Deer population at Knox Farm State Park focus of meeting

Buffalo, NY (WBEN) The New York State Parks are looking to hear from you on one proposed way to control the deer population at Knox Farm State Park.

Dave Spiering says Knox Farm State Park suffers from over-browsing by white-tailed deer that has resulted in severely degraded forests, the loss of habitat for other species, and poor nutritional health within the deer population. "We're really seeing negative impacts on forest regeneration. So the next generation of forest trees and plants being affected by that large deer population.

He says the goal of management efforts is to manage white-tailed deer populations within the park at a level appropriate to support forest regeneration and resilient natural communities; enhance habitat for forest-dependent wildlife; and provide for safe and enjoyable recreational and educational opportunities.

Spiering says the method will be to open Knox Farm State Park to archery. "which would include bows and crossbows hunting, which we allow at other parks such as Evangola State Park has deer hunting there already, as a way to help control that deer population, change the behavior of the deer population so the the park isn't necessarily a refuge where the the deer can hide, and also provide a recreational opportunity for you know the patrons of the park,"

He says that's the only option on the table right now."We're also not looking at this time to do something like like a cull where where people are brought in sharpshooters to take deer. So we thought a public hunt to provide that recreational opportunity would be the the best first step for the park to start managing the deer population

Free registration is required to attend the online meeting. To participate, please send an e-mail with your name to NYSParks.Niagara@parks.ny.gov or call 716-278-1764 by August 27 and leave a message that includes your email and phone number.