Post by Woody Williams on Aug 22, 2005 12:58:08 GMT -5
Lawsuit filed over Pa. deer management
HARRISBURG -- A hunters' organization has sued the state over its deer management, saying the whitetail population is being reduced to increase timber sales by improving the health of forests. The Unified Sportsmen of Pennsylvania's lawsuit said the number of deer across the state has fallen in the past five years from 1.5 million to fewer than 750,000.
It warns that current hunting regulations "might lead to the irreparable decimation of the commonwealth's deer herd."
The lawsuit was filed Tuesday against the state Game Commission, the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources and Gov. Ed Rendell. It is part of a campaign by some hunters to increase deer numbers, pitting them against the wildlife officials, foresters, farmers and conservationists who warn of the environmental dangers of overpopulation.
"It was kind of a long time in coming," said the association's chairman, Gregory Levengood, of Boyertown. "We've got to let a court decide whether we're going in the right direction here, because they're not listening to sportsmen."
The total number of deer killed by Pennsylvania's 1 million hunters hit a record level of 518,000 in 2002, then fell to 409,000 last year, according to the Game Commission.
The lawsuit alleges the Game Commission has violated a state law requiring it to maintain certain levels of game species, and seeks an order directing the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources to provide the information it uses to set policies.
Game Commission spokesman Jerry Feaser said the agency used scientific evidence to make its deer management decisions and questioned the claim that the total population has dropped by 50 percent in five years.
"We are revising our population model," he said. "That being said, it's important to understand that population estimates are only one measure of the Game Commission's goals in implementing its deer- management program.
"We're managing deer in a manner to try and improve the habitat that deer depend on, as do all other wildlife."
The Unified Sportsmen of Pennsylvania says it has 50,000 members -- representing 1,200 dues-paying members and 100 dues-paying clubs.
HARRISBURG -- A hunters' organization has sued the state over its deer management, saying the whitetail population is being reduced to increase timber sales by improving the health of forests. The Unified Sportsmen of Pennsylvania's lawsuit said the number of deer across the state has fallen in the past five years from 1.5 million to fewer than 750,000.
It warns that current hunting regulations "might lead to the irreparable decimation of the commonwealth's deer herd."
The lawsuit was filed Tuesday against the state Game Commission, the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources and Gov. Ed Rendell. It is part of a campaign by some hunters to increase deer numbers, pitting them against the wildlife officials, foresters, farmers and conservationists who warn of the environmental dangers of overpopulation.
"It was kind of a long time in coming," said the association's chairman, Gregory Levengood, of Boyertown. "We've got to let a court decide whether we're going in the right direction here, because they're not listening to sportsmen."
The total number of deer killed by Pennsylvania's 1 million hunters hit a record level of 518,000 in 2002, then fell to 409,000 last year, according to the Game Commission.
The lawsuit alleges the Game Commission has violated a state law requiring it to maintain certain levels of game species, and seeks an order directing the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources to provide the information it uses to set policies.
Game Commission spokesman Jerry Feaser said the agency used scientific evidence to make its deer management decisions and questioned the claim that the total population has dropped by 50 percent in five years.
"We are revising our population model," he said. "That being said, it's important to understand that population estimates are only one measure of the Game Commission's goals in implementing its deer- management program.
"We're managing deer in a manner to try and improve the habitat that deer depend on, as do all other wildlife."
The Unified Sportsmen of Pennsylvania says it has 50,000 members -- representing 1,200 dues-paying members and 100 dues-paying clubs.
