna? Cougars? Bow hunters? Catch and release elsewhere? Where are we headed?
BTW, a large number of residents have now erected deer fences, which interfere with other fauna movement. They do so reasonably, to protect their land, because there’s no hope of a sustainable garden without incredible defenses.
As an early Zero Population Growth disciple in the 70s, I agree that the planet is overpopulated. We were on a great track to do something about it in terms of personal choice and education of others, but the topic was deemed somehow politically incorrect and was kicked to the curb by the Sierra Club. Between it and the negative influence of certain religions in the developing world, we’ve arrived where we are today. Facing another dilemma–how to control population growth: Killing randomly-selected people? Forced sterilization?
Thanks Peg.
I enjoyed reading your comments. And you are likely correct about the difficulties of controlling Orcas’ population growth. My gut tells me that the natural impediments of small island living will likely keep things reasonably balanced and those of us sincerely concerned about the local ecology can find many ways to help.
My 5 questions above were designed to help me understand what an environmentalist-minded lawyer like myself would be up against here in the PNW in terms of mindsets, assumptions and quality ways of thinking about the challenges we face. I figured I could just cut to the chase. In my circles, all things are on the table and we’re quite direct. We look for best answers and put egos (large ones…lol) aside as best as possible. I’m open about such things and am willing to listen/consider other opinions grounded in reason. It’s always about learning and seeking solutions not personalities.
What I’m sure about is that our current human habits and behaviors are the problem. Violence, believe it or not, is intricately related to the destruction of our planet’s eco-system. You cant stop destroying the planet if you cant stop killing life. It would take me too long to connect these dots but perhaps you already know what I’m saying.
Again, thanks for your input.
p.s.
I was referring to policies to slow down the population growth of Orcas, not outright decrease it. Also, empty lots don’t count as people. The deer? Can a large number be captured and released responsibly into the wild on the mainland where a more balanced animal habitat will find its own natural solution?
It’s really pretty simple, we have killed off all the natural predators (with good reason-they’re dangerous) so it’s our responsibility to maintain a healthy balance in the deer population so things don’t get even further out of balance. Controlling their population through hunting is much more humane than the natural process: being eaten by a cougar, wolf, bear, etc.