Town's Tick Group Suggests Uptick in Deer Harvesting, Enhanced Education: 'We Have a Health and Environmental Crisis'

NORTH FORK, NY - There are no easy answers.

That's the consensus of Southold Town's tick working group, who met with the town board Tuesday morning to discuss their final report.

The group was established in June to evaluate current strategies and programs to reduce and eradicate the tick population.

Group chair John Rasweiler outlined various strategies that had been examined. Pesticides that kill ticks, or acaricides, for yard treatments are not an option due to their long-term effects and potential health hazards.

As for four-poster programs, such as what's in place on Shelter Island, Rasweiler said the program would do nothing to address deer degradation of the natural environment, deer-vehicle collisions, or economic repercussions to farmers.

And, because the four-poster program bring other forms of wildlife into high concentrations, rats could become an issue, he said.

"Four-poster deer-deticking staitons would be unworkable and unaffordable in the Town of Southold," the report states.

Southold Town is 32,000 acres, there's too much surface for the stations, which are costly.

The four-poster stations are incapable of completely eliminating ticks in a non-island setting; the working group also said they were unable to find evidence that the program would significantly reduce tick-borne diseases in humans.

Southold Town Supervisor Scott Russell asked if the group had looked at cedar oil; they said it's too expensive and not a financially viable option.

"We're really in an unenviable situation here in the town," Rasweiler said, adding that that in the final analysis, "it's rather ludicrous that we get no effective help from the New York State Department of Conservation and" instead, have to organize a deer committee of volunteers who haven't got a great depth of experience, who are supposed to come up with workable solutions.

"We have tried very hard to meet with DEC reps and it's been like pulling teeth to get new initiatives approved," Rasweiler said.

That said, the group believes Southold has done "far better" than any other East End town, with a deer harvest tht's gone up substantially due to concentrated efforts.

But currently, only 15 percent of the herd is being harvested, to stabilize; what needs to be harvested is 30 to 40 percent of adult does must be taken each year to keep deer numbers stable.

Current management efforts will not solve the problems, the group said. "We have a health crisis and an environmental crisis and we have to do something about it," Rasweiler said.

Strategies to consider

In order to step up efforts, the group recommends:

• Legalization of cross bows
• Expansion of private lands open to deer hunting
• Humane professional deer hunting
• Enhanced recreational hunting under nuisance permits
• Incentivization of recreational hunting

Fertility control, the group said, is not a New York State-approved stand-alone deer management methodology. And even if it were, it costs at least $500 to sterilize a deer, and the process must be done again the next year; the challenge of catching the deer looms.

The group spoke of the rampant spread of tick-borne diseases and how it had impacted them personally.

Education is key

Across the board, the group agreed enhanced education efforts are key. Rasweiler suggested the town partner with a hospital such as Southampton, which is "ahead of the curve" on tick issues.

Rasweiler said although the response from schools has not been enthusiastic, the group believes education of children must also be embraced.

A pamphlet produced by Suffolk County on tick issues should be mailed to residents, Rasweiler said.

Russell also asked if the group had discussed deer fencing.

The group said the huge increase in pricey deer fencing is an indicator of how deer are "decimating" their crops.

Deer exclosures, said Russell, was an idea pitched by Cutchogue resident Benja Schwartz. The supervisor said he brought the idea to the land preservation committee, which is now looking to develop an exclosure program at one property with an eye toward education and scientific data.

A deer exclosure can illustrate dramatically the ravages of deer to the environment, Rasweiler said. "It's like the difference between night and day," illustrating the full extent of environmental damage.

Councilman Bill Ruland said the matter is a bonafide crisis, not just a problem. "When you have human life at peril, it's more than a problem," he said. "We're looking for a scientific bullet. We might just need a bullet."

The group suggested asking the public just how many have been impacted by Lyme or other tick-related diseases; the numbers, they said, are staggering and astounding and collection of data will help to open eyes.

Russell said the town would send out a mailer with a questionnaire and allow residents to respond online, too.

Councilman Bob Ghosio asked if the town could declare a public health crisis.

Russell said the town needs to rely on hunters to reduce the deer population and they could lose their hunting permits if they complied with the town; the DEC has a great deal of authority and is a creature of state legislation.

"We are at a stalemate and people are going to die," Ruland said.

"We are trying to fight back," Rasweiler said.