Urban Wildlife Management Task Force

ADLC URBAN WILDLIFE TASK FORCE MINUTES OF 1ST WORK SESSION WEDNSDAY APRIL 10, 2024 at 7:00 pm HEARST FREE LIBRARY 2ND FLOOR MEETING ROOM ATTENDANCE: Ed Beaudette, Fred Boyer, Chris Marchion, Rick Morse, Chuck Stokke (by telephone) Kurt Wyant. ABSENT: George Kortum, Chad Gochanhour, Bill Sather (excused due to official duty) James Rosein, Anaconda Leader, 3 members of the public. CALL TO ORDER: The meeting was called to order by Chairman Kurt Wyant at 7:01 pm. Roll Call was taken with six members in attendance with three members absent. Chairman Wyant recognized the presence of Kirsti Yeager, FWP Regional biologist, Sara Basso, FWP Enforcement Missoula/Phillipsburg and Joe Kambic FWP Game Warden. It was decided that out of deference to the appearance of the wildlife professionals the regular order of the meeting would be suspended to hear from the professionals first. Initially, Chris Marchion requested that the wildlife professionals describe their view of the Urban Wildlife issues in ADLC and their thoughts on the problem and potential solutions. Kirsti Yeager: She stated that the presence of so many deer in town was primarily because of individuals feeding them. Mountain lions are coming into town during the night, mostly in the interface with the hills on both sides of the valley. The deer are finding spots to stay within the city where the mountain lions generally don’t want to follow. Overall, deer numbers have gone down across the state and elk numbers are up. This is a situation that results from a combination of factors including disease, loss of habitat. In particular, chronic wasting disease (CWD) is appearing across the state, with one probable case found in the Deer Lodge area. CWD is fatal, highly transmissible and cannot be verified in a live animal but must be done through a brain biopsy. The deer appearing in Anaconda are not particularly healthy due to eating unsuitable food that changes their digestive processes. In addition, the deer often carry lice, ticks and fleas that can be transferred to domestic animals, pets, and potentially humans. Infection with other diseases such as avian flu is also a growing problem. Kirsti passed around a photo of a deer in very poor condition that was in her yard in Anaconda. She stated that the first step in addressing the problem is to stop illegal feeding by residents. Sara Basso: was in agreement with Kirsti’s comments and added that numerous cities and towns have addressed this issue in various manners and that we should review those plans to find a plan that would work here. She agreed that education of the public is the first step, develop a plan to address the deer, and identify the sources of illegal feed. Joe Kambic: Agreed with the biologists’ comments and added that there was a need for coordinated enforcement with local law enforcement to find and address the issues with people feeding the deer. The important step is to educate many folks that giving food to deer and other wild animals is very detrimental to their health and is illegal. The intent is to try to avoid citation under MCA 87-6-216 Unlawful Supplemental Feeding, if possible, through education but also there needs to be enforced when necessary. A higher level of cooperation between local law enforcement and FWP is critical and needs to be addressed. The potential for a local ordinance was also discussed. Mr. Kambic also stated that issues with urban wildlife takes their people away from other critical management functions. Fred Boyer asked about the problems with bears. The professionals indicated that the primary attractant in this area is improper disposal of garbage and deliberate feeding. Bears generally follow streams and Warm Springs Creek leads them to attractive food sources that take them away from their natural food sources. One major step in addition to education and enforcement is the use of “bear proof” garbage containers. Grants are available for obtaining these and they need to be investigated. The discussion then turned to more deliberate steps. Kirstie stated that a head count for deer within town was being organized and would be conducted with a group of volunteers from the Anaconda Sportsman’s Club. A discussion concerning potential eradication ensued. It was stated that due to the apparent number of deer within the city limits, that at some point eradication through drug euthanization would probably be necessary to get to a manageable population. Some game infiltration is inevitable but the attraction of illegal feed is the number one issue. The discussion then turned to the result of an eradication program. The preferred option is to have the game processed and distributed through local food banks. Currently, there is no processor in Anaconda. Otherwise, carcasses need to be disposed of in a licensed land fill dump. Anaconda’s Class III landfill is not suitable for carcass disposal. The problem with commercially available deer feed was discussed and the problems with demand for such products. The primary issue is the health of the deer population and the health and safety of local residents. The professionals were thanked for their input and they offered further assistance as things progressed. The group returned to the agenda. APPROVAL OF MINUTES: The first action was to approve the minutes of the Organizational Meeting, The motion was passed unanimously. OLD BUSINESS: Kurt Wyant distributed a copy of a newspaper article regarding the other Montana cities and towns that have addressed the issue. It was agreed that we would formally request the plans available for review. Due to Chief Sather’s absence, discussion of local enforcement was postponed. NEW BUSINESS: A draft of Proposed guidelines was distributed for review and comment at the next working meeting. A discussion of the next meeting was had. It was agreed that based upon the comments of the Opportunity representative, it would be a good idea to have a formal Public Meeting in Opportunity as required by Ordinance 274. It was determined that the Opportunity Community Hall was being repaired so the meeting would need to be held in the Opportunity Fire Hall. Kurt Wyant and Rick Morse agreed to coordinate with the VFD. No other new business was brought forth. NEXT MEETING: It was agreed that the next meeting would be a public meeting for the express purpose of getting input from the residents of Opportunity regarding any issues with wildlife in their area. The meeting was set for Wednesday, April 24, 2024 at 7:00 pm at the Opportunity VFD Fire Hall. PUBLIC COMMENT: Two of the three members of the public in attendance spoke and generally supported the need to address urban wildlife and to keep the health and safety of the residents and wildlife as a major focus. ADJOURN: The meeting was adjourned by Kurt Wyant at 8:30 pm.