White-tailed Deer Management
National Park Service Issues Final White-tailed Deer Management Plan/Environmental Impact Statement for Rock Creek Park
Washington D.C. -- The National Park Service has released the final version of its plan to manage White-tailed deer populations in Rock Creek Park in Washington, D.C. The purpose of this plan is to develop a White-tailed deer management strategy that supports long-term protection, preservation, and restoration of native vegetation and other natural and cultural resources in Rock Creek Park. The deer population in Rock Creek Park has grown and persists at relatively high densities to the detriment of the park's vegetation. Action is needed at this time to address the potential of deer becoming the dominant force in the park's ecosystem, and adversely impacting native vegetation and other wildlife; a decline in tree seedlings caused by excessive deer browsing and the ability of the forest to regenerate in Rock Creek Park; excessive deer browsing impacts on the existing shrubs and herbaceous species; and deer impacts on the character of the park's cultural landscapes.
The Rock Creek Park Draft EIS (DEIS) was made available for review through a Notice of Availability (NOA) on July 10, 2009. Following the release of the DEIS, the public comment period was open between July 13, 2009 and October 13, 2009. Due to the high level of public interest, the comment period was later extended until November 2, 2009. NPS carefully reviewed all comments and prepared a Concern Response Report (contained in Appendix G of the Final plan/EIS). This final plan/EIS provides responses to substantive stakeholder and public comments, incorporates those comments and suggested revisions where necessary, and provides copies of relevant comment letters.
The plan is part of a Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS) prepared by the National Park Service as required by the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969. In the FEIS, the National Park Service describes and analyzes the environmental impacts of taking no new action (Alternative A), or following one of three action alternatives (Alternatives B, C and D) that were developed by an interdisciplinary planning team and through feedback from the public and scientific community during the planning process
Alternative A: No Action - Current deer management actions and policies would continue under alternative A, including monitoring deer density and relative numbers, monitoring vegetation, data management, and opportunity for research. Protective caging and limited use of deer repellents may also be used to protect rare plants in natural areas and small areas in landscaped and cultural areas. Current educational and interpretive measures, as well as interjurisdictional communication, would continue. No new actions would occur to reduce the effects of deer overbrowsing.
Alternative B: Combined Non-Lethal Actions - Alternative B would include all actions described under alternative A, but would also incorporate several non-lethal actions to protect forest seedlings, promote forest regeneration, and gradually reduce deer numbers in the park. The additional actions would include the construction of large-scale deer exclosures (large fenced areas) and reproductive control of does via sterilization and an acceptable reproductive control agent when feasible. Reproductive control implementation may require construction of temporary holding areas to house captured deer prior to treatment.
Alternative C: Combined Lethal Actions - Alternative C would include all actions described under alternative A, but would also incorporate two lethal deer management actions to reduce the herd size. The additional actions would include reduction of the deer herd by either sharpshooting or by implementing capture and euthanasia of individual deer, to be used in limited circumstances where sharpshooting may not be appropriate.
Alternative D: Combined Lethal and Non-Lethal Actions (Preferred Alternative) - Alternative D would include all actions described under alternative A, but would also include a combination of certain additional lethal and non-lethal actions from alternatives B and C to reduce deer herd numbers. The lethal actions would include both sharpshooting and capture/euthanasia and would be taken initially to quickly reduce the deer herd numbers. Population maintenance would be conducted via reproductive control methods if these are available and feasible; if not, sharpshooting would be used as a default option for
maintenance.
The National Park Service will make its selection of the preferred alternative official in a Record of Decision. This document will be released 30 days or more after the Notice of Availability for the FEIS is published in the Federal Register. The final plan/FEIS is available in electronic format online at http://parkplanning.nps.gov/rocr. The Record of Decision also will be posted on this web site when the document is released.
A limited number of compact discs and hard copies of the final plan/EIS are available at Rock Creek Park Headquarters, 3545 Williamsburg Lane, N.W., Washington, D.C. 20008. A CD or hard copy also may be requested by writing the superintendent at the address above, by email, or by calling (202) 895-6000.
In addition, a limited number of printed copies are available at the Rock Creek Nature Center, located at 5200 Glover Road, N.W. in Washington, D.C. Additional printed copies will be available for review at District of Columbia public libraries near the park in Northwest and Northeast Washington, D.C.
Rock Creek Park will issue press releases to announce management actions and post this information on this web site. Information also can be obtained by contacting the Chief Ranger's office at 202-895-6010, or by sending an email.
Select the following links for additional information:
Deer Management Plan/Final Environmental Impact Statement January 10, 2012
Frequently Asked Questions About Rock Creek Park's Deer Management Plan January 10, 2012
