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FROM Mark Lungariello,
Lohud.com
October 9, 2015
Mamaroneck's mayor said he'll consider a non-lethal contraception program - if paid for through private fundraising
Westchester County snubbed Rye and Mamaroneck residents when it opted not
to launch a hunting program at the county-owned Marshlands Conservancy in
Rye, the city’s mayor says.
Last week, the county said before it stepped in on any program to control
the deer population, it wanted a list of strategies the two municipalities
were pursuing. In a letter, it requested an update by Oct. 15.
With “no thanks to the county,” Rye Mayor Joe Sack said the communities
would find a way to help themselves.
“The county has some nerve to deny Rye help, then to impose deadlines on us
to figure out how we will fill the void caused by their lack of leadership,”
he said.
Sack set a soft deadline of his own, saying the county is welcome to
change its mind by the same date.
Westchester has a limited hunting program in several county parks in the
northern, less-populous part of the county.
Village and city officials were hoping the county would allow hunters into
the Marshlands property near the Mamaroneck border — even though its
location in a residential area raised safety concerns and made some wonder
whether wounded or dying deer would make their way into backyards and
well-trafficked streets.
Local officials say they’re limited in options for their own programs
because the village and city don’t own large swaths of land where hunting
can take place.
“To control deer, you need land and a program,” Sack said. “The county has
both, but is refusing to use them to help Rye.”
Private landowners may have to be brought into the mix for any comprehensive
program to be implemented. There are hundreds of acres encompassing golf
courses in the region as well as other privately owned parcels near the
Marshlands.
Deer will continue to be attracted to the area because of foliage and
flowers that they eat in backyards, said Kevin Clarke of the state
Department of Environmental Conservation.
“The reality is you guys have deer living in your neighborhoods,” he
said. “They bed in your backyards, they breed in your backyards.”
The Mamaroneck village Board of Trustees plans to create an official
deer-management committee Monday. The “official” committee will replace an
advisory committee Mayor Norman Rosenblum put together on his own.
Rosenblum said he has discussed with some residents the possibility of
implementing a sterilization program, similar to what Hastings-on-Hudson has
tried. He said if that option is pursued, residents would have to raise
money to finance it.
“The village certainly can’t afford to go into it,” he said. “I think that
is the less emotional and less intrusive way of dealing with the problem.”
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WESTCHESTER4GEESE is an adjunct of ANIMAL DEFENDERS OF WESTCHESTER. We advocate against all forms of animal abuse and exploitation, including hunting, experimentation, fur, circuses and rodeos - https://www.facebook.com/Westchester4Geese