When I found out about deer concerns

Today's Oshkosh Northwestern editorial, which seems to bend over backwards to provide some defense of what is now widely recognized as a flawed process employed to get to point of bringing sharpshooters to the city, claims that the urban deer issue in Oshkosh has been discussed at least since the fall of 2006. The editorial says that "The fact is officials have been working on the issue since at least the fall of 2006, when the first estimates of the size of the deer herd were made." I just emailed editorial writer Alex Hummel and asked him to provide me with those fall of 2006 herd size estimates; I have never received such estimates, and if any other councilor did he or she never revealed them in any of our deliberations on this matter. (For the record, the only estimates of herd size received by the council are the following: 11 deer found in an aerial survey taken in early 2008; and a survey of neighborhood residents' opinions on herd size which revealed that 56% of the respondents thought that there were 20 or less; 17% thought that there were more than 20, and 27% didn’t know.)

I was elected to the city council in April of 2007. Never during the campaign, to my recollection, did anyone ask my views on urban deer. My introduction to the topic came in May of 2007, when DNR wildlife biologist Tim Lizotte sent the common council an email. Here's the first paragraph:

My name is Tim Lizotte, DNR Wildlife Biologist stationed here in Oshkosh. I have been contacted by seven landowners within the city regarding urban deer in the vicinity of the Vulcan Quarry and South Park. Five landowners have complained about the deer and damage to their property and two citizens expressed their enjoyment of the deer and had no complaints. In addition, I have been questioned by the Oshkosh Northwestern on the issue.

The Northwestern editorial says that the process included " . . . plenty of opportunities for residents to express their views on urban deer." I think this is where the frustration on the part of residents is coming in. They are NOT saying that there were not opportunities to express views. Rather, they are upset that the majority views expressed in the only survey the city took on the matter (i.e. 50% reported not being concerned about the deer in the yard, and 24% actually enjoy them. 25% said they were concerned. 69% said that damage caused by deer is not serious enough for the city to act.) were minimized or ignored.

The City Manager told me yesterday that the sharpshooters have either already begun baiting the deer for another round of hunting, or will soon begin to do so. I think given the reaction to the first round, this is not a wise move. Will any of the six councilors who voted for this call for a delay so that we can take at least one more year to look for alternatives and give the nonlethal options advocated by the Humane Society the proper time needed to work?