Title
Resolution to Establish a Deer Management Program within the City of Ann Arbor
Body
Whereas, In May 2014, City Council tasked the City Administrator with evaluating options for deer management in Ann Arbor;
Whereas, In August 2014, City Council directed the City Administrator to develop a community-supported deer management plan;
Whereas, Between October 2014 and April 2015, City staff conducted a review, evaluation and community engagement process including interviews with stakeholders, an online citizen survey (537 respondents), three public meetings, and two deer count flyovers which collectively provided the basis for the staff report delivered to City Council May 7, 2015 “Recommendations for Deer Management in Ann Arbor”;
Whereas, The May 7, 2015 report found, in part, that:
• the large majority of deer - about 80% in the two aerial counts - are found in or near the boundaries of Wards 1 and 2
• city residents report increased deer in parks, along streets, and in residential neighborhoods; 65% of the Ward 1 and 2 survey respondents reported an increase in deer in their neighborhoods the last three years
• damage from deer browsing has been documented in residential neighborhoods in all sections of the City; 73% of the Ward 1 and 2 survey respondents reported damage to their plants and/or landscaping
• botanical damage from deer browsing has been documented in public parks, including damage to deciduous and evergreen native tree seedlings
• residents express concern about automobile accidents involving deer (majority in Wards 1 & 2) as well as infectious diseases and tick-borne illness within the deer herd;
Whereas, In May 2015, the City Administrator presented City Council with a deer management plan that recommends decreasing the deer population to reduce deer-human negative interaction using several methods, including the following:
• Implement a series of annual culls on City property in Wards 1 and 2 beginning in 2016
• Implement a city wide deer feeding ban as soon as possible
• Conduct annual flyovers to provide an indication of the number of deer in and close to the City
• Conduct an annual survey via A2 Open City Hall
• Provide residents deer management material and resources
• Develop a process to measure environmental impact of the deer on the City’s natural areas;
Whereas, The FY16 establishes a budget for deer management of $90,000 based on the initial cost estimates in the May 7, 2015 report; and
Whereas, City Council held a working session in July 2015 to learn more about contraception, sterilization, and culling of deer in municipalities;
RESOLVED, That the City conduct an annual survey via A2 Open City Hall to gather resident perceptions regarding deer-human interactions within the City;
RESOLVED, That the City develop deer management information and resources and provide this information to the public by February 2016 and in each subsequent February;
RESOLVED, That the City conduct annual flyovers in each of the next four years to gauge deer numbers in the City;
RESOLVED, That the City report on City’s deer management efforts, including results from A2 Open City Hall survey, flyovers, deer/vehicle crash data, in May of each year;
[Approach A - Cull Only]
RESOLVED, That the City plan and implement a deer cull within Ann Arbor in each of the next four years, beginning in Winter 2016 in Wards 1 and 2;
RESOLVED, That the 2016 cull be approximately 100 deer and that the number of deer culled in the future be adjusted based upon survey and flyover results;
RESOLVED, That Staff shall be authorized to implement a temporary moratorium of City ordinances and regulations to allow the discharge of firearms by the deer cull contractor selected by the City during time period necessary for the cull; and
RESOLVED, That the City coordinate the Ann Arbor cull with the University of Michigan, if the University chooses to participate in the deer management program.
[Approach C - Cull + Contraceptive Exploration]
RESOLVED, That in addition to the measures identified in Approach A above, that the City work with local stakeholders, MDNR, willing institutions of higher education, and/or the Humane Society of the United States to design and, if practical and cost-effective, implement a doe sterilization and/or contraceptive program in areas where a deer cull is impermissible, unsafe, or ineffective, beginning in winter FY2017.
Sponsors: Council Members Briere, Lumm, and Mayor Taylor
As Amended by Ann Arbor City Council on August 17, 2015