CU survey: Cayuga Heights residents want a say in deer management

By Roger Segelken

When it comes to managing local deer that munch foliage and crunch fenders, Cayuga Heights residents want to keep the decision-making local, according to a survey by Cornell natural-resources experts.

Analysis of the survey, conducted last fall by the Human Dimensions Research Unit of the Cornell Department of Natural Resources and completed by 438 property owners in the village, found mixed opinions on the herds of tame, white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) that roam through suburban neighborhoods:

• Deer-car collisions and damage to landscape plants and flower gardens top the list of problems cited by a majority of survey respondents. Nearly 90 percent say they had personally experienced deer-related problems and 25 percent have been personally affected by a deer-car accident.

• Only 11 percent say they enjoy the presence of deer without worrying about problems deer may cause. A majority (54 percent) enjoy neighborhood deer but worry about problems. One-third (34 percent) report they do not enjoy the presence of deer and regard them as nuisances.

• Over 80 percent wish the population of deer in Cayuga Heights would decrease. Only 3 percent prefer a population increase and 12 percent prefer no change in population size.

• Of 10 suggested management alternatives to reduce population levels, residents find controlling deer reproduction with sterilization or contraception to be the most acceptable action. Trapping and moving deer to another area also is acceptable to a majority of residents. One-third of respondents say a lethal-control measure -- archery sharpshooters killing deer at bait sites -- would be acceptable.

• Asked who should make final decisions about managing Cayuga Heights deer -- with choices ranging from wildlife managers in the state Department of Environmental Conservation to local elected officials, a citizens' committee or a majority vote by residents -- two-thirds want final decisions to be made by residents of Cayuga Heights or the village mayor and trustees. Almost all respondents (98 percent) want some opportunity for local input in deer-management decisions.

• Although one-third of residents say they were not at all interested in watching deer near their home or seeing deer in Cayuga Heights, a majority of respondents express moderate to strong interest in learning more about deer management in their community and participating in decisions about deer management.

Copies of "Deer Management in the Village of Cayuga Heights, New York: Preliminary Situation Analysis from a Survey of Residents" are available at the municipality's village hall or on the Internet at www.news.cornell.edu/releases/March99/CH_deer_survey.html.

"We are gratified by the 81 percent response rate and appreciate the time people took to complete the survey," said Cornell graduate student Lisa C. Chase of the 26-question survey she mailed to a randomly selected pool of 550 property owners. "This information should be of considerable interest to the Cayuga Heights Deer Committee and to the village board."

The village's ad hoc deer committee was formed after some residents expressed concern about deer damage and hazards. The committee is chaired by village resident David Donner.

Daniel J. Decker, co-leader of Cornell's Human Dimensions Research Unit, noted the relatively high percentage of Cayuga Heights residents who do not enjoy the presence of deer in their neighborhood. In a similar survey, conducted by Chase to determine residents' attitudes toward elk in Evergreen, Colo., only 1.2 percent said they do not enjoy the presence of that animal. Chase observed that the methods of deer-population management generally favored by most Cayuga Heights residents -- birth control or trapping and relocation -- are not regarded as feasible options by the state Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC). The DEC, which by law must approve any intervention that affects wildlife regardless of where management decisions are made, considers lethal methods to be the most effective and humane. However, few Cayuga Heights residents favored lethal methods, such as killing by firearms, bow-and-arrow or lethal injection.

"Clearly, a mutually acceptable solution to the Cayuga Heights deer problem is not at hand," Chase commented. "But at least we now know what people think about the issues."