News Release

White-tailed deer management resumes in western Maryland national parks in February

Date: January 23, 2020
Contact: Megan Nortrup, 202-339-8314

FREDERICK, Md. — Four national parks in western Maryland: Chesapeake & Ohio Canal National Historical Park (NHP), Antietam and Monocacy National Battlefields and Catoctin Mountain Park will conduct deer management operations in Feb. and March 2020 to protect and restore native plants, promote healthy and diverse forests and preserve historic landscapes. 

Extensive safety measures will be in place to protect park visitors and neighbors during operations. Biologists, who are also highly trained firearms experts from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, will work under the direction of National Park Service (NPS) resource management specialists and in coordination with law enforcement park rangers to perform reduction operations in a manner proven safe and effective.

Limited park areas will be temporarily closed while reduction operations are underway. Visitors and area residents are encouraged to check their local park’s website for the most up-to-date information and are reminded to respect posted closures. Hunting is illegal in these four western Maryland national parks.

The NPS will donate all suitable meat from reduction activities to local food banks. Last year, national parks in western Maryland and the District of Columbia donated nearly 12,000 pounds of venison to local food banks.

All four parks are implementing previously approved white-tailed deer management plans. Chesapeake & Ohio Canal National Historical Park will conduct its second season of deer reduction activities. Antietam National Battlefield and Monocacy National Battlefield will conduct their fourth season of deer reduction activities. Catoctin Mountain Park will continue with the 11th year of its deer management efforts. 

Overabundant deer populations damage vegetation and eat nearly all the tree seedlings compromising the ability of forests to sustain themselves. Deer also damage the crops that are a key component of the historic setting. Crop farming was present at the battlefields during the Civil War and the parks’ enabling legislation mandates preservation of these important cultural landscapes.

Deer management has produced positive results at several area national parks. Catoctin Mountain Park has actively worked to reduce deer populations in the park since 2010 and has seen more than an 11-fold increase in seedling density over the past ten years. Several additional national parks across the country actively manage deer populations including Rock Creek Park (D.C.), Gettysburg National Military Park (Pa.), Fire Island National Seashore (Ny.), Valley Forge National Historical Park (Pa.) and Cuyahoga Valley National Park (Oh.).

 

-NPS-