08-10-11 Council Minutes - Laserfiche WebLink

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MINUTES CITY COUNCIL AUGUST 10, 2011 2011 DEER CONTROL PROGRAM The City Administrator presented the Council with a draft of the 2011 Deer Management Plan. He indicated that he has not yet finalized the plan with the Metro Bowhunters Resource Base (MBRB). The Administrator summarized the changes from the 2010 Plan which include the proposal that there be no limit to the number of deer that can be taken. The Administrator noted the dramatic growth in deer population even with the numbers of deer take the previous two years. The second change is to add hunt sites, i.e. Gervais Mill Park and Spooner Park along the creek. The Administrator recommended that hunts in these areas not occur until after November 1St and that the trails be closed during the hunt period. The third change relates to the Sculley property. The Administrator indicated that the Sculley's prefer to hunt their own property for the entire season. The Administrator reported that the Sculley hunt went fine last year. They would be required to follow essentially the same rules as MBRB. The Administrator recommended that the Sculley hunt agreement be drafted so that if any serious violations were to occur, the MBRB would then be allowed to take over the hunting of this property. Keis asked if the City could make that requirement. The Administrator indicated that it would be part of the hunt agreement that the Sculley family would be required to sign. Montour asked about other private property owners requesting to hunt their property. The City Administrator noted that the Sculley property is a huge site that no one else in the City can duplicate. The neighbors to the north had initially be included in the Sculley hunt last year, but dropped out after the first two weeks. That property owner is not interested in the 2011 hunt. The Administrator also reported that the Maplewood and County land near the Sculley property will also be part of the 2011 hunt. He indicated that he would contact the Heinel's to determine if they would allow MBRB to hunt their property this year. The Council discussed eliminating the maximum number of deer that could be taken. The Administrator noted that there are approximately 109 deer in the City and according to biologists, a square mile of land in a "natural area" can support 15 to 20 deer. It is estimated that Little Canada has less than a square mile of natural area. The City Administrator indicated that he has had more comments from people in support of the deer control program than he has had people questioning the program. McGraw noted that on Night to Unite he received comments from people in support of the deer control program. The Administrator indicated that the City can monitor the hunt and should the numbers get close to 80 deer taken, could stop the program. However, 8