Deer Management on Fire Island, NY

By: Kendall Brunette, Chad Johnson, Alyssa Hernandez, Mark Leopold, Kelley McCrudden,

Pelle Rudstam

What’s the Problem?-An overabundance of deer on Fire Island has led to hundreds of thousands of dollars in property damage.

-The deer also have become the main host for ticks on the island, which are a vector for Lyme disease.

-Many residents feel that managing the deer population will lead to a reduction in instances of Lyme disease on the island and cut down on property damage.

-However, constant head butting between the island’s residents and between the residents and the Park Service has made any sort of management difficult.

Vegetation• Sunken Forest is a

maritime holly forest in old growth state

• Vegetation impacts are most dramatic in SF

• Trees act as anchors for wind-blown sand; essential to the stability of barrier island systems

• Browsing on the herb layer• Lack of regeneration of

canopy tree species since about 1970 coincides with the initiation of the deer population eruption

http://www.flower-gardening-made-easy.com/images/Deer-eating.jpg

Early Studies• Studies in 1966 and 1985 to assess the impacts of deer browsing

• Fenced off experimental plots• Results were inconclusive

due to small sample size• By the second growing

season, herb-cover inside deer exclosures increased by about 50%

• Since 1985, density of dominant shrubs has increased dramatically inside fenced plots

http://www.swf-wc.usace.army.mil/georgetown/images/gtwn%20images/images/DeerFeedingWisconsin2.JPG

Latest Studies• Permanent plots were relocated and

resurveyed in 1999:1. Assess the change in the structure and composition of the

SF from 1967 to 20032. Describe the age structure of the SF3. Analyze the vegetation-environment relationship of the SF4. Measure the availability of seed source within the SF• What needs to be done and when to

regenerate canopy tree species?• Recruitment events?

Public Feeding• Outreach activities:-bumper stickers-informative brochures-speaking engagements to end-user groups-voluntary pledge drives for island service

personnel and contractors-daily education/enforcement patrols-activities for primary school-aged children

http://www.gardengrapevine.com/DeerFeedingRxBC-K6277.jpg

Immunocontraception

• Female deer creates antibodies toward its own eggs

• Eggs released from the ovary are attacked by ZP antibodies which block potential fertilization sites for sperm

• Deer population has declined by almost 50% since 1998

Population Trends• Hard to adequately estimate the deer population• Aerial analysis is currently the best option• Initial estimates of deer density indicated about 80

deer/km2 in most communities during 1995• Deer abundance has stabilized along western Fire

Island• Remains high in the mid-island communities

Lyme Disease• An infectious disease, its vector is

generally black legged ticks or deer ticks. • Animals do not carry the disease, but

carry the ticks that spread the disease to humans.

• The disease can be spread after two or more days of feeding

• 70% of all people are bitten in their own yards.

• At earlier stages the symptoms include rash and flu-like symptoms

• Nearly 150 million people are currently infected or have been infected

(world-wide)

Life Cycle• Takes place over the course of 2

years, beginning with the larval stage.• Ticks are born and feed off of white-

footed mouse, who are the original hosts of the disease.

• Inactive till spring • Molt into Nymphs• Nymphs feed on small mammals• Molt into adults

The Risk• Medical

-The majority of infections are spread by ticks in their nymph stages -Only 20% of individuals infected with Lyme Disease notice their deer tick bite -Lyme disease is also known as the “great imitator”

• Financial- Lyme Disease costs on average $61,688.00 per year, per patient.

Auto-Related Injury• Highest rate of car accidents

occur at dawn and dusk.• 92 % of all deer are killed in

the accidents • Annual:

-1.5 million car accidents with deer-vehicle damage costs: $1 billion-nearly 150 human fatalities -10,000 personal injuries -human injury costs of $1,002,401

Actions Thus Far• Federal treatment

research has cost over $30 million plus $22 billion for military bio-defense.

• Success Stories:-Monhegan Island, Maine -Mumford Cove, CT -Great Island, Mass http://www.jmorrow.com/images/Last-Light-Over-Monhegan.jpg

Management

Stage 1: 1995-2005• Failed management hunt

by the Park Service.• Head-butting led to slow

adoption of strategies.• Well-educated, rich

residents have more power than most communities in getting their way. “Forget about doing anything controversial.”

Head-butting. Get it?

Management, cont.• How can we enact

management in an area where residents are completely divided?

• Finally, immunocontraception developed as a tool to help control population. “Just a tool.”

• Effective to a degree.What does Madonna have to do with deer?

Leave it to the locals.• Residents have to deal with the deer, let them

decide what they want.• Underwood: “Third party liaison” to act as a

mediator between FIIS and the residents. Preferably from the Nature Conservancy to “form an independent board that specializes in conflict resolution with land managers.”

• If the communities on the island can agree on how or if they want to manage deer populations they can take it upon themselves.

• Spatially defined community based initiatives and resource management.

Management Recommendations

• Creative, sensitive approach that elevates the awareness of residents and visitors to the consequences and responsibilities of living in a natural environment

• Permanent, dedicated liaison between FIIS and the island communities

• Establish a science and management advisory team• Establish an organization to search for financial

means to fund research, community fencing, and other management costs.

• Expand research; not only focusing on the deer population but the white-footed mouse.

• Continued high National Park Service visibility among communities

Acknowledgements The Park Service Center for Disease Control USGS The Interweb Jim Watkins