Thursday, February 28, 2013

WHAT A STACKED CITIZEN'S ADVISORY GROUP PRODUCES

Hunters touted as answer to farmers’ deer troubles

Bill Cleverley / Times Colonist
February 28, 2013


Farmers should try to work more closely with hunters this year to deal with problem deer, Greater Victoria officials say.
Measures available under the Farm Practices Protection Act — which allows hunting to protect crops — should be given a chance before the province will consider other options, Capital Regional District planning members were told Wednesday.
“There would be more support or better support for a larger capture-and-euthanize program down the road if these other measures had been put into place and still the problem persisted, and therefore further or more significant action needed to be taken to reduce the population,” said Marg Misek-Evans, the CRD acting director of planning and protective services.
A one-day workshop, hosted by Peninsula Agriculture Commission, will run Friday at the Saanich Fairground.
A key element of the workshop is to match farmers with hunters. First Nations communities on the Peninsula have also been invited.
CRD staff have met with representatives of Saanich, Central Saanich, North Saanich and the province to look at the best ways to implement a deer strategy — paying particular attention to first solving deer problems on farms.
Responsibility for nuisance wildlife is split between municipalities and the province. The CRD is co-ordinating a local response to address growing concern about deer damaging crops, munching through gardens and becoming a menace to traffic.
The region also has been given legal advice that provincial Farm Practices Protection Act regulations supersede local government bylaws with respect to firearms, Misek-Evans said.
“So even where there is a requirement under local bylaw for local police permission, the farmer would not be found in violation of any bylaw by going straight to the province to have the permit issued and bypassing that local permission,” she said.
“And that also extends to if the local bylaw has more stringent setbacks or separation requirements for discharge of a weapon than what exists in the Wildlife Act.
“The [farm act] exempts them from those more onerous distance separation requirements and the default would be the discharge distance requirements under the Wildlife Act.”
The workshop will address issues such as bag limits, required permits and licensing, and use of third-party hunters to protect crops.
“We have a ministry rep coming out from Nanaimo to walk through the application process … and actually, hopefully, help some farmers fill out the application while they are there,” she said.
“In the afternoon, we’re opening it up to hunters by invitation to come in and listen to speakers from the B.C. Wildlife Federation about the Outdoor Passport Program [a voluntary initiative focused on hunter safety and humane treatment of animals],” Misek-Evans said.
Meanwhile, some municipalities are taking additional steps.
Central Saanich councillors have asked staff to investigate opportunities to use sharpshooters to kill deer.
The municipality also is looking into offering a bounty for deer killed under a population-reduction program as well as support for First Nations deer harvests.
Councillors also voted to work with the CRD and province to investigate limited use of single-slug and projectile firearms for shooting deer and to ask the province to amend hunting regulations and deer bag limits for crop protection.
Both North and Central Saanich will consider bylaws that prohibit feeding wildlife.
“I hope there’s enough initiatives there that will give the farmers something of what they’re looking for this growing season,” said North Saanich Coun. Ted Daly, also a CRD director.
Daly wishes his municipality had been as aggressive as Central Saanich in regard to hunting, he said, adding North Saanich will also write the province asking for an increase in bag limits.
bcleverley@timescolonist.com
© Copyright 2013

Wednesday, February 27, 2013

Are We Ready for This in Victoria?


This is the result of a deer reduction program by police sharpshooters in Montgomery County Park, Maryland. Who could be more qualified to discharge firearms than a police officer?  What experts will Central Saanich approve to avoid this?

The CRD Deer Management staff is hosting a "Regional Deer Management Farmer and Hunter Education Workshop" on Friday, March 1st at the Oak Room - Saanich Fairground - 1528 Stellys Cross Road, Saanichton.

Tuesday, February 26, 2013

Sharpshooters and bounties considered to reduce deer numbers, protect crops

Judith Lavoie and Bill Cleverley / Times Colonist
February 26, 2013
A3-1213-DEER-bw.jpg



The Capital Regional District is reviewing ways to deal with deer.
Photograph by: BRUCE STOTESBURY, Times Colonist

At Greater Victoria’s ground zero for deer-farmer conflicts, councillors want to look at using sharpshooters and putting a bounty on deer.
As municipalities consider what steps they are willing to take to control deer, Central Saanich council has edged beyond recommendations from the Capital Regional District’s deer-management strategy.
The council has asked staff to investigate opportunities for First Nations and non-First Nations use of sharpshooters for deer, a bounty for deer killed under a population-reduction program and support for First Nations deer harvests.
Councillors also voted to work with the CRD and province to investigate limited use of single-slug and projectile firearms for shooting deer, instead of pellets, and to ask the province to amend hunting regulations and deer bag limits for crop protection.
Central Saanich staff have been asked to come up with a bylaw allowing public deer hunting and another prohibiting deer feeding.
Responsibility for bylaw and rule changes is split between municipalities and the province. The CRD is co-ordinating some of the response to a growing concern about deer eating and damaging crops, and munching through gardens.
The CRD, which will be given a deer management strategy update Wednesday, has acknowledged that approaches are likely to differ in agricultural and urban settings.
CRD staff have met with representatives from the province as well as municipal staff from North Saanich, Central Saanich and Saanich to look at the best ways to implement a deer strategy — paying particular attention to solving deer problems on farms.
CRD chairman and Central Saanich Mayor Alastair Bryson said the recommendations in his municipality followed a meeting with farmers.
“We are relaying the concerns about the urgency and the need to move forward in light of the growing season,” he said.
Safety is the first concern if the municipality moves ahead on sharpshooters or relaxed hunting regulations, Bryson said.
Deer-protection groups believe Central Saanich is going too far.
“These are pretty drastic recommendations. A bounty is going back to the Dark Ages — people will think they can make a few bucks — and sharpshooters are dangerous for the public at large,” said Val Boswell of DeerSafe.
Fencing and establishing wildlife corridors make more sense, she said.
Susan Vickery of Earthanimal Humane Education and Rescue Society said no studies have found an abundance of deer in any specific area. “They want a bounty on deer when there may not even be an over-population issue,” she said.
“All these people are getting over-excited and saying something has to be done. Good fencing is as far as it needs to go. This is excessive.”
At a North Saanich council meeting Monday night, staff were recommending against a controlled public hunt, saying that if councillors were to endorse deer population reduction measures, they should be related to crop-damage mitigation or First Nations hunting.
Staff recommended that council amend its firearm bylaw to sanction bow hunting and to allow farmers to hire hunters to carry out crop-protection hunting on their behalf, and that a bylaw that prohibits feeding wildlife be considered.
North Saanich staff worried that a capture-and-euthanize program would be too costly for the municipality to take on alone, but said it would be worth considering as a regional or provincial program.
Saanich staff are also drafting a report about the deer issue.
jlavoie@timescolonist.com
bcleverley@timescolonist.com
- See more at: http://www.timescolonist.com/news/local/sharpshooters-and-bounties-considered-to-reduce-deer-numbers-protect-crops-1.80656#sthash.e7KmTJqU.dpuf

Saturday, February 23, 2013

Cranbrook Councilor Regrets Lack of Transparency in Deer Management

The deer debate must become public 

Posted: February 23, 2013

Perceptions by Gerry Warner
Please consider this column an open letter to the citizens of Cranbrook and my fellow councilors on Cranbrook City Council. Regardless of where you stand on the deer issue we all share responsibility for the problem and I don’t think any of us has been living up to our responsibility including Cranbrook City Council, which has failed in one key respect.
WE HAVE NOT BEEN TRANSPARENT!
And because of that we have lost most of our credibility on this issue with our own citizens, regardless of where they stand on the cull.  And once again, we’ve raised our city’s profile outside of Cranbrook in a most negative way. This has got to stop because nobody wins on an issue as deeply divisive as this and it will only get worse.
As a result, I’ve drafted a notice of motion demanding that all future council discussion of the deer cull issue take place in the public part of council meetings until we develop and approve a deer cull policy. At this point, I have no idea what the policy will be. It could be to continue the cull or to try something entirely different or to have no policy at all and let the chips fall where they may. But that’s not the point.
The point is that whatever we decide, IT MUST BE DECIDED IN PUBLIC!
So far we have hidden from the public eye and like shadowy apparatchiks of some Third World regime, we’ve cowered behind closed doors and taken a bad situation and torqued it up into something infinitely worse. I have been partly responsible for this and for that I here and now unequivocally apologize to each and every citizen of Cranbrook for my role in this toxic mess. As a retired journalist with more than 30 years of experience, I should have known better. But I have now realized the error of my ways and I’m determined to do better.
In this regard, I’d like to make a critical point.  The argument that swayed us to retreat in-camera was because of alleged vandalism and public safety incidents during the Invermere deer cull and the possibility of similar incidents occurring here. There is some merit in this argument, but I have since come to the conclusion that whether the argument is meritorious or not, vandalism and public safety is an RCMP issue, not a council issue, and it shouldn’t have swayed our judgment in taking the public’s business behind closed doors. Once we retreated into our locked chamber, we lost control of the issue and the rest is history.
I’d also like to be upfront about where I’m coming from. I support a cull, but not in the incompetent way we’ve gone about it. Firstly, as everyone knows, a civil court case has been filed arising from the Invermere cull and I think it would have been prudent and respectful for Cranbrook City Council to wait until this case was heard. Instead, we foolishly rushed in and stirred up the proverbial hornets’ nest and made ourselves – and our city – the target of anti-cull rage from coast to coast. Talk about dumb politics. That’s about as dumb as it gets.
And what really burns me in this entire asinine fiasco is that we had the perfect solution in our hands and we let it slip through our fingers. And what is that, you rightfully ask? Let the Conservation Officers do it! They’re doing it already. Every year in Cranbrook and the rest of the province, COs cull hundreds, if not thousands, of injured deer. It’s their job and they have the expertise to do it. And legally, deer are “owned” by the Fish and Wildlife Branch and culling them is their responsibility. Passing this responsibility down to municipalities is just another provincial government download.
What more can I say? I respect the feelings of people on both sides of this tortuous debate including the suggestion to be “creative” and find ways to avoid culling while at the same time stopping urban deer from wreaking havoc on our hitherto peaceful communities. And to just show my own concern about the issue, I’ve sent emails to every council member and the mayor that I will no longer take part in any in-camera discussion about the deer issue.
This is a public issue and it should be discussed publicly.

Gerry Warner is a retired journalist and Cranbrook City Councillor. His opinions are his own.
http://www.e-know.ca/regions/cranbrook/the-deer-debate-must-become-public/

Wednesday, February 20, 2013

RCMP investigating vandalism to two clover traps


clovertrap

Posted: February 20, 2013

Two clover traps, used in the capture of deer in the population reduction program were vandalized overnight on Tuesday February 19.
The City of Cranbrook was notified of the vandalism Wednesday morning. The traps are the property of the Ministry of Forest, Land and Natural Resource Operations. The RCMP has been notified and is actively investigating.
Above image illustrative only.
City of Cranbrook
http://www.e-know.ca/news/rcmp-investigating-vandalism-to-two-clover-traps/

Monday, February 18, 2013

Cranbrook charges ahead with deer cull, despite unresolved legal challenge

CRANBROOK, — Cranbrook is pushing forward with plans to cull up to 30 mule deer roaming the city, despite pledging last year to hold off from any killings until a B.C. Supreme Court legal challenge is settled.
The city announced Thursday that council made the decision “after much careful deliberation,” reads a statement from corporate communications officer Chris Zettel.
“Due to concerns around public safety raised both by the RCMP and council, the city will not at this time be providing any additional details surrounding the population reduction activities.”
The trapping will occur in “several key areas of the community,” based on complaints received by both the city and the Conservation Officer Service, Zettel said.
Cranbrook was granted permission to carry out the cull by the Ministry of Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations in late 2012.
But with a court case underway in a nearby city, opposition from animal advocates and the possibility the wrong deer were being killed, the city had been refraining from further action.
The city would not provide details on when or where the cull will occur, while council and other staff refused to answer questions from the media.
A day before the announcement, the B.C. Deer Protection Coalition took out a full-page advertisement in the city’s local newspaper asking “Will Cranbrook kill deer this winter? Rumour says yes.”
Cranbrook was the first of three East Kootenay communities to carry out a cull with a provincial licence.
Kimberley, B.C., culled 100 deer in January 2012, while Invermere was set to cull 100 deer in February 2012 before a court injunction put a hold on the plans.
Cranbrook Daily Townsman

Saturday, February 16, 2013

Cranbrook okays 30-deer cull


2deerteaser.jpg
Up to 30 mule deer will be culled in Cranbrook after the city announced its second round of urban deer population control.
Townsman file photo

By Sally MacDonald - Cranbrook Daily Townsman
Published: February 15, 2013 8:55 AM
Updated: February 15, 2013 8:56 AM
A second cull of up to 30 mule deer will be carried out in Cranbrook, the city announced on Thursday.
Council made the decision "after much careful deliberation", reads the statement released by corporate communications officer Chris Zettel.
"Due to concerns around public safety raised both by the RCMP and council, the city will not at this time be providing any additional details surrounding the population reduction activities," reads the statement.
It refers to the population control as "reduction" in the urban deer population and says the measures will "focus on several key areas of the community, based on complaints received both by the city and by the Conservation Officer Service."
The city was granted a permit from the Ministry of Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations in late 2012, it continues.
However, it does not say when or where the cull will be carried out. Council and staff are not answering any questions about the statement nor speaking to the media.
"The city will not at this time be providing any additional details surrounding the population reduction activities. The city will provide a comprehensive review to the public once these activities have been completed," reads the statement.
Yesterday, the B.C. Deer Protection Coalition took out a full-page advertisement in the Townsman, stating "Will Cranbrook kill deer this winter? Rumour says yes."
The advertisement asks Cranbrook residents to call or email the organization if it sees a trap set in the community."If you have a trap in close proximity to your property, grant us access to your property so we can monitor the traps during the night," reads the advertisement.
Colleen Bailey, a spokesperson for the Humane Treatment of Urban Wildlife, which is a member of the B.C. Deer Protection Coalition said the group is against the city's decision.
"We condemn the assertion that public safety is at risk if the city releases any details of the cull. We assert that this is simply being used as an excuse to conduct the entire operation under the cover of secrecy. Opponents of the cull have simply exercised their democratic right to be part of an open and transparent decision making process and this right was removed by council when it held secret meetings and heard from deputants of its own choice," said Bailey.
"We will continue to reach out to the community to tell us where traps are set and we are committed to monitoring the traps during this cull period."
Last April, council approved a second cull of up to 50 deer in Cranbrook. However, Mayor Wayne Stetski told the Townsman in October that the second cull had been put on hold pending legal action over Invermere's cull.
"(Invermere) has been taken to court over the public involvement process that was used by council to make the decision to cull 100 deer in Invermere's case. That process that Invermere used is the same one that all of us used – in Cranbrook, Kimberley and Invermere. So if the court decides there was something inappropriate or perhaps incomplete on that public process, potentially it would impact the future around public processes leading up to whatever decisions councils make," said Mayor Stetski at the time.
In November 2011, Cranbrook culled 25 urban deer — 11 white-tail and 14 mule — using clover traps.
It was the first of three East Kootenay communities to carry out a cull with a license from the Ministry of Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations.
Kimberley culled 100 deer in January 2012, and Invermere was set to cull 100 deer in February  2012 before a court injunction put a hold on the plans.
The Invermere Deer Protection Society started a civil suit against the District of Invermere in February 2012, claiming the district did not do enough public consultation prior to decided to carry out a call.
The court injunction halted the cull for much of February, but the society's request to extend the injunction failed and eventually Invermere was able to cull just 19 deer before its permit to euthanize 100 deer expired.
According to a March 2012 issue of the Invermere Valley Echo, Columbia Valley RCMP laid charges in cases where traps were tampered with or deer released from traps during the Invermere cull.
In May, the Supreme Court of B.C. gave permission for the society's civil suit against the district to continue. That case is still before the court. A hearing was set to be held in January, but was delayed.
Despite this legal action, public safety concerns have led the city to proceed with a second cull anyway.
Devin Kasakoff, a spokesperson for the Invermere Deer Protection Society, is questioning why Cranbrook council changed its mind.
"Why was the mayor worried about Invermere's court case in October 2012 and not in February 2013? Nothing has changed. Our case is moving forward," he said in a February 14 press release.

Thursday, February 14, 2013

City moving ahead with deer cull

Posted: February 14, 2013

The City of Cranbrook has decided to act on a wildlife permit issued by the Ministry of Forests, Land and Natural Resource Operations in late 2012 and has approved a cull of up to 30 mule deer, it announced today, Feb. 14.
“After much careful deliberation council has approved the reduction of the urban deer population by up to 30 mule deer by focusing on several key areas of the community, based on complaints received both by the city and by the Conservation Officer Service,” states a city press release.
The announcement was anticipated by BC Deer Protection Coalition (BCDPC), which today launched a public campaign attacking the city’s decision and is advertising ways the public can help it “stop the slaughter of these beautiful animals.”
In a press release issued Feb. 14, before the city’s announcement, the BCDPC accuses the city of plotting to conduct a secret cull.
That release followed a Feb. 12 meeting between Colleen Bailey, a spokesperson for Humane Treatment of Urban Wildlife (HTUW) and a member of the BCDPC, and Devin Kazakoff, spokesperson for the Invermere Deer Protection Society (IPDS) and BCDPC member and Cranbrook Mayor Wayne Stetski, where they asked for an update on Cranbrook’s urban deer situation.
Bailey and Kazakoff told e-KNOW the mayor appeared “caught off guard” by their question, provided some vague answers and startled them with an admission that a council decision concerning culling would be made in-camera (behind closed doors).
“We asked a very simple question; will the City of Cranbrook be culling deer this spring?” said Bailey. “It is either yes they will or no they will not.  Why can we not get a simple answer?”
In its release, the BCDPC states, “According to Mayor Stetski, Cranbrook council will be meeting behind closed doors and away from public scrutiny to decide how to proceed and what to tell Cranbrook residents and the broader public about a deer cull.”
Bailey, who said she was the only “deer voice” on Cranbrook’s Urban Deer Committee before being replaced last year, suggested, “Perhaps we will have our questions answered tomorrow after the secret council meeting. But given how city officials have refused to answer our questions, I would not assume anything.”
Calling a cull “cruel and regressive,” the BCDPC new release notes, “Cranbrook voted to conduct a second cull in the spring of 2012 but in October Cranbrook officials announced that the cull was on hold pending the Invermere court challenge.
It continues by pointing out a Vancouver Sun (October 6, 20 12) article in which Stetski expressed concern about repercussions if court finds fault with Invermere’s methods since Cranbrook relied on the same public involvement process.
“Now, despite the Mayor’s concerns, rumour has it that Cranbrook council plans to cull deer over the next few weeks,” the release states.
E-KNOW asked the city for comments on the BCDPC press release but has yet to receive answers. However, it concluded its press release on the cull announcement by stating: “Due to concerns around public safety raised both by the RCMP and council, the city will not at this time be providing any additional details surrounding the population reduction activities. The city will provide a comprehensive review to the public once these activities have been completed.”
Kazakoff told e-KNOW he is mystified at how the city can proceed with a “secret deer cull,” when council must pass a resolution to apply for a provincial government permit and pass another resolution in order to conduct a permit.
He suggested an excuse for council making the decision in-camera might be because of the pending legal battle between the District of Invermere the IPDS as a reason, but waves it off as “unrelated.
“The more important question remains unanswered,” added Kazakoff. “Why was the mayor worried about Invermere’s court case in October 2012 and not in February 2013? Nothing has changed. Our case is moving forward. We will likely never know because Cranbrook has discussed this controversial cull behind closed doors and without taxpayer’s oversight. Cranbrook residents will be footing the bill. They deserve to be part of the discussion.”
Ian Cobb/e-KNOW


NO LONGER A RUMOUR CRANBROOK CONFIRMS CULL OF 30 DEER BY MARCH 15

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE File: 1470.01
City of Cranbrook to Move Ahead Urban Deer Population Control

CRANBROOK, BC (February 14, 2013) -- The City of Cranbrook received a Wildlife permit from the Ministry of Forests, Land and Natural Resource Operations in late 2012. After much careful deliberation Council has approved the reduction of the urban deer population by up to 30 mule deer by focusing on several key areas of the community, based on complaints received both by the City and by the Conservation Officer Service. Due to concerns around public safety raised both by the RCMP and Council, the City will not at this time be providing any additional details surrounding the population reduction activities. The City will provide a comprehensive review to the public once these activities have been completed.

--30--

For more information, please contact:
Chris Zettel Corporate Communications Officer City of Cranbrook
Phone: 250-489-0238 Cell: 250-420-1686
zettel@cranbrook.ca 


BCDPC members confirmed days ago that Cranbrook has a permit to cull deer until March 15, 2013. The Mayor and Council have avoided answering direct questions from taxpayers, and have outright lied to other taxpayers.  The councils "careful deliberation" has taken place in camera (behind closed doors with public and media banned).  Inquiries from Cranbrook taxpayers were ignored, and one taxpayer was told by a councilor that he would not discuss the deer issue with her.  Other taxpayers were lied to when told that a cull was not being considered.  We have documentation of all this.

The BCDPC takes out a full-page ad in the Cranbrook Daily Townsman


Wednesday, February 6, 2013

Plastic plant pot stuck around fawn’s neck near Ten Mile Point

Judith Lavoie / Times Colonist
February 5, 2013
Fawn with plant pot-2.jpg
Ten Mile Point resident Michael Yu took this picture of a young deer with plastic around its neck last weekend near Phyllis Park in hopes of getting help for the animal.  Photograph by: MIchael Yu



Ten Mile Point residents are being asked to keep tabs on a young deer with what appears to be a plastic plant pot stuck around its neck.
The deer, sometimes accompanied by its mother, has been spotted around the area for about three weeks. Some residents initially thought the black bands around the animal’s neck were part of a radio collar.
The plastic is getting tighter as the fawn grows, but, for now, the animal is still able to eat. That’s a problem, because while it is alert and healthy, it will be difficult to track and tranquilize, Conservation Officer Scott Norris said.
“We probably won’t jump into it right away, because when it’s mobile, it’s pretty difficult to tranquilize and remove [the pot],” he said.
“I hope we can catch up with it and cut [the plastic] off at some point.”
Anyone seeing the deer is asked to call 1-877-952-7277 if the animal appears to be in distress or slowing down, Norris said.
If the deer is injured, it is young enough that it could be taken to the Wild Animal Rehabilitation Centre in Metchosin for treatment. Wild ARC, operated by the B.C. SPCA, does not take adult deer because they panic when confined to pens and will hurt themselves.
Photographs of the deer were taken last weekend near Phyllis Park in Wedgewood Point by resident Michael Yu, who wanted to get help for the deer.
“I saw it again yesterday around 6.10 p.m. at the west side of Wedgewood Estates,” Yu said. “What is going to happen when the deer grows up and it has that round its neck?”
Yu said he enjoys seeing deer in the area and does not want the fawn to suffer.
“I love the deer. They come along the street, the whole family, and have a nap. So cute,” he said.
Jordan Reichert of B.C. Deer Protection Coalition said deer face numerous hazards in the capital region.
“We get a lot of people distressed about injured deer, such as deer hit by cars or a bow and arrow,” said Reichert, whose group is lobbying for a province-wide ban on bowhunting after animals were recently found to have spent weeks suffering from severe injuries.
If the animal is injured or is being harassed, police or a conservation officer should be called, Reichert said.
If it is not injured “we usually encourage people to leave it alone,” he said.
jlavoie@timescolonist.com

Tuesday, February 5, 2013

A Fawn Caught in a Flower Pot in Saanich



A fawn in Saanich is in a very tight situation tonight.  Conservation officers are waiting for him/her to weaken before tranquilizing and removing the flower pot.

Remember the hazard to wildlife when any type of yard or household debris is left outside. Wildlife can be killed or maimed by several types of plastic waste, including plastic bags, beverage rings, strings, cups, etc. Many animals have been known to ingest plastic, leading to a painful death. Their safety is our responsibility.