By GLORIA PLEVA KACIK
Contributing Writer
Mayor Bob Stefanik hopes that leaders from other northeast Ohio communities will join him in sending a message down state. The message: the deer belong to you and the problems that the deer have created are your responsibility. The ever-increasing population of deer caused and ever increasing amount of damage to vegetation and increased motor vehicle collisions every year.
Discussion has taken place among the various community leaders at a recent Cuyahoga County Mayors and Manager Meeting, according to Stefanik. He has drafted a letter, with input from some of these leaders, to Ohio Governor John Kasich, James Zehringer from the Ohio Department of Natural Resources and members of the Ohio Legislature, on the matter.
Stefanik stated that he has received a positive response and hopes that they vote to support this measure at their September 25 meeting.
The letter points to Ohio law, which states that the ownership of all the wild animals that reside here belongs to the state of Ohio. It points out that while the state has been aware of the growing problems that municipalities and their residents are facing with the growing population of deer, it has done nothing to help rectify the problem. Even though the Ohio General Assembly has bestowed power to control matters pertaining to the wild animals, which includes the regulation thereof, the only response from the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) is to pass the buck back to the cities. Their “response to this deer population explosion has been to issue ‘information’ to our cities and our residents on non-lethal techniques for addressing deer damage,” according to the letter. It adds, “while ODNR takes very seriously its authority over oil and gas natural resources, permitting wells in urban areas without any interference from municipal corporations, ODNR has declined to exercise its authority to manage and control the ever-growing deer population.
The failure to respond and the misdirection of the matter back to local government has been deemed unacceptable. The letter notes that this “constitutes an intentional disregard for the property and safety of our residents.” It calls for the Ohio Department of Natural Resources to do its duty and “take proactive steps to reduce and control the deer population.”
Along with the letter, a resolution has also been drafted which encapsulates the same message. Stefanik hopes that after the September 25 meeting, the various Mayors and Managers will sign the letter and take the resolution back to their Councils for adoption. Ultimately, Stefanik said that he hopes that “the state will recognize that it is their responsibility and step up to the plate and take action.” He said that he would like to see the state institute some sort of birth control program for the deer population.