Collaborations in White Tailed Deer Management: Exploring New Approaches to an Old Problem | ||
| Eastern Time | Session Description | Presenters |
| 12:00 - 12:10 PM | Welcome & Why We Are Here Today | Lisa Smith Executive Director Natural Areas Assocition (NAA) |
| 12:10 - 12:50 PM | Deer Population Reductions is Essential for Protection of Biodiversity As humans have transformed landscapes, many species have lost their habitats, struggling to survive under pollution, climate change, and invasive species threats. I consider it to be part of our human responsibility to protect and enhance the ability of animals and plants to cope with these conditions. This requires recognition of the major threats and then protection of habitats, and reduction of stresses. One species, white-tailed deer, are thriving and overwhelming evidence collected across North America in the past decades points to high white-tailed deer populations as a main factor in reducing local biodiversity, endangering many plant and animal species, preventing forest regeneration and enabling spread of tick-borne diseases. However, interests of hunters who enjoy large deer populations and those opposed to lethal management collide with those aiming to protect native species and their habitats. I will present evidence we have for the importance of deer as a threat to conservation and our ability to manage populations. Ultimately, deer are charismatic native species that belong in our fields and forests. Humans have allowed them to become ecological bullies, and if we are serious about our responsibilities to protect all native species, we need to embrace the need to reduce deer impacts through reductions in the local deer herds. | Bernd Blossey, Ph.D. Department of Natural Resources Cornell University |
| 12:50 - 1:30 PM | Learning from a Long-Term Exclosure Study | TBD |
| 1:30 - 1:40 PM | Break | |
| 1:40 - 2:25 PM | From Refuge to Resilience: Collaborative Deer Management on Virginia's Natural Area Preserves Virginia’s Department of Wildlife Resources (DWR) and Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR) have launched a joint agency initiative to address ecological degradation caused by overabundant deer populations on Natural Area Preserves (NAPs). Historically closed to hunting, NAPs have become unintended refugia, intensifying browsing pressure on native vegetation. This presentation outlines a multi-pronged, scalable management program leveraging public-private partnerships, including targeted hunts with military veterans, mentored hunting education events, and sustained antlerless deer harvests to both reduce herd size and shift deer behavior. The session will highlight outcomes, program logistics, and Interagency collaboration as a model for managing deer in sensitive natural areas. | Michael Lipford Wildlife Division Director Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources Justin Folks Deer Project Lead Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources Max Goldman Statewide Access Coordinator Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources David Hennaman Recruit, Retain, and Reactivate (R3) Coordinator Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources |
| 2:25 - 2:55 PM | Application, Measurements & Outcomes: The Practical Realities - Facilitated Panel Discussion | Panel Discussion Facilitator: Ryan Klopf Regional Supervisor / Natural Areas Science Manager Virginia Natural Heritage Program |
| 2:55 - 3:00 PM | Conclusion | |
Support the people who manage our natural areas and protect biodiversity in perpetuity.