By Kathy Schwager
Long Island has a large and growing white-tailed deer population. Currently, about 300-350 deer roam territory that generally aligns with the 5,000 acres of the Brookhaven Lab site.
On a site of this size, a healthy ecosystem can sustain a population of between 80 and 250 deer.
In 2014, the Lab deveoped a program for managing the deer population, with input from employees, completion of an environmental assessment, and coordination with the New York State
(NYS) Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC), the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), and a wildlife management contractor.
The Lab began managing the deer population in 2015 with continued actions in 2017, and 2019 through 2023. Each year sufficient numbers must be taken to overcome the roughly 50-60 percent
reproductive rate.
The Lab is planning another herd reduction to reduce the deer population to levels that are low enough to maintain an ecologically sustainable population. A first phase is planned for
Friday, Feb. 23, through Sunday, Feb. 25, and a second phase is planned for Friday, March 15, through Sunday, March 17. Inclement weather could impede the work, and would result in some activities being postponed to later dates. The goal is to again bring
the population to within the healthy range of 80 to 250 deer for our site.
Like last year, the USDA will conduct the herd reduction activity. The USDA is working with the Lab’s Environmental Protection Division and Laboratory Protection Division to coordinate
the effort, and to ensure that the reduction is carried out safely and effectively.
USDA sharpshooters will use a pick-up truck as a shooting platform and will move from spot to spot during each night. They will begin their activity about 90 minutes before sunset and
finish by 3 a.m. By working overnight, we expect the activity to have a minimal impact on Lab operations. All those working in buildings near specific reduction areas, including National Weather Service employees, will receive specific notices from their organizations’
supervisors and/or hosts. To further ensure safety, road access will be blocked and officers will prevent anyone from entering an active reduction area. Individuals encountering a roadblock will be asked to wait for an all clear or be directed to take a different
route. Most delays will only last a few minutes.
Managing the deer population and bringing it to this lower level helps to reduce the number of car-deer accidents, improves forest and ecosystem health, and improves the overall health
of the remaining deer which is indicated by larger deer with improved body condition. It also reduces damage to landscaping similar to that seen on trees and shrubs planted around site. And since deer are the primary hosts for ticks, it also is a required
part of our strategy to reduce the presence of ticks, and the risk of tick-borne diseases, with our
4-Poster Tick Management system.
Meat from the deer will be donated to Long Island shelters and soup kitchens. Since 2015 we’ve been able to donate nearly 27,000 pounds of meat to local food pantries or shelters. Since
cesium-137 historically has been detected at low levels in deer on and near the Lab site, we will again test representative samples of meat to ensure that levels are low and safe for release. Based on our past experience and data collection, we do not expect
to find levels in any of the meat that would require its disposal.
— Kathy Schwager
Certified Ecologist, Environmental Protection Division
kschwager AT bnl.gov
