Solebury sees environmental hazard in deer

Enough with the deer already. Solebury’s had it and it’s not going to take the environmental degradation anymore.
The final straw for the board of supervisors came Tuesday when Jay Kelly of Raritan Valley Community College reported his nighttime aerial drone survey this March found 2,054 deer in the 27-square-mile township. That’s 76 deer per square mile, although local densities in some areas reached 238 to 381 white-tailed deer per square mile.
Dr. Kelly, of the college’s Center for Environmental Studies, said “intensification of deer management is needed across an estimated 89-98% of the township to improve the ecosystem integrity in the future.”
Options he cited included recreational hunting on willing properties, but admitted that was not very effective; paid sharpshooters who charge $208 to $292 per deer; managed - recreational shooting at $30 to $50 per deer; and deer contraceptives at $430 to $1,100 per deer, which he called not very effective.
Kelly said the township would need to harvest at least 40%, or 1,100 deer, the first year to have any effect at all.
He recommended repeated surveys every three to five years in combination with harvest data and deer-vehicle collision data to gauge effectiveness of any hunting programs implemented.
“A significant herd reduction needs to occur,” said Supervisor Kevin Morrissey, suggesting the board ask Township Manager Dennis Carney to develop a list of qualified contractors (sharpshooters) “who can assist us with reducing the deer population.”
“We’re looking at an Arizona landscape in a few years (if nothing is done), said Eric Allen, chair of the township’s environmental advisory council.
Noting that under the current program using recreational shooters, only 80 deer were harvested last year, Chair Mark Baum Baicker said, “We need to solicit bids for herd reduction. We need results.”
He offered a motion, that was approved unanimously, that calls for:
– reducing the herd by 1,000 by getting bids from sharpshooters;
– continuing drone flyovers;
– convincing more property owners to allow hunters on their land and finding ways to work with other townships on the problem.

The board also agreed to advertise an ordinance amendment that for signage prohibiting the use of brake retarders on Aquetong Road hills between Sawmill and Carversville roads.
The action comes after a May on-site survey and a state Department of Transportation recommendation.
On the recommendations of the Aquetong Spring Park Committee, the supervisors agreed to add the words “A Nature & Heritage Preserve” to the Aquetong Spring Park entrance sign and to rename the on-site Judy House as the Bond House.
This was in honor of Perry and Helen Bond “for the decades they spent restoring what had been a badly neglected structure,” said Chair Mark Baum Baicker,
A conditional use application was approved for 2723 Aquetong Road, in the Rolling Green II subdivision. The applicant would disturb 43.3% of the agricultural soil on the vacant 8-acre tract to build a house, garage and driveway.
On the recommendation of Supervisor John Francis, liaison to the Environmental Advisory Council, the board agreed to draft a letter to area businesses encouraging them to lower the use of single-use plastics.
The board also voted to include a 57-acre tract on Upper York Road in its Land Preservation program.
This June 15 meeting was the last of the supervisors’ Zoom sessions, Baum Baicker said. The July 20 meeting will be in-person at the municipal building.
However, he said, the board is working out technical details for being able to have comments from residents at home heard at meetings via Zoom. That should be resolved in the next few weeks, he added.

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