*City Resources Available Online Regarding Deer Nuisances
December 2022
City resources are available online to help Kalamazoo residents that are experiencing nuisance issues caused by the deer population.
You can find helpful resources like deer resistant plants, information about fencing, and how to report issues at www.kalamazoocity.org/deer. You can also read the ad hoc committee's report on Kalamazoo's deer population.
December 2022
City resources are available online to help Kalamazoo residents that are experiencing nuisance issues caused by the deer population.
You can find helpful resources like deer resistant plants, information about fencing, and how to report issues at www.kalamazoocity.org/deer. You can also read the ad hoc committee's report on Kalamazoo's deer population.
*Deer
March 2022 Update - Results of Meeting with City Commission
No commissioner had any direct objections to our report results or recommendations, a few seemed to be actively in favor of our recommendations, and all agreed that “no action” on this issue was no longer an option. Others indicated that they personally looked forward to learning more about deer.
City staff is already actively working to develop/implement all “Phase 1” recommendations, and “Phase 2” (the actual creation of a deer management plan) has been given the green light to research the time, money, and resources needed to move forward. All things considered I believe it was the best our committee could have hoped for. The commission thanked our committee for doing our homework on deer and deer management before we came to them.
Next steps by the city are still being determined. The understanding is that the Commission would like to, within the next 6 months, receive and review a detailed proposal on what it will take to move forward to develop and implement a deer management plan.
You can review the Multi-Neighborhood Ad Hoc Committee's report HERE
March 2022 Update - Results of Meeting with City Commission
No commissioner had any direct objections to our report results or recommendations, a few seemed to be actively in favor of our recommendations, and all agreed that “no action” on this issue was no longer an option. Others indicated that they personally looked forward to learning more about deer.
City staff is already actively working to develop/implement all “Phase 1” recommendations, and “Phase 2” (the actual creation of a deer management plan) has been given the green light to research the time, money, and resources needed to move forward. All things considered I believe it was the best our committee could have hoped for. The commission thanked our committee for doing our homework on deer and deer management before we came to them.
Next steps by the city are still being determined. The understanding is that the Commission would like to, within the next 6 months, receive and review a detailed proposal on what it will take to move forward to develop and implement a deer management plan.
You can review the Multi-Neighborhood Ad Hoc Committee's report HERE
* Addressing the Deer Issue in Our Neighborhood
January 2021 Update
As many of you are aware, the deer population in our neighborhood (and other areas of the city) has been an increasingly hot topic. City staff has received numerous complaints, and neighborhood Facebook posts are frequently filled with concerns.
In response, the ODWNA has been engaged in ongoing discussions with City staff to not only bring this issue to their attention but also to find a way to work with the City to build and support a coalition of neighborhood leaders and interest groups with different points of view to research the issue and find acceptable ways to address this problem.
The result is the start of a process that will be led by a community-based ad hoc committee with City staff support. We are at the beginning, and it is anticipated that the full information-gathering, community-feedback outcome could take up to 12 months. The ultimate goal is to establish proper, successful, and doable short-, medium-, and long-term methods of best co-existing with our urban deer population.
Much more information will be forthcoming in the weeks and months to follow but be assured that there will be ample opportunities for all voices to be heard on this issue.
It is also worth noting that the ODWNA, Oakwood, and Parkview Hills City-approved Neighborhood Plans all include action items to "pursue a regional approach to maintaining the deer population at a safe level for deer and residents".
January 2021 Update
As many of you are aware, the deer population in our neighborhood (and other areas of the city) has been an increasingly hot topic. City staff has received numerous complaints, and neighborhood Facebook posts are frequently filled with concerns.
In response, the ODWNA has been engaged in ongoing discussions with City staff to not only bring this issue to their attention but also to find a way to work with the City to build and support a coalition of neighborhood leaders and interest groups with different points of view to research the issue and find acceptable ways to address this problem.
The result is the start of a process that will be led by a community-based ad hoc committee with City staff support. We are at the beginning, and it is anticipated that the full information-gathering, community-feedback outcome could take up to 12 months. The ultimate goal is to establish proper, successful, and doable short-, medium-, and long-term methods of best co-existing with our urban deer population.
Much more information will be forthcoming in the weeks and months to follow but be assured that there will be ample opportunities for all voices to be heard on this issue.
It is also worth noting that the ODWNA, Oakwood, and Parkview Hills City-approved Neighborhood Plans all include action items to "pursue a regional approach to maintaining the deer population at a safe level for deer and residents".
June 2020
*K College Student-Based Kalamazoo City Deer Population Study – You Can Help!
Two K College students (working in conjunction with the Kalamazoo Nature Center) created a deer monitoring project within the smartphone app called iNaturalist, a free platform that allows for photo documentation of living creatures by community members. These students are particularly interested in the population and distribution of deer in the City of Kalamazoo after hearing that residents are concerned about a possible rise in their population and the impacts of that rise.
For anyone that would like to participate you simply need to create a free account in iNaturalist through the phone app.
Once you have an account use the Search function by entering: "Deer populations in the residential areas of Kalamazoo", then click on the project. There should then be another button to join the project.
When you are out and about and spot some deer you can open the app on your phone, click the “observe” button and snap a photo using the camera on their phone. Once you have a clear photo click the “next” button and there will be a screen to enter information about what you took a photo of. This where you will type in “White-tailed deer” and make sure the project it is going into the Kalamazoo project and that's it.
You can do this over and over for all the deer that you see anytime. It will then populate a map so they know where all of the deer observations are coming from.
There is also an area to type in comments for each photo, like if the deer are browsing on particular plants or what their behavior is, etc.
*Want to use your computer instead of your smartphone? You can submit camera-taken photos here: https://www.inaturalist.org/projects/deer-populations-in-the-residential-areas-of-kalamazoo
The students will be working on this project for the summer but if it is proves successful they might continue it so folks can be made more aware of the population/distribution of deer in the city.
Any questions can be directed to Jennifer Meilinger, Community Science Director, Kalamazoo Nature Center: [email protected]
*K College Student-Based Kalamazoo City Deer Population Study – You Can Help!
Two K College students (working in conjunction with the Kalamazoo Nature Center) created a deer monitoring project within the smartphone app called iNaturalist, a free platform that allows for photo documentation of living creatures by community members. These students are particularly interested in the population and distribution of deer in the City of Kalamazoo after hearing that residents are concerned about a possible rise in their population and the impacts of that rise.
For anyone that would like to participate you simply need to create a free account in iNaturalist through the phone app.
Once you have an account use the Search function by entering: "Deer populations in the residential areas of Kalamazoo", then click on the project. There should then be another button to join the project.
When you are out and about and spot some deer you can open the app on your phone, click the “observe” button and snap a photo using the camera on their phone. Once you have a clear photo click the “next” button and there will be a screen to enter information about what you took a photo of. This where you will type in “White-tailed deer” and make sure the project it is going into the Kalamazoo project and that's it.
You can do this over and over for all the deer that you see anytime. It will then populate a map so they know where all of the deer observations are coming from.
There is also an area to type in comments for each photo, like if the deer are browsing on particular plants or what their behavior is, etc.
*Want to use your computer instead of your smartphone? You can submit camera-taken photos here: https://www.inaturalist.org/projects/deer-populations-in-the-residential-areas-of-kalamazoo
The students will be working on this project for the summer but if it is proves successful they might continue it so folks can be made more aware of the population/distribution of deer in the city.
Any questions can be directed to Jennifer Meilinger, Community Science Director, Kalamazoo Nature Center: [email protected]
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ODWNA ~ P.O. BOX 20061 ~ Kalamazoo, Michigan 49019
ODWNA ~ P.O. BOX 20061 ~ Kalamazoo, Michigan 49019