Eagle Creek Park Deer Management Plan

Don Colvin Deputy Director

Indy Parks/Department of Public Works September 11, 2014

Welcome • Introductions

– John Williams, Director, Indy Parks – Don Colvin, Deputy Director, Indy Parks Department

of Public Works – Judy Loven, State Director, USDA APHIS Wildlife

Services • Background on White Tail Deer at Eagle Creek • Deer Impact • Managing the Impact • Assessing the Results • Open House

Background • Eagle Creek Park

– Indy’s Largest Park (3,900 acres land, 1,400 acres water)

• Deer Impact – The overabundance of deer in Eagle Creek Park is causing severe damage

to the Park’s ecosystem.

– Normal populations of deer should number 15 to 20 per square mile.

– With the goal of preserving the Park for future generations to enjoy, the City is implementing a deer management program that will diminish the negative impact of deer on Eagle Creek Park and surrounding neighborhoods and restore the balance of the Park’s ecosystem.

Studying the Issue

• Multiple studies have been conducted in the last 20 years documenting the negative impact of the overabundance of deer on the Park’s ecosystem. Assessment of White-tailed Deer Browsing on Understory

Vegetation within Spring Pond and Eagle's Crest Nature Preserves in Eagle Creek Park, Indianapolis, IN, 2003, George Parker

Ten year resurvey of permanent plots at Eagle’s Crest

Nature Preserve, Eagle Creek Park, Indianapolis, IN, 2007, Rebecca Dolan and Marcia Moore

Effects of herbivory by white-tailed deer on forest vegetation in Eagle’s Crest and Spring Pond Nature Preserves, Eagle Creek Park, Indianapolis, IN, 2013, Michael Jenkins

Studying the Issue

Biodiversity Impacts • Lack of regeneration of

canopy trees • Altered forest shrub layer • Diminished herbaceous

plant species • Diminished ground and

shrub nesting bird species • Diminished small mammal

habitat

Negative Impact to Understory

Negative Flora Impacts

• Impact to Tree Planting

• Protected Tree Planting

Deer Impact • Herd health

– Deer require 10-12 pounds of food each day for most of the year.

– Without a sustainable food source, deer become undernourished (smaller and weaker) and are more prone to die from starvation, especially in winter.

– Malnourished deer are more susceptible to disease outbreaks and infection from parasites because of compromised immune systems.

Deer Impact • Property damage

– Approximately 16,700 deer are killed per year in Indiana in vehicle collisions.

– Estimated average cost of repair from reported collisions with deer is $3,171.

– Residents have observed damage to flower and vegetable gardens and landscape plantings.

Deer Impact • Safety concerns

– More than 20 deer/vehicle collisions reported within a mile of the Park so far in 2014. (Many deer/vehicle collisions are not reported)

– An average of more than 60 deer are killed each year in interstate collisions along I-65 and I-465 near the Park.

– Deer in urban and suburban areas can become acclimated to human presence, this is called habituation.

– Habituated deer present safety issues for park guests and nearby residents.

Managing the Impact • The Deer Management Strategy for Eagle Creek Park

– Wounded Warrior Outdoors

– Preliminary Site Visit (October)

– WWO will coordinate with VA to find interested participants (October)

– 2-3 day managed hunt with recovering servicemen and women accompanied by WWO staff and medical personnel. (November-January)

– Deer harvested will be taken home by servicemen and women or donated to local food banks.

Managing the Impact • The Deer Management Strategy for Eagle Creek Park

– Professional Marksmen – Frequently applied in suburban and urbanized areas. – Approved by the American Veterinary Medical

Association (AVMA) as a painless form of euthanasia. – Professional, highly specialized staff – Work will be done in the late night and overnight

hours, maximizing safety and minimizing impact to park guests.

Managing the Impact • The Deer Management Strategy for Eagle Creek Park

• All deer meat will be processed and donated to local food shelters.

– Field dressing to be done off-site by volunteers. – Dressed deer will be processed. – Processed meat will be provided to local food banks at

no charge to provide meals for those less fortunate. • Venison Donation Programs

– Give IN Game Program – Hoosiers Feeding the Hungry – Sportsman’s Benevolence Fund

Assessing Results • The long term goal is to restore the ecological balance of park

resources while maintaining the highest level of fauna and flora diversity for the enjoyment of park visitors. – We will not meet the goal in year one. – Utilizing professional marksmen is the safest, most effective method of

reducing the herd numbers. – Once herd numbers are returned to a sustainable level, regulated hunting

through firearms and archery could be considered as long-term management methods.

– Studies confirm that natural areas where a deer management program is in place see reduction in over browsing, reemergence of forest understory, including native plants and wildflowers and an increase in shrub nesting birds and small mammals.

Additional Articles

Open House

Park Staff and experts will take questions one-on-one.