Ann Arbor’s Sustainability Commission is considering possible deer management methods as the deer population grows and raises concerns within the community.
Jenn Cornell serves on the Ann Arbor City Council and sits on the Sustainability Commission. She says a lack of natural predators, fewer hunters, and limits on control methods have led to rapid deer growth in the area. She says deer are causing traffic crashes, higher tick populations and damage to local ecosystems by limiting new forest growth.
The University of Michigan presented ongoing research to the commission that suggests municipalities working together could be an effective way to manage deer.
“Ann Arbor doing this in isolation didn’t necessarily prove to be very effective. And so, having a municipal approach that is more regional hopefully has a larger impact.”
Cornell says the commission wants to see results from other regional efforts before deciding how to move forward.
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