[APWG] Fw: Deer Control Article in The Washington Post
Wayne Tyson
landrest at cox.net
Mon Nov 8 13:30:14 CST 2010
Holly and friends,
Restoration projects are hindered more than helped by the mixture of the
gardening paradigm with ecosystem restoration, an entirely different
objective. Plants grown under the gardening paradigm should not be used in
restoration, and fertilizer, water, and other practices that promote luxury
development in plants and animals should never be used. Holly's plant
protection plan is a good part of the gardening paradigm, an appropriate
acceptance of responsibility for interfering with Nature.
WT
PS: As I topped the grade onto the broad plain, the sun was low and in my
eyes and the pronghorn was barely visible thirty feet in front of me. To the
right and the left, as far as I could see were pronghorns, crossing the
road, unfettered by fences (which trap them on the road), stretching from
horizon to horizon. This was last month, not a hundred years ago . . .
----- Original Message -----
From: "Holly Sletteland" <hslettel at calpoly.edu>
To: "'Robert Layton Beyfuss'" <rlb14 at cornell.edu>; "'Wayne Tyson'"
<landrest at cox.net>; <Jil_Swearingen at nps.gov>; <Frank_Archuleta at nps.gov>;
<Andrew_Banasik at nps.gov>; <Scott_Bates at nps.gov>; <P_Scott_Bell at nps.gov>;
<Joe_Calzarette at nps.gov>; <J_Patrick_Campbell at nps.gov>;
<Michelle_Carter at nps.gov>; <Geoff_Clark at nps.gov>; <Doug_Curtis at nps.gov>;
<Duane_Erwin at nps.gov>; <Ken_Ferebee at nps.gov>; <Bryan_Gorsira at nps.gov>;
<Jamese_Hemsley at nps.gov>; <John_Howard at nps.gov>; <Joe_Kish at nps.gov>;
<Mark_Lehman at nps.gov>; <Becky_Loncosky at nps.gov>; <Mikaila_Milton at nps.gov>;
<Giselle_Mora-Bourgeois at nps.gov>; <Rosemary_Mosco at nps.gov>;
<Dale_Nisbet at nps.gov>; <Marian_Norris at nps.gov>; <Megan_Nortrup at nps.gov>;
<Erik_Oberg at nps.gov>; <John_Parrish at nps.gov>; <Diane_Pavek at nps.gov>;
<Paul_E_Petersen at nps.gov>; <James_Pieper at nps.gov>;
<James_Rosenstock at nps.gov>; <Geoffrey_Sanders at nps.gov>;
<John_Schmit at nps.gov>; <Dan_Sealy at nps.gov>; <Brent_Steury at nps.gov>;
<Stephen_Syphax at nps.gov>; <Ed_Wenschhof at nps.gov>;
<Mary_Willeford_Bair at nps.gov>; <Bill_Yeaman at nps.gov>;
<Walter_Zachritz at nps.gov>; <Andrew_Reuter at nps.gov>; <Tonya_Watts at nps.gov>;
<Stephen_J_Anderson at nps.gov>; <Bruce_Badzik at nps.gov>; <Myron_Chase at nps.gov>;
<Chris_Furqueron at nps.gov>; <Erv_Gasser at nps.gov>; <Wayne_Millington at nps.gov>;
<Pat_Owen at nps.gov>; <John_Sowl at nps.gov>; <apwg at lists.plantconservation.org>;
"'MAIPC Listserve'" <ma-eppc at yahoogroups.com>; "'Warren Steiner'"
<Steinerw at si.edu>
Sent: Monday, November 08, 2010 9:17 AM
Subject: RE: [APWG] Fw: Deer Control Article in The Washington Post
>I have horrendous problems with deer where I live in Central California.
> I've found the best solution is temporary fencing or caging individual
> plants, as it is quite true that deer and other animals "preferentially
> graze/browse plants grown under luxury conditions", which most restoration
> sites are initially. Once the plants are established, they aren't as
> palatable and can withstand a certain amount of browsing. But the tone of
> the Washington Post article is very disturbing to me - "Up with people!
> Down
> with Bambi!" (But of course what would you expect from Fortune?).
> Although
> there are large numbers of deer in many areas thanks to the extirpation of
> their predators, never once does it occur the writer that the real problem
> is way too many people cutting too many roads so we can make road pizza
> out
> of everything with fur or feathers. Although one solution is to reduce
> herds
> through hunting, I would argue that reducing human populations, fencing
> more
> roads, creating more wildlife over/underpasses, road warnings during key
> wildlife migration periods, reintroducing large predators and striving to
> restore the checks and balances of healthy ecosystems makes a lot more
> sense.
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: apwg-bounces at lists.plantconservation.org
> [mailto:apwg-bounces at lists.plantconservation.org] On Behalf Of Robert
> Layton
> Beyfuss
> Sent: Saturday, November 06, 2010 11:14 AM
> To: Wayne Tyson; Jil_Swearingen at nps.gov; Frank_Archuleta at nps.gov;
> Andrew_Banasik at nps.gov; Scott_Bates at nps.gov; P_Scott_Bell at nps.gov;
> Joe_Calzarette at nps.gov; J_Patrick_Campbell at nps.gov;
> Michelle_Carter at nps.gov;
> Geoff_Clark at nps.gov; Doug_Curtis at nps.gov; Duane_Erwin at nps.gov;
> Ken_Ferebee at nps.gov; Bryan_Gorsira at nps.gov; Jamese_Hemsley at nps.gov;
> John_Howard at nps.gov; Joe_Kish at nps.gov; Mark_Lehman at nps.gov;
> Becky_Loncosky at nps.gov; Mikaila_Milton at nps.gov;
> Giselle_Mora-Bourgeois at nps.gov; Rosemary_Mosco at nps.gov;
> Dale_Nisbet at nps.gov;
> Marian_Norris at nps.gov; Megan_Nortrup at nps.gov; Erik_Oberg at nps.gov;
> John_Parrish at nps.gov; Diane_Pavek at nps.gov; Paul_E_Petersen at nps.gov;
> James_Pieper at nps.gov; James_Rosenstock at nps.gov; Geoffrey_Sanders at nps.gov;
> John_Schmit at nps.gov; Dan_Sealy at nps.gov; Brent_Steury at nps.gov;
> Stephen_Syphax at nps.gov; Ed_Wenschhof at nps.gov; Mary_Willeford_Bair at nps.gov;
> Bill_Yeaman at nps.gov; Walter_Zachritz at nps.gov; Andrew_Reuter at nps.gov;
> Tonya_Watts at nps.gov; Stephen_J_Anderson at nps.gov; Bruce_Badzik at nps.gov;
> Myron_Chase at nps.gov; Chris_Furqueron at nps.gov; Erv_Gasser at nps.gov;
> Wayne_Millington at nps.gov; Pat_Owen at nps.gov; John_Sowl at nps.gov;
> apwg at lists.plantconservation.org; MAIPC Listserve; Warren Steiner
> Subject: Re: [APWG] Fw: Deer Control Article in The Washington Post
>
> Hi Wayne and all
> I doubt if you will find much documentation of failed restoration efforts
> for any reasons from people who get money to perform these but perhaps
> some
> on this list may be willing to comment on their own experiences with deer?
> Most of my information is anecdotal from conversations with people who
> have
> had problems. I can forward you some recent of these emails if you are
> interested. I also did not mean to imply that deer do not eat exotics. In
> fact as an extension agent in a rural county I heard far more about deer
> damaging exotic landscape plants than native plants. Daylillies, hosta,
> spring flowering bulbs such as tulips, most evergreens etc are considered
> "deer candy" in many situations, especially suburban areas where deer hide
> from hunters. I also did not mean to imply that deer are not vital and
> necessary componnets to ecosystems. In this sense I agree with the
> theories
> of Alan Savory. Resource managers often manage forested land for different
> objectives. Hunters pay lots
> of money for hunting licenses which gives them far more political clout
> than people who pay no fess to enjoy seeing trillium and ginseng. Many
> deer
> hunters I know are far more interested in seeing a buck than a Baneberry.
> Bob
>
>
> ________________________________________
> From: Wayne Tyson [landrest at cox.net]
> Sent: Friday, November 05, 2010 10:32 PM
> To: Robert Layton Beyfuss; Jil_Swearingen at nps.gov;
> Frank_Archuleta at nps.gov;
> Andrew_Banasik at nps.gov; Scott_Bates at nps.gov; P_Scott_Bell at nps.gov;
> Joe_Calzarette at nps.gov; J_Patrick_Campbell at nps.gov;
> Michelle_Carter at nps.gov;
> Geoff_Clark at nps.gov; Doug_Curtis at nps.gov; Duane_Erwin at nps.gov;
> Ken_Ferebee at nps.gov; Bryan_Gorsira at nps.gov; Jamese_Hemsley at nps.gov;
> John_Howard at nps.gov; Joe_Kish at nps.gov; Mark_Lehman at nps.gov;
> Becky_Loncosky at nps.gov; Mikaila_Milton at nps.gov;
> Giselle_Mora-Bourgeois at nps.gov; Rosemary_Mosco at nps.gov;
> Dale_Nisbet at nps.gov;
> Marian_Norris at nps.gov; Megan_Nortrup at nps.gov; Erik_Oberg at nps.gov;
> John_Parrish at nps.gov; Diane_Pavek at nps.gov; Paul_E_Petersen at nps.gov;
> James_Pieper at nps.gov; James_Rosenstock at nps.gov; Geoffrey_Sanders at nps.gov;
> John_Schmit at nps.gov; Dan_Sealy at nps.gov; Brent_Steury at nps.gov;
> Stephen_Syphax at nps.gov; Ed_Wenschhof at nps.gov; Mary_Willeford_Bair at nps.gov;
> Bill_Yeaman at nps.gov; Walter_Zachritz at nps.gov; Andrew_Reuter at nps.gov;
> Tonya_Watts at nps.gov; Stephen_J_Anderson@
> nps.gov; Bruce_Badzik at nps.gov; Myron_Chase at nps.gov;
> Chris_Furqueron at nps.gov; Erv_Gasser at nps.gov; Wayne_Millington at nps.gov;
> Pat_Owen at nps.gov; John_Sowl at nps.gov; apwg at lists.plantconservation.org;
> MAIPC
> Listserve; Warren Steiner
> Subject: Re: [APWG] Fw: Deer Control Article in The Washington Post
>
> I would like to see some references and data on this. Not all restoration
> projects are the same. In my restoration work, part of the analysis was an
> estimate of predation "loads." Also, I have found that deer and other
> animals preferentially graze/browse plants grown under luxury conditions.
> For this and other reasons, I have used stressed plants (they survive
> better
> too) in restoration work, as well as planting "decoy" species and plants
> to
> limit browsing on "target" species, sometimes planted on "decoy" sites.
> Mostly, however, the solution is to not provide deer "salad" in a way that
> makes the project less attractive than other sites.
>
> Some of the useful aspects of grazing/browsing also should be considered,
> such as reduction of transpiration losses; hence death from drought
> stress.
> All restoration projects should consider, in their design, the seasonal
> and
> other dynamic factors as well as the timing of planting, etc.
>
> Finally, a large part of the "problem" with restoration projects is
> anthropocentric, such as aesthetic expectations and impatience. The most
> important consideration in ecosystem restoration should be its long-term
> function and the trend over time; that is, although dips in certain
> measures
> can, do, and should occur and be expected, the overall trend should be
> toward increased indigenous species diversity and numbers of individuals,
> reflecting reproduction, both from on-site, intentionally-planted
> individuals and colonization due to natural agents, combined with a
> decline
> in invasion. If invasion goes up after the first two or three years,
> that's
> probably due to poor project design/management than factors such as
> predation which should have been included as part of the process.
> "Maintenance" activities, however well-intentioned and theoretically
> necessary, can increase susceptibility to invasion.
> \
> These are generalities drawn from decades of experience, but that does not
> mean that they hold in all situations--just most. The lesson is, deer and
> other predators may well exist in larger numbers than can be supported by
> a
> given project, but just remember that wildlife populations tend to be
> system-regulated. In urbanized areas where people landscape and garden
> with
> plants attractive to deer and other grazer/browsers and don't keep the
> deer
> out, population probably will rise accordingly, but this is not ecosystem
> function, it is culture-function.
>
> WT
>
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Robert Layton Beyfuss" <rlb14 at cornell.edu>
> To: <Jil_Swearingen at nps.gov>; <Frank_Archuleta at nps.gov>;
> <Andrew_Banasik at nps.gov>; <Scott_Bates at nps.gov>; <P_Scott_Bell at nps.gov>;
> <Joe_Calzarette at nps.gov>; <J_Patrick_Campbell at nps.gov>;
> <Michelle_Carter at nps.gov>; <Geoff_Clark at nps.gov>; <Doug_Curtis at nps.gov>;
> <Duane_Erwin at nps.gov>; <Ken_Ferebee at nps.gov>; <Bryan_Gorsira at nps.gov>;
> <Jamese_Hemsley at nps.gov>; <John_Howard at nps.gov>; <Joe_Kish at nps.gov>;
> <Mark_Lehman at nps.gov>; <Becky_Loncosky at nps.gov>; <Mikaila_Milton at nps.gov>;
> <Giselle_Mora-Bourgeois at nps.gov>; <Rosemary_Mosco at nps.gov>;
> <Dale_Nisbet at nps.gov>; <Marian_Norris at nps.gov>; <Megan_Nortrup at nps.gov>;
> <Erik_Oberg at nps.gov>; <John_Parrish at nps.gov>; <Diane_Pavek at nps.gov>;
> <Paul_E_Petersen at nps.gov>; <James_Pieper at nps.gov>;
> <James_Rosenstock at nps.gov>; <Geoffrey_Sanders at nps.gov>;
> <John_Schmit at nps.gov>; <Dan_Sealy at nps.gov>; <Brent_Steury at nps.gov>;
> <Stephen_Syphax at nps.gov>; <Ed_Wenschhof at nps.gov>;
> <Mary_Willeford_Bair at nps.gov>; <Bill_Yeaman at nps.gov>;
> <Walter_Zachritz at nps.gov>; <Andrew_Reuter at nps.gov>; <Tonya_Watts at nps.gov>;
> <Stephen_J_Anderson at nps.gov>; <Bruce_Badzik at nps.gov>;
> <Myron_Chase at nps.gov>;
> <Chris_Furqueron at nps.gov>; <Erv_Gasser at nps.gov>;
> <Wayne_Millington at nps.gov>;
> <Pat_Owen at nps.gov>; <John_Sowl at nps.gov>;
> <apwg at lists.plantconservation.org>;
> "MAIPC Listserve" <ma-eppc at yahoogroups.com>; "Warren Steiner"
> <Steinerw at si.edu>
> Sent: Friday, November 05, 2010 4:58 AM
> Subject: Re: [APWG] Fw: Deer Control Article in The Washington Post
>
>
>> Besides the carnage on the highway, deer are huge players in many
>> invasive
>> plant situations. One of my favorite definitions of an invasive plant is
>> "a plant that deer don't eat". Here is NY I see many restoration efforts
>> that are doomed before they begin because the deer simply decimate the
>> natives as soon as they are big enough to browse. I would like to see
>> more
>> emphasis on trying to understand why invasions occur before eradication
>> efforts begin. Determining how the invasive plants arrive is often easier
>> then explaining why they have spread so rapidly. Most of the funding
>> opportunities I see are for detection and eradication of invasives. It is
>> too bad the people who are supposed to manage deer populations often do
>> not take into consideration the effects of deer on native plants.
>>
>> ________________________________________
>> From: apwg-bounces at lists.plantconservation.org
>> [apwg-bounces at lists.plantconservation.org] On Behalf Of
>> Jil_Swearingen at nps.gov [Jil_Swearingen at nps.gov]
>> Sent: Wednesday, November 03, 2010 5:39 PM
>> To: Frank_Archuleta at nps.gov; Andrew_Banasik at nps.gov; Scott_Bates at nps.gov;
>> P_Scott_Bell at nps.gov; Joe_Calzarette at nps.gov; J_Patrick_Campbell at nps.gov;
>> Michelle_Carter at nps.gov; Geoff_Clark at nps.gov; Doug_Curtis at nps.gov;
>> Duane_Erwin at nps.gov; Ken_Ferebee at nps.gov; Bryan_Gorsira at nps.gov;
>> Jamese_Hemsley at nps.gov; John_Howard at nps.gov; Joe_Kish at nps.gov;
>> Mark_Lehman at nps.gov; Becky_Loncosky at nps.gov; Mikaila_Milton at nps.gov;
>> Giselle_Mora-Bourgeois at nps.gov; Rosemary_Mosco at nps.gov;
>> Dale_Nisbet at nps.gov; Marian_Norris at nps.gov; Megan_Nortrup at nps.gov;
>> Erik_Oberg at nps.gov; John_Parrish at nps.gov; Diane_Pavek at nps.gov;
>> Paul_E_Petersen at nps.gov; James_Pieper at nps.gov; James_Rosenstock at nps.gov;
>> Geoffrey_Sanders at nps.gov; John_Schmit at nps.gov; Dan_Sealy at nps.gov;
>> Brent_Steury at nps.gov; Jil_Swearingen at nps.gov; Stephen_Syphax at nps.gov;
>> Ed_Wenschhof at nps.gov; Mary_Willeford_Bair at nps.gov; Bill_Yeaman at nps.gov;
>> Walter_Zachritz at nps.gov; Andrew_Reuter at nps.gov; Tonya_Watts at nps.gov;
>> Stephen_J_Anderson at nps.gov; Bruce_Badzik at nps.gov; Myron_Chase at nps.gov;
>> Chris_Furqueron at nps.gov; Erv_Gasser at nps.gov; Wayne_Millington at nps.gov;
>> Pat_Owen at nps.gov; John_Sowl at nps.gov; Jil_Swearingen at nps.gov;
>> apwg at lists.plantconservation.org; MAIPC Listserve; Warren Steiner
>> Subject: [APWG] Fw: Deer Control Article in The Washington Post
>>
>> Hi,
>>
>> In case you missed this.
>>
>> Thanks,
>>
>> Jil
>> ________________
>> JIL SWEARINGEN
>> IPM & Invasive Species Coordinator
>> National Capital Region
>> Center for Urban Ecology
>> 202-342-1443, ex 218
>> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
>>
>> ----- Forwarded by Jil Swearingen/NCR/NPS on 11/03/2010 05:33 PM -----
>>
>> "Marc Imlay"
>> <ialm at erols.com>
>> To
>> 11/03/2010 09:06 <stillcreek at yahoogroups.com>,
>> AM <stith at edf.org>, "'Jim Thomas'"
>> <jim.thomas at mtc-inc.us>,
>> <DC-CWMA at yahoogroups.com>,
>> <beth at friendsofrockcreek.org>,
>> <FriendsOfSligoCreek at yahoogroups.co
>> m>, <vnps-pot at yahoogroups.com>,
>> "'Ossi, Damien \(DDOE\)'"
>> <damien.ossi at dc.gov>, "'Carley,
>> Christopher'"
>> <Christopher.Carley at ARS.USDA.GOV>,
>> <Jil_Swearingen at nps.gov>,
>> "'Joan.Feely at ars.usda.gov'"
>> <Joan.Feely at ARS.USDA.GOV>,
>> "'Pfaffko, Mary \(DDOE\)'"
>> <mary.pfaffko at dc.gov>, "'Mary
>> Travaglini'" <mtravaglini at TNC.ORG>,
>> <P_Scott_Bell at nps.gov>,
>> <Stephen_Syphax at nps.gov>,
>> <Sue_Salmons at nps.gov>,
>> <Ken_Ferebee at nps.gov>, "'Louisa
>> Rogoff Thompson'"
>> <louisagardener at verizon.net>, "'Ann
>> Lundy'" <annlundy at verizon.net>,
>> "'Rob Mardiney'"
>> <Mardineyr at explorenature.org>,
>> "'Weber, Glenda'"
>> <Glenda.Weber at baltimorecity.gov>,
>> "'Joyce D Holmes'"
>> <joyceholmz at juno.com>, "'Larry
>> Hurley'" <lhurley at behnkes.net>,
>> "'Evan Richardson'"
>> <egrichardson at moac.morgan.edu>,
>> "'Anne Draddy'"
>> <annee.draddy at baltimorecity.gov>,
>> "'Bill Morgante'"
>> <billmorgante at verizon.net>, "'Bette
>> Thomson'" <bette888 at verizon.net>,
>> "'Shel Spangle'"
>> <shelobel at hotmail.com>, "'Mickey
>> Mullany Goldberg'"
>> <joyousvoices at yahoo.com>, "'Lloyd
>> Allen'" <LHA2 at columbia.edu>, "'Alan
>> Penczek'" <f-pencze at mail.vjc.edu>,
>> "'Amy L. Swackhamer'"
>> <countswackula at gmail.com>, "'Angela
>> Buffington'"
>> <anmar_13 at hotmail.com>, "'Bob
>> Burchard'" <burchard at umbc.edu>,
>> "'Bob Connor'"
>> <rmconnorjr at locustindustries.com>,
>> "'Carroll Meisz'"
>> <cmeisz at yahoo.com>, "'Celia and
>> Bill'" <cbill5 at comcast.net>,
>> "'Christine Kuduk'"
>> <ckuduksc7007 at aol.com>, "'Daniel
>> Soeder'" <djsoeder at yahoo.com>,
>> "'Darla Tewell'"
>> <darlaann at erols.com>, "'Dave
>> Hutchinson'"
>> <dhutchinson0 at yahoo.com>, "'Doug
>> Gaede'" <doug at gaede.net>, "'Ed
>> Kaminski'"
>> <kaminskied at comcast.net>, "'George
>> Matysiak'" <gm4343 at msn.com>, "'Jack
>> Wise'" <Hikingjack at netzero.com>,
>> "'Jim Casserly'" <J_Cerly at MSN.com>,
>> "'John Hoffman'"
>> <johnhomer1947 at aol.com>, "'Joyce
>> Fletcher'" <jfletch2 at bcpl.net>,
>> "'Karen Jonczak Nally'"
>> <knally at comcast.net>, "'Kathy
>> Harget'" <hargetk at yahoo.com>, "'Kim
>> Juvan'" <kjuvan at aol.com>, "'Laurel
>> Imlay'"
>> <laurel.imlay at sierraclub.org>,
>> "'Mary Corddry - home'"
>> <XxDiTz4LyFxX at aol.com>, "'Paul
>> Schoen'" <pstech at smart.net>,
>> "'Peter and Shana Smith'"
>> <peter_n_shana at hotmail.com>, "'Rick
>> Andrews'" <Andrews4art at yahoo.com>,
>> "'Ron Arnold'" <raflw at aol.com>,
>> "'Susan Middaugh'"
>> <smiddaugh at aol.com>, "'Ted Hellen'"
>> <ted_hellen at hotmail.com>, "'Todd
>> Gartner'" <tgartner7 at yahoo.com>,
>> "'Judy Harris'"
>> <jharris341 at aol.com>, "'Tracy
>> Hauser'" <tracyehauser at msn.com>,
>> "'Ellen Jackson'" <ej172 at juno.com>,
>> "'Nicole Leahy'"
>> <nicole.leahy at gmail.com>, "'Robin
>> Leitch'" <hikinagain at hotmail.com>,
>> "'Rick France'" <rick410 at gmail.com>
>> cc
>>
>> Subject
>> Deer Control Article in The
>> Washington Post
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> Cost of deer collisions
>> Estimated costs and number of annual accidents, by state
>> (Embedded image moved to file: pic20164.gif)Estimated costs and number of
>> annual accidents, by state
>>
>> SOURCES: State Farm Insurance, Fortune Magazine | The Washington Post -
>> Nov. 2, 2010
>>
>>
>> The Washington Post, Tuesday 2 Nov, 2010, page A15
>>
>> Deer overpopulation taking economic toll
>>
>> By Allan Sloan
>> Monday, November 1, 2010; 10:26 PM
>>
>>
>> If you think deer are cute woodland creatures like Bambi, think again. In
>> the real world - to the extent that suburbs like mine are the real
>> world -
>> deer are pests. "Rats with hooves" is the term for them in my household,
>> which is plagued by deer that eat our plants, defecate all over our yard
>> and show no fear of humans. Then there's the issue of Lyme disease
>> carried
>> by deer ticks, an especially serious problem if you've got young kids or
>> grandkids. And there's the scare we got last year when a deer herd began
>> crossing the six-lane highway on which were driving at 60 miles an hour.
>>
>>
>> In the Disney movie, of course, hunters shot Bambi's mother. I used to
>> think that was terrible. Now, though, I think what's terrible is not that
>> Bambi's mother was shot, but that the hunters didn't also get Bambi, his
>> father, and the rest of the herd.
>>
>>
>> And since I'm supposed to write about business, not vent about wildlife,
>> let me show you some numbers about how appallingly expensive rats with
>> hooves are in terms of dollars and human lives.
>>
>>
>> We're talking big bucks here. (You can groan now.) Deer-vehicle accidents
>> resulted in more than $3.8 billion of insurance claims and driver costs
>> in
>> the year ended June 30, according to State Farm Insurance. Such
>> collisions
>> resulted in about 140 human deaths, according to statistics from the
>> National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Serious stuff.
>>
>>
>> We're not even including the financial and social cost of Lyme disease,
>> the
>> expense of hauling away deer carcasses, and the cost in money and time
>> protecting vegetation and crops from voracious deer predation.
>>
>>
>> State Farm estimates that in the 12 months ended June 30, there were 1.1
>> million deer-vehicle accidents nationwide that resulted in $3.8 billion
>> of
>> insurance payouts and driver costs. The total exceeds $4 billion when we
>> throw in the cost of accidents in which no claims were made because
>> drivers
>> had no comprehensive insurance on their vehicles, or no insurance at all.
>>
>>
>> The costs in the adjacent chart combine State Farm's estimate of an
>> average
>> $3,103 per claim paid by insurers with the estimated deductible, $250,
>> absorbed by drivers. We're using a $3,353 cost per accident in all
>> states,
>> because State Farm doesn't provide state-by-state data.
>>
>>
>> You see that in 16 states, costs run nine digits. In Virginia, by State
>> Farm's estimate, there were nearly 52,000 deer-related accidents last
>> year
>> that cost $174.3 million. In Maryland, deer-vehicle collisions numbered
>> close to 32,000 at a cost of $106.9 million. Even the District of
>> Columbia,
>> not known as a woodland paradise, has roughly 500 deer-vehicle accidents
>> a
>> year, according to State Farm. (You can blame most of them on the deer
>> infesting Rock Creek Park.)
>>
>>
>> State Farm has published data about deer accidents for seven years to get
>> attention for its accident-mitigation tips: be especially vigilant from 6
>> to 9 p.m.; remember that deer usually travel in herds; don't rely on
>> car-mounted deer whistles; and so on. It does some interesting math to
>> reach its conclusions. It extrapolates total deer-vehicle damage based on
>> claims made by its policy holders. For example, if State Farm has a third
>> of the auto policies in a given state, it multiplies its cost and the
>> number of accidents by three.
>>
>>
>> State Farm says there were 21 percent more accidents reported in the
>> 2009-2010 survey than five years earlier, even though vehicle-miles
>> driven
>> are up only 2 percent. That's a telling statistic. It means either that
>> drivers have gotten a lot worse at avoiding deer, which seems unlikely,
>> or
>> there are a lot more deer on the roads than there used to be, which seems
>> extremely likely.
>>
>>
>> Last year, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration counted 182
>> deaths caused by animal-vehicle collisions. The Insurance Institute for
>> Highway Safety estimates that 75 to 80 percent of those deaths involve
>> deer. Call it 140 people killed last year because Bambi was where he
>> didn't
>> belong.
>>
>>
>> Look, I'm all in favor of cute woodland creatures - as long as they stay
>> in
>> the woods, and aren't destroying the habitat on which plants, birds,
>> insects and reptiles depend. Yeah, deer are just animals and it's not
>> their
>> fault, but they're a menace because there are far too many of them. When
>> you see the New Jersey Audubon Society allowing carefully selected people
>> onto its nature preserves to shoot deer, as it has since 2005, you know
>> that an excess of deer is an ecological disaster.
>>
>>
>> The next time some bleeding-heart tells you how cruel it is to kill deer
>> to
>> keep them from hurting people and causing property damage, wave these
>> death
>> and damage numbers around. Up with people! Down with Bambi!
>>
>>
>> Allan Sloan is Fortune magazine's senior editor at large.
>>
>>
>> _______________________________________________
>> PCA's Alien Plant Working Group mailing list
>> APWG at lists.plantconservation.org
>>
> http://lists.plantconservation.org/mailman/listinfo/apwg_lists.plantconserva
> tion.org
>>
>> Disclaimer
>> Any requests, advice or opinions posted to this list reflect ONLY the
>> opinion of the individual posting the message.
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