Humans vs. Deer In NJ: State Has A ‘Zero Density’ Population Goal

ESSEX COUNTY, NJ — For many years, deer have used the area around Essex County’s South Mountain Reservation to feed and raise their young. But these days, state and county officials say the animals aren’t welcome in the 2,112-acre park… or many other parts of North Jersey.

According to the county website, South Mountain Reservation is a nature reserve that is part of the Essex County Park System. It is located in central in portions of Maplewood, Millburn and West Orange, and borders South Orange between the first and second ridges of the Watchung Mountains.

It’s also a sought-after location that has humans and deer both competing for space, according to state officials. And that’s where the conflict arises.

A Patch reader recently reached out with concerns about a phrase that may spell doom for the deer population in South Mountain Reservation: “zero density.”

That’s the terminology former New Jersey Division of Fish and Wildlife (NJFW) Director Dave Chanda used in an August letter to a West Orange member of The League of Humane Voters.

In his letter, Chanda confirmed that the state’s Deer Management Zone 36 – which includes Bergen, Hudson, Essex, Passaic, Morris, Union, Somerset and Middlesex counties – has a “deer density goal of zero because of high deer-human and land use conflicts, severe environmental damage and the lack of sustainable habitat.”

But what the “zero density” goal means for deer who wander into the county-managed reservation is up to some interpretation according to one concerned local activist, who told Patch that the designation equates to an “attempt to kill all the deer in northeast New Jersey.”

Patch contacted the New Jersey DEP for comment about the meaning of the term and got this reply from a spokesman:

“Zero density means the goal is not to have any deer in that particular zone due to the overall lack of habitat, and public safety issues related to deer-car collisions.”

WHAT’S THE PROBLEM?

According to the New Jersey DEP, white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) have been a part of the natural landscape of the state since prehistoric times.

“Changes to the natural landscape created by humans have continued to provide abundant and ideal deer habitat,” the DEP states. “Consequently, deer populations have increased. At present, deer still find the land use patterns and habitat created by humans extremely suitable. Today, substantial deer populations are not only a by-product of agriculture, but the result of greenways and large building lot sizes common in the suburban and rural areas of the state.”

According to officials, the deer population needs to be controlled for several reasons:

• Help preserve the forest habitat
• Protect motorists from deer-related crashes
• Prevent destruction to residential gardens and crops
• Help prevent wildlife-transmitted illnesses such as Lyme disease

As part of an announcement for the county’s annual deer cull last week, Essex County Executive Joseph DiVincenzo Jr. said that officials update their Deer Management Program every year to address current conditions and maintain the population at a manageable level.

“Controlling the population by removing deer from South Mountain and Hilltop has proven to be very successful in helping to preserve the forest habitat and maintain our reservations as viable resources for recreation and open space,” DiVincenzo said.

According to Essex County officials, significant portions of the forest understory at South Mountain Reservation have been destroyed by deer-related overbrowsing.

“The loss of this vegetation has prevented new trees from growing, created erosion problems, allowed invasive plant species to flourish and caused the number of native animal species that rely on the plants for food or protection to decline,” officials stated.

In addition, the animals have proved to be a constant menace for local drivers, officials claim. During 2015, workers removed 272 deer carcasses from county roads.

• See related article: State Trooper Dies After Car Crashes Into Deer
• See related article: Car Versus Deer Crashes Continue in Cedar Grove

WHAT’S BEING DONE?

State and local officials have taken multiple approaches to reducing the deer population, as detailed in the below documents:

• Community Based Deer Management Manual for Municipalities
• An Evaluation of Deer Management Options

In Essex County, officials have installed 47 enclosures (42 in South Mountain and five in Eagle Rock) where native vegetative species have been planted so their seeds can be reintroduced into the area. The eight-foot high fences are designed to prevent deer and other large animals from foraging on the planted areas, but allow smaller animals such as rodents and birds to enter and exit.

In addition, county officials are participating in a pilot program with the NJ Department of Transportation to install detection devices that reflect motor vehicle headlights and emit a high-pitched noise to scare deer away from the road when cars approach.

The reflectors are installed along Cherry Lane, Brookside Drive, JFK Parkway and Parsonage Hill Road in Millburn, Livingston and West Orange, officials said.

However, it’s deer “culls” and hunts such as the annual Essex County Deer Management Program that have some animal activists up in arms.

On Jan. 17, Essex County launched its 10th annual hunt, placing “experienced and qualified volunteer marksmen” in tree blinds at South Mountain and Hilltop Reservation to shoot at deer passing below.

Since 2008, a total of 2,013 deer (1,254 deer and 759 unborn deer) have been culled from county property, officials said.

• See related article: Deer Cull 2017: Hunts Set For South Mountain, Hilltop Reservations

State DEP officials have expressed support for Essex County’s annual event.

“The DEP is aware of the existence of these management hunts and fully endorses Essex County in their attempt to responsibly manage the overpopulation of deer in order to mitigate environmental damage and reduce negative deer-human impacts such as deer-vehicle collisions,” Chanda wrote in August.

“South Mountain [Reservation] is located in a very densely populated portion of the state,” Chanda wrote. “To affect a population reduction in a polygamous species like white-tailed deer, the females must be removed from the population at a higher rate than males. The South Mountain Deer Management Program followed this very basic tenant of wildlife management to successfully reduce its number of deer.”

According to a position statement from the Northeast Section of The Wildlife Society, removal of deer from the population via regulated hunting or shooting is the “most effective management option” and is generally accepted in areas where a hunting culture exists.

But the society also cautions that the issue is hardly cut-and-dry.

“In developed areas, managing deer to resolve deer-human conflicts is often controversial and solutions are not easily achieved. Efforts in such areas often lead to intense and emotional debates. Policies addressing management of overabundant deer should be based in sound science, assessment of economic costs and benefits, and understanding of local community values.”

WHO’S OPPOSED AND WHY?

“Communities relying on lethal methods to manage deer create a public safety issue and provide only a short term solution, requiring a perpetual killing program - the cull,” a report on DeerFriendly.com states.

“Communities wanting fewer deer can reduce the carrying capacity using fences, deer resistant landscaping and repellents. Careful use of dogs or other deterrents can replicate the effect of a predator in a natural environment, keeping deer on the move and restricting their access to food.”

In a recent letter to the editor on MyCentralJersey.com blasting the NJFW for “decades of pro-white-tailed deer killing, and catering to hunting special interests,” a Raritan Township resident called for an overhaul of the agency “without special-interest puppets pulling strings.”

“Fatal flaws underlying propaganda and scare tactics of data posturing/advising, and not addressing multifactorial causes of deer ‘overpopulation’ and human-deer conflicts reflects DFW’s continual piecemeal attempts to resurrect a ‘hunting way of life’ turned into a blood sport which cannot be regulated lethally without disastrous physical, emotional and cognitive consequences,” Margaret Andersen wrote.

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