November 19, 2013 (click for minutes) Organization Meeting
December 10, 2013 CANCELLED
January 14, 2014 (click for minutes) Teresa Gallagher, Shelton's representative to the Fairfield County Municipal Deer Management Alliance, summarized some main points and issues learned from attending quarterly Alliance meetings. Minute attachments: Talking Points Outline and Aquarion properties open to hunting.
February 11, 2014 (click for minutes) General discussion about hunting.
March 11, 2014 (click for minutes) Guest Speaker: Pat Sesto, Wilton Director of Environmental Affairs, former Ridgefield Deer Committee Co-Chair, and former Chair of the Fairfield County Municipal Deer Management Alliance: Experiences with municipal deer management in Fairfield County, including logistics of controlled hunts on town property such as how to choose hunters for the program. Supplemental handouts from Wilton:
- Wilton Deer Committee Final Report;
- Deer Season Frequently Asked Questions
- 2011 Wilton Deer Management Summary Report & 2012 Plan
- Wilton New Hunter Registration Form
- 2013 Participant Rules - Wilton Deer Management Program
- Release of Liability - Wilton Controlled Hunt
- Important Phone Numbers (handout for hunters)
- Neighborhood Notification sample
- The Hunter Interview: A landowner's guide.
April 8, 2014 (click for minutes) Guest Speaker: Howard Kilpatrick, Connecticut DEEP Wildlife Biologist. Mr. Kilpatrick gave an overview of urban deer control in Connecticut, including the ecological impacts caused by excessive deer, hunting regulations, the life cycle of the deer tick, and overview of studies, population statistics, and alternatives such as contraception and devices that apply insecticide to deer. Much of the talk is discussed in the DEEP booklet "Managing Urban Deer in Connecticut" prepared by Howard Kilpatrick and Andrew LeBonte.
May 13, 2014 (click for minutes) Scheduled Guest Speaker: Kirby Stafford, CT Agricultural Experiment Station. "Dr. Stafford is a medical-veterinary entomologist whose research focuses on the ecology and control of the blacklegged tick, Ixodes scapularis, that transmits the agents of Lyme disease, human babesiosis, and human ehrlichiosis." Dr. Stafford noted that suburban recreational deer hunting is capable of only bringing the population down to 30 deer per square mile, which may have modest impacts on Lyme Disease rates. In order to have significant impact on tick-borne illnesses, the population needs to be brought down to 8-12 deer per square mile. That appears to be threshold population below which ticks cannot easily reproduce because the adult tick needs a blood-meal on a large mammal before laying eggs. Pathogens are acquired by ticks at earlier stages in the life cycle from mice, chipmunks, and some species of birds. Dr. Stafford provided copies of the "Tick Management Handbook" (available online.)
June 10, 2014 (click for minutes) Police Chief Joel Hurliman presented statistics for deer-vehicle strikes in reported to the Shelton PD, which averaged 49 deer per year over the past three years (does not include Route 8). Several deer hunters from the audience voice opposition to sharp shooting.
Written Public Comments, requested to be read into the record:
- From Vito D'aiuto, Monroe, CT June 4, 2014
- From Vito D'aiuto, Monroe, CT June 9, 2014
- From Glen Ekstrom, Newtown, CT June 10, 2014
July 8, 2014 REVISED (click for minutes): Workshop to get the Deer Committee's report started, to identify questions we still need answers for; and a preliminary vote on recommendations. See: Outline of Report to BOA with tentative recommendations - (WORKING DRAFT)
August 12, 2014 - CANCELLED (lack of quorum due to vacations)
September 9, 2014 (click for minutes) - Summary of deer browse assessments by Teresa Gallagher, Conservation Agent. The Klapik open space property near Long Hill School shows severe browse damage and abundant evidence that deer are eating "starvation foods" during the winter. The Nells Rock Road area is also showing signs of damage, but is not yet stripped. The deer exclosure fencing at Eklund Garden provides a stark contrast between the plants growing on either side of the fence. The Committee also reviewed the draft report outline and made minor revisions to the section on recommendations.
October 14, 2014 CANCELLED - Report writing in progress
November 18, 2014 CANCELLED - Report writing in progress
December 9, 2014 CANCELLED - Report writing in progress
January 13, 2015 (click for minutes) Review of the draft report to the Board of Aldermen.
Feb. 10, 2015 - The Committee unanimously approved the Report to the Board of Aldermen (click to read report).
The Deer Committee, having completed its goal, is now disbanded. There will be no future meetings.
