09-08-10 Council Minutes - Laserfiche WebLink

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MINUTES CITY COUNCIL SEPTEMBER 8, 20].0 DEER The City Administrator reported that one of the City's goals is to deal MANAGEMENT with wildlife issues, and based on this goal the Administrator presented PLAN a Deer Management Plan for the Council's consideration. The Administrator indicated that the goal of the plan is not to eradicate the deer population, but to control it. The Administrator reported that based on his review of pertinent literature and on the amount of open space in Little Canada, the City can support a deer population of about 15 to 20. Based on the County's estimates, the City's deer populatiai has increased from approximately 22 in 1999 to approximately 81 in 2010 in the area of the Sculley property. City-wide the population last January was counted at 110 deer aid that does not necessarily ensure all deer were counted nor does it account for this year's fawns. The Administrator stated that this tracks with the increasing number of complaints that the City has receive about deer. The Administrator reported that various control options have been explored from fertility control to hiring sharpshooters to contracting with the Metro Bowhunters Resource Base (MBRB) as was done in 2009. The Administrator reported that the MBRB took 13 deer from the St. John's Cemetery property in 2009, and iti is estimated that there are still 14 deer nr that location. The Adminishator reported that the Deer Management Plan proposes again contracting with the MBRB for a hunt in 2010. The Administrator listed the properties that would be included in the hunt, some of which are just being proposed. Those include the Sculley property, St. John's Cemetery property, Heinel property, 2966 Arcade Street, Gervais Woods property. The Administrator indicated that he has contacted both the County and City of Maplewood relative to combining their properties into the MBRB hunt. He indicated he has not heard back from the County or Maplewood at this point. With regard to the Sculley property, the Administrator presented a Deer Management Plan specific to this property. That plan would allow the Sculley Family to put together their own hunt team in conjunction with their neighbor and his property, Greg Memke. The Sculley hunters would be allowed to bowhunt these two properties from September 18°i through October 31S`. Hunters would have to have passed proficiency testing. After October 31S`, the MBRB would be allowed to hunt the Sculley property subject to their taking antlerless deer only. The Council discussed in detail whether or not a maximum should be placed on the number of deer to be taken. After some discussion, it was agreed that a maximum of 50 deer should betaken City-wide, including those taken by both the Sculley hunt team and the MBRB. 8