Urban Wildlife Management Task Force

Minutes ADLC Urban Wildlife Management Task Force Metcalf Senior Citizen’s Center May 22, 2024, 6:00 PM MEMBERS PRESENT Commissioner Ed Beaudette, Chief Bill Sather, Fred Boyer, Rick Morse, Chad Gochanour, Chuck Stokke ABSENT George Kortum, Chris Marchion due to illness MEMBERS OF THE PRESS Nikki Johnson MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC Per sign in Sheet. CALL TO ORDER Commissioner Beaudette called the meeting to order at 6:00 PM. APPROVAL OF MINUTES FROM APRIL 24, 2024 Motion passed unanimously to approve the minutes from May 9 , 2024 with a correction that Chris Marchion was present. OPENING COMMENTS Commissioner Beaudette announced the purpose of the meeting. He stated that FWP was here tonight to give us some updates and answer any questions. DISCUSSION Joe Kambic from FWP gave a brief overview of the urban deer issue in Anaconda. He explained that Anaconda has a very unhealthy population of deer due to the poor nutrients from human feeding. Joe noted that he was surprised that we haven’t had more deer related injuries to people in the community. He states that public safety is a priority. Jow informed the group that we have around 175 deer in town. Brad Bailis, FWP Bear Management Technician gave a brief overview of the bear issues in the community. The urban deer issue will cause more problems with bears. He mentioned that people leaving food out for the deer are unknowingly feeding the bears. It was discussed that the black bear issue we are currently experiencing could easily turn into a grizzly bear problem. He reported that we have had five confirmed grizzly bear sightings in surrounding areas. Discussion was had regarding the mountain lions in the area and Washoe Park. It was stated that we do not have many in the area, but they are here; controlling the deer issue will keep them away. QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS 1|Page Urban Wildlife Task Force Management Meeting Minutes May 22, 2024 Audience Member – Is it mostly mule deer in town?  Joe Kambic – It is mostly mule deer, there are some white tail deer in West Valley. Audience Member – Is it possible to tranquilize the deer and relocate them?  Sara Basso – That is not really an option especially since CWD has been detected in the area. These deer are not healthy so we would not want to relocate them to mix with other deer populations. It is just not a realistic option; we mostly only relocate bears.  Joe Kambic – We will occasionally relocate a moose, but those circumstances are different. Audience Member – If we do manage to fix this problem, how can we prevent this from happening again?  Sara Basso – This is not a one and done situation. This will have to be continual, possibly every few years. Audience Member – There has been a reluctance for prosecuting people for feeding deer in the past, because of this, fewer citations are written. Are you going to recommend that this be enforced?  Commissioner Beaudette – It has been discussed that we don’t need a county ordinance, but we should refer to the Montana Code statute. It’s obvious that the issue is people feeding the animals and this needs to be enforced. Our goal is to reduce the public feeding to see if the habituated deer numbers decrease then it will be determined if they need to be culled.  Joe Kambic – People genuinely think they are helping these animals by feeding them; when we explain that they are actually harming the deer most people will stop. Some people are just unaware that they are providing a food source just by feeding the birds. Starting with education is key. We have made the commitment to cite people who are repeat offenders, but we don’t want to go that route if we don’t have to.  Chief Sather – We do give out warnings and if the feeding continues, we will have to cite them. Audience Member – Can you do anything about the local businesses that sell deer feed?  Chief Sather – We cannot tell them what they can and can’t sell.  Sara Basso – I think that would have to go through the State Legislature.  Joe Kambic – There is one business that we had talked to previously and they stopped selling it for a while. If they are leaving food out in the street, we do have the ability to confiscate.  Commissioner Beaudette – If we can educate people and they stop feeding the deer, the stores will no longer make a profit on the feed, and they will stop selling it. Audience Member – I live out on North Cable, that is 213. You can get a private land 213 doe management tag for white tail only. Why can’t we get one for mule deer only?  Joe Kambic – We should have those available, but we should address increasing the number of tags.  Sara Basso – Kirstie and I are setting up a damage hunt to target those animals. We will start August 15th. Maybe we do need to make a specific tag for this issue in the future. More discussion took place regarding the specifics of the damage hunt. It was mentioned that it will be an archery hunt and members of the public can sign up to take part. Mike Beausoleil – Has FWP inquired with the State about taking care of the deer populations?  Joe Kambic – The city government ultimately decides which direction they want to go, and we are here to help.  Sara Basso – Generally members of the community do the culling not FWP. We just help facilitate the hunt. Audience Member – The deer are getting more inbred, should we take some bucks out and bring in others?  Joe Kambic – I don’t think adding more deer to an already growing population is a good idea, but I see what you are saying. Audience Member – How many deer carcasses have you found in town that are confirmed mountain lion kills? And how many people have been injured by deer? 2|Page Urban Wildlife Task Force Management Meeting Minutes May 22, 2024   Sara Basso – There was a lady knocked off of her porch when her dog spooked the deer; she broke her wrist.  Joe Kambic – I could not give an exact number killed by mountain lions but there have been a few. Discussion was had about us as a community to get the word out that feeding the deer is harmful. FWP suggested that if we see something say something; most of the time it is more powerful coming from a neighbor rather than FWP. It takes an entire community to address a situation like this. Discussion was had about surrounding communities with similar wildlife issues and what they are doing to remedy the problem. FWP stated they would provide sample plans from other communities to see what options there are. Each community has a different way to approach wildlife issues. Discussion was had in regard to donating the meat to the local food bank and it was mentioned that they don’t have freezer space. It was suggested that we reach out to the prison; they would be able to process and have the meat inspected. If the animals are sick, they would need to be discarded. Further discussion was had about the health of the deer. It was stated that a first round of culling would most likely produce more sickly deer than one further down the road. It was emphasized that the health of the population of deer in town is bad; the feeding must stop. CWD and the lasting effects was discussed. Further discussion was had about educating the public about feeding the deer. It was suggested that FWP hold a seminar or public meeting that is well advertised in the community. FWP also suggested having educational pamphlets designed and made available throughout town. An audience member suggested taking advantage of the number of events we have coming up and having a booth or table for education. It was mentioned that we should have presentations possibly in the schools or other organizations to educate the children as well. Further discussion was had in regard to the damage hunt; allowing children and handicapped hunters to harvest the animals. Discussion continued in regard to making tags or permits available for this type of situation. A detailed discussion was had about bird feed attracting other wildlife. People unknowingly attract deer and bear with bird feeders; even if they are hung high, they leave a mess on the ground. FWP stated that birds get plenty of food in the summer months and only need bird feeders in the winter. It was mentioned that the situation with the ducks at Washoe Park is similar; people unknowingly feed other wildlife while feeding the ducks. Discussion was had in regard to bear proof garbage bins at Washoe Park; secure grant funding for this. It was suggested to start with one area at a time and slowly move the entire community to bear proof bins. It was mentioned by audience members that the deer have been domesticated for decades and they don’t see anything wrong with it. They stated that they feed the deer and that they will continue to feed the deer. It was stated that feeding the deer is not harming them but instead it is herbicides and pesticides and other nano particles. FWP urged them to quit feeding the deer or they would ultimately be fined. Human feeding is causing the deer to be unhealthy which is why the culling needs to happen. Feeding leads to killing. FWP stated that we need to be as responsible as we can; we need to keep the wildlife wild. FWP concluded that we should all enjoy the animals but realize that public health and safety is the priority. Audience Member – Has birth control ever been discussed as an option?  FWP – I think there has been some studies done in the past; I just don’t think it was feasible. Audience Member – Are the numbers of deer in town increasing due to landowners not letting hunters onto their land?  FWP – That is probably not the case in this situation, but I have seen it in other areas. 3|Page Urban Wildlife Task Force Management Meeting Minutes May 22, 2024 Discussion was had in regard to the population growing and structures being built in the animals’ habitat and how that affects the animals coming closer to town. It was mentioned that the State should have more of a say as to where people are building and how it affects wildlife. Educating newcomers about wildlife was mentioned. It was also mentioned that newcomers to Montana may not know the feeding laws. FWP spoke about conservation easements and provisions. It was mentioned that because of the remediation we now have more greenery which is attracting more wildlife as well. CLOSING COMMENTS Commissioner Beaudette announced that a report would be put together and presented to the Commission. NEXT MEETING DATE Discussion took place regarding the location and time of the next meeting. It was determined that the next meeting will be announced after the Task Force reports back to the Commission. ADJOURNMENT Meeting adjourned at 7:15 PM 4|Page Urban Wildlife Task Force Management Meeting Minutes May 22, 2024