WESTPORT, Conn. Implementing a public deer education campaign is one of two recommendations Westport's Representative Town Meeting voted in favor of as a way of dealing with the town's deer population.
On Tuesday night, the legislative body voted 23-0, with one abstention, to support a campaign that would focus on driver education, ways to dress/act when outdoors to avoid contact with ticks, and tips for keeping deer out of gardens.
Deer themselves are benign, RTM member Matthew Mandell, who supported the recommendation, said before the vote. Weve encroached their world. The harmful effects [of deer] are human generated.
Along with public education, the RTM supports the establishment of a volunteer deer control board or a deer warden to oversee deer control issues in town. These recommendations, submitted by the RTM's Health and Human Services, Public Protection, and Environment Committees, will be sent to First Selectman Gordon Joseloff for review.
Last year, a petition led by resident Peter Knight called upon the RTM to implement a deer management plan. Since then, the three RTM committees held a series of public hearings on deer management options.
Do you think educating the public about deer is the best approach? Leave a comment below!
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