Deer concerns at VCP

To the editor:

The overpopulation of white-tailed deer in Van Cortlandt Park should be addressed. A couple of days ago, my husband walked in the Croton Woods and had two deer ticks on his clothing. 

According to Tom Daniels, Ph.D., director of Fordham’s Louis Calder Center, a biological field station in Westchester County, it’s a big year for ticks. Daniels has spent nearly 40 years studying ticks at Calder, working with the New York State Health Department and dozens of undergraduate researchers. Their findings indicate a high risk of being bitten by a nymphal or adult deer tick — which carries Lyme disease — in the New York tristate area. 

Tick season is longer these days: Nymphal ticks have gradually become active about three-and-a-half weeks earlier, in late April rather than mid-May, possibly because of climate change, Daniels said. “Our thinking that you’re really not at risk from this tick until a little bit later in the year has changed,” he said. Nymphal ticks are active in the summer; adult ticks emerge in the early spring and fall. 

Another concern is that deer can pose significant challenges to human health and safety at high population levels through deer-vehicle collisions. They also have a tremendously detrimental impact upon both forest biodiversity and tree regeneration. The deer and native plant species have coevolved, so the deer browse native plants like jewelweed, which are pollinated by hummingbirds and other pollinators. Hillside Park in Hastings uses deer exclosure fencing, which is highly effective in regenerating understory growth in overbrowsed areas.

People and deer can coexist so long as impacts from deer populations are managed at an acceptable level. Non-lethal means exist to reduce the future impacts of an overabundant deer population. New York City’s five-pronged plan allows experts to take immediate steps to humanely sterilize male deer, integrating traffic safety measures, public education, protection of natural resources and impact monitoring. 

Let’s push for these steps to be taken in Van Cortlandt Park. We can all do the following: not feed the deer, drive cautiously — especially at dawn and dusk when deer are most active, check for ticks after visiting the park (also check your dogs) — and call 911 to report an injured deer.

Debbi Dolan